24 August  2008 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

 

 

Sunshine at the End of the Tunnel!

Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were the darkest days here in Jacksonville, Florida.  The gusty winds ripped down tress and power lines. Pouring and steady rains flooded the local low land areas. And with dark clouds, torrential rains and winds, it really seems like Jacksonville is going to get drowned but yesterday, Saturday brought us a sense of optimism and hope.

The remnants of former Tropical Storm Fay, now a tropical depression are devastating as it left thousands of people here in Florida homeless and despondent.  The flooding nightmare continues as Fay continuously brings rains in the next several days but at least the worst part was over. The light at the end of the tunnel is a bright sunshine!

Let me re-trace my steps back to Thursday and Friday:

I decided to stay home alone Thursday while DH went to work.   Honestly, I was scared by the storm but I didn’t want to take the chance to drive to my mother-in-law’s place in the middle of a nasty weather. So to take my mind off with TS Fay, I closed all windows and sliding door’s blinds and turn to Karaoke singing all by myself.   DH called to check on me every time he gets a chance, and was quite surprised to hear me still singing my heart’s out for 5 straight hours. And you know as the storm got stronger later on in the afternoon, it eventually caused a power outage at our house at 1:50 PM. Blame it on me!  LOL  I only breathe a sigh of relief when DH finally got home work at 3:30pm.

When the power didn’t come back at 7:00 PM, I know I had to do something to salvage all the foods in our refrigerator otherwise DH will toss them all out to the trash bin. So even with the pouring rain and gusty winds, I urged him to drive me to his mom's house and hoard everything from our fridge to mom's freezer because she still had power.

At 8:30pm, DH went back home as he still has to go to work the next morning while I opted to stay put at mom’s house. Mom got a big kick out of it when DH made a teasing comment before he left, “It’s ok Sweetheart. You can stay. I know you can live without me but you can’t live without an Internet!”   As soon as he got back home, he called to tell me the power has been restored in our area BUT he’s definitely not going to drive back again in the middle of the storm to pick me up that night.   Well, the truth of the matter is, he just wants me out of his hair sometimes because he takes the pleasure in being home alone from time to time---just to have a peace and quite time for himself! Should I get upset or make “tampo” (sulk) about it? Nope! Why? Because if I do, what good does that give me? Nothing but hurt feelings right? So why bother? Indeed, openness, honesty and communication are very critical to the success of a good marriage. Many couples broke off not because of the enormity of the problems in their relationships or household but because some couples just could not engage in an open and effective communication. Also bear in mind that most marital arguments cannot be resolved when the focus is on changing the other person… the key is to love and accept our spouse for what he/she is.

Anyhow, the night and whole day of Friday at mom’s house with Midget and Sweet Pea turned out to be the most relaxing night and day of the week for me. Despite the pounding rains and winds, I had a good sounding sleep alone in bed. Then, in the morning after I get up at 8:45, I did an hour Pilates. After which, I took some rest to cool down and had 2 scrambled eggs with cheese, 2 waffles and a glass of orange juice for breakfast.

After breakfast I played with Midget and Sweet Pea for a while.  Around 11AM, Mom prepared a hydrotherapy bubble bath for me with some scented and aromatic stuff (she has this "high-tech bathtub" with hydrotherapy - it’s like a Jacuzzi only a little smaller tub).   I immediately tore off my clothes and hopped onto the tub like a giddy kid. Oh boy, I was a little embarrassed when I saw mom picking up after me (my sweaty clothes were thrown all over the bathroom floor) and then she brought in a fresh towel for me to use afterwards.   It just now dawned on me that I seemed to have the best of both worlds :-)

You see, the best thing about being with my mother-in-law is, there are no pretensions between us. I can always let my hair down, just be myself and not tip-toe around her because she made me feel very much at home and comfortable with her.  She knows that she can be blunt to me or chastise me for anything that has truth to it and I won’t take that issue against her. Like I said before I really don’t have problems owning my mistakes and apologizing if needed.

To say that I had a soft and most relaxing time soaking down my whole body in the tub is an understatement. The hydrotherapy bubble bath takes the strain out of my muscles aches and stiff joints from working out. I feel so fabulous!!!  DH and I would love to have a Jacuzzi in the house someday.  Just a wishful thinking ;-)

Then at lunch, mom offered me a piece of Quiche Lorraine (Delphi’s recipe) she baked earlier and it was delish. Yum! But then again, had she offered me this food when I first got here in the States nine years ago, there is no way I would ever eat it. You see there are so many types of food here in America that I didn't use to like it before that I do now. It's amazing how I turned out to be just like a local after a few years.

I recalled when I first got here, DH and Mom first took me to Olive Garden, an Italian restaurant and I didn’t have a single clue what kind of foods are in the menu.  So the moment I heard DH was going to order *Tour of Italy*, I decided to be a copycat. Well, after I had a bite or two, my taste bud was protesting to it so I ended up eating just a dessert for dinner. *Tour of Italy* is a homemade lasagna, lightly breaded chicken parmigiana and creamy fettuccine alfredo.    After DH and I got home, I devoured a big plate of steamed rice with only soy sauce and vegetable oil on it. DH thought he doesn't have to really work hard to support me.  It was only after a few years of marriage that he realizes his simple Pinay wife has turned into just like a Highly Maintenance American wife ;-)  I learned quickly didn't I?  hehehehe

Needless to say, DH decided to take me home Friday night and we had the time of our lives together feasting out Saturday and Sunday.  That's on top of the 6 dozen oatmeal raisins cookies (my most favorite cookies) that he lovingly baked from scratch just for me ;-)   No, I didn't eat all of them!  I stored them in the freezer for my future cravings.  Ooh they are soooo good! I actually brought some to work last time he baked them and even my colleagues couldn't get over how delectable DH's homemade cookies are.  Even people from his work (his co-nurses and the doctors) also rant and rave about his chocolate chip cookies. 

That's all for now... back to work tomorrow :-(

 

    20 August  2008 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

 

 

Hurricane Watch & Tropical Storm Warning!

JACKSONVILLE, Florida --  As tropical storm Fay gets closer to Jacksonville; it's 160 miles south-southeast of Jacksonville moving N at 5 mph and expected to make a landfall here in Jacksonville tomorrow morning, Emergency Operations Center of the City of Jacksonville has issued a Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning through Thursday, August 21, 2008. 

Duval County schools are closed today until further notice. Likewise most city government offices are closed today and tomorrow, August 21, 2008.

It feels good to be off work today and tomorrow and possibly Friday too.  If not, then I'll use my leave time to take off whole day of Friday--that means I will have 5 straight days off in a row of pure joy. Yaay!! 

Well,  I am going to evacuate later on this afternoon to my mother-in-law's place as her condo is safer and more secure than ours because we live in close proximity to the beach.  It's so sweet of her to call me last night and invited me to come over and stay with her if I want to until the storm calms down.    DH is better off staying home alone because he has  to go to work until Friday and his workplace is only 5 miles away from home. 

SHELTERS for Jacksonville Folks: Emergency Operations Information for Jacksonville Florida: 904-630-CITY (2489)

• Oceanway Elementary School, 12555 Gillespie Ave.

• La Villa School of the Arts, 501 N. Davis Street

• Landmark Middle School**, 101 Kernan Blvd.

• Chimney Lakes Elementary school**, 9353 Staples Mill Drive

• Chaffee Trail Elementary School, 11400 Sam Caruso Way

• Mandarin Oaks Elementary School, 10600 Hornets Nest Road

• Sabal Palm Elementary School, 1201 N. Kernan Blvd.
       **Landmark Middle and Chimney Lakes Elementary are pet-friendly shelters

Additional Resources

• National Hurricane Center

• Red Cross of Northeast Florida

• FEMA

• Floridadisaster.org

• Get your family plan

• Emergency supplies list (PDF)

• Preparedness Checklist (PDF)

• Hazardous Weather of Florida Guide

Here's a Memo from the City Mayor

Dear Employee:

While the Duval County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is continuing to monitor Fay, the full projected impact of the storm is still largely unknown. What we do know at this time is that Jacksonville will be affected, most likely with intense rain and high winds.

At 7 a.m. Wednesday, the EOC will begin operating at a Level One (highest level) to help our community manage through and recover from the potential impacts.

In anticipation of these events, the following measures are now in effect:

All general government employees NOT involved in emergency preparations or recovery operations should not report to work on both Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Most city offices and facilities will be closed on both days. In addition, Hanna Park and Huguenot Park (waterfront parks) are also closed.

If you are employed by one of the city's constitutional offices (Office of the Sheriff, Tax Collector, etc.), please look to your constitutional officer for directions on your work requirements.

All JEA and JTA employees are asked to report to work on Wednesday.

Duval County Public Schools are closed Wednesday and Thursday. DCPS staff should not report to work unless otherwise directed.

Residents who live in mobile or portable housing or reside in a low-lying areas that are prone to flooding are encouraged to consider evacuating.

This evening, city officials will be working with the Red Cross to prepare shelters. The location and times for shelter openings will be announced Wednesday morning.

Residents and visitors should use this time to take the following precautions:

Check supplies in each family member’s 72-hour kit. This includes non-perishable food, bottled drinking water, batteries, medicines, baby supplies, pet food, paper products, etc.

• Review plans for family and pets

• Check battery-operated equipment

• Fill vehicles with gas

• Have cash available

• Collect drinking water in clean plastic containers, cooking pots, clean bathtubs and washing machines.

• Owners of boats, small planes or RVs should secure their vessels.

• Large animal owners are encouraged to implement plans for early evacuation.

• Secure residential and business property from damaging winds by clearing lawn debris and securing loose outdoor objects such as furniture, pool equipment, garden tools, garbage cans and toys.

• Residents who plan to leave their home or the area, should shut off water lines and electricity and/or gas.

• Construction companies should secure job sites.

• Trash and yard waste service is operating as normally scheduled Wednesday, but residents should promptly remove and secure trash cans. Residents are reminded that yard waste is limited to five cubic yards per house, per pick up. If yard debris exceeds the allowable five cubic yards, residents are advised to secure it on their property rather than placing it at the curb.

Please monitor the news reports carefully and as available, the City of Jacksonville's Web site and Portal. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Sincerely,
John Peyton,
Mayor

 

    9 August  2008 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

 

Busted for Speeding

It's my very first time to get whacked for speeding! I have only been driving for nearly 9 years now and if truth to be told, I  tend to drive pretty fast on top of being so anal in getting things done ASAP!  Yup, I really don't have patience with people who move slow unless they are old and or physically/mentally challenged but that’s before I got a CR-V and the gas price has skyrocketed to $4 per gallon ok? I have changed for good, I swear and it’s only when I actually let lose of my pace that I got busted for speeding. Ugh!!

The two cops would have probably given me a bit of leniency and chalked this up as a warning without a ticket if only I didn't let them chase after me for a good number of miles.

Here’s how it happened. Monday after work around 5:00 PM, I was cruising along Matthews Bridge when my carpool lady started telling me the story of her daughter’s first date at age 21. You should know by now that I am such a sucker of love story as such I usually get carried away and just focus on the subject matter rather than paying attention to the other things around me.

Well, about three miles away from the bridge, as I took a quick glance at the rearview mirror, I saw the cop’s car with flashing lights behind me. I cracked down my window a little bit trying to listen to the sound of the siren but didn’t hear any. So I asked my carpool lady if the cop behind us was trying to get my attention. "Did I do something wrong?" , I asked. She replied “hmmm not that I know of”. Then, I flipped on my left turning signal and as soon as I got on to the left lane, I saw the cop tailgating me. With a confused mind, I asked the carpool lady again, “should I pull-over then?” She replied, “maybe you should”.

As I was trying to find for a safe place to pull-over, out of the blue from nowhere, another cop in SUV cut me off and stopped pronto in the middle of the road to completely block me out. Jezz Luis!!! If I wasn't quick enough to stop I would have smashed him from behind.   He then quickly jumped out of his car and commanded in ruthless voice “Roll down your window!  Now take off your sunglasses and put both hands on the steering wheel!  Is there any reason why you are going fast and why you didn't pull-over when you saw the police car with a flashing lights behind you!?!”.

Basically, the cop clocked me at 58 to 62 miles per hour back and forth in a 50 mph highway but I really thought it was a 55 mph highway. But mainly, he was so ticked off because he took the danger of cutting me off on the spot to bring me to a halt. I guess when I didn’t pull-over he thought I was running away from him like I was a fugitive right?

I confessed I wasn’t paying attention to the car behind me and didn’t have my eyes on the speedometer for few minutes because I got carried away listening to the lady’s dating story next to me. And when I finally saw the cop’s car with a flashing lights behind me I was confused because I never heard any sound to catch my attention and I didn’t think I did something wrong.  I told them sincerely that I didn’t mean to run away from them and I apologized wholeheartedly. 

Man, I tried very hard to be respectful and polite. I apologize. I plead guilty and yes, I tried to muster tears too but to no avail (I just realize now how hard it is to be an actress. For sure I won't have any chance at all to do any acting stint LOL) but despite all the grounds and justifications I laid down, the young/mean cop who cut me off didn’t budge. Rather, he chewed me harshly and mercilessly for about 10 minutes lecturing in a shrill tune of voice about the traffic laws, crash and coalition resulted from speeding and blah, blah, blah while the older cop and my carpool remained in total silence.

After the young cop mellowed down, the older cop butted in and told him that he’ll take care of my case. The young cop took my driver license and went to chat with the older cop in his patrol car. As soon as the mean cop left the scene, I got off my car as I was going to sweet-talk the older cop to pardon me but the next thing I heard he was on his bullhorn yelling, “get in to your car right now. I’ll be there in a few minutes!”

Few minutes later, I was handed with a speeding ticket: 3 pts on my license and $104 fine with some instructions and pamphlets about driving schools and etc. He said, “Ms C. I understand where you coming from. It’s  probably a cultural thing that’s why you were confused and didn't know the law but the next time you see a patrol trooper car or any emergency vehicles with those flashing lights behind you with or without the siren sound that only means one thing: You must PULL-OVER!"

Thought I could sweet-talk this older cop this time so I beg again to let me go without a ticket as this is my very first offense but he replied, “too bad... you know once the ticket has been issued that's already out of my hand therefore there is nothing else I can for you. I am sorry, Ms. C if we have to meet this way”. You know I got the impression that this older cop had somehow perhaps dealt with some naïve Pinays?  He's just too nice to me OR is it my usual magical beauty that only works wonder to mostly DOM? ;-)

Anyways, now that I adhere to the speed limit, well, even if I go up to only 5 mph over the speed limit, just about every car in the highway cuts in front of me. I suppose nobody really stick to the posted speed limit but you know after this expensive lesson, I could care less anymore.

So guys, be careful.  Nowadays it doesn’t really matter whether you drive along at 70 mph on a freeway that has 65 mph Enhanced Penalty Speed Zone (this is a new traffic law) or that you were creeping along at 18 mph downhill in a 15 mph school zone, by law you still can be slapped with a speeding ticket higher than the normal fine so watch out for the sign Enhanced Penalty Speed Zone in some  freeways/interstate highway. Speeding is classed as an endorsable offence and therefore the points cannot be separated from the fine.

So do you want to know what DH and mother-in-law’s reactions were?

DH:         "Good!!! You are just lucky I didn't have to bail you out from the jail.  I have long been waiting for this to happen because I know this is the only way that would teach you a lesson and deter you from speeding again. I should call and thank the mean cop.”

Mom:      "Shame on you, Rhebs! That's why I don't like riding with you nor I want you to drive me anywhere. How many times did I tell you to always observe the speed limit and pay attention to your driving?  You don't listen do you? Well, if the cops chewed you hard and really gave you a hard time, then you deserved it!"

Honestly, I wasn’t upset with my husband and mother-in-law's reactions because I never expect either one to take side with me whenever I screwed up or made some terrible mishaps. It’s actually when they stop criticizing me and pointing out to me my wrongdoings/mistakes that I should start worrying about them. You know why? Because if that happens, that means by then they had stopped caring about me.

 

    6 August  2008 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

 

Family Matters A Lot


            Mom Edith, Aunt Judy, Kuya Allen, Mary, Rhebs and DH Tony

Last Sunday after DH and I took mom to church, had lunch at China Buffet and did grocery shopping with her, we were back to our own ‘home sweet home’.   So now Mom lives alone by herself again.   Although she likes being independent but she admits she feels the pang of loneliness after we left. Made me think how lonesome life would be when I get to that age and DH is no longer here with me. My most ardent wish is, DH is going to outlive me otherwise I’ll be forced to find a live-in partner. Oh boy, my family in the Philippines is going to disown me for thinking like a slut. What else can I do? I don’t ever plan on getting married again not that I despise being married. It’s just that I made a vow to only be married to my one and only soul mate, Tony. No ifs no buts.  That's how fanatic I am with my first and last marriage.

Anyway, back to mom’s update. As expected, everybody in the Presbyterian Church was cheering for her and so glad to see her back walking like a pro again. That’s the thing I like about her church--everybody knows everybody and they seem to have a very ‘personalized’ bond with one another. But then again, unlike in the Catholic Church, the member of this congregation is less than 40; mostly well-bred “gray” folks. There are about 6 kids aged 3 to 6 years old that gathered in front of the alter and the pastor regales them with an inspiring story in relation to the gospel for the day. After which, these kids go back to their playroom so the grown-up can have a decent quite time with the Lord.   During the communion the pastor spiritedly address each parishioner in his/her sweet sounding name like “Rhebs, this is the body of Christ.”  I am telling you, it feels so surreal… it made me contemplate lately to change church as long as DH and I don’t necessarily have to give up our own Catholic religion. Ok, I am not real fanatic about my religion but I just don’t want to switch religion either way. But then again I really don’t think God would even give a damn which church do we go to worship Him? The only thing that prevents me from going to Presbyterian Church is that we only get to receive communion every first Sunday of the month.

Yesterday, Mom drove herself without an escort to Mayo Clinic for her follow-up doctor’s appointment and she did just fine. I offered to go with her but she didn’t want to take me away from work unless it’s necessary or emergency. I guess she’s more concerned with my job than her own safety.   Anyhow, the doctor told her that everything is healing normally and that she’ll come back again in 6 weeks for X-rays and check-ups.

 

    1 August  2008 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

 

Living with In-laws

As I mentioned in the past my mother-in-law who’s in her mid 70’s had a total knee replacement surgery last month. Her younger sis, Aunt Judy lovingly took care of her during the most difficult time of her recuperations. DH and I just come and check on her periodically after work at night. She lives in a 3-bedroom condo about 30 minutes to an hour drive from our place depending on the traffic.   The stress, the commute, the lack of sleep and the getting up early to go work again the next day were even more draining than we thought. At one point, DH and I were kind of glad we didn’t have children of our own to take care and tend to on top of all these.

Anyway, last week, Aunt Judy and Delphi went back home to California but since mom hasn’t fully recovered yet as she’s still on the mend from stomach bug last week that made her feel so miserable and weak hence she needed someone to be with her 24/7.   So the four of us ( Kuya Allen, Mary, DH and I) got together to discuss logistics on how to best take care of mom.

The arrangement we made was, DH & I move in temporarily with mom to give her company at night. During the day, I take off work every morning until my sister-in-law, Mary gets off work at 1:00 PM to relieve me. On the days that Kuya Allen is off work, he stays with mom all day long until DH or I come home from work. It works out perfectly for all of us.

So now it’s been a week since we live with mom and so far, although there’s really no place like home but other than DH and I sleep in two separate single beds like we are just roommates, I actually love it here. You know why? That’s because mom has a housekeeper that comes in twice a week to thoroughly clean the whole place which means there is no need for me to do anymore household chores. Mom has been making her own meals and does a little chores around the house too. The only thing I actually do is make our beds and prepare DH’s dinner although some nights he just prefers to grab one of mom’s home made frozen meals to spare me from cooking. Last night, mom whipped a delicious typical American meal: biscuits with sausage flavored gravy, pork chops (she showed me how to cook a tender and juicy pork chops), mixed veges such as green peas, carrots and snow peas. Ms Jackie, her next door neighbor best friend made a super doper mouth-watering Bon Appetite Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert. Yum!!

Our condition is back to normal as we are again getting at least 8 hrs sleep every night which is like heaven to us. You know DH gets cranky too if he doesn’t get enough sleep? That said, before we moved in to mom’s house last week, I issued a word of caution that if him and mom both get grumpy at the same time, I’ll definitely wouldn’t hesitate to leave them and go back home. I made sure he knows I can only handle one grouchy person at a time… two would be more than enough to push me to the edge and he knows what he is getting into when that happens. Well, so far, neither one gets crabby yet. In fact, we are all better-off these days.  Alleluia!!

For the first time in my life (9 years) here in the states, I truly feel merrier that there is more than one family member in the house. You see for nine years, it’s always been just DH and I, no pets in the house. Now that we live with mom, I come home with 2 or more family members in the house with a very excited and welcoming puppy, the adorable Midget. She just made me feel so loved and important. Don’t get me wrong, I like our privacy and all but I sometimes miss other family members’ presence especially since I grow up and live with my parents, brothers and sisters for 21 years and the last 11 years of single--independent life, I practically reside in a boarding house where at least 8 of my co-teachers were living with me in the same two-story house of which three of them were my roommates.

Well, anyway at least now I know more or less what to expect when Mom, Midget and Tessie eventually move in with us. I could care less about Tessie (she sometimes hisses and slaps me) but she’s mom’s baby too so I’ll put up with her.

Over all, mom is doing well and feeling much better now. She has been taking at least a couple of walks a day around the neighborhood. She started driving yesterday and went grocery shopping with Kuya Allen. She now has a ‘high tech titanium knee’ that doesn’t give her that much trouble anymore. Her stomach hasn't been giving her any problems. She's been sleeping well and getting a lot better every day which is a great relief to all of us.  Thank you Lord!!!