Beep Beep! Horn Tooting Time

I just adore this post that I wrote for BlogHer today about a crackpot new study that claims that the Pill leads women to choose the "wrong" partner. (The study involves 97 women thinking about taking the Pill, sweaty shirts, and sniffing. Sounds like a sound methodology, doesn't it?) There are days when I think I might be one of the dumbest people on earth, and then moments like know when I am so pleased with my cleverness that I sound like an egomaniac. What can I say?

As long as I am encouraging people to read things that I wrote that I consider funny, I might as well put out another plea for reviews on my book over at Amazon. If you read it and liked it, please let potential buyers know how you felt. (Even if you didn't like it, it would be helpful to know why.) Those of you who already posted something have my eternal gratitude. Those who post in the future will also have it. I don't think it takes long to post, and you can even use a fake name. How often does something that takes five minutes earn someone eternal gratitude?!?!

Guest Blogging at NYU

I'm pleased to announce that I was invited to guest post today at the NYU Arts and Science Blog! I used the opportunity to suggest a few small museums near NYU's Washington Square campus, and proposed a short "subway road trip" that is easy to embark upon from the NYU area.

While I have not been active with the alumni association at my school at NYU for a variety of reasons, I really do owe my current life situation to the university. I moved out to New York City almost 14 years ago (August 28, to be precise) to attend college there. Taking advantage of all my AP test scores, I graduated in three years, which was more than enough time for me. In those three years, I went through several dorming "situations" that made me relieved to be finished.

But in that same time period, I met Husband, "Big Giraffe" (who 6 years later became my high school friend Alex's husband), Steph, Dianne, Dr. P, Dr. H, and Dr. F, among other friends, at NYU. Through the Dean's Circle program, I was able to travel abroad for the first time, awakening my thirst for travel. And, of course, I began my love affair with New York. Although I initially planned to go back to Chicago after I finished school, I realized that I belonged in New York.

Eleven years later, I hope that love comes through in Off the Beaten (Subway) Track. I owe it all to NYU.

Probably won't be included in the press release...

The always wonderful Denise at Flamingo House Rules wrote a great review of Off the Beaten (Subway) Track that made me laugh my ass off as much as the book made her laugh her ass off.

My favorite line: "The penis jokes in the book - awesome."

Now, if only I could convince the publishing folks to include that in a reviews section on the press release...

(By the way, if anyone is interested in doing a blog book tour, I'm so up for it! Also, I'd forever be grateful if readers could post reviews on their blogs - which I would of course link to - as well as on Amazon. My friend/agent says it is critical to do so.)

Tell Amazon What You Think

One of the talented individuals who took photos for the book IM'd me on Wednesday night and said that his copy of Off the Beaten (Subway) Track (OTBST) arrived! I jumped up and down with excitement, but I also wanted to puke because I am so nervous about what people will think. I hope people will enjoy it, but if not, I'd like to know why. (Feedback will only help me with my next book, whatever that may be.)

If and when you read OTBST, I'd be grateful if you could post a review at Amazon. I'm not pimping for five stars (although I'll take 'em if I earn 'em!), but honest comments. Reviews can be submitted under a pen name, although that is not initially clear when you log in. So if you hate it but don't want me to know, or you love it and want to stalk me, you can do it under a fake name and I'll never be wiser.

As always, I hope that CUSS readers know how grateful and appreciative of all the support you have given me throughout this process, and your enthusiasm for the book. It's just so wonderful to have a network of people, and I promise to return your energy when you write your books.

Big Kudos

I know nothing about building websites or graphic design. Hence I owe enormous thanks to two men for helping me put together a fantastic (new) website for my book, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track.

My friend Alex's husband (blog name: Big Giraffe, or BG), very kindly put together a website for my book several months ago. He asked me what I wanted, and I said something that conveys information about what the book is about, where to buy it, and how to get in touch with me. He produced a great site that was simple enough for even a tech-idiot like myself to update, and included elements like an upcoming events sidebar. It's been great!

My brother-in-law, who runs a home cooking events business called Hot Pot, is not only a marketing guru, but a graphic design genius. He designed the awesome invitation for my book party, and thought that he could cook up something snazzy along those lines for the website. Using BG's framework and his enormous creative skills, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track looks super cool.

Once again, I am left to hope that the contents of the book can live up to its packaging!!! Thanks to both my brother-in-law and BG for all their hard work. I am so grateful.

Un-Mar-ring a Bad Day

Yesterday? From the moment I woke up at 7:40 am until Alex called to chat at 4 pm, yesterday sucked.* It was a case of too much time on my hands and too much to obsess about.

Mar was supposed to arrive in New York around noon yesterday on her way to London with her mom. Thanks to evil weather in the Midwest (and I'm sure the steady rain here didn't help), her flights were canceled. I had planned an exciting day of Jewish deli food and a tour of the Theodore Roosevelt birthplace, but it was not meant to be.

Happily, Mar's flight did arrive in the evening, and instead of crashing at her hotel after a loooooong day of travel frustrations, Mar and her mom trooped over to my apartment. Further, they good naturedly followed me around in the rain as I showed them the sights of my 'hood: Natural History Museum; New York-Historical Society; and John Lennon memorial in Central Park. Then Mar gently reminded me that she had not eaten in 9 hours, so we headed over to a kosher deli for some grub before the delightful women headed back to their hotel near JFK, which takes about an hour by subway.

While I am disappointed that I didn't get to spend more time with Mar, I am so glad that we finally met! She is as awesome and adorable in person as she is online. Her mom rocked the house, too. I just love meeting my blog friends and their cool moms and/or dads. I hope that the ladies have a fantastic time in London, and I can't wait to see Mar again. She lives in the same town as my sister, so I figure we can meet up in exciting Iowa sometime this year. (My sister is determined to have me come to talk to her class of first graders about being an author, so I figure I'll go out there in the fall when my book is out.)

Anyway, after seeing my visitors off at the subway station, I returned home to find a thoughtful email from Eddie, plus lots of nice comments on my blog, including a tag from Warrior Two. Yay for blog friends!!!!

*Although the two episodes of The Golden Girls that I caught on TV were hilarious.

Bueno Sera, La Fortuna

Here I am eating my last French bread pizza and lemon cookie at Cafe La Fortuna. In the summer of 1997, Husband I moved to the Upper West Side so that I could live near Fordham Law School, which I was to attend in the fall. (That lasted for two days. I came to my senses and dropped out of law school first thing in the morning of my third day.) We were not thrilled about leaving behind the Village, where we had met while undergrads at NYU. The family-friendly Upper West Side seemed boring and sedate compared to the cafe culture of the Village.

Cafe La Fortuna was the first place I went to that made me feel like I could not only survive on the Upper West Side, but actually enjoy it. It was John Lennon and Yoko Ono's favorite cafe. Opera memorabilia adorned the cozy walls, arias played over the sound system, and on warm days, there was a lovely backyard in which to sip iced tea and eat scrumptious desserts. Best of all, they had French bread pizzas for only $3.00! No one was ever in a rush at the cafe. It was a soothing and delightful place.

Over the past 11 years, Husband and I came to love the homey feeling of the Upper West Side. We have lived in three different apartments in the neighborhood, all within 10 blocks. Sadly, we also watched gentrification encroach upon our adopted mixed income neighborhood. It's nearly impossible to buy a one bedroom apartment for under $600,000, and renting one will run about $2,500 a month. Lately, the spread of wine bars, designer boutiques, and Pinkberry frozen yogurt shops has happened so fast I sometimes don't even comprehend the net loss.

Thus it is with Cafe La Fortuna. As you can see below, a combination of rising rents and devastating personal loss led to the closing of my favorite neighborhood refuge. Today was its last day of business, and it was packed with people like us who wanted to say good-bye. My French bread pizza was more like $7 or $8, but it tasted every bit as good as it did when I first took a bite 11 years ago.


Thanks, Cafe La Fortuna, for 11 years of good eats and good times. We'll miss you.

CUSS Readers: Brilliant and HiIlarious

Just so you know, I wrote a rambling post over at BlogHer about the evils of douche, which we explored over here at CUSS back in October. Since I thought your comments on that post were exceptionally funny, I included them with links to your blogs. Feedback on the BlogHer post indicates that you are all brilliantly insightful. Thanks for being so awesome! Don't you think there should be an official blog reader appreciation day?

This is only the most recent event this week that reminds me how lucky I am. On Wednesday night, I found $40 on the sidewalk. Yesterday, Husband found out that he is getting a very nice bonus from work, which made me feel less bad about spending $2.69 on a carton of siggi's icelandic skyr yogurt. (But, damn, that is a fuckload to spend on a single yogurt!) Today, I am celebrating how cool it is to connect to such awesome people through blogging.

Happy New Year!

Normally, I hate New Year's Eve. For the past few years, I would feel hope and excitement for what was to come, only to realize that nothing magically changes just because it is a new year. We still had the same buttfuck for a president, I still had the same job, and things just rolled along. Even though I knew that change happens as it comes, not on a schedule, I was still depressed for the first few weeks of January.

Today I am more positive. I know that nothing will be different in the next few hours, but there is so much to look forward to this year. My book will be coming out, I'll have a new job, and maybe I'll even be starting an MFA program. A number of my dear friends recently had or are having children in 2008, and it makes me smile to think about being Aunt Suzanne.

This past year brought many excellent developments for me, too. My sister, who had been trying to find a teaching job in Iowa for five years, finally was hired to teach first grade and is thriving. (Even better, kids at a troubled school are lucky enough to have her as their teacher.) Some of my friends had babies, and others became pregnant. My friends who have kids already have wonderful families. Almost my whole family was able to come east and celebrate my brother-in-law's wedding with my in-law family. I was not only able to see my family in Chicago a few times this year, but I traveled around the world. And, of course, my book about unusual things to see and do in my beloved New York City finally found a publisher after I'd worked on the concept for almost three years. I doubt that 2008 will top any of this, but that's OK. There's new and interesting things coming our way.

Here's to a year free of sea urchins and full of unshaved snatch! (Translation: I hope that everyone has a healthy and happy new year!)

Priests Are So Sexy

Brother-in-Law (BiL) and Sister-in-Law (SiL) searched high and low for an appropriate souvenir for me while they were on their honeymoon in Italy. Their original idea was to purchase a fancy Venetian glass figurine of a beaver for me. After learning the Italian word for beaver (castoro), they asked at many shops, and many shop keepers laughed. They learned that castoro can also mean "goatee," which is fascinating, but not helpful to their quest. No one made glass beavers. (Incidentally, they did get a cute glass pussy for Mother in Law...)

Since no glass beavers were to be secured, they bought me the next best thing:



Your eyes do not deceive you. This is the cover photo from a sexy priest calendar.

"We thought this was a Steph-worthy gift," BiL said proudly as he handed me the calendar. SiL beamed.

My jaw hit the ground. Other than stammering, "Damn! This is the most perverse gift I've ever received," over and over again, I was speechless. Well done, BiL and SiL. Well done.

And a Good Time Was Had by All...

Yesterday was Brother-in-Law's wedding, which is why I've been MIA online this weekend. Here I am in my bridesmaid costume:



Have no fear: Sister and Mom asked me what the hell I was thinking with the earrings, so I took them off and wore my regular little studs. The maid of honor did my make-up for me, using the crap that I bought a few months ago when I was interviewed for a documentary about abortion. Is it not amazing? I love that it subtlety brightens my crabby sourpuss. (And although Husband and I are pictured together elsewhere on the internet, I cropped him out of this picture. He looked very handsome in his best man tux, though.)

Anyway, my whole family (minus poor Granny, who was not able to come at the last minute due to health issues - wah! it would have been ever more fun with her) came out and we had a blast at the wedding. Sister and Sister's Husband went back to Iowa today. My mom, dad, and bubbe are in my living room as I type this. More tomorrow after they leave.

2 Years of CUSS!

With all the excitement that is going on these days with the book, applying to writing programs, and the imminent arrival of my family for Brother-in-Law's nuptials, I nearly forgot that today is the two year anniversary of the Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants. Two years ago today, I was a frustrated, dissatisfied do-gooder on the way to meet another do-gooder friend for French onion soup. My day had been particularly distressing, as was often the case with my former career, and I found myself sitting on the subway seething over an ad for bikini waxing. Moments later, I formulated a plan: instead of stabbing people, I needed a blog to vent, and it needed a catchy title. Somehow the whole CUSS acronym popped into my feral mind and I knew that I found a way to salvation.

I disembarked from the subway and ran to tell my friend about it. The bar we were meeting at gave crayons to patrons (how perfect is that?) and I drew a little diagram on my placemat outlining the CUSS credo. When I got home a few hours later, I posted my very first blog entry.

Since then, I've loosened my no-waxed/shaved-snatch stance a bit because I met so many awesome women who explained to me why they preferred trimming, waxing, or shaving their cooters. None of them did it because some cretins think that pubic hair automatically makes women dirty or smelly, so who the hell was I to tell them how to deal with their boxes? Understanding other people - this is what I consider progress. I'm glad that CUSS opened me up to new ideas, not only about landing strips, but on a wide spread (heh heh) range of topics. It led me to meet so many awesome people who I am proud to call friends.

Now I'm getting all choked up. The truth is that I'd probably blog whether people read my blog or not because I discovered that I find writing to be fun and therapeutic. However, it would be far less meaningful if it wasn't for the select segment of the blogging community in which I've become a part. Here's to the next two years.

Let's Talk about Sex, Baby: An Interview with Logan Levkoff, Sexuality Expert

Let me say this upfront: when I found this spring that my friend Logan Levkoff was writing a book about how to talk to your kids about sex, I nearly burst with anticipation. Logan is like the super cool older sister that everyone wishes that they had in their life. She grew up in Long Island (not far from Husband, actually), became a sex columnist in college (although unlike me, she was successful), and went to NYU's prestigious PhD program in human sexuality. Thus when the chance to offer CUSS as a site for Logan's virtual book tour arose, I nearly fell over myself. Her book, Third Base Ain't What It Used to Be, not only tackles the really tough questions and topics about sex and sexuality, but it also totally cracked me up when Logan described her own experiences with puberty and sex. (This woman so needs to write a memoir next.) Here, Logan tolerates a few of my lame-ass questions:

Suzanne: The book is sort of ironic because your main point is extremely "conservative" - the best place for kids to learn about sex is from their parents. How does this idea work with the need for comprehensive sex ed in schools?

Logan: Technically, there is no reason why parents can't be the best sexuality educators (if they step up to the plate and start being realistic about the importance of sexuality and the contradictory sex messages in our culture). I suppose what makes this the antithesis of "conservative" is that by no means do parents have to be the only educators. I am a staunch advocate of comprehensive sexuality education and think that it can be a tremendous supplement to at-home education. Of course, if parents aren't doing any sex-ed at home, what a child gets at school becomes their only education. While I believe that parents should give both values and facts - often times parents just give the value-part - comprehensive sex ed can give the factual element. Hopefully, after reading this book, there will be so much high quality sex ed going on that our children are in the best shape possible.

S: You say that parents need to be honest about controversial topics like abortion and masturbation, but also stick to their values. How can parents whose values conflict with the facts find a way to properly convey information to their kids?

L: I believe that its okay for parents to teach their kids about their values, but that doesn't mean a child will share those same beliefs. And though values are important, I do stress in the book that parents MUST give facts, too. For example, a parent can say that he/she doesn't believe in masturbation (though that to me is always counterintuitive - it is a safer, very healthy sexual activity), but he/she cannot tell their child that bad things will happen to the body if they do.

S: In your experience working with young adults, how do gender roles influence how teenagers use their sexuality?

L: My goodness...where to begin? Gender roles (or more importantly, what is expected from a particular gender) has a tremendous impact on how teen behave sexuality. Sadly, the double standard still exists (though I spend all my life trying to change that) and both boys and girls suffer. Girls are taught that they can't own their sexuality and their innate desires (for fear that they will be branded a "slut") and boys are convinced that there is something wrong with them if they are not sex-crazed players devoid of emotional attachment. The fact is, sexuality is important to both genders. In many cases, when teens buy into this, they use drugs or alcohol to justify the feelings that they have - or don't demand protection because they fear that speaking up isn't something they are "supposed" to do. Also, girls are still "servicing" boys orally - this on its own isn't a problem - but the fact that there is very little reciprocation and a disgust of their own bodies is! We need to stress that expressing sexuality is different for every individual - there is no blanket expression that works for an entire gender; we do a disservice to our children and teens when we don't give them that information.

S: On page 49, you wrote, "Most children are desperate to 'avoid' puberty..." Have truer words ever been written? (Sorry I know that is really not a question, but as someone still trying to recover from puberty, the line particularly resonated with me.)

L: I too remember the angst of being an early developer - which also meant that I "stopped" developing earlier than everyone else too. Many of my students are consumed by the anxiety surrounding puberty - even though it's the most natural thing. Parents can ease this by talking about their own experiences (both fathers and mothers should be talking - not just one gender with the same gender child) and explaining that though this is a confusing time, it's pretty amazing what the body can do.

S: What is the most important message you want to give parents (and other concerned adults, like aunts, godparents, educators, and "role models") about helping kids develop into healthy, sexually responsible individuals?

L: Stress to your kids that sexuality is an important, pleasurable part of their lives - it is not separate from their overall health; it is a part of it. Kids who know this (and feel empowered to ask questions, challenge media messaging, and respect all people regardless of their gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation) won't act irresponsibily. They will make deliberate, educated decisions about how they choose to express their sexuality and when they choose to become sexually active.

Last, our culture currently makes sex and sexuality something dirty, gratuitous and exploitative. If we teach our children to challenge this (and encourage them to do so), we may start seeing more healthy and positive representations of sexuality and gender!

S: As an aside, I also want to say that the reason I thought this book worked so well is that you bring in your personal and professional experience, making an uncomfortable topic into something that I related to and even laughed along with. It's very accessible. Anyone who has kids or who, like me, is not a parent but a committed godparent and future aunt, really should read this book. It's just great.

Logan's book, "Third Base Ain't What It Used to Be" is on sale now.

Much Appreciation

Despite all my bluster and bravado, I've been having a tough few weeks for a variety of personal reasons. I hit a big nasty low yesterday night, and I couldn't sleep. When I went to check my email, I got this message in conjunction with an article I wrote at The Panelist, Breast Cancer for Fun and Profit:

You are my new hero!... Thank you!!!

Whoever you are, debutaunt, this meant more to me right now than you know. Thank you.

And thanks to everyone else who has been a good friend to me lately, whether online or in person or both. There's nothing horrible happening in my life or anything to worry about, but I especially appreciate your friendship these days. You rock. Also, I have been cheering myself up considerably by reviewing all of the nice pictures I posted and things I wrote about my parents' house. Even though my affectionate mockery of their house annoys my dad to no end, thinking about the non-pretentious home I grew up in and the lovely wacky people who reside(d) in it is making me feel very good right now. Yay.

Joining the Swimsuit Brigade - Tag, You're It

Liz at Everyday Goddess suggested that I create a tag with which people can mark their posts for the SwimsuitBrigade
Liz is brilliant.

So, my tag is Swimsuit Brigade. If you tag your post with this, it will (hopefully) show up on technorati and other sites that read and organize blog posts by tags. (I say hopefully because technorati does not always work for me.)

Happy 31st Birthday, Husband!

While neither of our days started out spectacularly (he woke up with a severe sinus headache; I discovered that half the places I planned to visit today for the book are closed on Tuesdays, although at least I figured that out before I got there), I am looking forward to participating in the low key birthday celebration Husband requested. We shall go to the gym, eat at home, and then watch the last two erpisodes from this past season of CSI.

While I hope that Husband enjoys his birthday, I also must thank his parents for raising such a great son. When my mother-in-law gave birth 31 years ago, she was sure she was having a girl.

"You have a boy!" the doctor announced when her baby fully emerged.

"It's not mine," Mother-in-Law infamously replied.

"He has red hair," the doctor told her.

"OK, I'll take him," she said.

Since then, both my in-laws have been fantastic parents. In a world where children are often raised according to strict gender stereotypes, Husband (and his brother) turned into amazing and wonderful human beings who fully embrace equality in relationships and life. So on the occasion of Husband's birthday, I owe major thanks to his parents for producing the love of my life. As a result of them, today is a happier day for many people.

Brilliance: $2.99 (plus tax)

Addictions come in many forms, and mine is eggs. I eat several eggs a week, alternating the real deal for EggBeaters every few times so that my cholesterol doesn't shoot through the roof. Allow me a Forrest Gump moment here. I like eggs over easy, poached, scrambled, omelets, sunny side up, fried, hard boiled, and soft boiled. Actually, I don't even know the difference between fried and sunny side up, but they both taste good.

My problem, then, is actually cooking eggs. Yes, I realize that eggs are about the easiest things to cook in the entire world (except for maybe asparagus, which I made last night on our George Foreman Grill with olive oil, salt, and pepper), but I hate cooking. I don't care how "easy" it is, somehow I always make a mess and I despise cleaning.

A few weeks ago, I was in Bed, Bath, and Beyond (we now have everything except Target and Ikea in Manhattan, I swear) and I saw the answer to prayers that I didn't know I had: Oh, yeah! I just crack my little eggies in the container, nuke 'em, and voila! - delicious, perfectly formed eggs that fit right into an English muffin with very little mess. Even I can handle washing a piece of plastic.

Whoever invented this, you are my hero.

Suzanne and Husband as Simpsons 'Toons

The Happy Couple

(Thanks to Suebob for the idea.)

Gratitude

While I may not be the best writer in the world, I really love it and I hope that someday I might be able to eke out some sort of living from it. However, I’m very insecure about the whole thing. It upsets me that I depend entirely on Husband to support me, and that while he commutes to Connecticut (and around the world) to work hard, I’m ditty bopping around home or wherever earning nothing. Granted, he loves his job and wants me to do something that I enjoy as well, so he’s fine with the situation for now. Most other people understand that I am lucky to be in a situation where I can take time off and try to start over. No one seems to think that I am a leech mooching off of Husband except for me, yet I worry about incessantly. (Obsessive worrying is one of my talents.)

Logically, I know that Husband’s Parents do not think that I am coasting on their son’s coattails, but I can’t stop myself from (no longer) secretly harboring concern that they frown upon my mostly unemployed status. Especially my father-in-law (FIL), who is an engineer and already thinks that I am a lunatic, but in a nice way. So I was super touched when I received an email from Mother-in-Law at the end of April that said:

Thought you'd be interested in the following. I was telling [FIL] that my director's husband had just won a Pulitzer prize, and that was probably as close as I was ever going to get to a winner of this award. [FIL] said, that that was true, until Suzanne won one. He didn't say" if Suzanne wins, but rather, "when Suzanne wins." See, you have many fans and people rooting for you.

Reading that leaves me speechless for so many reasons. No one leaves me speechless!

Thanks, FIL, for your faith in me. I am so lucky to be part of your family in so many ways. Now ignore me while I get all choked up and sentimental in the corner… There’s nothing to see here.

Sex v. Baby-Making

I am so loving the stories people are telling in response to my inquiry about how they learned how babies are made. However, one thought these comments aroused (heh heh) in my little head is the difference between learning about how babies are made/where babies come from and about sex in general. After I learned how babies were made, I don't think that I thought about people having sex just to have sex because it felt good. Then again, my Barbies were getting it on with Ken, so I must have had some concept of the many purposes of sex. On the other hand, I was clueless enough to ask my mom how babies were made, so perhaps this is just another sign that I was not the most perceptive lass out there. Hmmm…

By the way, Forever rocked the house, as did Then Again, Maybe I Won't and to a lesser extent, Are You There God?.... (Not to mention the brilliant comedy that emanates from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and SuperFudge, although they had nothing to do with the traumas of puberty. I still laugh out loud just thinking about scenes from those books.) Long live Judy Blume!

What a Distinction!

I received this email a few days ago from my friend Alex. Her Younger Son (YS) is my official godkid, but I think of her Older Son (OS) as my godkid, too. (OS, as many of your know from Alex's hilarious blog, is 3.5 and YS is 9 months.)

Hi Suzanne,
I just wanted to let you know how highly OS thinks of you. Yesterday
when I was changing YS's diaper, OS pointed out that YS had an
anus. Then he proceeded to list people he knows that have anuses.
Guess who was one of the first people on his list? How are things going?
Love,
Alex

This just cracks me up for so many reasons. I am so damn proud of this kid. I also happen to love the seamless transition from being told that OS said I have an anus (not that I am an anus, thankfully) to asking how I am. I am proud, dammit! Proud!

On another note, Florida is delightful. I arrived yesterday afternoon to find warmth and sunshine. While Husband was at his conference reception, I wandered out of the fancy resort (it's about 1/2 mile walk to get the hell out of here) and as I was leaving, I asked the security guard if he could recommend a place to eat. He said I should try the Cuban place down the road. It was bueno. I particularly loved my mamey (no, I have no idea what that is) batido (shake) and dulce de leche sandwhich cookie, which in Argentina is called alfejore, but the woman stared at me like I was wild-eyed from crack when I called it that. On the way back, I found a 7 Eleven and bought Cheerios and yogurt for breakfast. Upon further exploration, I found a ginormous Winn-Dixie grocery store that I will get lunch at. The security guard and I chatted it up when I came back. Turns out he's originally from Brooklyn.

Oh, yeah, I got some writing done, too.

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

Many thanks to Karrie at One Weird Mother for her kind nomination of CUSS for a Bligziter award at the Blogger's Choice Awards!!! I feel like someone finally asked me to the prom. Swoon, swoon, swoon.

Now, if you will be so kind as to click on this link and vote for my sorry ass, I promise not to go all "Carrie" on people and cause major calamities and carnage. Of coure, that is also assuming that you don't drop a bucket of blood on me.