Jolt o' Java

Some Party Ideas

2009-10-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Party planning can be as fun as the party itself. Here are some ideas.

Theme parties-Characters are fun, but can become a little ho-hum. Not to mention expensive. Try integrating different designs and colors. Ie., Tinkerbell. Buy a few big item Tinkerbell items, and the rest could be less expensive star (pixie dust) motives. Goody bags, cups, etc. You can also use solid colors and complement the look with stickers. Elmo-choose primary colors. CareBears, pastel colors. BTW, I once tried a multi-color pastel gelatine. Follow directions, but replace cold water with evaporated milk. OR, replace all water with boiling milk in which gelatine will be dissolved. Layer in gelatine mold. Really cool. Can be used for Easter, baby showers too.

Speaking of, during Easter I would buy those white chocolate crosses and save them for special ocassions (religious celebrations.) A white choc. cross placed on a white frosted cake looks really nice. You can trim the cake with other colors if you like. Also, the hollow chocolate yellow duckies work well for baby showers. Store in a dry, cool place, covered. Don't use dark choc. ,though. Overtime, it changes color.

Those bear-shaped honey bottles-Save empty ones, fill w/pastel colored jelly beans. many places now sell single colors. Blue and pink, just blue, different shades of pink, etc. Or fill with gummy bears, (for bear-themed 1st bday, serve bear crackers too) decorate with ribbons stickers, etc.

How about forgoing characters altogether. Use simple, classic and not generic birthday theme in primary colors. Use balloon, stars, confetti, clowns motifs. Discount stores (ie 99c) have many ideas. Using colored tissue paper is cheap and easy way to decorate. Get creative Just a few ideas. :)

2009-09-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

My Quest for All Scents Ocean!

2009-05-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's not summer yet, but I'm into ocean-inspired scents. I do have a few of those 'sea-scented' products, which I pack when I go a swimming. I guess I'm obsessed. Went to Santa Monica beach Monday, May 25th. Not quite as hot. Water was delicious though. Then it was too cold to handle. No Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, or Nantucket this year. :( Maybe I can make it to Malibu, La Jolla, or good old Venice Beach. Then comes fall. I LOVE fall too. Amber scents??

Taking a Moment to Remember

2009-05-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

Se Habla English!

2009-03-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Why I get approached by in Spanish? No, I don't mean on the streets by people that don't know the language of the United States of America, and have a question for me, are lost, or want to know the time. No. I mean people who are fully employed to serve the public, and who I know speak English. The fresh-faced medical assistant in colorful scrubs, the buttoned up bank teller, the perky denimed teacher's assistant, and even the badge-displaying government employee. "Buenos dias, puedo ayudarla?", they ask. My reply is always, "Good morning. Yes, you can help me." I, then proceed to present my case to them.

So, what is the problem? Well, as soon as I walk in, they are already prejudging me. Thinking that I might be a foreigner. I am an American citizen, born and raised. If I were a foreigner, they assume that I don't embrace my new home enough to learn the language. Or I could be a tourist who just happens to have brushed up on her English skills in excited anticipation to visiting the U.S. and I'm eager to put my linguistic skills to practice. No, they assume that I am at a disadvantage and that I am completely illiterate in English and therefore helpless, and only they can come to my rescue because they are bilingual. Thanks, but I speak English well. I also speak Spanish perfecto.

I know, they don't want to embarrass a person who will not understand them if spoken to in English. Let's insult the intelligence of the person who actually gives a darn. Let's profile him or her. After all, most Hispanics simply don't speak English, right? First, the non-English speaker should be embarrassed. Second, believe me, that person will let you know that he or she does not understand English. Now, dearie, you can show off your bilingual skills and feel good about helping someone with the complexities of life in these the United States of America.

And the Oscar goes to...

2009-02-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Kate Winslet won Best Actress Oscar for portraying a child abuser. Can you imagine if the roles were reversed, like a 30 y/o man telling a 15 y/o girl "I'd rather hear you read it.", while naked in bed? Creepy! Oh, and she's gorgeous, so that's ok.

OCTO-PSYCHO-MOM-O UPDATE-O!!

2009-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

She, Nadya Suleman Gutierrez might not have a MySpace page. Someone did create a bogus profile, though. The other profiled was eerily similar. The holder of that account, is also an interesting case, to put it mildly. The physical characteristics were also very much alike. I don't see the Angelina Jolie resemblance. Well, anyways, if you are looking for that Nadya Suleman's Website, but are unable to find it, here it is. You can see the picture of the eight adorable babies, who in my opinion, are better off in loving, stable, clean homes.

There is the option to leave a comment (I did!), or make a donation. I say, SOUND OFF!!, instead. They also list an address and phone number, if you so desire to help this heroic, wonderful mother! Let them hear you instead.

NOPE! NOT NO MORE! Who was she kidding?!

Nadya Suleman Gutierrez, Super MOM!! ;)

2009-02-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

Yup, that’s her name, Nadya. I don’t know if the last name is Gutierrez or Suleman. I don’t know where the Gutierrez comes from, and I doubt that’s her married name. I suspect that this woman is not the biological daughter of Angela and Ed Suleman. Also, I think she might have a MySpace page. I entered some identifying data and got 3 results. One of them seems to match very closely. It’s just a speculation on my part, though. After reading this post, however, someone decided to open a Myspace acct. Bogus, of course, but very funny! Miss Nadya even hired a PR person, or spokesperson as she called herself. She refers to Nadya as her client, who happens to be educated, articulate, and of very good judgement. Oh, and that we are going to be impressed! She talked to Diane Sawyer on GMA. I guess she beat Oprah to it! What's next, The View? All in the abc family, aka Disney Co. Very fitting!

2009!

2009-01-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Where to start? It's been a long time and so much has happened. It's a new year and we have a new president. (!) It is more significant to me that the inauguration took place one day after the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I wish I could have been there. I was in a way via earthcam dot com. But, it was impossible to go into Times Sq. section of the site. Speaking of wanting to be there, on July 2007, I posted how that summer I was going to go to D.C., NY, Boston, Philly, etc. The plan flopped. Instead I went to S.F., CA. Also to Sacramento. I went to Napa and Sonoma for the first time. Lovely wine countries. Later that week I also booked a camping trip to San Diego county. San Mateo Camping ground to be exact. I had to use my vacation time somehow! The trip up North was a little hectic.But on 2008, I finally got my wish! I flew to NY. My third time there. It's like home. The next day I took the train (LIRR) from Penn Station to East Hampton, NY. Lovely town. Was there back in 2003. I sampled a couple of Crumbs cupcakes (yum!), and headed to Main Beach. The water was incredible. Then came a black cloud. Followed by a storm. Beach goers scrambled to call loved ones who quickly came to pick them up. Some in luxury cars. I envisioned the kind of homes they'd be heading to. It was surreal. It was the first Saturday of August. Once I changed, I headed to the snack shack and bought a $2 coffee, that must have been worth 50 cts. This was no special roast. Sat back under an umbrella, waited for a taxi, and took in the rare beauty of a Hamptons beach succumbed to a storm.
I then proceeded to take a taxi to Bridgehampton. I was determined to attend the annual Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge. I did not make it. By the time the taxi arrived at the bus stop and by the time the bus arrived at Bridgehampton, the event was over. What a bummer! So off I go back to NYC. The next morning @ 3 am, I headed to Boston, MA., and then to Martha's Vineyard from Woods Hole in Cape Code. I passed through Hyannis. Didn't buy much, but I did get to buy a bottle of coffee syrup to make coffee milk, or pour over vanilla ice-cream. Very popular in the MA, RI area. Wow, but what a long trip by bus. The next day I decided to stay in NYC a little longer, so I left from there around 10 am to go to DC, passed through Delaware and saw downtown Baltimore, MD. I saw a few monuments and went to Arlington, VA. I didn't make it past the gates of the cemetery. I was already too tired, and it was getting late. I needed to head back 'home'. Boy, it suck to be on a restricted budget on a trip. Well, very well worth it. I did not go to Philly to get one of those cheesestake sandwiches from Geno's. Next time, I'll go with more time and $$$!
On 2008, I also lost my job. Good riddance, I say, but it hurts to be a statistic. It is more their loss, I say. What does 2009 have in store for me, is what I asked on Jan. 1. I did not make a resolution. I make too many efforts throughout the year, and I always try to do the right thing. Nice attitude, hey! Well, I just feel a little entitled to it. Maybe next week I'll have an attitude adjustment, or not. :)

Laura Ingraham: 20 Years Ago

2007-11-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a rare pic of a young Laura, posing with mentor, and now fellow political pundit and talk show host Bill Bennet. And two recent photos too.

How I Long to be There, Sigh!!!!

2007-10-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

It's like each has a personality!

Hot Topics

2007-10-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Stacee,———————————————???‘at some of the hotter guests’? What does that mean? Do they lower the temperature in the studio or something?———————————————You know what I meant by “hotter”. Haha, you are a funny one! ;} Oh, what do they mean by “HOT Topics”, hmmmmm??????
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Yup, some like it hot!, and it's not what Stacee thinks it is.
I just got upset @ Stacee's comment on my comment and got carried away posting the above comment over and over. Got an email from Winnie and I think all is well now.

Another Year

2007-09-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Some say too much, some too little. It won't be forgotten regardless. Have we moved on? Most have. There's nothing wrong to stop and remember this day. Some cannot handle this and want all the tributes to end, or at least tone down. Painful reminder or annoyance? I guess you do what feel right for you. But many did lose loved ones and moved on in their daily lives, but they will never forget. Six years ago I was living in NY bliss. Had just arrived from Newark, NJ on United after 4 days in the wonderful city, Sept. 4th. Took a couple extra days off and went back to work that week. On 9/11 I still had "I luv NY" souvernirs to give out to coworkers in L.A. It was early morning for me and saw the devastating images on TV. People on the streets commenting about it. When I arrived at the office, radios were louder than usual. People gathered around one cubicle. Then we were allowed to watch the events in the breakroom. Finally, people were sent home. That day, instead of being excited to leave early, we left with a heavy heart. God Bless.

Happy Sunday to YOU!!

2007-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Grab a cup o' java, the newspaper, especially those fun sections; the magazine, lifestyles, horoscopes,trends, comics, advise columns, and the gosssip! sections, of course! Look out your window. Don't have a nice view? Look out your window anyways. There sunshine, daylight out. Put on your favorite music, call an old friend. Better yet, get out there, anywhere you like and can relax. If you're not the kick back type, get out there and get moving. You'll feel and look great. I might go to Portland, OR. What do u recommend there. Never been. Don't tell me it's like Seattle. I liked Seattle. That was yrs. ago. G'day!!!!! :}

cup o' joe

2007-07-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Have a nice day!)

Star then, Star Foever

2007-07-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, Star again. Are you kidding? I've been following StarNews since her departure from the view. And, guess what? She's not ready to step back. Maybe she's not as flamboyant, but rather sleek, slick, slim, but no way understated. Those Prada glasses hide what she wants to hide, and emphasize her best features. She's no longer a diva, but have a show named, alas "Star Jones", and she has spent this past year looking for whom? Star Jones! Reynolds, that is. And she's been searching for a new apartment in NY, and has purchased another one in fabulous Miami or Miam Beach. Hey, a girl forgets! She want to be in touch with herself, whatever that means. Well, she looks better, and a lot more respectable. I guess she was trying to compensate for something and who doesn't. Hey, Star, need a place? Let me know. ;)

The New Fat Chic?

2007-07-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Star Jones has always been vain. Or proud. Nonapologetical about her size. Not quite happy. She lived in glamour and hid behind it. Now she's slender and obviously very happy. Queen Latifah also loves glamour and has covergirl contract. Lose weight? no way. America Ferrara? doing just fine. Mo'nique hold fatty beauty pageants. sara ramirez of grey's anatomy? is on got milk? ad w/mustache & all. Meme Roth advocates against obesity. Abuse she calls it. More diet books out. more studies stating the obvious. fast food joints going healthy. what a tug-of-war! It's late sorry for spelling/grammar. bye xoxo

Happy Fourth!!

2007-07-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hope you have a spectacular and safe holiday, and remember what this holiday is about. You all know, right. I'll be going to NY, DC, Boston, Philly in a couple of weeks. Will post pics. Later!
Enjoy all your summer fun activities!! xoxo
$QERJTIPSGKHCMY

Oy! The Controversies!!

2007-05-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jordin won "America Idol". Hooray! Meme Roth of the Wedding Gown Challenge and anti-obesity advocate was not pleased. Too obese to be AI. Never heard a word from Meem about Jennifer Hudson who won an Oscar!! Oh, well. I uderstand Meme's frustrations and passion. All parents should prevent their children from becoming overweight. Totally unhealthy and think about playground bullying. Not much is known about Mrs. Roth, her education, background, or anything. Since she advocates looking good "for your man", it surprises me that no photos of her husband have graced the internet. There are pics of her lovely kids, though. They appear with her as she poses with her wedding gown on, which still fits. And it will fit for years to come, mark her words. I need to shake off the image of a 65 y/o woman still fitting into her wedding gown. I'd also like to see her in a white lycra bathing suit. Let's see what ya got, girl! She can call it the "Honeymoon Challenge". Or how about a pic of her wearing a white lace teddy. "The Wedding Night Challenge". Why stop at the ceremony and reception?? Let's give women a real motivation to be fit!

Rosie, Rosie, Rosie! And all ya lovely ladies! Where do I even begin. First, she fought with Star before she even joined the show. "She poops soup"! Star had a little spat with Joy. Remember, she called in to talk about her bood job, assuring us she was doing great, dispelling rumors to the contrary? Yeah. The woman was excited. She improved (?) her appearance, had an upcoming B-day, lost a bunch of weight, and felt 2o yrs. younger. Joy cut her off ugly. She claimed she wanted to move the show along. Who made you producer? It was personal. Then Star and Barbara got into it. Babs let Star go, and Star was not to leave quietly. Along came Rosie and she fought w/the Donald, with Barbara in the makeup room. Finally, with Elisabeth. Well, she had fought her all along, but she was also not to leave without a big bang, thus making "The View" a very HOT TOPIC!

I'm back

2007-05-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a really long time since I've typed anything @ all. Well, two mos. not exactly an eternity, but for some...Never a slow newsday either. .........................
Much love!!

Star Jones Has a New Look, Oh and Kitson is Soso

2007-03-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ST. PAT'S {;)

*Heard the latest? For those of you followers of StarNews, yes, she went through a makeunder, has gotten a serious, permanent gig, and has lost even more weight. (whew!!) Good for her. Girlfriend better take care of her image and be more seriuous, but not take herself so seriously. Diva Days, so long!! Of course haters are buzzing.

*I went to Kitson, you know the boutique where Paris, Linsay, and Nicole shop? Neat it is not. Not very organized. Stacks of merchadise here and there. Bins of $12 coin purses there. Rows and rows of yummy apothecary products. Bond St. , Creed perfumes; Tocca, Dyptique candles; Marvis toothpaste, Rosebuds salve. All collecting dust. A big sign inside reads Kitson loves Nicole, as in Richie. She's smiling. Why did she not come today. Kitson on Robertonson Blvd. overstated (just a bit). Block from Beverly Hills, steps away from the famed The Ivy restaurant. Star and Hubby once lunched there. Nothing to do w/Sephora which I love. And nothing to do w/ C.O. Bigelow's in NYC. Now that's a classic.

*If you happen to be around, do drop a line or two. *It is really happening @ NYC fr St. Pat's!!

Wacky News

2007-02-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

I'm sad. Just a little. Over Anna Nicole. Or over her baby, all alone. Yes, w/millions to her name (?). Poor woman did not get a chance to turn her life around. Or maybe she had way too many chances. The other day a radio talk show host said she had not hurt anybody. You know like the "Astronut" (as soon as I heard that headline, I said to myself "now that's got to be the NY Post! Yep, I was right.) Mrs. Nowak (Nowack!! haha) who had an intent to murder someone. I say she hurt her children the most. Yes, she did. Why?? It is self evident. How about the acceptance speech by MJB @ the Grammys? They cut her out. She didn't have to appologize for forgetting any names, for sure.

Hey what happened to the Rosie/Trump fight?

No Comments for Kate

2007-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Fellow Blogger Kate Kretz and painter of "Blessed Art Thou" has decided to disable the comment process from her blog. Perhaps many of you know by now of the painting featuring a virginal Angelina Jolie and her three children. It also features some rather typical Wal-Mart patrons. Sorry, but that is the best I can do to describe this piece of art. Although I am not as artistic as Ms. Kretz is, I think I can appreciate her technique and the message she is trying to convey: our obsession with celebrity. I had left a comment or two on her blog and I appreciated the opportunity to express my thought. I even included a suggestion to make her painting a little less revealing (like for example this lovely cherub), since the subject was a minor. Although I did appreciate the opportunity to leave my comments and share my views on her blog, I realize that Ms. Kretz is making the best decision for her work.

It's Getting Ugly, and Fat!

2007-01-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

First it was Joy visibly upset at Star calling into the show (you know which one) talking about her boobie job. Sure, she claims they were pressed for time (is she the producer or something) but the truth is Joy was really getting sick of Star's diva status and her talking and talking about every personal little detail. That little exchange was on the blogs for a while. Then Star got her good, interrupting Joy to give an announcement ahead of time. Star knew what she was doing. If she was to leave, she would not leave quietly. Then the mentor/protege relationship aka Babwa/Star abruptly ended. Now, it's Rosie vs. Trump. It was Rosie vs. Star. (how dare she get skinny!!!!) They've called each other pig, liar, ugly, you name it. But these two characters are not hurting. Oh, no. They bask in controversy. It helps them. They live for it. They are both thick skinned, more than they want us to believe. Anyone so hypersensitive would not survive in the spotlight and those aforementioned could not survive out of it.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

new
Another year, wow. We made it. And we made resolutions for the new year. But this year all of your resolutions will be carried through. Yes, you will be richer, thinner, happier, and have lots and lots of love, you will travel to all of your dream locations, and you will succeed in everything. May all of your wishes come true. Hey, is that asking for too much? Hardly. xoxo ;)

More StarNews, Hooray!

2006-12-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

It seems like Star Jones-Reynolds has graced the search engines once again. Any Star Jones search was met with old posts. Finally, we got some fresh StarNews. She is doing a radio show. For three days. Three whole days. She will be taking over "The Michael Eric Dyson Show". She will cover a variety of topics. I won't bore you with the list. Apparently, Mr. Dyson hasn't been on vacation this year, nor has any other radio talk show host. This is the first time she has been asked to guest host any show. Of course, I can be wrong. She'll be taking to the airwaves Dec. 18-20, and I'm sure she will have plenty to talk about. But, once again it is only a temporary gig. Remember her one-week stint at a home and garden show? The name escapes my mind at the moment. Well, Mrs. Reynolds, good luck. But don't forget your profession. I'm sure you can kick bu** as an attorney.

Koo Koo Kramer Goes at It

2006-11-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

What a creep that Kramer is. A has been or a never was. Whatever! How can you not be a racist yet utter that nasty word, what, about fifteen times? And bring out one of the darkest, most vile periods of history, when people were lynched? Yes, he's doing his round, the Letterman Show here, the Jesse Jackson Show there, calling the Rev. Al Sharpton. Yet, no amount of appologies will erase what was said that "night of comedy".

Laura Ingraham in her Chunky Days

2006-11-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

Laura Ingraham, the conservative political pundit, talk show host, and author, just to mention a few of her many job descriptions, always prides herself at being physically fit. She exorts her audience to adopt healthy eating habits and to be physically active. She is merciless when it comes to her more rotound political foes. She call Senator Ted Kennedy, the "Senior Balloon" of Massachussets. She makes equal fun of Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Moore, Tipper Gore, just to mention a few. (Oh, and Bill Clinton too, to whom she refers as Bubba.) But somehow Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrish, and other more rubenesque Conservatives are spared. She even had a section on her website called "the Pork Buster Tip of the Week". In it she gave good, but obvious advice. Drink lots of water, especially the summer; during the holidays, enjoy special treats in moderation, and so on.
She has even described herself as being a "porker" at one time in her life. Let me guess, she was five pounds overweight? Pictures of her in her younger years are rare. I saw one of her and fellow radio talk show host (?) Bill Bennett in 1987 on her website, lauraingraham.com. She has since lost some baby fat!!

Star Jones, Campaigning?

2006-10-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

I've been wondering what Star Jones has been up to lately. Yes, I admit it, I keep up. Immediately after her dramatic exit from The View, it was Star 24/7. Things cooled down in the weeks following. There was the occasional gossipy StarNews tidbits. She's getting her own talk show; she's getting a divorce; she's selling her NY house and moving to Florida; she's suing the tabloids; her husband's gay (we've heard that one before). I was surprised to learn that she is entering the political arena.

Well, in a way. She's been rallying for Democratic candidate for Ohio governorship, Ted Strickland. Good for her. After all, she does posses a law degree and she is a motivational speaker (speaking fees not cheap, BTW). Following her send-off from The View, Star stated that she wanted her replacement to be a woman of color and a professional. Not an actress or a singer. Oh, no, no! That is not dignified enough for such an important program as is The View, so ABC take note. Never mind that part of the program's success was due to the booking of such entertainers. Some even have cohosted and have done a pretty good job. I wish her well and I hope she considers other career options based on her brains and on glitz. Good luck, Star!

Welcome!

2006-10-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

welcome to Java Jolt or "Jolt o' Java". that is what we need @ times to get us motivated, energized, etc. A.S.