Have a Splendiferous 2008!

I Left My Toe at the Salon

I have heard horror stories about women getting infected, bruised, etc. at the nail salon, but thankfully, I had never experienced such nightmares.

Until today.

Due to time constraints, I decided to go for a "no frills" pedicure at a reputable boutique salon. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my regular attendant and ouch! did I feel the difference.

My first clue of danger should have been when I had to alert the attendant that the tub of sudsy water that I was going to soak my feet in was about to bubble over on to the floor. Isn't keeping the water inside the container a core module in Pedicuring 101?

I soon found out that my attendant really hated cuticles. She hated them so much that she plucked my big toe clean until it bled. She then proceeded to pull and pull on the flesh of my other digits with her instruments so that I was unable to take my usual nap, and was in semi-pain throughout the procedure.

Ah well, I suppose one bleeding big toe and a few roughed up other toes is not that bad in the grand scheme of things. I can still walk, the blood is not dripping on to the floor and my pedicured toes look great.

I am scheduled to get my eyebrows done next...should I dare?!!

The Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Pistol Whipped Through the Friendly Skies

Recently, I had to travel from NY to the west coast for business and got spanked - along with my fellow passengers - by our chosen airline. I was surprised, and then later amused, by the behaviour of the crew as they went about providing service. The average service was good, but the lows went below the belt.

Let me share some examples with you...

Spank #1

A poor, clueless gentleman is gabbing away on his mobile phone and was sharply told to "hang up the phone right now and store your bags!", because it was soon time for take off. Yes, Clueless gentleman should have known better, but the flight attendant could have reprimanded him as if he were an adult vs. a 2-year old.

Spank #2

Sitting near the back of the aircraft, I was able to overhear some of the crew's whispered comments. Apparently the passenger in row #16 was so "high maintenance" simply because he/she had the gall to ask that their change from a purchase be returned to them.

Spank # 3

I felt sorry for the passenger beside me, who when she followed my lead in asking the flight attendant to include her trash in the passing garbage cart - which had started from the back, where we sat, and was heading up the aisle - , was told snidely to "just hold on because the cart needed to start from the top of the aisle and come down" and that "everyone's garbage would be collected." My fellow passenger and I had to exchange glances/smirks at that one. Why be mean when someone politely asks to place garbage in your garbage cart?

Aside from being spanked, we were also subjected to 'Skyway' Robbery.

Hold Up #1

We were expected to pay $10 to watch last season movies on our own (provided by the airline) digi players. No, thanks - some of those movies are even too old for cable. I choose sleep.

Hold Up # 2

One elderly passenger was brave enough to request an entire can of Coke and was asked by the flight attendant if she would "really finish the whole can?". It was only after the passenger confirmed that, yes, indeed she could finish a whole can, that she was handed the full container of Coke.

Hold Up #3

Another passenger was so dehydrated that he practically begged for a bottle of water. The flight attendant apparently had never received such a request as she hesitated and then conferred with her co-workers. After some discussion, she returned with the answer that the water would cost $10.

Mr. Dehydrated's girlfriend couldn't help but exclaim loudly: "$10 for a bottle of water?!".

I think she embarrassed the flight attendant, who ended up giving Mr. Dehydrated his bottle of water at no cost. Thank heavens... the guy had already shelled out $5 for a box of snacks - which attempted to represent breakfast.

The good news is that despite the spankings and robbery, the majority of the flight ran smoothly and the crew redeemed themselves by showing genuine smiles and punctuating further offerings of service with "would you like anything else?".

For other adventures in the air, see:

http://kerijam.blogspot.com/search/label/adventures%20in%20the%20air

Did you Cry/Smirk/Giggle or Laugh? Be Honest

Paris and Nicky Hilton's heiress status is being threatened. Granddaddy Barron Hilton, is giving away 97% of his billion dollar fortune to charity; his net worth is estimated at $2.3 Bn. Barron's donation includes a $1.2 Bn pledge to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (named after his father).

Word on the street is that the hard partying, uncouth Hilton sisters have been an embarrassment to the family name and that Barron's actions are his way of getting revenge on the notorious blondes (well, to be fair, it's more Paris than Nicky).

So, what do you think? How do you feel? Sad for the ladies? Or is that a smile I see?

For more on Barron's slight, see the following article from the New York Post:

PARIS STIFFED
GRAMP'S REVENGE ON HILTON SISTERS: CHARITY TO GET $$
By BILL HOFFMANN

December 27, 2007 -- Hotel billionaire Barron Hilton is stiffing his high-living, hard-partying granddaughters, Paris and Nicky, yesterday announcing plans to give 97 percent of his vast fortune to charity.

His plan includes a $1.2 billion pledge to the Con rad N. Hilton Foundation, named after his father - a donation that includes the windfall from the recent sale of Hilton Hotels Corp. and the pending sale of the world's biggest casino company, Harrah's Enter tainment Inc.

Barron Hilton, 80, chair man of the foundation, intends "to contribute 97 percent of his entire net worth, estimated today at $2.3 billion, including the created trusts, at whatever value it is at the time of his passing," the foundation declared.

There was no immediate comment from Paris.

But family expert Jerry Oppenheimer, author of "House of Hilton," has told The Post that Paris has been an "embarrassment" for the bluebloods, sullying the family name with her vacuous antics.

"Speaking for the family as well as the foundation, we are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment," said Steven Hilton, one of Barron's sons and president and chief executive of the foundation.

The "that's hot" model and "Simple Life" reality TV star has been a symbol of celebrity privilege for years, gaining infamy in 2003 when a sex tape of her and a boyfriend made the Internet rounds.

She managed to parlay the notoriety into a celebrity career, including her TV show, a book, a music album and film roles.

This year, she slipped back into infamy with more than three weeks in jail for violating probation in a drunken-driving case.

Barron Hilton's plans for his $1.2 billion windfall is the year's second-largest publicly announced donation, right behind Leona Helmsley's $4 billion to a foundation under her family's name.

The Hilton foundation was established in 1944; Conrad Hilton died in 1979, and left virtually all his money, including his reported 27 percent controlling stake in Hilton Hotels, to the charity.

Barron challenged the will and, after a nearly decade-long legal struggle, reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement to split ownership of the shares with the foundation in 1988.
The hotel group was sold for $20 billion in October to Blackstone Group; the acquisition of Harrah's is due to be completed in early 2008.

The Hilton Foundation describes its mission as "to relieve the suffering, the distressed and the destitute."

Among its interests are projects that provide clean water in Africa, education for blind children, housing for the mentally ill, the work of Roman Catholic sisters, and substance abuse.

Moment of Silence - Benazir Bhutto is dead

After multiple attempts on her life, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated after speaking to a large gathering of her supporters at an election rally in Rawalpindi. The killer, a suicide bomber, was riding on a motorcycle, and shot Bhutto in her neck and chest and then blew himself up near by Bhutto's heavily guarded vehicle. Bhutto was rushed to the hospital, but was soon pronounced dead (time of death is stated as 1:16pm GMT). The suicide bomb not only killed Bhutto, but at least 22 other people.

Word of her assassination has caused riots in the streets. President Pervez Musharraf has spoken out against the killing and is pleading with the nation to remain calm. He has declared 3-days of mourning in Bhutto's honour.

Benazir Bhutto was the first democratically elected female Prime Minister of any Islamic nation and lead Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and 1993-1996. She attended Oxford and Harvard Universities. Bhutto had recently returned to Pakistan, after a self-imposed 8-year exile, and was actively campaigning before the January 2008 elections. The day she returned to Pakistan, she escaped a terrorist attack on her motorcade which killed 136 people. Bhutto was vocal in her criticism at the time of Musharraf's government and their lack of effort in protecting her.

Today, she was assassinated in Rawalpindi, a stronghold of Pakistan's military, and a city considered to be one of the country's most secure areas. Musharraf blamed the killing on the same extremists that Pakistan has been fighting a war against. Security forces have been placed on a state of red alert across the country.

Instability in Pakistan would adversely affect the war on terror. Key leaders in Pakistan and across the world are condemning this current atrocity and have been encouraging peaceful reactions in the nation. People are being urged to defy the terrorists' agenda and to instead continue to uphold the goal of democracy.

Other effects of the assassination are yet to be seen. One example, is the impact on the price of oil, which has spiked significantly since news of Bhutto's death.

This is a sad moment for Pakistan. A disappointing act has removed a great and courageous leader from the world. May God bless Pakistan and guide them towards a peaceful resolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto

Source: CNN, BBC News

Tamii's Bridal Shower

One day after Tamii's Bachelorette party (http://kerijam.blogspot.com/2007/12/tamiis-bachelorette-party.html) it was time for Tamii's Bridal Shower. Tamii has been a pescatarian/vegetarian for years, and she has been moving more towards a vegan/vegetarian/macrobiotic diet. In addition, she is quite passionate about jogging. Therefore, we decided to do something original and relevant for her shower and selected "Health and Fitness" as the theme.

Tamii was told in advance to reserve all of Wednesday night for an event but had no idea about what was planned. We blindfolded her when she came home, so that she was not able to see any of our preparations. As she got ready upstairs, we quietly ushered in her many guests.

Earlier in the day, we transformed the house to match our Health and Fitness theme. For example, we had exercise videos (e.g. Taebo, Pilates, etc.) running continuously on 3 or 4 laptops around the house; pictures of women completing various workouts pasted on the wall, a hula hoop, and other props such as weights, tennis rackets, etc. placed in various spots in the living and dining rooms.

Once we were ready to start, we asked Tamii to come downstairs and sang "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" as she glided down the staircase. Tamii was shocked/pleasantly surprised to see all of her good friends gathered to celebrate her.

It was a fun filled night. We served vegan dishes which were all well received, even by the heartiest meat eaters (for more on meat eaters see: http://kerijam.blogspot.com/2007/07/interview-with-meat-eater.html).

Tessa guided us through a team karaoke challenge and...

...my team won!

We then had other exciting games like the hula hoop competition,

the 'trying to hit a water bottle over with balls tied around your waist' game and

the 'who could squat for the longest' challenge.

I ended up being one of the last two in the squatting contest, but decided that as one of the hostesses it probably would not look right for me to win another competition. (Ok, the truth is I listened to the strong hints from others and bowed out gracefully, sadly/maturely accepting 2nd place)

Then it was time for showering Tamii with gifts. Tamii received numerous presents, most in line with the theme, and she now has many more running outfits, socks, towels, raw food/vegan cook books, etc. There were a few unmentionables also presented, which I am sure Tamii will be enjoying with her hubby.

As part of the gift giving segment, Tessa and I presented Tamii with her first bicycle and also a promise of biking lessons. This was quite a significant gift for us and I will share the history with you at a later date, but suffice it to say that Tamii screamed and was close to tears when she saw her shiny new bicycle. Yay!

We then concluded the evening with a word of advice section, where we asked the guests to offer words of wisdom to Tamii - we got to hear many insightful comments from 'marrieds' and 'unmarrieds'. Tamii graciously thanked her guests for coming and the evening was officially over.

Unofficially, the event went until the wee hours of the morning as we 'karaoked', chatted and laughed until we could no longer keep our eyes open.

Successful event #2, next step the wedding!

(P.S. Angel sneaked in at the end of the Bridal Shower and we didn't have the heart to turn him away *smile*)

Risk Takers, rock!

Good Thinking, Wally!!

For more on Risk Takers who rock! see:

http://kerijam.blogspot.com/2007/10/six-year-old-daredevil.html

Babies & Weddings

Today's comic strip courtesy of Sean Delonas

http://kerijam.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-dynasty-destroyed.html

Tamii's Bachelorette Party

Tamii and Angel got married on Dec.8th (http://kerijam.blogspot.com/2007/12/congratulations-tamii-and-angel.html) and we had a fun week of activities leading up to the grand finale.

The first event was Tamii's Bachelorette party. Bridesmaid's only - and of course - the coolest mother of the bride ever...Mrs. Althea Smith.

We started out with a fun "getting into the vibe" session at the house, where we dressed Tamii in the appropriate hot outfit and bride-to-be gear. This was all accompanied by loud music and whistle blowing. We pretended not to see Angel, who happened to be at the house. He had the grace to hide in the living room, so he kept out of our way (Thanks, Angel! *smile*).

From the house, we headed to Chez Maria (http://www.chezmaria.com.jm/index.htm), a great Mediterranean restaurant where we were able to get a private room. We cordoned off the area with tape reading "Wild Girls! Caution" and were ready to start the activities.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to share with you the details of that night, but here are some highlights, Tamii was serenaded by men (plural), she blushed when she opened her gifts and we will need to bury some of the dinner and after party pictures.

We all had a great time and more importantly Tamii said she loved the festivities!