Glimpses of the tribe June 30, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Family, Lifestyle, Sociology.2 comments
Growing up in a Cuban family, I’ve experienced all of the identifying characteristics of the culture: traveling in packs, four+ people speaking at the same time, eating lots of heavy food as late in the day as possible, and tons of gossip about each member of the family (present or not).
What makes me the most proud of Cubans, however, is our passion. The same passion that reveals itself when normal people discuss politics comes at the same intensity when Cubans discuss something like buying a pair of shoes. When my non-Cuban friends tell me that I need to tone it down after getting worked up about something small, I always chalk it up to my genes. Still, I could not be more proud to come from a place that cares deeply about everything rather than not having an opinion at all.
Here are some shots from my weekend with my Dad’s side of the family.
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My dad and his sister, my Tia Rose. She’s stoked about learning the treadmill.
With Dad and brother Andrew.
With grandma Lucy. Notice how we’re all looking at different cameras. Even in the digital age, when pictures can be copied and sent easily, Cubans still engage in photo shoots that would make even Annie Liebovitz jealous.
Tia Rose with her daughter Yvonne (my cousin and godmother) and her grandkid Stephanie (my cousin and goddaughter).
Bro and I at a pub in JAX Beach
Andrew and Cousin Matt at JAX Beach. Fun times!
Andrew and Dad’s dog, Zeus.
St. Augustine, FL June 30, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Lifestyle, Travel.add a comment
On Friday, Dad and I took a drive to St. Augustine. For those who aren’t history buffs, this is said to be the place where Ponce de Leon landed in 1513. The city was actually established in 1565 by the Spanish Conquistadors. Throughout the years, the city has been under the control of the Spanish, the French, and the British. It’s made for a unique blending of style, architecture and culture within one little spot. Today, St. Augustine is a popular tourist destination. By day the little shops and museums thrive on out-of-towners. By night, however, many Floridians trek here for the popular nightlife scene. Apparently, the town is full of ghosts and it seemed that every time I turned around I would see a sign to promote ghost tours. Even during the day I felt a slight eeriness. Good times!
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Statue of Ponce de Leon. This is said to be the approximate spot where he landed in 1513.
Old entrance into the city. Parts of the old barricade still stand on each side of these towers.
The oldest wood schoolhouse of the USA. The puppet in the window freaked me out.
Thought this was a cool pub name.
These signs were EVERYWHERE!
The fort.
The haunted lighthouse. If any of you watch the show “Ghosthunters,” on the SCI-FI channel, you’ll probably recognize this. They’ve done two episodes here and have found lots of paranormal activity!
Cathedral of St. Augustine. The oldest Catholic parish within the present day U.S.
City Hall
City Hall courtyard
Flagler College
Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Governor and Captain General, Conquistador.
Founded St. Augustine in September of 1565.
Inside the lobby of the old Alcazar Hotel. Now it’s a museum.
The Cubans are everywhere! Here’s a Cuban restaurant set up like the old-time Havana hangouts.
Cool painting of Cuban dancers!
Total Southern style architecture. This is a restaurant with a great upstairs porch/balcony.
A fuel efficient way to get around town!
A programming note… June 28, 2008
Posted by NettyD in From the blogger.1 comment so far
Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m in the middle of a family firestorm and I’ve wanted to blog more, but things are hectic.
My brother drove three hours down from Charleston, SC and another five members drove five hours up from South Florida for a semi-crazy family reunion.
I forgot about how the decibel level goes up whenever too many Cubans are in a room together. Seriously, a normal conversation with someone right next to you happens at the noise level of two people at a rock concert. After four and a half years of living in peaceful California, my ears are RINGING!!! AAAHHHH!!!
Anyway, I went to St. Augustine yesterday with Dad and took lots of pictures. Stay tuned for those and also some good family shots!!
I’m having a great time!
Krystal Burger June 27, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Lifestyle, Sociology.2 comments
(Image courtesy of krystallist.com)
Today I experienced a staple of the fast food scene in the Southeast-Krystal Burger.
The chain was originally founded in 1932 in Chatanooga, TN. The gimmick is basically to serve really tiny burgers on really tiny buns. They do it now with chicken too. Many of you in the Northeast may be familiar with White Castle burgers. The two chains seem to have a North vs. South rivalry going on, even though I’m not sure if White Castle really exists anymore.
I got a classic combo which included four tiny burgers, fries and a drink. The branch we were in had Wi-Fi access too. Such a trip. Apparently, Krystal Burger is a late-night hangout-a magnet for drunk people who need cheap grub.
Not sure if I would eat it again, but I’m glad I at least tried a piece of pop culture.
Managing the Frizz! June 26, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Health and Well-Being, Lifestyle.2 comments
(Image courtesy of kidzone.com)
I expected the heat and the humidity of the South. What I forgot, however, was how my hair reacts to this environment. All I can say is that I have been frizzified!
Yesterday I went to get a pedicure and I was sitting in the spa chair when I noticed my reflection in the mirror. It was a fright. My hair did not look like this before I left the house, but as soon as the humidity hit me I suddenly became Bride of Frankenstein. Yowza!
So I mentioned this out loud, and the lady in the chair next to me (a total southern belle) said to me, “Oh honey, you just get you some body lotion and smooth it on there when it’s dry. You’ll be lookin’ sleek.”
On the outside, I was courteous and thanked her for the advice. On the inside, however, I was like, “This woman is bonkers.” But when I got back to my Dad’s house, I decided to try it. And sure enough it worked! I didn’t believe it at first, so I went outside for a 20-minute walk to test it out. When I came back in, the frizz was contained!!
So folks, the lesson here is to never underestimate the beauty advice from a true Southern belle. These girls know their stuff!
Jacksonville, Florida! June 25, 2008
Posted by NettyD in From the blogger, Lifestyle.2 comments
(Image courtesy of city-data.com)
I made it to the East Coast in one piece! The flights were uneventful, which I think is always a good thing to say about flying in general. I was surprised at how packed the planes and airports were for a Monday/ Tuesday.
It’s now 8:45p.m. EST on Tuesday, and I have not slept since I woke up at 6:30 a.m. PST on Monday. So, that’s approximately 36 hours with no shut-eye. WOO HOO!! I couldn’t sleep on the plane – it just wasn’t going to happen. I read, watched the in-flight movie, and stared at the necks of the other passengers as they attempted to sleep in akward positions. It didn’t seem appealing at all.
My stepmom picked me up at the Jacksonville airport, and once I was on the ground, I had a very strange shot of adrenaline shoot through me. We talked like chatty Bettys until my Dad came home. It was awesome to see my Dad after four years!! We’ve spent the day catching up over wine and food. Then we took a short drive around their part of Jacksonville. It’s called Fleming Island and it’s near the St. John’s River-a river that runs South to North. Pretty cool.
Jacksonville is an interesting city. It still has a southern plantation vibe going on, but the people are very diverse. We drove through something called a PUD (Planned Urban Development). I had never heard of this before, but basically it’s a neighborhood, within a neighborhood, within a neighborhood. It includes golf courses galore, swimming pools, boat docks, bike paths and its own schools. It was interesting. What I liked about it was the attention to preserving nature. Everything was very green and well-maintained.
Tomorrow I’m biking around town to do some exploring. I’m thinkin’ I might get a pedicure too. Yay!
Reconciling the optimist and the cynic within us all. June 23, 2008
Posted by NettyD in From the blogger, Lifestyle, Theories and Thoughts.3 comments
I’ve had many parents tell me over the years that one of the heaviest burdens they have in parenting their children is the need to protect them from sadness and pain. They want to prolong the feeling of despair or anguish. While this is understandable, it’s pretty much a waste of energy, no?
We all recognize that the characteristic separating us as humans from the rest of the world’s organisms is our awareness of emotion and memory. And I’m sure this is why the older we get, and the more knowledge we obtain, the more cynical we tend to become. Staying optimistic becomes harder and eventually most people give in to one of the scariest concepts I’ve come to know – inevitability.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. Most people in our country, however, make the wrong choice in trying to take away their cynicism.
Have you ever met those types of people who are incredibly optimistic? The ones that make you feel kinda’ ill? In my personal experiences, most of these individuals are religious fundamentalists–mostly Western religious fundamentalists. Okay, I’ll say it -mostly they are Christians. Whenever I present a personal dilemma to these individuals, they usually respond by stating that my real problem is the lack of Christ in my heart. “If only you became a Christian Lynette, then you would be happier…”
Excuse me, but I beg to differ.
If stereotypes exist because of truth, then Catholics are alcoholics, Southern Baptists are racists, and Evangelicals are closeted pill poppers. And let’s not forget the child molesting preachers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think any of these scenarios create anything close to optimism or happiness.
So really, what I think makes these individuals seem so happy isn’t really the acceptance of the Messiah into their hearts, but rather the choice to stop the flow of knowledge from entering into their brains. Basically, they believe that what they don’t know won’t hurt them. And if they do realize a truth that makes them uncomfortable, they just change it to make them feel better about the whole thing, i.e. The New Testament. The last thing they want to feel is cynicism, and they’ll prefer fantasy if it means avoiding it.
I am a strong proponent for imagination and creativity. But when it comes at a disadvantage to the betterment of the world, I firmly believe reality should prevail instead.
The correlation between knowledge and cynicism brings to mind the stark difference I see between faith and hope. People constantly use these two words incorrectly. Faith is the belief or devotion to somebody or something without logical proof. Hope, however, is to have a wish that something will happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely. I think our country, and our world, would be better off if we acted on hope, not faith.
With only 14% of the American population not identifying themselves as a member of any religion (Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005. U.S. Census Bureau), it’s no wonder our country is in total disarray. Without knowledge, we don’t understand the consequences of our actions. Namely I’m speaking about the total disregard of scientific fact in our society with regard to the environment, healthcare and even sociology.
The faithful are the real elite snobs in our society, replete with all their judgment and hypocrisy and total disrespect for the true nature of how the universe works. We cannot fight pain and suffering, or believe that we can remove it completely from our lives. (Especially if it means believing in a fictitious story.) Without it, we would not understand happiness. The whole universe runs on the principle of balance and contrasting ideas. Fighting this simple flow of energy causes nothing but unnecessary grief.
Having broken all of this down, I have come to the conclusion that knowledge does not have to lead to cynicism. Knowledge troubles us only if we do nothing with it. Resisting knowledge and not seeking it creates much more cynicism because, well, it’s just not natural. Soon enough “la-la land” becomes polluted with reality, and faith is destroyed anyway. Wouldn’t it be easier to just cut out the faith part and go straight for hard facts?
Movie Review: The Happening June 22, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Arts & Entertainment, Reviews.add a comment
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more inconsistent artist than M. Night Shyamalan. His movies are either incredible, or fantastically anticlimactic. “The Happening” falls into the latter category.
I had high hopes for this film simply because of the cast. Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo, and Zooey Deshanel are all faves of mine. Wahlberg in particular has a history of casting a slight spell on me-not just because of how much he reminds me of an ex-boyfriend, but also because he’s pretty darn talented. In this flick, however, not so much. Leguizamo is usually the comic relief in his movies, and here he is everything but. Perhaps it was his attempt to be taken more seriously. To be honest, the best actor in the whole thing was Deschanel. She still brought her brand of quirkiness, but somehow ended up being the “rock” of the entire film.
In this movie, Shymalan takes a stab at teaching us a lesson about how we treat our planet. It’s a good message, but there never really was a “hey, check this amazing scene out,” moment. The whole movie was as stable and linear as ten Tibetan monks chanting for an hour and a half. The only difference? The movie had no spiritual enlightenment.
Shymalan gets two out of five popcorn tubs from me on this one. One for having a good idea, and the other for Zooey Deschanel holding the whole thing together. I would say it’s still worth renting, but on the Shymalan scale, this was truly a disappointing use of his potential.
Saying goodbye to a piece of California’s Gold June 22, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Health and Well-Being, Lifestyle.1 comment so far
One of my favorite spots in SLO County is Montana de Oro. When I first arrived in California four and half years ago, this was one of the first places I visited. I remember being in such awe. I’d never seen anything like it before. Since then, this spot has grown to be more than just an amazing view to me-it’s been a necessary refuge.
On Thursday afternoon, Noa and I decided to go camping one last time together and enjoy the beauty of this landmark. It was STEAMING hot in SLO – we’re talking triple digits folks – so arriving at MDO was a great relief. What made it more great was the incredible sunset we witnessed. Normally, the heavy clouds block the view, but his time the heat had burned it all off. We felt lucky.
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Spooner’s Cove
Yes, that’s my foot. See Noa fishing on the far left?
We tempted the gopher with a strawberry. He was so excited, but couldn’t see very well to find it.
He eventually got it though!
Quail mating rituals…
NettyD in full effect!
I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E
