Chocolate and Willpower

Happy New Year!

2012-01-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Chocolate and Willpower, and Happy New Year!

Amelia may buy a book about chocolate. She wonders if she will be able
to reference it or what censorship will be involved in the Internet
say by six months from now.

Japan delivers!

2011-07-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Japan wins the 2011 Women's FIFA World Cup today.

USA team almost won, and turn of events in the last 15 minutes of the game....maybe next time around.

The sports and newscasters commented on what a happy occasion this was for Japan, a triumph in the aftermath of the earthquake Japan suffered earlier this year.

Mucho Macho Man

2011-07-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Amelia has been busy with the new lit magazine De La Mancha, and there have been delays. DLM's current issue can be viewed at magcloud.com.

Maybe just maybe she'll catch the Women's FIFA World Cup finals tomorrow. Go team USA!

The last big sporting match she saw only lasted a couple of minutes. And she forgets who won Mucho Macho Man or Animal Kingdom?

A mystery guest blogger may be hanging at Chocolate and Willpower -- to ponder such questions and who knows what else...

In Egypt

2011-02-07T23:47:00.000-08:00

A week ago Pierce Morgan on his new CNN TV show interviewed Dan Rather.

Dan Rather mentioned that the protests in Egypt would probably turn violent, as they have.

Tonight on his CNN TV show 360, Anderson Cooper mentioned that as journalists leave Egypt, the protestors who continue, the world may forget about them. Their stories will go untold by the media community.

Peaceful protests in Cairo

2011-02-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on the TV news channels there was commentary on how the demonstration would unfold in Cairo. Today the reports were that it as a peaceful demonstration. The president of Egypt announced that he would transition in September.

The protestors plan to continue. Some waved their shoes in protest at the president's announcement to remain until the fall.

Anderson Cooper interviewed an American living in Egypt who has decided to stay. He is teaching English there.

Unrest in Cairo

2011-02-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

Amelia saw on the news today about the unrest in Cairo, and on the Internet.

Anderson Cooper from CNN is in Egypt providing television news coverage on developing events.

A "March of Million" a massive demonstration is anticipated in a few hours in Cairo.

The whole world is watching the developments in Egypt.

fly hip hop dancers

2010-12-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

amelia's hip hop dance instructor wants to film the class for you tube. "rhythm is when you are one with the music," he says.

The player asked amelia to see Black Swan.

De La Mancha

2010-12-15T22:23:00.000-08:00

De La Mancha is accepting submissions for its March/April 2011 issue at tvamelia019@gmail.com.

worker bees....

2010-12-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Amelia had a dream last night. She was in her backyard. James the Ghost was there. He gave her a jar of honey. When she tasted a spoonful, a swarm of bees rushed toward her. She woke up with the thunderous sound of his laughter ringing in her ears.

At her workplace yesterday, it was announced no more Christmas bonuses....

What's the buzz?

2010-12-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

Bees have descended upon the backyard, nearby the lemon bush and the lavendar bushes. They built an underground nest in the coats of an old peach tree trunk.

Amelia has been stung 4 times since September. She found it costs at least $200 to have the hive removed.

A bee story at CNN.

A Dream

2010-12-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

Amelia had a dream last night. James the Ghost was singing to her at a club.

When she woke up, she could not remember the song only that he said, "I brought them..." He kept repeating this.

Brought who?

Good news from Chile

2010-10-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

The miners are being rescued. Jimmy Sanchez is the youngest miner, 18 years old. He is the fifth miner rescued. The 33 miners have been trapped for 69 days in a copper mine

The whole world is watching as the rescue effort continues. The camp site is called Camp Esperanza.

Amelia is no Paris Hilton

2010-09-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

It happened twice in a week.

Amelia mentioned to someone in her inner circle. "I've been thinking of going to grad school."

"Oh that's good. What are you studying."

"I would like to get a master's in French literature."
"Why not law school? You need to study something more practical. You're no Paris Hilton."

Where's Amelia?

2010-09-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Amelia has a new literary magazine.

Bye Eva!

2010-08-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

Eva's leaving. She and Mike are heading off to Indonesia.

Amelia's feeling sad. Some of her abandonment issues are resurfacing in the face of Dove promise chocolates. These bite-size chocolates are wrapped in foil. Messages are written in the inside of the foil wrappers.

"Why is it that the fun people in life always leave?" she wants to write her own Dove promise message.

But the Dove messages she unwraps are:

"Dance like no one is watching."

"Silence might be golden, but laughter is priceless."

"Be playful with your love."

"Try something new today."

"Perseverance is synonym to victory."

"When you embrace the positive, you shine."

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."

A Rude Awakening!

2010-08-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

Amelia was not pleased. Eva had signed her up at a co-ed gym. She misses the salsa dance class from the ladies gym. She is struggling in her new co-ed hip hop dance class. The pace is fast and furious though the teacher presents the movements with grace.

And last weekend when she visited one of her favorite chocolatiers, one of sales clerk who recognizes Amelia as a regular customer complained to her.

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you in a long time."

"I was in Uruguay."

"Uruguay?"

"It's a long story," Amelia said not wanting to go into details with the friendly retail clerk or with anyone else for that matter.

"Nice to see you. Some customers here are so rude. They look down on us."

"Really?"

"Yes. Half the people who work here choose to work here. They have college degrees," the friendly retail clerk said. "Sometimes people with money...they can't take it with them when they die."

"No they can't," Amelia said politely, eyeing the rows of displayed dark chocolates.

And then for a moment she was back on the beach in Montevideo, reading one of Alejandro's books. The book on his Kindle was on the history of the French nobility. They were known to be polite.

Perhaps nobility in our times (besides celebrity royalty) is respecting other people's humanity.

Amelia's back!

2010-07-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Amelia and Eva saw a movie: The Girl Who Played With Fire.

"Uruguay was magical." That's all Amelia said about the trip.

And about Alejandro. She said when she was with him, he made her feel like she was the only bella in the world.

"I'm not afraid," she's been humming the new song from Eminem.

She ate the first piece of chocolate today, since she's been back. It was a Dove dark chocolate promise. The message inside the wrapper read: Make your dreams come true.

A Jolt

2010-06-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

The US Geological Survey has reported a 3.3 quake hit off shore San Francisco -- on Monday, June 28 at 7:47 am.

It also reported a 3.0 quake hit today at 3:58 pm in Silicon Valley.

Eva's new BF

2010-06-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Eva and Mike were at a sports bar. They saw US and Ghana play on Saturday. Ghana scores a goal and then the US and then Ghana and then the US, come on score a last minute goal like with Algeria.

The US going home. Ghana advances, only African country to do so.

Eva sees Nick, he asks about Amelia. Tell her I said hello. You bet. When is she coming home? Don’t know.

He walks away, talks to the sports bar owner, he knows him. He sees Eva smother her French fries in ketchup.

“It’s still a World Cup party for some,” Mike says.

USA!!

2010-06-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

Eva and some friends of Amelia saw World Cup at a local sports bar today. She cheered for the winning teams: Germany over Ghana 1:0, and Australia over Serbia 2:1.

One friend mentioned her boss stayed home to watch USA play Algeria 1:0; with USA scoring a goal at the last minute, advancing to the second round.

Let the games begin.....USA all the way!!!

Writer's Brew

2010-06-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

“She’s a world class huntress. Her blue eyes kill me. Corazon grande. That's what I have for her,” Lulu said raising his furry white paw to his chest.

“Now Eva, what’s the business of your wanting to save the world?” Lulu said, setting down his new iPad on a lawn chair. "How can we help? Pay attention, Peachy. Eva needs us.”

But Peachy did not hear a word Lulu said. She nibbled on her kit kat chocolate candy bar. She was glued to her wireless laptop, viewing a clip on movin997.radio.com of Cristiano Ronaldo in the locker room at the 2010 FIFA World Club South Africa.

“Corazon grande,” Peachy said, squinting her blue eyes.

“It’s not the world we need to save,” Eva said. “It’s---” And then her dream ended.

To be continued...

Eva's Bad Dream

2010-06-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Eva was on a tropical beach. She looked out into the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean; when a woman wearing a hot pink tank top and white shorts, approached her.

The woman’s smile widened. She said “hello,” and had a tattoo on her arm; of a butterfly Eva wasn’t sure. When the woman spoke, words whistled out of her mouth as if from out of seashells. “Sad things happen in nice places,” she said, handing Eva a brown envelope.

FIFA World Cup

2010-06-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Lulu wore a favorite T-shirt.

"Relax," he said to Eva. He invited her to watch the match between Argentina and South Korea. "Peachy will make us coffee and scrambled eggs," he said, "Four in the morning may be a little early for you."

The Writer's Brew

2010-06-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Eva had a dream. She was talking to Amelia on Skype. And then she was in Amelia’s backyard. The neighborhood felines Lulu and Peachy were there, tuned to the World Cup on their laptops, Uruguay playing France.

Lulu drank a Bud Light. Peachy a Blue Lagoon.

“Hi guys.”

“What’s up, Eva?” Lulu said greeting her with a beer bottle raised.

“How would like to save the world?” Eva said holding up a hair brush.

“What’s in it for us? I’m a fat cat, and Peachy runs like a cheetah."

“Starbuck’s?” Eva said.

Lulu took his sunglasses off, his emerald eyes blazed towards Eva. Peachy followed, her blue eyes sunk towards Eva.

“Starbuck’s,” Eva said again. “Tall double Espresso drinks over ice with one or two pumps of white chocolate mocha. And dark chocolates.”

Lulu whispered to Peachy….

To be continued….

Jasmine

2010-06-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

A picnic. Gatsby style. The RSVP. Eva regrets.

The opening lines of Gatsby by Fitzgerald. The narrator tells how his father gave him advice that "whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,....just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had..."

The June night sky. Mars stands straight above Regulus, one of the brightest stars at dusk.

James the Ghost into the Jasmine Garden. Plays guitar. George Michael. Waiting. “The road that I have walked upon well, it filled my pockets and emptied out my soul…”

"For Eva," he says, shows her an Online Vanity Fair article on his laptop, wirless.
"Who are they?"
"Celebrities. Last century. Retro."
"You are so weird."

A Mystery....

2010-06-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Eva came home with a friend.

James the Ghost was in the backyard. He was digging a gigantic hole by the creek and ivy fence.

This time Eva did not ignore him like she was supposed to – like Amelia told her to.

“Are you insane?” she said to him.

“Monet had his water lily ponds at Giverny. I have a jasmine garden in her backyard.”

“What did she ever see in you?”

“Jasmine, like her sweet breath and lips. Hazelnut chocolate like--” he said fading into the ivy fence.

“He shows up here all the time,” Eva said turning to her friend.

“Are you okay?” he said. Whatever was going on – her friend was sensitive to women. He understood.

“Want to talk about it?” He kissed her on the forehead.

“Not now,” she said.

Smiley's PSA

2010-05-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

He mumbled. His PSA: “We don’t take care of the earth. The whole humanity. We take things for granted. My home in Aceh burned. It was deforested for Palm Oil...."

"Sometimes on a moonless night...This is how I like to imagine Clyde. He's in the Amazon rain forest. His home ain’t burning. He ain’t smoking cigarettes. He’s happy, loved. Free."

Eva woke up from her nap. Yet another strange one. She wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming. There was a package waiting for her at the front doorsteps.

“From Uruguay?" Her eyes widened. A dozen red long-stem roses. With a note: To Eva. Always, Smiley.

What every girl loves...

2010-05-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Beautiful skin..

Thank you Barry Callebaut...

Barry Callebaut is the world's largest chocolate manufacturer, based in Switzerland. It recently announced the development of a new dark chocolate bar that may prevent wrinkles and slow the aging process.

The news article referring to Barry Callebaut's findings....Nice!

90210

2010-05-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

“Pumpkin, come down.”

“Darling Onion, no I won't.”

“Please,” she said.

“Join me?” he said. “Have a drink, on me.”

Eva ran out of the room. He did not notice, lost in his own thoughts. It was only when she came back, he noticed her snug white Victoria Secrets dress, her Gladiator white sandals. They must have been 4-inch heels. Her skin glowed. She smiled. When she spoke, her voice filled the Grand Ballroom. For lack of a wider vocabulary, her voice to him sounded like a symphony.

“I have your favorites,” she said, holding up the goods. “Fair trade chocolate, fair trade coffee. And pesto salad with 100 percent extra virgin oil,” she said.

“Why does she offer?” he wondered.

And then it hit him. Who she was. Smart, sexy, funny, sweet, caring. But why did she give him such importance? Clearly, he didn’t deserve it. He couldn’t help but think who he was. At the moment, an orangutan swinging from a chandelier in a fancy hotel ballroom in Beverly Hills.

“I want to do it now,” he said, fighting the urge to light up a smoke. Gosh, he wanted to change things, make her proud.

“Call the media. I’m doing it here.” Yes, he would sober up, yes a shot of courage would pump through his veins, he thought.

“What do you mean, here?”

“Yes, this is perfect, the PSA will be here. My Darling Onion Eva….”

And then she woke up….from yet another dream with Smiley.

Yet it was but a dream—yet such a dream….John Keats.

To be continued....

Smiley

2010-05-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

He lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply. A tear rolled down his face.

A tall man with dark hair approached him. The man looked larger than life, but familiar. Or maybe it was the smoke intruding in the air, intoxicating Smiley’s lungs that made him think: “I’ve seen this man before, on TV, on the big screen.”

Smiley offered the man a smoke.

“Oh, no thanks,” the man said. “Another forest burning?”

“My home,” Smiley said. “Is gone.”

“I understand,” the man said. The tone of his voice was soothing and smooth as silk.

“Hate zoos,” Smiley said. Now he was chain smoking, one after another.

They both watched the forest burn from a safe distance. The man put his arm around Smiley. They said nothing for a long time. Smiley felt a sense of comfort in the man’s presence, as if he were a brother. And then it hit him.

“Hate zoos,” Smiley said. “Hate them, hate them.” He searched for a reaction in the man’s face and he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He burst out. “You’re the environment guy, aren’t you?”

“No, no,” the man said chuckling. “Happens all the time. People think I’m him.”

“Because you care. My instincts ain’t lying,” Smiley said.

And then Eva appeared. “Smiley, you’re okay. Nothing happened to you.”

He offered her a cigarette, muttering under his breath, “Hate zoos.”

“Are those Marlboro 100’s?” she said. And then her dream ended.

She woke up coughing. “Bizarre,” she said in French. “Bizarre.”

She knew what she had to do, walking into the kitchen, the sun light beaming through the windows. She tossed the unopened gold box of Belgian chocolates in the trash: Godiva.

“Alors,” she said in French. "Alors!" she sighed. "What a dream."

To be continued….

Eva and the Orangutans

2010-05-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Eva is goin to fake it 'til she makes it. Since she is not a blogger.

She is going to blog about Orangutans. They are near and dear to her heart.

To be continued.....

Bella

2010-05-09T21:45:00.001-07:00

Amelia sent her mom a bouquet of roses and called her for Mother's Day.

She and Eva caught up by phone.

"When are you coming home?"

"Not sure yet. Alejandro wants me to stay longer."

"I'm glad for you. You met someone."

"You should see his beach house here in Montevideo."

"Nice."

"What else is going on? You haven't been keeping up the blog much, have you?"

"I'm not much of a writer, Amelia."

"But you promised, Eva."

"I've been busy. The "g" key on your laptop is broken."

"What have you been doing? Besides trashing my laptop?"

"Just come home soon. I quit the all-girls gym and joined a co-ed gym."

"What? I told you not to do that."

"I've been reading, studying French like you said. Saw two movies: The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and El Secreto de Sus Ojos." And I've been getting to know the Player."

"Please tell me you're staying away from him."

"He's not so bad. Are you jealous?"

"Alejandro is taking me to meet his mom in Buenos Aires next week."

"What? Your Alejandor's mom calls all the women he brings home Bella? I can't hear you Amelia. You're breaking up. Call me back."

Eva waited for Amelia to call back, 5, 10 minutes, and then 15. She wanted to tell her of the book she was reading: Dibs in Search of Self.

But Amelia didn't call back. And then Eva heard blaring tunes from her Blackberry smart phone: "Can we pretend that airplanes. In the night sky. Are like shooting stars. I could really use a wish right now..."

"James the Ghost," Eva sighed. "You are so immature. Leave my phone alone. You've lost her for good."

Spring flowers...

2010-03-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Amelia likes freesias and daffodils. Daffodils remind her of when she once spent time in Burgundy, France.

"You sell yourself too short," Eva said to her today, as she flipped through People magazine, absorbed by the lead story on Sandra Bullock, that of her husband's betrayal with the tatooed bombshell.

Amelia was catching Eva up on the events of her week.

Nick still has a sore throat. Sooner or later he'll figure out what Amelia's favorite flowers are. He keeps quizzing her on all her likes and dislikes. "I like your perfurme. What is it? Channel what? No. 5?"

Quirky Girl

2010-03-13T23:01:00.000-08:00

Since Amelia stopped eating chocolate, she's gained weight.

Last week, she ate a loaf of raisin bread in two days. As of last Thursday, she's resolved to weigh herself twice a day. She weighs 113 pounds and she will weigh 103 pounds. She's only 5'2" (the extra inch is because of ballet).

Once in prep school, a teacher told Amelia's class they should eat in moderation because there are people starving in the world.

When Amelia told her mom this, her mom said the teacher was probably a closet glutton.

Remembering from her college lit. courses -- the fate of the gluttons in the third circle of hell in Dante's Inferno. It is not pretty...

"Reading is not on my list of top ten priorities," Nick said to her a couple of weeks ago.

"If I can't read, I might as well not be alive," Amelia said to him. Afterall, she was an English major.

Tesla goes to Switzerland

2010-03-11T22:33:00.000-08:00

Amelia is craving a Reese's peanut butter chocolate egg.

The 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster is on the road this month -- in Switzerland. First at the Geneva Motor Show, and on March 18 it will be on display at the 2010 Baselword -- World Watch and Jewellery Show.

Details are on the Tesla Web site. Amelia wishes she could be in Basel, Switzerland next week! Tesla Motors is based in Silicon Valley.

Eavesdropping:
There was a 6.9 after-shock in Chile today, as the new president Sebastian Pinera was being inaugurated.

About Dreams

2010-03-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

Follow your dreams is a theme in the Academy Awards telecast.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are funny. The dresses Amelia likes so far are: Jennifer Lopez, Vera Farmiga, and Demi Moore's. She's been looking up celebrities on Wikepedia as the show is telecast. She could not believe the first sentence on Wikipedia for Jessica Sarah Parker. It was a comment on the dress "....she wore to the 2010 Academy Awards." Amelia looked again. The reference has been omitted.

****

Nick was out-of-town this weekend at a car show. He keeps hinting at wanting to change the way Amelia dresses. She received a compliment earlier this week. "You are a graceful dancer."

Eavesdropping
Amelia heard of an organzation based in Silicon Valley: ReputationDefender. It's "the world's first comprehensive online reputation management and privacy company."

A day in a life

2010-03-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

Amelia had a long day. She pulled a leg muscle in ballet class this evening.

Earlier in the day, she ran into Mimi the Librarian at the gym. "How's your Kindle?"

"I love it," Mimi said.

"What are you reading?"

"Pride and Prejudice."

"Oh, are you rereading it?"

"No, it's the first time."

"How do you like it?"

"I liked the movie better," Mimi the Librarian said.

Amazon's e-reader the kindle sells for $259.00

****

Eavesdropping:

Amelia found an Internet news article on the earthquake in Chile. The big story is how the earthquake has moved the earth's axis, shortening perhaps the length of days. Another story is the no story -- relief coverage efforts on behalf of the quake victims is minimal, unlike that of the Haitian quake.

Better to know?

2010-03-01T23:13:00.000-08:00

"Better to know than not know," Anderson Cooper said on his CNN show 360 today. An expert on the show mentioned where the next big quake can occur. In the US, two cities mentioned were: Seattle and Los Angeles.

****

Amelia needs chocolate. She ran into someone who works at See's Candy. "Haven't seen you in awhile."

"We gave up chocolate for Lent," Amelia said.

"A lot of our customers do," the Sees Candy employee said. "We're seeing more business these days though."

In Anguish and in Solidarity

2010-02-28T23:43:00.000-08:00

No food, water, or electricity. People in anguish, displaced from their homes and lives in Chile.

Neighboring countries in South America, along with the European Union, the US and Central America stand in solidarity ready to assist. Today President Bachelet welcomed aid from the international community.

The tsunami warnings in Japan and other countires were lifted. The tsunami waves hit in the "coastal zones of Maule and Bio regions...." http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-03/01/c_13192076.htm

How can you know and prepare for a "megaterramoto?"

Amelia read some testimonies sent to the French www.lemonde.fr/ and Spanish newspapers online. People said at first the shaking was that of a tremor and then all of a sudden it turned violent. It seemed to last an eternity, some said up to two minutes. Others said it was surreal. Some people also said as they were posting their testimonies, they were feeling the after-shocks.

*****

Today in church the priest asked to pray for the people of Chile. "Everything in this world passes away," he said. The priest is in his twenties. He is from Argentina.

Earthquake in Chile - Terremoto en Chile

2010-02-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

An 8.8 magnitute earthquake hit Chile at 3:34 a.m. this morning. It was centered nearby the city Concepcion and Santiago, according to the USGS.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet states that at this time they do not need aid from the international community. The international community is mobilizing to assist. She said two million people have been affected by the quake.

Last month, President Bachelet visited Haiti in the aftermath of the major quake there, offering Chile's expertise assistance. www.france24.com/en/20100220-haiti-president-pleads-shelter-quakes-homeless.

Tsunami warnings are issued in Japan and Russia. The warnings was called off for Hawaii.

People are reaching loved ones in Chilie by social media. Phone lines, power, are down in Santiago. Bridges and buildings collapsed.

Our prayers and support go out to the people of Chile. And to Japan as they evacuate people bracing for the tsunami.

To Kindle or Not

2010-02-26T00:24:00.000-08:00

Last week at the gym, Amelia saw Mimi the Librarian, on the treadmill.

"How do you like your Kindle?" Amelia said.

"I love it. You can have 10,000 books stored while you're traveling, on vacation. It gives you privacy. No one can see what you're reading. It's lightweight, easy to carry. If you want, you can change, increase the print size. You can take notes too. Read the newspapers."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure," Mimi said. "The only thing is I haven't figured out how to remove fingerprints."

******

Eavesdropping in Silicon Valley:

This month Photoshop celebrates its 20-year anniversary. Amelia read in a local newspaper that initially the invention was met with questioning of who the audience would be: "Photographers don't use computers."

Chocolate may lower the risk of stroke

2010-02-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

Monday morning. Amelia needed coffee, using a gift card to a gourmet grocery store. She waited for her 12 oz cappuchino from the bakery. A woman next to her, dressed in a business pantsuit, ordered a 20 oz Cafe Americano.

"Those are good," Amelia said to her.

"I need a jolt this morning," the woman said. "You can't smoke. You can't drink. You can't date strangers. What else is left? Just coffee."

Amelia takes heart in the release of a new study on chocolate. Dark chocolate may decrease the risk of stroke. The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual meeting in April.

Beauty on Ice

2010-02-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada won the gold medal in the Ice Dancing Competition. Their coaches are Russian. Their dancing was breathtaking. It was the first time since the 1970s that the Russians did not win gold in ice dancing.

***

Beauty on ice: Joannie Rochette of Canada. We watched, were moved by her clean skating, her personal best, and knowing of her personal pain, having suddenly lost her mother two days before. "Words cannot describe," she said.

Guts and Glory

2010-02-23T23:26:00.000-08:00

This is how U.S. Olympic champions become household names. They must win gold medals, have a sexy sport, and be charismatic -- according to the NBC TV coverage of the games.

"Did I do my best today?" Apolo Anton Ohno asks himself at the end of the day. Makes history first American to win 7 medals in Winter Olympics.

Shaun White on his win: "I just felt like I didn't come all the way to Vancouver not to pull out the big guns." Wins the gold in snowboarding, first in 2006 and now again.

"I worked so hard for this…I’ve given up everything for this," Lindsey Vonn said. First American woman to win gold in Alpine downhill skiing.

Winning Gold

2010-02-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

Amelia has the flu. She's been having strange dreams.

****

Eavesdropping:

Evan Lysacek won the gold medal in men's figure skating last Thursday -- in accordance with the new judging-scoring system. He did not do a quad, a new Time article mentioned.

In his Yahoo! Sports article last Friday -- Elvis Stojko was adamant that Evgeni Plushenko should've won: "Plushenko had a great performance...He also had a quad toe triple toe that wasn't even attempted by anyone else..."

Elvis is a Canadian figure skating world champion. He was criticized for his commentary. Today in the Toronto Sun, Elvis said, "I'm standing up for what I believe...If you take out the quad, what next?...."

In a television interview earlier last week -- Evgeni Plushenko said he admired Dick Button, from the sport, the two-time Olympic champion. Plushenko aspired to do the same. He said no matter what-- no one would take what he already has earned, his Olympic championship title of the 2006 games.

And now, Evan Lyacek can say the same. No one can take away his gold title of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Dreams

2010-02-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

She cannot be seduced by him...

Amelia had another dream with James the Ghost. It seemed to last forever. She will not bore with the details, just this part: "You are the only woman I love," he said.

She must find a way to will power away his haunting her.

If she could only eat chocolates...

copyright 2010

A Lenten Journey

2010-02-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Amelia's friend says: one's Lenten's journey is private and one need not share it with the world.

No more See's Candies Chocolates or Chocri Chocolates. Amelia has given up chocolates for Lent.

She asked The Player what he is giving up. He sent her an email on Valentine's Day.

Number 4: A Hero

2010-02-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

"On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks Gehrig's record, plays in 2,131 straight games." Brainy History

Amelia finished reading her first book of the year, a biography, written by Jonathan Eig: Luckiest Man The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig. She cried at the end of the book, Lou Gehrig's story is moving.

She saw his famous speech on You Tube.

Next she will check out the 1942 film biography, with Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright. The movie is: Pride of the Yankees. (It is available on DVD at Amazon.Com.)

A good friend told her about the movie. Her friend will be starting his sports blog soon....

*****

Eavesdropping: The Winter Olympics start on February 12, in Vancouver.

Made in Italy: Caffé del Doge

2010-02-09T00:11:00.000-08:00

"Do you work at Facebook?" the train conductor asked her.

"Huh?" Amelia said, not awake yet this morning.

At the Stanford shopping mall, she bought a new pair of Nikes for 96 cents, minus Macy's gift cards.

On her way home, at the Palo Alto Train Depot, she stopped off at: Caffe del Doge. It is a Venetian coffee house, the only one in the U.S., it's twin location in downtown Palo Alto. With other locations in: Cairo, Egypt and Tokyo.

"What is it you would like people to know about Caffé del Doge?" Amelia asked one of the baristas.

"We're not Starbucks," he said. "Our milk is textured for each drink. At Starbuck's the milk is the same for all their drinks."

Amelia had a regular coffee with cream. It tasted delicious.

Next time she will try a Giacometto: espresso, cocoa, textured milk, and ground hazelnuts served in a martini glass lined with chococlate hazelnut spread.

They were playing Italian music, a mix with Latin, Cuban and Parisian...

When for a second, James the Ghost showed up. He switched the mix to George Michaels.

"Remember the blue gondolas in Venice?" he said, "A cappuccino veneziano, please."

"Huh?" only Amelia saw him...

A Passionista

2010-02-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

"You are a dreamer," Amelia's mom said to her yesterday.

Amelia's eyes were swollen from severe allergies.

She saw a new movie: When in Rome.

"You will never write anything. You have no passion for art," her mom's words rang through her ears as she watched the movie and heard the line: "Passion is risk."

A Hot Cup of Tea

2010-02-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

Eavesdropping:

Riding the bus without gusto:

“I can’t afford the car insurance.”

“Do I have enough money to buy soup for dinner?”

“I never see you. What classes are you taking?”
“I leave campus after class. I’m taking three hours of piano, and then I have three hours of guitar lessons. I have a radio show.”
“Nice.”

“Coffee gives me the jitters.”
“I brew a strong tea.”

My sculpture art project is due on Monday.”
“Good luck with it.”

***

Today on her bus ride home, a woman asks the bus driver, “How can I get to the hospital. My back. I’m in pain.” The bus driver is silent. Another woman on the bus advises which bus routes to take: “....You can’t take a bus to the hospital. Call an ambulance.”

“I don’t have a cell phone.”

“Get off the bus now,” Amelia says. “Go down the street to the fire station. They will help you.”

“Yes,” the other woman says. “See the fire house. It’s right there.”

The woman in pain exits the bus.

***

Amelia is amending for past sins...riding the bus in a purgatory fog.

Lately, Nick is working 24/7. "The joys of a family-owned business," he says.

Tonight her mom tells her she heard on the news, “you will not have social security when you retire. The system is going broke.”

And then Amelia imagines: She’s in Uruguay, selling empanadas on the beach. “I once lived in Silicon Valley,” she says to a passer byer...

How long does purgatory last?

copyright 2010

Chocri Chocolates Deliver!

2010-02-03T23:51:00.000-08:00

Taking the bus home from work today...Amelia heard a man say to a friend: "....My dog is the co-signer on my apartment lease." "Really?" his friend said.

When she got home she was happy to find a package from Chocri. Her order arrived: a Chocri White Chocolate bar with Rasberry, Strawberry, Papaya Cubes and Flower Mix.

At Chocri, you can create your own chocolate bars too. She created a Dark Chocolate bar with Hazelnut Brittle, and a Milk Chocolate with Anise. She named the bars: Sweet Treats.

Chocri chocolates are fun to design, and yummy to eat!

...Amelia may not be sharing her Chocri bars...but she will order more for friends/family at http://www.createmychocolate.com/

The Wolf Moon

2010-01-31T22:43:00.000-08:00

Light shone on the lavender bushes and avocado tree. A plane roared by. Bats squeaked in the distance. She looked up at the stars. The yellow one was Mars.

“Look,” she heard him say, felt his embrace around her waist. “The Wolf Moon. Next to Mars."

****

A weekend of car shopping, no luck. And last night, an extraordinary full moon, James the Ghost in her backyard.

And today, Amelia craved Sees chocolates. She walked to ballet class.

copyright 2010

Amelia's car

2010-01-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

The chocolate car Amelia wants to buy is a BMW, on display at China's first chocolate park.

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2010-01/26/content_19308292.htm

http://english.cri.cn/6666/2010/01/20/1321s543906.htm

A Chocolate Extravaganza

2010-01-24T22:52:00.000-08:00

Amelia saw a chocolate car she wanted to buy -- featured on the DW-TV German news show.

Of course, it is not for sale, along with an army of chocolate Terracotta Warriors, the world's largest chocolate Great Wall, chocolate Mogao Caves, and other chocolate wonders on exhibit at the World Chocolate Dream Park. The exhibit opens on Jan. 26 in Beijing, China.

http://www.yummylocal.com/news/chocolate-crazy-in-shanghai/

Just send your cash

2010-01-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

Nicholas skipped work last night to see a movie with Amelia. It was a lighthearted movie: “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” After the movie, the cafes were closing, and Nick invited Amelia over for Dreyer’s Rocky Road Ice Cream.

*******

Amelia keeps watching the CNN News reporting on Haiti. She heard Anderson Cooper say, “The Haitians have strength, faith, and hope. They sing and praise to be alive.”

The French team rescued a 24-year old man today. He had been buried under the rubble for 12 days in a hotel, surviving because of access to food and liquids. “What kind of liquids?” Christiane Amanpour asked the rescue team. “Coke and Guinness beer.”

The human suffering in Haiti is incomprehensible, heartbreaking. You want to help out in a significant way. George W. Bush, as he was appointed by President Obama to join Bill Clinton in relief efforts, said: “Just send your cash…”

The whole world is helping.

Twin Quakes Today

2010-01-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

Not exactly twin quakes but the US Geological Survey reported today:

Bolivia was hit with two quakes within an hour: 5.3 and 5.2 magnitudes.

During the same hour, Costa Rica was hit with two quakes: 5.2 and 4.7 magnitudes.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305356,bolivia-costa-rica-hit-by-strong-earthquakes.html

A Close Call

2010-01-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

Amelia and her mom were almost hit by a train this morning.

The intersection light was green. In half a second, the light turned yellow, the rail guards lit up and were about to fall.

"Stop," Amelia said, "stop."

But Amelia's mom did not see the light turn yellow or hear the rail guards or the train approaching in the heavy rainpour. Not saying a word, she floored the gas pedal speeding across the railway tracks.

And after. "You are a nervous person, Amelia," she said.

Tomorrow Amelia will take the bus to work. Her car is not working.

****

Eavesdropping: Kraft Foods buys Cadbury Chocolates for $19.5 billion.

Day 6: Haiti earthquake aftermath

2010-01-19T01:02:00.000-08:00

Jan. 18

Ways to help: Text Haiti to 90999, for donations to the Red Cross.

Help is pouring into Haiti from all over the world. Orphans are in need and in the news today. Some are being taken out of the country. More need help.

Anderson Cooper of CNN reported on delays in aid arriving. He asks what is taking so long and questions the bureaucracy of the relief process. Search and rescue efforts continue and take priority over aid distribution.

*****

Amelia did not have a car today. She was craving Sees Candy too but could not drive there. She was grateful for the day off, and for all the blessings in her life.

Tierra del Fuego

2010-01-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

News of a 6.3 earthquake today -- off the coast of southern Argentina.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake hit 355 km (220 miles) southeast of Ushuaia. Ushuaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego.

Amelia's mom toured the region (Drake Passage) as a kid. One of her favorite topics is geography.

Ways to Help

2010-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

There are so many ways to help.

Here are some links to Haiti relief funds -- as listed on the Clinton Foundation web site.

Clinton Foundation

World Food Programme

American Red Cross

Mercy Corps: Haiti Earthquake Fund

Help Us

2010-01-15T00:12:00.000-08:00

“God is great. Help us to live,” Anderson Cooper of CNN heard a man singing in the streets.

“I never stopped praying. I never lost faith,” a woman rescued from a supermarket told TV CNN reports. “It happened so fast.” “She heard lots of scream, slowly gradually screams softened, last 20 hours she heard nothing," the translator told the TV reporters.

The international community is providing pledge support, aid, and relief.

The French President as quoted in Le Monde newspaper: “Nicolas Sarkozy a demandé la tenue d'une "grande conférence" internationale pour "la reconstruction et le développement" d'Haïti.”

He would like to "discuss the idea of holding an international conference on Haiti’s reconstruction with the US, Brazil, Canada, and other concerned nations." http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/01/14/world/international-uk-quake-haiti-france.html

President Obama asked former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to help coordinate the earthquake relief efforts.

The 7.0 earthquake hit 10 miles southwest of th capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. According to the US Geological Survey it was 6.2 miles deep, (from below the earth's surface). There have been at least 28 aftershocks recorded.

2010-01-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

Sad news about the 7.0 quake that struck in Haiti today.

More Rumblings....

2010-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

"That was no aftershock," one of Amelia's co-workers said on Friday (1/8). But it was an aftershock, according to U.S. Geological Survey. The rumble measuring 3.8 along the Calaveras Fault.

Yesterday, a 6.5 quake hit off the coast of Eureka, in Northern California. On Jan. 5, James Faulk in his newspaper column had talked about earthquake preparedness. Mr. Faulk is from Eureka.
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_14124566

***

Amelia decided not to like The Player anymore. She feels a sense of freedom from not liking him.

She returned to ballet class today and definitely must restart her diet/fitness program. "Too much holiday cheer," her ballet teacher said. So no chocolate or sweets -- until of course -- her Chocri chocolate bars arrive in the mail later this month!

But meanwhile, lots of work ahead, starting tomorrow...

The Earth Moved

2010-01-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Windows rattled in Silicon Valley this morning. There was a 4.1 earthquake on the northern Calaveras Fault.

Amelia was on a phone call with a colleague from the east coast.

"We're having an earthquake," she said.

"Want me to call you back?"

"No, it stopped," she said.

"Living in California, do you ever get used to them?" her colleague said.

Sweet Treats

2010-01-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Amelia was the quintessential executive assistant today, working at a luncheon event at the state capitol. Luckily, overall her boss was pleased. “You can’t take things too personally,” one of her colleagues said.

She got home and had a hot cup of tea, easing a stuffy nose.

...And chocolate treats will arrive via mail later this month. She designed her own chocolate bars at http://www.createmychocolate.com/.

The Club

2009-12-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

No chocolate, cookies, or fruit at work today. The festivities from last week -- no more as lots of colleagues are off for the holidays now.

Amelia has Dec 23 off work and the rest of Christmas week. An event got planned for early Jan that will keep her at work next week. She should be grateful to have a job though...and not dwell on a missed opportunity: Paris for New Year’s Eve…

The Gift: Chocolate Bark

2009-12-17T22:56:00.000-08:00

Nick and Amelia attended a fun holiday party last night.

Today she received a gift: a box of Gourmet Bark Sampler.

With: Peppermint Bark, “layers of white and dark chocolate sprinkled with peppermint bits,” Carmel & Sea Salt Bark, “caramel drenched in dark chocolate with milk chocolate swirls and sea salt,” and Mint Swirl Bark, “layers of mint and dark chocolate with dark chocolate swirls.”

While she studied nutrition facts on the back of the chocolate box, James the Ghost said: “hello," appearing for a second.

The last thing he ever said to her: “You were my best friend.”

copyright 2009

Get Ready for: Chocri

2009-12-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

Chocri will launch in the US in January 2010.

Amelia can’t wait to order a milk chocolate bar with anise and a dark chocolate bar with hazelnut brittle. She will call the bars sweet treats and have those wrapped in pink, her favorite color. She will also try one of Chocri’s already made customized chocolate bars.

You can make any kind of chocolate bar you want at Chocri. If they do not have what you want – ask them.

Chocri is a German chocolatier company, based in Berlin. Their US Web site is: www.createmychocolate.com Their German Web site is: www.chocri.de

The company donates 1 percent of all sales to a child welfare organization in the Ivory Coast: DIV Kinder. The Ivory Coast is a large producer of cacao beans.
http://www.createmychocolate.com/blog/2009/12/4/helping-out-at-the-ivory-coast-not-only-during-the/

on the 12th day of Christmas

2009-12-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

Amelia read her email today and found one from The Player. He sent it on: Dec 12. Or was it on the 12th day of Christmas?

"Why overanalyze?" Eva said.

L'Opinion

2009-12-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

Amelia saw the movie 2012 last weekend. She overheard two girls talking who were about 8 or 9 years old.

“This is so weird,” one girl said.

“I know,” the other girl said. “So strange.”

“This is so weird going to the movies for a birthday party,” they both said, sharing a box of Junior Mints chocolate candies, tagging behind a group of other kids and a mom.

Amelia asked her mom later: “why did the girls say it was so weird to see a movie for a birthday party?”

Her mom, pausing for a minute, a former preschool teacher, said: “Variety of opinions."

Eavesdropping: California's unemployment rate in October was 12.3 percent.

The It Girl

2009-12-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

Nick invited Amelia to his parent’s house. They offered her some hot chocolate. She wore a red turtleneck from Victoria Secrets, a black pencil skirt, matching black-cropped jacket with gold buttons, and a silk beige scarf.

An It Girl in the Urban Dictionary: a trend-setting (in fashion, lifestyle, etc.) woman or girl with a ton of self-confidence and self-worth that sets the example of how to have it all, and look good doing it. She knows exactly who she is and what she wants, and has an unbelievable generosity of spirit; always taking time to be kind and charitable….has premium taste and very high standards, only surrounding herself with the best in all aspects of life, such as family, love, friends, and career. She is the ultimate in class and always keeps her cool….etc.

Nick’s parents were not at their Better Homes and Garden photographed home, but out of town. Amelia left early, with an excuse about Peachy freezing in the cold night. Somewhere inside her lurks a Chaos Girl, still.

Confessions: Earlier in the week she sent The Player an email. She will download the song from the TV show Glee of this week: You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

copyright 2009

Spontaneous Generosity

2009-12-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

‘Tis the season…

Amelia donated $1.00 to a Salvation Army kettle today, outside of Starbuck’s. “We are seeing the need in the community has doubled this year,” the volunteer said. “Thank you.” The other day, she donated 25 cents to a kettle, just to hear a thank you from the volunteer who was singing a Christmas carol.

One holiday party she’s attending, the guests are asked to bring canned foods for the needy. And for another party, the guests are asked to bring: what was one of your favorite toys as a kid, or a toy you wish you had? And guests are asked to share their story of why it was their favorite toy, and of course the toys will be collected and given to children in need.

Once last year after Christmas, Amelia was at a Walgreen’s. A tall man with dark hair had his shopping cart filled with bags of chocolate candies, Hershey’s kisses, M&Ms, Hershey Bars, Reese’s peanut butter cups. “Why are you buying so much chocolate?” Amelia asked him. “It’s priced half-off. I gave up chocolate a year ago and lost 60 pounds. I buy it now to give as tips at my favorite restaurants. They give me the best tables.”

***

Eavesdropping: A few weeks ago in church, the priest who is in his twenties said: “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.”

Amelia recently read about a teen girl who grants dying wishes to the elderly. http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/11/30/life/associated_press/doc4b131c0c89f09758623011.prt

A Bag of Chocolates and an Apology

2009-12-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Lulu is back. He came with Santa’s sack chocolate candies from Walgreen’s and a bouquet of orange and yellow daisies. Peachy growled at him. The golden, fluffy feline he had chased after…well Peachy tossed the wilted daisies and cheap chocolate in the trash can.

Eavesdropping: The Wall Street Journal blogs about Tiger Woods today, about his golf sport, personal life, and news/gossip of his marital infidelities. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/12/03/tiger-and-elin-woods-a-tough-lie-between-sports-and-gossip-essay/

In Silicon Valley today: Amelia saw a Tesla Roadster electric sports car today for the first time. It was silver, compact, shiny and new. Earlier this year, Tesla Motors received a $465 million loan from the US Department of Energy, of which $365 million is for engineering and production of its Model S Sedan, and $100 million for its powertrain manufacturing plant. www.teslamotors.com

Lulu

2009-12-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

“Wait, don’t do it.” Done though, Peachy sent Lulu a text message: “Meow.”

The next day she saw him chasing after a fluffy, golden feline. And yesterday, when they shared a snack of peppered turkey from the Safeway deli in the backyard, Peachy hissed and Lulu backed off. Peachy ate his snack. She was not in a forgiving mood.

Eavesdropping: Today Tiger Woods offers an apology on his Web site. It is the big news on the Huffington Post and elsewhere. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/02/tiger-woods-apology-i-reg_n_376779.html

Nice!

2009-11-29T23:16:00.000-08:00

They go Christmas shopping at the mall. Amelia introduces him to Sees candies: marzipans and dark chocolate chip truffles. “Nice,” he says, following her into Victoria Secrets.

Amelia has to accept it. James is the ghost who does not leave her. She sees him for a second, not when they’re at the shopping mall, but standing a couple of feet away from her, during the walk at Half Moon Bay. Nick is distracted, taking a picture of the ocean, using his iPhone. She looks into his pale blue eyes and says, “Ghosts are so not sexy.” James says nothing. It is awkward.

They watch the previews, eat popcorn, and candy. Upcoming movies to see: It’s Complicated, and Sherlock Holmes. And then the main feature: the world crumbling in 2012. But Amelia and Nick arrive late and miss it. Instead they see The Bad Lieutenant with Nicholas Cage. The weekend overall: Amelia is reminded she has lots to be thankful for. Nice!

copyright 2009

FINE!

2009-11-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

“How are you?” a friend asked Amelia at lunch yesterday.

“Fine,” she said, ordering a bowl of red pepper soup and a Veggie quiche.

“Feelings internalized not expressed Fine?” her friend said.

Eavesdropping: Read an article about a man who was in a coma for 23 years but who was conscious. Three years ago a doctor in Belgium discovered that the patient had been wrongly diagnosed. The patient was Fine! www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/23/

Read another article on the Internet today, skeptics disputing the news of the patient in a coma -- not being Fine? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_belgium_coma_recovery

****

Confessions: Amelia contacted The Player. She'll be fine. Nick is taking her on a hike to Half Moon Bay this weekend and to the movies. She heard on Dancing with the Stars TV show, it takes hard work and determination to make it.

****

Happy holidays, Everyone!

copyright 2009

Splurge Days and Starry Nights

2009-11-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful night in Silicon Valley. The sky was clear with a few puffed clouds. November may be the best month of the year for stargazing. Amelia searched for stars that twinkled, hearing recently that stars twinkle because of turbulence. It was but a fleeing, random thought, part of her ADD stuff, not to preoccupy her for long.

Earlier in the day Nick called. He asked her out for tomorrow. “Want to go shoe shopping? I need a new pair of shoes.”

“Shoe shopping on a Friday night?” Amelia thought to herself. “Really?”

“Okay,” she said, agreeing he pick her up after work at 6:15 pm. Maybe they could get a bite to eat at the mall.

What is it about Amelia that inspires men to go shoe shopping? When she last went out with Gatsby’s Owner, after their coffee date he said, “I’m going shoe shopping.”

Eavesdropping: Is this true? People who prefer window seats on an airplane tend to spend more money on themselves than those with other seat preferences? Yet but another fleeing thought to escape her sanity of being (reality) at times: Amelia wondered if Nicholas Cage prefers window seats on a plane. A recent Internet article talked about his financial woes/splurge spending. Maybe a need to escape being, turbulence—splurge days…

Gobble, Gobble - Chocolate Turkeys

2009-11-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

Amelia received the Sees Candies catalog by snail mail today.

On her Thanksgiving shopping list is: Sees milk chocolate foiled turkeys. Must buy early. These turkeys sell out fast, and are described as “fun table decoration.”

Some of her favorite pieces:
Marzipan – Honey almond paste
Scotch Kiss – Marshmallow and caramel
Dark Chocolate Chip Truffle – Rich chocolate buttercream with chocolate chips

Her ex favorite: the Bridge Mix.
http://www.sees.com/

Eavesdropping: In the news yesterday, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. buys a railroad, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, for $34 billion, as an investment in the future of the US economy. www.washingtonpost.com.

Chocolate's Healing Powers

2009-11-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

Amelia stayed home sick from work with a bad cold today. She craved chocolate, Hershey’s kisses. She should have chocolate. It would make her feel better.

“Can you go to Starbucks for me?” Amelia asked her mom, sniffling, her nose stuffed up. “I’d like a Caffè Mocha, no whip.”

“No,” her mom said. “Starbucks is beneath me.”

“What?”

“I can’t stand the aromas of coffees mixed with hot milk. It lmakes me nauseous.”

Amelia’s mom likes instant coffee sans milk.

Eavesdropping: A healing power of chocolate. Steven Maranz, a researcher from Weill Cornell Medical College, will “test the ability of a compound found in chocolate to keep malaria at bay.” The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded Mr. Maranz a research grant for his study. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

Dancing in the Dark

2009-11-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

Amelia was a Vampire Go-Go Dancer for Halloween, complete with fake fangs, dress, and a pink wig.

She wore plum fingernail polish when she called up Nick on Friday afternoon. He was at work.

“I came down with a cold,” she said.

“I was thinking of you,” he said. “I need to work late tonight. I won’t be able to take you to the Halloween dance.”

“I have a cold, Nick. I can’t go to the dance,” Amelia said.

This time he heard her. “Heat up the house, put some extra blankets on the bed, and if that doesn’t work, take three shots of Amaretto.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, soaking up what sounded liked TLC.

“And if you don’t have Amaretto, I’ll bring some over. I’ll call you this weekend,” he said.

What stung: not Nick’s hesitancy to wear a costume, or his canceling at the last minute, (even though her canceling canceled out his canceling), but his saying I was thinking of you. James would always say that to her I was thinking of you. At times, even the healing hurts.

****

Well…Amelia did not eat any chocolate or sweets on Halloween, no favorite Snicker’s or Milky Way bite-sized bars, or Reese’s peanut butter cups because….

Eavesdropping

2009-10-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

“And, approximately 20 percent of all the oxygen on planet earth that is generated from land, as opposed to water, comes out of the Amazon rainforest.” Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti: President Clinton’s Address to the Second Annual International Congress of the Haitian Diaspora.
http://ocha-gwapps1.unog.ch/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VDUX-7V9RKB?OpenDocument

Bill Clinton is the United Nation’s Special Envoy to Haiti. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8056762.stm

Haiti Outreach – Pwoje Espwa (H.O.P.E) is a nonprofit based in upstate New York. www.hopehaiti.org According to its Web site, it assists the people of Borgne, Haiti. “Basic infrastructure is non-existent. Borgne's population lives without electricity, running water, or telephone service. The few gas powered generators and solar panels that do supply the H.O.P.E. clinic and the parish are used only for critical needs.”

***

Amelia lives a sheltered life. Who will she date? What will she wear to a Halloween Party? How can she dress like the women in the TV show, Mad Men? When can she buy a scarf or blouse or something in this fall’s trendy colors Lilac and Violet? And random thoughts cross her mind, when will the recession end? She heard about Haiti today.

Eating like a 3 year old

2009-10-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

Heard on the radio the other day, too much sugar causes wrinkles and saggy skin, and weakens the immune system, amongst other things. Also heard you should eat intuitively, like a 3 year old. A three year old only eats when he or she is hungry. Adults eat because they are emotional.

Amelia told her mom about this.

“That’s b.s. Quit following people. Be your own person,” her mom said. “Three year olds eat all the time. They sneak food from other kids lunches when no one is looking.” Her mom was a preschool teacher. She had four kids.

One of Amelia’s ballet teachers says: “It’s okay if you make mistakes on your own. But it’s not okay when you make mistakes because you are following other students. Do not follow others. Make your own mistakes.”

Her mom: Be your own person. Nietzsche: Be who you are.

****

Eavesdropping: In Rome, you will see only tourists drinking cappuccinos at lunch. The locals drink espressos. – Rick Steves on TV.

Signs on the Road

2009-10-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today on her way to work, Amelia saw another sign on the back of the parked truck. It read: Come join us. You want to be our friend. Call, and it gave an 800 number.

At lunch, during her salsa dance class at the gym a fellow dancer said something to Amelia that took her by surprise. “You exude an energy of being stuck. Are you stuck?”

“Yes,” Amelia said.

“Then why don’t you come for a couple of sessions? I’m a life coach.”

“How much do you charge?”

“$100 for 50 minutes. Invest in yourself. I’ll give you my card.”

Later, Nick from church stood up Amelia. 5 pm, 6 pm, 6:30 pm, 6:45 pm and no call from him. They had made plans to go ballroom dancing. Tonight’s lesson was Salsa, the Night Club Two Step, and the Fox Trot at the Starlight Dance Club. At 7:25 pm, Nick shows up at her door. “Are you ready?”

“You didn’t call. The lesson started at 7.”

“I was waiting for you to call and let me know what time the lesson started. Want to go out for dessert?”

"No," she said and shut the door. And then she opened it again, and waved her hand for him to come back.

They went to Marie Calendar’s. He had apple pie and she had a key lime with a decaf tea. And then they walked around the downtown and stopped at a couple of places to listen to live music. At the end of the date, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

The Player's Charm

2009-10-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Today on her way to work, Amelia saw the sign again, on the back of the parked truck. This time the sign read: I’m lonely, and so are you. Call, and it gave phone number to call.

***

He had her with his not-so blue eyes and clear-framed glasses, his madras shirt and muscles. His asking her will you?

What she liked about him. He amused her, made her laugh. When she was with him, she was able to leave the sadness behind. On other dates, with other men, the sadness stays. But with him, she does not feel it.

“A relationship will not make you happy,” the Player said to her though.

What will make Amelia happy?

“A person is born broken and is only healed by the grace of God,” a quote by Eugene O’Neill.

Zero Lonely

2009-10-21T23:10:00.001-07:00

He talked about his house in the foothills with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. His study room and dining room were filled with shelves of books. “Over a 1,000 books,” he said. He had a loyal dog, named Gasby. He talked to her about his dog and the many books he had read. He now was reading a novel, “Lying on the Couch.” He had reread many books. He said it was a good thing to do, to read the same book over at different stages of your life. “What you get out of a book at 20 is different at 40,” he said.

He mentioned many titles. “What are you reading now?” Amelia asked.

“I told you. Lying on the couch,” he said sounding a bit annoyed.

On their first date, he had spurted out he does not want kids.

On their second date, Amelia had blurted out something she should not have said about one of his projects near and dear to him. This was two weeks ago. They had gone out for tea and then coffee. She hadn’t heard from Gatsby’s owner since then.

On her way to work today, Amelia saw a white cardboard sign on the back of a parked truck. On the side of the truck was an advertisement for local produce. And on the back, the sign read: 1 Lonely + 1 Lonely = Zero Lonely.

Vampires

2009-10-18T20:01:00.001-07:00

Amelia’s mom was walking down the street. She saw a little girl walking a black Chihuahua dog.

“What’s your dog’s name?” her mom said.

“Vampire,” the little girl said.

“Vampire? How come your tiny dog has such a big and scary name?”

“I don’t know,” the little girl said.

A Weekend of Zombies

2009-10-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Saw the movie Zombieland. Had to cover my eyes during the gore scenes of zombies eating humans. Eewww. Overall it was a mindless, entertaining movie, with some human takeaways. At the end of the movie, the main character, says something like, “without people in your life, you’re a zombie.” And my other favorite line, the main character, referred to as Columbus, Ohio, had all these rules about surviving in Zombieland. A rule he learned from his new friend is “enjoy the simple things in life.”

In ballet this morning, our teacher said, “keep it simple.” He said if you watch a ballet on video, in slow motion, keep hitting the pause button, you will see how simple the ballet dancers keep the movements. They do not put great efforts into it or that would throw them off balance. Ballet is all about balance.

The simple things in Amelia’s life this weekend: enjoying a cup of coffee at the shopping mall, buying a new pair of panties for $10.00. (All recession shopping afforded. The label is b.tempt’d by Wacoal. It’s light blue with lace detail and bow accents.)

She also finished reading a book: How Starbucks Saved My Life, by Michael Gates Gill. It was a good read, about a guy born into privilege who ends up working at Starbuck’s. It was on the bestseller list. The author is on the TV talk circuit. Tom Hanks has purchased the movie rights and will star in it. http://www.themovieinsider.com/

And Nick from church called and asked Amelia ballroom dancing for next weekend. “Sure,” she said, thinking she does not want to be a zombie.

Lucky Panties

2009-10-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

“Luck be a lady…” the song goes by Frank Sinatra.

Amelia had a pair of lucky panties. She threw them out a couple of weeks ago. They were pink with lace trimming. Whenever she wore them good things seemed to happen. They first became lucky last year, when she wore them to Los Angeles, on a business trip. That day everything went well for her. On her way home, at the Burbank airport, she bought a couple of souvenirs, a refrigerator magnet of LA skyscrapers lit up at night, and an Academy Award Oscar statuette, to give to her mom, that had engraved Best Mom. It was her first trip out of Silicon Valley in ten years.

Taking the Bullet

2009-10-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

A case of would’ve, should’ve, could’ve…

Amelia has not heard from The Player since Sept. 4. She’s taking the bullet, accepting his distance as a dis. If only she had done the same with James. That must be what is meant by Will Power. You can will to choose, and use free will to be in life.

What would have happened if when James had been distant at first, she would’ve walked away and ignored him? How different her life could’ve been today, minus 5000 Days of James? She should’ve stayed with Hero Boy back then. He loved her. He cherished her. He respected. But instead she chose him.

She read once in this book Entre Nous A Women’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl, something like if you buy a pair of shoes that doesn’t fit right, they never will fit. The same, if a boyfriend is not right for, then he never will be and you will walk around in pain.

Perfect People

2009-10-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

They know how to say and do the right things all the time at the right time. Everything always seems to go their way, and when it doesn’t they act like it does.

Amelia had lunch last week, with an acquaintance. While their Mediterranean quiche pie and split green pea soup turned cold, her acquaintance told her a story about a girl driving a car with her dad. They were in the middle of the storm and the daughter kept asking her dad, “can we stop and pull to the side of the road?”

“No,” her dad said. The more she begged he kept saying, “keep going.”

When they were out of the storm, her dad said, “Okay you can stop now and pull over to the side of the road.”

“But why,” the daughter said. “It’s not stormy anymore.”

“Look,” her dad said, when they got out of the car and turned back they saw the storm clouds.

“See all the people who stopped and pulled over. They’re still in the storm.”

The people did not keep going to get out of the storm and they were stuck.

Maybe perfect people are really imperfect. They keep going no matter what happens to them.

A Glass Darkly

2009-10-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Amelia’s boss stood up. She opened the window. They were having a check in meeting this morning.

“What is that fragrance you have on?” she said coughing.
“It’s―”
“Please don’t wear it again.”

It’s Juicy Couture,” Amelia told her fellow assistant colleagues later, sharing the sample fragrance.

“It’s musky,” they said to her.

“I’ll have to smell human now, and not wear any perfume to work,” she thought, like Daniel Meade’s mom said on Ugly Betty last season, when she was in jail.

One of her colleagues had on a new diamond ring, big and shiny. Amelia noticed it immediately from the corner of her eye, but then on a second take, the ring was a small blue sapphire ring.

“We see through a glass, darkly….” [1 Corinthians: 13:12]

Strike the Pose

2009-10-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

Saw the movie The September Issue.

Anna Wintour quotes:

-Fashion is fun
-Less is more
-Fashion is forward, doesn’t look back

A quote from Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue, “For normal woman, with no big money, if I would give advice: buy mainly classic pieces and a new pair of shoes each season…” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/stellamagazine/3346832/If-looks-could-kill.html

Amelia is behind in buying a new pair of shoes for the fall, preferably Via Spiga black high heel pumps. She is wearing last fall season’s Via Spiga’s, definitely not fashion forward, but recession reality.

In August, unemployment reached 12.2 percent in California.

To Each, Their Own Poem

2009-10-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

"What is your favorite poem?" Amelia asked an acquiatance at lunch last week. The acquaintance is a poet.

“Have you ever heard of Philip Larkin?”

“No. Let' hear it.”

They were in a nice restaurant with white tablecloths, eating hearty salads with goat cheese and nicoise.

The acquaintance recited the poem slowly in a firm, confident voice. “This Be the Verse” by Philip Larkin. http://www.artofeurope.com/larkin/lar2.htm

“Oh,” Amelia said, “I never heard of it.”

The acquiance shared some of her husband's family rules to hand down to their kids:

-Don’t hesitate at the door.
-Come in and join the party.
-Act like you know, even if you don’t.
-Never say no. Say yes, and...

Amelia has a lot to learn from others.

Amelia and the Player

2009-09-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Had Amelia stop checking her email this week. The Player has dropped off the planet of the earth. Don't like him.

"But he just got layed off work."
"No excuse," I say.

Told Amelia not to open up to him so soon. But she let her walls down and kept imagining he was like in Beyonce's song Halo. "...I can feel your halo....Pray it won't fade away..."

Well she definitely did not "shut him out." But he is shutting her out now. And she's suppose to be healing from a broken heart of last year, after "5000 Days of James." Anyway, don't want to let her bluey PMS mood take over. Taking her ballroom dancing Friday night. The girl needs more fun. If the Player calls again, Amelia is not going out with him. It was fun while it lasted...a summer of halo.

Starbuck's

2009-09-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

Amelia's treat at work this morning: a tall white chocolate mocha coffee at Starbuck's. It was okay, though too sweet, and she felt guilty cheating on her no chocolate until Halloween pact. "Are you with him?" the good looking barista asked her, about an older tall man with white hair standing in line. Amelia shook her head no, smiling. The barista smiled back. They flirted a bit. Her drink was ready in no time. A middle-aged woman kept waiting to pick up her drink. Others who came in later than her had their drinks ready, including Amelia. Finally the woman spoke up, "excuse me, is my drink ready yet." "Oh, it's been ready for a while," a barista said. Amelia picked up her coffee and smiled at the woman. The woman smiled back. Amelia couldn't wait to taste her coffee drink, especially when she saw the white chocolate whipped, velvety swirled foam, as the barista covered it up with a lid. Amelia took the lid off and added a sprinkle of cinnamon topping, covered it with the lid, and walked back to her office (a block away) as fast as she could. When she got to her desk, she took the lid off, wanting to lick the foam with a Starbuck's stir stick, the foam had flatted out to zilch. Aarrgg. The woman waiting at Starbuck's for her coffee, her order lost in the shuffle, she was in a wheel chair.

Another powerful earthquake in Indonesia today.

Eva's Diagnosis

2009-09-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

It turns out Amelia has adult ADD, attention deficiency disorder. She fits the symptoms described in Internet articles/Web sites.

Today, everytime someone talked to her, she repeated what they were saying (to herself) to focus on the conversation and not let her mind drift, as it often does.

Something happened at work today too. It's related to her ADD, and her boss got mad at her for forgetting something. Being an executive assistant and having ADD do not go together.

Well I did something. Signed Amelia up to attend a volunteer orientation at the local Ronald McDonald House. If she is accepting into the program, it's a 3-hour a week volunteer commitment. Afterall, her blog is on journey away from self, implying towards other.

Amelia spent time with a friend from Salsa dance class today, who is moving to Florida. Her friend is a hynotherapist and gave some advice to Amelia about relaxation technique and the unconscious mind.

Would like to talk more, but drank some milk and I'm sleepy now. Amelia has severe insomnia.

Eva's Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2009-09-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Amelia is a worry wart. She has a low attention span. When people talk, it's hard for her to listen. Hence she doesn't have many deep relationships. It takes a lot of effort for her to listen to others.

Today I gave her the day off and enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon. Attended ballet class in the morning. Don't know why Amelia dances ballet. She will never master it. She would be good at ballroom dancing or salsa (shaking her hips like wow). But no, she insists to be tortured with pirouettes. Ballet can be unforgiving. I'll tell you about it some other time.

Saw a good movie. 500 Days of Summer. It was excellent. One of the best movies I've seen this year, (beside the Twilight DVD movie Amelia rented).

Had a good meal with a dear friend of Amelia's. Listened to her friend talk. And later, got caught up on newspaper sections Amelia saves, lets pile up, but does not read. She likes the lifestyle section, the comics, movie reviews, the business section, and technology section and the front section when something catches her eye.

Of course something caught Amelia's eye in the reading-newspaper-marathon today. It was an interview of Smokey Robinson in Billboard, a Q&A with him.

"Q: Do you ever get tired of writing love songs?"

"A: No, because love is such an important aspect of life. Love can be happy, sad, mad, cruel, hateful, everlasting. Love is the most powerful emotions we as human beings have."

She thought Smokey's quote was beautiful. Have to hand it to her, today was a hard day for her, an anniversary of adversity she experienced last year, with the break up of the love of her life. She gleaned on the words, love can be....sad...mad...cruel.

Surprised she made it through the movie 500 Days of Summer. My girl did good. She is healing...

Eva's Take on Rocket Science

2009-09-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Did it. Ran at 5:30 am last Friday morning. What was Amelia thinking? She is way too hard on herself. And we ate chocolate, See’s candy: milk raisins, peanut butter patties, and marzipans. Of course Amelia felt awfully guilty about it, and then she read about a study on willpower. She gleaned on this: “Willpower is like a muscle: it needs to be challenged to build itself,” a researcher said. “By consistently challenging yourself to resist a piece of chocolate cake, or to force yourself to study an extra half-hour each night, then you can actually increase your self-regulatory capacity,” the researcher was quoted. http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/exhaustedhowtogetyourwillpowerback/

She is all into this now, empowered—like they say in the many self-help books she has swallowed whole. In fact, there was more See’s candy around the house yesterday, and she resisted temptation. She said, “no chocolates until Halloween.” Could hear her say too, “You see, you see.” She felt justified in her wanting to blog for 365 days on the subject. No wonder we have no readers! And Starting Monday she wants to study French for 30 minutes a day, until the end of the year. She has tried before but gives up easily, discouraged. Well heck, it’s not rocket science. What is a 30-minute slice of a whole day? Still 23 hours and 30 minutes left, no?

Eva

2009-09-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I'm Eva. Little Amelia is gone. She had a meltdown, so I'm here.

She tries so hard in her timid way and everything is a big deal to her. I mean every single thing. She had it rough last year. This guy, he wasn't even worth it, who she thought was the love of her life, dumped her. Her heart broke into bits and pieces. And now she's going out and dating though she holds onto the pain and fear that it may happen again. Not that she's totally into anyone she's going out with now. And most of the time on dates anyway, there's a sadness that won't leave her. There is this one guy. She doesn't like him but doesn't mind hanging out with him because in his company she doesn't feel the sadness as much. A good thing I guess.

Anyway, I'm here to show Amelia that she can learn to live a little and have some fun. Not everything in life has to be a big deal, and is worth stressing over. OK. Maybe somethings are a big deal, but in the big picture context how big can it be? This guy she doesn't mind hanging out with, well he, to me, looks like a player. I know b/c I've seen his Facebook page. I'll have to guide her from not freaking about about him. Really he's not a big deal either.

And this wake up at 5:30 am in the morning business, she's totally exaggerating. I can pull it off no sweat. And let's not kid ourselves, Amelia wants to have a hot body or why else is she giving up to die for chocolate and sweets. I can pull this off for Halloween. It's not rocket science we're facing. It's will power. Not to be underestimated or under utillized.

Anyway talk to you tomorrow. Until then, stay safe and have fun.