Farewell to Miguel Angel

Just two days ago I was mentioning in my "Dimples" post that the only brother I had left couldn't help me find out who I inherited my dimples from because he had alzheimer. Well, my only brother passed away last night. His daughter from the Municipality of Cayey phoned me at 1:00 PM today to give me the bad news. He was my half brother, but we were born of the same mother. That does make a big difference. And we grew up with him living with us. My mother widowed and after many years married my father, then my brother Lewis and I were born. He was 18 years old when I was born. His name was Miguel Angel and he was living in Orlando, Florida. He was a radio and TV man all his life. He worked in New York, that's where he was discovered for his voice when an important radio enterpriser heard him speaking. He worked in radio and TV here on the Island and in Orlando, Florida he was on the radio also. He was Master of Ceremony in many live shows in hotels. One of his sons continues in his steps, but I don't think he can compare himself with his father.

I remember as kids Lewis and I used to call him Mickey. And I don't know when exactly I stopped calling him that way and started using his full name Miguel Angel. I can't place the moment. Lewis stopped calling him Mickey also. I guess we just grew up. He used to be our hero. He taught us how to defend ourselves when he returned from the war so no one would take advantage of us. In other words, he taught us how to box or fight. It didn't matter I was a girl, I had to learn self defense also.

Farewell Miguel Angel, until we meet again! I'll be looking at the stars, but I'll be seeing you and Lewis.

CarmenIsie

The Puerto Rican "Cuatro"

New Year's Resolutions

Well, it's that time of the year again. Time to take stock of our lives, set some new goals and make those often abandoned New Year's Resolutions. New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. Through the past few years I have not been too keen on writing down new year's resolutions or even making them in my mind. But further back in the past I remember having thought of some resolutions and even writing them down. I usually kept my word the first two months of the year. But I do remember way back some ten years ago I made a New Year's Resolution about my weight problem. I kept that resolution for over a year and I lost one hundred pounds mostly walking some three miles every day from Monday through Friday. Now my weight problem is with me again but now I have the added situation of osteoarthritis on both knees and exercising or even walking is absolutely out of the question for me. It would have to be mostly a diet affair and that is really much more difficult.This year's last few days (2005) I have been very sad. I guess it's only natural because I miss my mother, father, and brother who passed away. One can't avoid remembering them especially on these days of the year. I can't help thinking that if it wouldn't have been for an accident, my brother would still be with us. Life doesn't seem the same without him. I feel terribly lonely.

But now I must look forward towards the future and reflect upon what I need to give my life a 180 degree change. In other words I must do an "about face" in order to make a happier being of myself. I consider myself lucky since I don't have to worry about having to quit smoking because I never started. That's one in my favor. Another one in my favor is the drinking problem because again I never started drinking. I think I must find a way to enjoy life more if it's possible.

I have been learning to play the "cuatro" which is the typical string instrument on the Island of Puerto Rico where I live. But if I have to be totally honest with myself, I haven't really been too enthusiastic. I am in level five now. There are ten levels. And I have obtained excellent grades in each year's final test, but I consider I don't practice enough to learn songs by heart. I play songs with the sheet music, which is the way it should be, but that's not favorable when you want to go caroling with your instrument. Maybe I should decide to practice daily and that way I'll be ready to go caroling with my "cuatro" next December 2006. There, I said it. I have resolved to go through with it.

Getting organized at home is a must in order to be able to do all the things I like to do, like painting for example. I have resolved to start painting right off since January through December because I hardly painted this year. I have been doing other things like crocheting. But painting and music are two of my favorite things.

Why is it that so many people abandon their New Year's Resolutions. Perhaps it has something to do with goals being a bit not realistic or maybe we just don't want it bad enough. The goal must have an action plan. When you set your goals, get as specific as possible

Most of us are probably going to have some kind of a financial goal for next year, like saving money. Well this has to be one of my goals. I must put aside a certain amount of my Social check each month.

Well, I must wish myself luck with my New Year's Resolutions. Good luck to everyone who has decided to set their goals for the year 2006.

Happy New Year 2006!

Carmen Isie

Why do some people have dimples?

I have so many things to worry about right now, but of all things, today I woke up with the question in my mind: Why do some people have dimples? Why wonder such a thing? Well I'm the only one in my family that has dimples. Looking up my doubt on the Internet, I discovered that dimples are visible indentations of the skin caused by underlying flesh and sometimes form on people's cheeks when they smile. Also that some people have a dimple on their chins, known as cleft chin. Like cheek dimples, chin dimples are inheritable and have a varying degree of prominence. In other words dimples come with genes so they are hereditary. But the question remains, who did I inherit them from? That's practically impossible for me to find out because my mother, father, and one brother passed away. Another, my oldest brother, has alpheimer, so I can't count on asking him anything. In our albums there are a lot of photos of my family, but none really of grandparents and other family members. So the question is there:: Who did I inherit my dimples from?

I did find out something that I'm supposed to keep to myself, but what on earth for? I read that dimples are a defect in the muscles underlying the skin that didn't come together as these muscles should have. The writer recommended to keep it to myself, LOL. But dimples is something that a lot of people would like to have because people have the idea that they make one look more attractive and that they are cute.

A lot of babies are born with dimples, but as they grow these disappear. Many dimples disappear after age 13 or 14. But mine have never disappeared! And I passed age 15 a lot of years ago!

I remember a friend I had in my teens that was quite envious of my dimples. She kept on wishing she had dimples and started sticking a pencil on her cheeks to see if she could force some dimples on her face. All she got was a bunch of scratches on her cheeks of course.

There is a dimple that is particular to men. It's the chin dimple that I mentioned above called cleft chin. But cheek dimples appear in boys and girls, men and women have them. I remember Robert Mitchum had that dimple on his chin and it really made him look soooo handsome. Well, that's my opinion. On the Internet there's a long list of actors and actresses that had cheek and chin dimples, but the truth is I don't know any of them.

I guess I'll never know who I inherited my dimples from. One thing's for sure though. I must keep smiling to show my dimples off!

CarmenIsie

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

~Jesus is the Reason for the Season~

Jesus is the reason for the season.
Every time Christmas comes our way.
So special a time for everyone,
Unbounded blessings are here to stay.
Seasons greetings are in tune.

It's the order of the day.
Say it singing or with gifts,

Twelve days you shall have for this.
Have yourself a wonderful Christmas holiday,
Everywhere you may pine to roam,

Remembering that to be happy in many ways,
Early you should head for home.
At no other time of the year, it seems,
Sincere warmth and affection are so nearby.
Our world is a brighter, cleaner place that gleams,
Night's stars twinkle in the early winter evening sky.

For Christmas is a family time,
Offering us the opportunity of being with each other
Reaching out across the miles to remind,

Those we love that like our home there is no other.
Having a White Christmas is everyone's most
treasured dream.
Even the most grumpy grumbling souls

Sigh in admiration when they see the gleaming snow,
Enthralled momentarily in the beauty of it all.
As we all know Christmas is the season of love,
Soon it will be Christmas Day.
Ordinary people doing things in an extraordinary way
Not letting the Christmas spirit ever fade away.

Carmen Luisa Iglesias
(Isie)

"Christmas Is..."

~CHRISTMAS IS~

Christmas is so many beautiful things.
It's the snow sifting down on a quiet town,
Where family ties are tightly bound,
With every card and every telephone ring.

It's the children's wonderous eyes,
When they look at the Christmas tree,
Hoping this year there to see,
What Santa's big surprise will be.

It's the renewing of what we believe,
With the most beautiful story ever told,
The birth of Baby Jesus so very, very old;
In Bethlehem, on the first Christmas Eve.

And through every season there's the reason,
For songs and sacred carols we love to sing,
Memories of bliss to our hearts they bring,
Faith, hope, joy, love strengthen the spirit of the season.

Christmas is all the glorious kitchen smells,
Filling an entire house from morning till night,
When family and friends begin ringing doorbells,
Turkey, pumpkin pie, and egg-nog are just right.

It's the last minute shoppers hurrying to and fro,
To get that special gift a dear one will adore;
It's the bright twinkling colored lights on every single store,
Saying "Merry Christmas to all" wherever you may go.

And when Church bells begin to peal on Christmas Eve
"One" is a very lonely number we cannot conceive,
So together we give thanks for all graces received,
Hoping to have a New Year as wonderful as can be.

This Christmas give a gift of love to share,
With family, friends, and neighbors far and near;
It's easy to love your friends so dear,
But NOT loving your enemies would be unfair.

Christmas is so many things,
So many beautiful things;
People become more forgiving,
Remember: It's a time FOR GIVING.

Carmen Luisa Iglesias
(Isie)

The case of the missing car keys

December 11, 2005

Today I got up at 5:30 AM to go to Sunday Mass, as usual on Sundays. Today is the third Advent Sunday. After getting dressed and before leaving, I sat at my PC to post some messages in my Art group. When I finally got ready to leave, I looked for my car keys and I couldn't find them. I went nuts looking all over the house for them and I didn't find them. I called my sister-in-law and told her I would be going to Mass with her because I couldn't find my car keys. When I returned from Sunday Mass I continued looking for my car keys. I went all over the house again without being able to find them. I was very depressed. So I decided to sit down at my computer again and I found this blog and decided to configurate it. I decided to write down the link so that it would be easy for me to find it all the time. I moved my agenda which was at the left side of my computer, and when I moved it so that it would be easy for me to write, there, under the agenda were my car keys. And it was already 12:10 PM.