tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-236067572024-03-07T17:56:12.630-05:00What a Life!A running commentary on the messy business of living;
assorted rants and raves on love, life, kids, household crises, wifely duties and workUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger390125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-39952410073924243752008-05-08T08:34:00.002-04:002008-05-08T08:37:10.899-04:00Follow me to another siteHey, readers, I'm getting ready to say goodbye. My blog is migrating to a wonderful site --momsmiami.com.<br />Check it out. It's got lots of great information.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-86134392092748012662008-05-07T08:17:00.002-04:002008-05-07T08:21:56.542-04:00Affording paradiseA <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/523904.html">new study by FIU</a> proves what we all know. Most Miamians can't afford to own a home here anymore. They can't afford to rent, either. And this is with the drop in home prices! But enough with the confirmations and studies. Something has to be done to make South Florida affordable for the next generation.<br />But what? Building more affordable housing? Where -- in the hinterlands so the commutes are even more horrible?<br />I haven't read of any good solutions.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-24278455060120075542008-05-06T08:55:00.002-04:002008-05-06T08:58:26.455-04:00Do as I say not as I doYou gotta love this one. A <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-05-05-disney-fight-sentence_N.htm?csp=DailyBriefing">mom in line </a>for a Disney World ride beat another woman who tried to get in front of her. She was extradited from Alabama and jailed.<br />Story doesn't say, but I wonder if their kids looked on. Some lesson.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-13468823654626756942008-05-05T11:23:00.003-04:002008-05-05T11:27:46.546-04:00Here's to you, DeathSo this Illinois guy has ordered <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/577/story/521117.html">his coffin </a>-- in the colors and shape of his favorite brew, Pabst. What a great sense of humor! That's how we should all face the Grim Reaper.<br />I need to think more along those lines. My hubby, for instance, has already told me he doesn't want a regular funeral. He insists on a party and has picked out the music. To me, though, those are morbid thoughts.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-26720117086501850652008-05-02T08:46:00.004-04:002008-05-02T08:51:33.272-04:00Canseco in foreclosure, tooI've been living in my house for quite a while and, thankfully, have built up a nice chunk of equity regardless of how the market gyrates. And gyrate it does. A friend who is a real estate appraiser told me most of his business now is foreclosures with a sprinkling of re-fi. The bulk of those foreclosures are people who bought with intentions of flipping and couldn't.<br />But it's not just the average Joe who has been caught in this mess. Jose Canseco's <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_canseco_foreclosure">mansion in California</a> is on that list. The former baseball star who grew up in Miami walked away because it didn't make any sense to continue payments, he said.<br />I want to know: what happens to these houses? what happens to these people who speculated and lost? (I'm not talking about those who were bamboozled in some cases of mortgage fraud)<br />I sure as heck don't want to pick up the tab.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-67844248609619685562008-04-30T08:13:00.002-04:002008-04-30T08:22:50.841-04:00Take the offer and runAh,something to smile about. The <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/514907.html">principal of Devonaire </a>K-8 has offered to stay on for $1 a year salary to make sure that the expansion he has been overseeing is finished correctly.<br />The School Board said no. <br />Hell-oh? Are we cutting our nose to spite our face? <br />I know several people whose children attend or have attended Devonaire and they have always spoken highly of this guy. I don't know him from Adam, but I recognize appreciation. So why not accept the gracious offer?<br />Apparently, it has something to do with budget constraints, but it sounds like a lot of hogwash to me. If this board can decide not to give teachers their raises after agreeing to do so in a contract, I am sure they can find a creative accounting way to keep this guy on board next year. How about donating the $119,000 to buy supplies or hire para-professionals or give teachers bonuses?Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-1727434216742893772008-04-29T08:22:00.002-04:002008-04-29T08:27:23.042-04:00Fame and money and Spitzer's hookerI'm constantly amazed at how people like <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/513233.html">Ashley Dupree</a> -- now known as Spitzer's hooker -- can make money off their bad behavior and our stupidity. I must be living in some fantasy land because I thought that the 22-year-old with the loose morals might follow wise counsel and lay low for a while. But I guess it's all about cashing in on those 15 minutes of fame.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-86259515935751737892008-04-28T08:15:00.003-04:002008-04-28T08:20:22.456-04:00Not me, unfortunatelyThe <a href="http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=42757&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitm">winning lottery ticket</a> worth $38 million was sold in Miami -- and I am NOT the winner. Actually, I don't play every week, just when the payout is high. I forgot last week, however.<br />I used to think I'd continue working regardless of my Lotto winnings, but I'm not so sure I would anymore. I'm beginning to consider the possibility that I could donate my time and talents to some organizations that I've long admired. It would be work without the pay.<br />Of course, I have to buy the dang tickets to win.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-121451186312956022008-04-25T08:22:00.003-04:002008-04-25T08:26:25.674-04:00Does this mean we're healing?Finally, a<a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/508890.html"> comedy</a> about the post 9/11 hysteria that has gripped the country -- in good and bad ways. I haven't seen the film and have no idea if it's funny, but the fact that we might be able to laugh at ourselves is promising. To me it signals healing.<br />It might also prompt the complacent majority to face some of the un-American acts our leaders have pushed in the name of anti-terrorism.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-37747034063959615132008-04-24T09:03:00.002-04:002008-04-24T09:06:19.101-04:00Work is a four letter wordToday is Take Your Child to Work Day. My youngest is supposed to be at work with me. I've been in my home office for about an hour. He's already bored.<br />Hmm. I don't think that was the intent of the day. I wish he could see the exciting part of my day -- what goes on inside my head, before the writing.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-91864507804946806532008-04-23T08:12:00.002-04:002008-04-23T08:16:19.235-04:00Good news -- but can students think critically?Good news for a change: <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/506011.html">Our kids are doing better </a>on the state standardized tests, a trend that is echoed in other urban areas.<br />Nevertheless, as a parent who has watched the ridiculous emphasis on FCAT, I'm worried that my kids are being taught the test. I want something more -- more academic rigor, the challenge of critical thinking, problem-solving skills, etc.<br />How are we doing there?Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-41957307670980113222008-04-21T08:18:00.003-04:002008-04-21T08:22:56.724-04:00How green are you really?Excuse my cynicism, but I'm getting a little tired of everybody bragging about how green they are becoming, including <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/125/story/502812.html">businesses.</a> It's all for show. I've gone in to countless shops and offices where the air conditioning has been set at Siberia. People who buy reusable Publix bags drive gas-guzzling SUVs. And fashionistas who wear green clothes landscape their massive yards with hundreds of lights all night.<br />If you're going to talk the talk -- as they used to say when I was a kid -- then you have to walk the walk, too.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-49686849696241670842008-04-18T08:16:00.003-04:002008-04-18T08:17:52.545-04:00Vote yes for the Children's TrustIf there is one organization that deserves to be funded even in these difficult times, it's certainly the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/500511.html">Children's Trust.</a> I've seen first-hand the organization's accomplishments. It's an investment in the future.<br />Let's hope our leaders and the rest of the community see it that way.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-15033848840342888062008-04-17T08:27:00.004-04:002008-04-17T08:33:33.289-04:00Everything cycles, including our moodsAnother day, another <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/152/story/498783.html">story about job cuts.</a> Plenty of people I know have been axed -- not a good thing ever, but especially difficult when you're in your 50s -- and many more who are looking for work right out of school.<br />Wasn't it not that long ago when we were all bragging about the equity in our homes and the plumpness of our stock accounts?Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-76657684610073764272008-04-16T08:52:00.004-04:002008-04-16T08:56:35.924-04:00Was it the money or something else?A woman is accused of <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/497337.html">trying to hire somebody to kill her ex-husband.</a> This, despite the fact that she got a really good deal in the divorce. According to the husband, she was here illegally and sleeping in a friend's living room when they met. He took her in, married her, made her legal and shared a life with her and their three children -- including a business.<br />That's gratitude for you.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-26781411234914967942008-04-15T08:46:00.003-04:002008-04-15T08:50:13.275-04:00Bucking the trendWe live in a time when everything is public and anything can be sold for a price. So it's heartwarming to know that some people will buck the trend.A businessman has paid $1 million plus for <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24112286/">a sex tape of Marilyn Monroe</a>.<br />Not to play it on the Internet. Not to talk about it on Dr. Phil or Jerry Springer.<br />The man wants to pull it off the market out of respect for the late actress. He's locked it up in a safe.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-91742872687189820212008-04-11T08:25:00.002-04:002008-04-11T08:30:09.664-04:00Pretty soon they'll have classes in the broom closetThe news from Tallahassee is that there will be <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/491395.html">more cuts</a> to the schools' budget. If this does happen, I hope the powers that be leave the classrooms alone and look at the administrative costs. From talking to teachers, students and my own children, I know the situation is pretty bare bones right now.<br />And we claim we support education!<br />When will our elected officials -- and the populace -- understand that spending on education is the best investment we can make in the future?Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-68465049931008246922008-04-10T08:27:00.003-04:002008-04-10T08:33:57.968-04:00A pleasant surpriseAfter a long day at school, my 17-year-old amazed me with his industriousness. I'm not sure what happened at school or at football practice, but he bolted for the computer as soon as he came home and started signing up for SAT subject tests. All of a sudden he has decided that he wants to apply to the top colleges in the country and SAT subject tests are a requirement. For months I've been asking him about his college plans and if there were any additional tests he needed to take. Now -- enlightment.<br />This from a kid who seemed to meandering through his junior year in high school, without purpose or ambition.<br />Life is full of pleasant surprises.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-17945210541515647862008-04-08T09:05:00.003-04:002008-04-08T09:09:53.442-04:00When parents excuse their kids' behaviorI saw a disturbing video on TV news this morning about the beating of <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24008727#24008727">a 16-year-old girl</a> by some of her schoolmates who were upset that she had trashed them on the MySpace website. The video existed because they were going to post it online.<br />How sick can we get?<br />Well, sicker than videoing your criminality. A mother of one of the teens who is accused in the ambush that left the girl with two black eyes and the loss of hearing in one ear actually went on national news to say the incident was "overblown." The apple doesn't fall from the tree apparently.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-76945506878400612902008-04-07T08:20:00.003-04:002008-04-07T08:24:55.251-04:00How safe are our colleges?Maybe it's the age of my younger children that makes me so sensitive to college-related news. Yet, it seems that we're hearing about more and more accidents and crimes on college campuses. The latest tragedy is the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/485730.html">death of a freshman</a> at UM, most likely from an accidental fall.<br />It's a painful reminder that when we send our children off into the world with all kinds of precautions, danger lurks: shootings, date rape, binge drinking, etc.<br />With age and experience, I'm getting more and more paranoid.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-19237609639176942802008-03-27T08:33:00.002-04:002008-03-27T08:35:54.215-04:00On vacation -- hurrah!I'm off on a well-deserved vacation through April 7. I need all the rest I can get. Just to take time off I've been putting in long hours to leave everything done.<br />I don't dare think about what it will be like when I get back!Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-39769249493260034212008-03-24T08:25:00.004-04:002008-03-24T08:40:37.448-04:00Salary comparison is faultyA UM business prof says that Miami-Dade's <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/467696.html">public school spending </a>on top administrators' salaries is in line with private businesses. He made these remarks after a list of adminsitrators making more than $100,000 was released. It turns out that the number of people who went over that figure has almost doubled in one year. Some of them also get company cars. The UM expert says they would be getting that kind of payout if they were in the private sector.<br />I'm of two minds on this. On the one hand, I am sure that many of these people more than earn that pay. For instance, the principal at my children's high school must put in some long, long hours. Not only is she at school during regular hours, but I also see her at every function I attend -- games, PTAs, etc.<br />On the other hand, these administrators do NOT work for a private business. If they did, they would not get the kind of retirement benefits they now get. They also would not get the number of holidays. Forget the pension and retiree medical coverage. They'd be lucky to have a 401K.<br />One more thing: I'd like to know how their salaries relate to the salary of an average teacher. Is there as much of a discrepancy in the school system between the top dogs and the peons as there is in the private sector?Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-78711713472694114852008-03-20T08:34:00.003-04:002008-03-20T08:38:11.429-04:00Moving on outFor the first time in a long while, more people are moving out of South Florida than moving in, according to <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/463219.html">a new report</a> using Census data.<br />So why does traffic get worse every year? And does that mean that our roads will eventually be less congested if the moving on out trend continues?<br />Some of our city fathers may lament the exodus, but I'm cheering it on.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-48210183744395310462008-03-19T08:26:00.004-04:002008-03-19T08:31:41.792-04:00Staying trueRevelations about infidelity continue in New York. The new gov said that he actually had more than that one affair he admitted to earlier. He <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/461358.html">has had several, </a>including one with a state employee. Yep, he's been busy.<br />His admission is a good thing, I think, because it stops the media frenzy and allows him to do what he has been elected to do: run the state. However, I find it troublesome that he -- and so many others in power -- take their marriage vows so lightly. Are they a reflection of the rest of us? Sure hope not.<br />A story on the Today Show this morning said that as many as 25 percent of all marriages eventually deal with adultery.Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23606757.post-15901947346781406632008-03-18T08:55:00.003-04:002008-03-18T09:00:49.215-04:00Bed-hopping takes time, doesn't it?The new governor of New York -- the guy who took over for Eliot Spitzer -- has admitted that<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080318/ap_on_re_us/ny_governor"> he had an affair</a> with another woman when his now-solid marriage was going through a rough patch. The couple has since worked it out.<br />If recent news is any indication, lots of people, especially those in public office, are bed-hopping. I can't figure it out: Where do they find the time to lead this secret life? When do they work? How do they meet the demands of family and another relationship?<br />I think it's hard enough balancing work and family. Add a romantic second to the mix -- yikes!Ana Veciana-Suarezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184000375040307527noreply@blogger.com2