Guest Post: Andy

January's guest blogger is my friend Andy. We worked together on the mean streets of Beverly Hills making bank on the third floor of an investment firm. Yeah we cool like that... Although we've both moved on we have kept in contact. He is the first friend to volunteer actually so I was really excited about his post....OK so here's Andy:

MY SUPER AWESOME BLOG POST

Hi, I'm Andy. Marisol and I used to work together. I'm sure many of her guest bloggers worked very hard on putting together something good for this blog, but what I'm going to do is a stream of consciousness, random post. Here goes.

AWESOME STORY ABOUT A DOG

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12283833

I love dogs. And animals in general. here's a cool news story about a dog that was found adrift at sea. He was saved by seamen and ultimately adopted by them. It's a cool story. There's a video if you follow the link. It's very sweet and heartwarming.

KID CUDI

I've been absolutely obsessed with Kid Cudi since his first album came out in 2009. You might know his hit singles "Day 'N' Nite" and "Pursuit of Happiness." He's not one of those rappers who just talks about partying and hoes and bling bling and all that. I tell people that he's kind of an emo rapper. Here are some lesser known tracks of his that are a little different from his mainstream stuff.

 

SPORTS UPDATE

I'm guessing many of you are from Los Angeles. So I don't need to remind you that the Lakers have a big game against the hated Boston Celtics at home this Sunday (ABC 12:30PM PT). This is of course their first meeting since the Lakers defeated the Celtics in a hard fought game seven in last season's NBA Finals. The Celtics and Lakers have the second and third best records in the league respectively.

Novak Djokovic faces Andy Murray in the Australian Open final this Sunday as well (ESPN2 12:00AM PT). Andy Murray is the first Englishman in a grand slam final in nearly 75 years. Murray and Djokovic train together and know each other well. Djokovic leads their head to head matches 4-3, Djokovic taking the first four and Murray the last three.

RANDOM PICTURES FROM MY BLOG

I have a kind of blog (http://schmart.net/). it's just a bunch of stupid pictures mostly. I have a lot of fun doing it actually so you should check it out if you're ever bored. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

  

Andy

Tiny Room Makeover: Bed Issues

Remember the Tiny Room Make over? The plan? The furniture? Well, good thing you do. It's still going on. Slowly but surely. Remember how I said that Murphy's Law applies to me when I attempt projects. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". Remember how excited I was about finding my bed?

 So excited that I didn't even properly photo shop the lines out the original picture. Well, I was SO excited that when I couldn't find my pretty purple 25' tape measure, I used my Mom's 3' foot plastic one that she uses for taking sewing measurements. Yes, that was my mistake.

After opening the 5 million pieces needed to assemble the new bed and the hour it took me and my Dad to assemble the bed (by "me and my Dad" I men my Dad assembled the bed while I passed him pieces and held things in place and watched) it finally came time to place it in it's corner.

It didn't fit.My heart sank.

ME: What??? Are you sure Dad? But I measured it.
DAD: Well you measured wrong then, Mija. It doesn't fit. Look. (takes out his retractable measuring tape, yup it was off by just under 1 inch.)
ME: Well, I used my Mom's measuring tape.
DAD: HahahahJajajajaHa (yes, my Dad laughed at me in English & Spanish)

After seeing the completely frustrated/sad look on my face he stopped laughing and went back into Super Dad mode.

DAD: I can fix it!
ME: How?
DAD: I have an idea. (said while giving me his best I'm a genius smile and holding up his index finger)

So began a bunch of genius ideas...
1. Cut out the outline of the baseboard on the wood of the bed.

Failed. Still did not fit as we could only make the cut to the headboard.

2. Remove the baseboard!

Fail! The bed still did not fit, but we were getting close.

3. Sand down the back of the headboard until it fits.

Fail! This job made my Dad sweat.

What we thought was going to be a little bit of a sanding job turned into an hours worth of work. We did actually manage to make the bed fit sort of, it was very tight and it was not even. It turns out that my room is actually a trapezoid. Let me draw it for you:

Remember how I said my room was an addition to an addition to the house? Obviously they didn't hire an architect. A trapezoid!?! Seriously. So while my original measurements were slightly off, the reason the bed still didn't fit and our attempts were massive fails was because in one area I was 2 inches off.


Not sure if it was the fact that I now had scratched up paint, oh pretty blue paint I'm so sorry. Or that my Dad was still trying to make the obviously-not-going-to-fit-bed, fit. Or the sinking feeling that This bed was now most definitely not refundable. Or maybe a combination of all 3 but that night I decided NO HEADBOARD! Yup, that's right. I changed my mind. That's the look I wanted anyway. Plus the headboard was detachable. Two minutes later my bed fit.

I slept in my new headboard-less bead that night. The following morning I knew it wouldn't do. Then the heavens parted and the angels began to sing (a la Windows commercial style) while the following idea came to me: "Why don't you just build a headboard, Marisol?!"

Until next time folks -- the makeover continues...

Family Recipe: Torrejas

After the success of making Chuchitos, my cousin Yuzema and I were on a high. Let's do a recipe every month!! Images of having our own Food Network show began to dance around my head. Yeah, I know, the chuchitos were that amazing.

So for the month of December my cousin suggested we do a traditional holiday dessert. Torrejas. I had to think about this one for a second as it had been a few years since I even had one. They are basically this sweet bread with a custard type filling inside, fried and then drenched in a sweet liquid. So New Year's Eve we set out to make torrejas.of course we waited until like 6 pm to actually go and buy everything.

First stop, the bakery, fail (Mexican sweet bread wont work). Second stop, the Bakery (The Guatemalan Bakery we should have gone to first in the first place). They were out of the bread you actually use but we found something close enough. Third stop the grocery store. Made a few calls to Mom, and found everything we needed. Jazmin, Yuzema's daughter,  was eager to get started.

Such a cutie pie!

Not yet, Jaz!!

We got home only to find that Mom had left. And there was no recipe in sight. No answer to her cell. OK, plan B, call our Tia. Plan B would have worked had Plan B answered her cell. Plan C, call another Tia in Virginia... 1 out of the 3 would answer, right, right, right??? YES! Thank you Tia Glendy (shout out to you from Cali, hope you are enjoying the snow) for giving us somewhat directions on how to make manjar. Apparently everyone in this family uses measurements such as: to your taste, a handful, about a cup (not a measured cup mind you just any old cup), a packet maybe two, a spoonful (not an actual measured spoon full but one you may find in your silverware), when it "looks" done, before it "looks" done. Yup That's how the Campos ladies roll.

So we got started... a whole of "looks good to me" also started.

all of our ingredients

That's me adding a friggin gigantic spoonful of cinnamon. We were told to use cinnamon sticks but we figured this would be "neater" as in we wouldn't have to go in later and pick out the stick from the manjar. Sound logic if you ask me.

Yes, I'm posing with cinnamon, cause that's how cool I am.

 Fact: Yuzema has mad bread cutting skills...

Lesson learned: Staring at milk wont make it boil any faster!

Fact: Knowing how to crack and egg and separate the yolk truly is a gift... one that I was born with.

Fianlly like an hour later -- oh yeah we got some MANJAR in the house. It should be white but that's what happens when you put too much cinnamon. It was still really, really yummy.

Time to get our frying skills on... Paula Dean eat your heart out!

I got a little tired and wanted to stretch my hip muscles...

 

About THREE hours later, VICTORY WAS OURS!! Yes, I'm yelling here. Aren't they beautiful? We made two dozen but these were the better looking dozen. We also forgot to add the little raisin on the center top but whateves... Here they are in all their fried glory, time to drench them in some sweet stuff!

 

In other words, time to make the Juice! It's like melted syrup, that's the best way I can explain its' taste. I have no idea what the actual thing we melted to make it is called but Jazmin was eager to eat it if you scroll up a few pictures, you'll see what I'm talking about. 

Ain't she pretty? Or he? Or it actually. (pretend we put a raisin on it)

They were soooo gooooooood. Food Network here we come.

While doing some online research, we learned that there are like different versions of this thing, some call them Molletes, but in this family... It's a Torreja!

So I went to Target and...

I was missing some sheets last night. The kind that go on your bed. I looked everywhere but could not find them. My creamy, off-white ones, that go well with my favorite comforter. Have you seen 'em? Oh well, I did need some new ones anyway and I was itching to get out of the house. Target here I come!

I love Target. You can walk in and walk out with something you didn't even know you needed. Now I could go the "they are evil and make you spend unnecessarily" route but I will take the "I love them!" route instead.

I tried to show some restrain last night. I really did. On the drive there I made a mental note of exactly what I needed to buy. Sheets!! Also what I'm looking for. Wall shelves. That's it. Nothing more.

You would have been so proud of me. I found my sheets. On sale too! $15, not too shabby huh? Plus some wall shelves, on clearance, thank you very much!! Here they are, sheets all nicely washed and laid out. My new wall shelves waiting to be nailed up on the wall...

But then...

Hear me out, so what had happen was I saw a pretty striped silk tank so cute! Then I had to get the tan v-neck tee. They are super comfy and I don't have that color. They are always out in my size in that color. Then I remembered I needed some tights. Plus I threw out an old sports bra earlier that day so I had to replace it. Oh and I passed by the shoes and these cute heels were just screaming my name, plus I took the fact that they were the last pair and in my size as a sign that I had to buy them. Oh and this cute little tool set was on clearance! I'm always borrowing my Dad's tools. Time I have my own set, right??????

I may have a problem. Hello, my name is Marisol and I'm a Target addict. 

New Year in Minnesota Don't Cha Know

So 2011. Yup it's here. Oh ya (said in a Minnesota accent). While most people slept in after ringing in the new year and then went on to enjoy their new year weekend, I was on flight to Minnesota don't cha know (again with the Minnesota accent). Why? Well, that's what I was asking myself as I realized I left my brand new u-shaped travel pillow and sat in a middle seat on plane that was delayed. But I do know why. Oh you know, that pesky little thing called a job. Yeah. They make me go there about once a month. So I spent my new years eve at home making Torrejas with my cousin (Another family recipe coming up baby!) doing laundry and packing. It was lovely. Until today. When I replayed my week in my head...

Jan 1, 2011 - Spent the entire day in two airports, three airplanes, one cab and finally, one hotel room.
Jan 2, 2011 / Jan 3, 2011 - Woke up to about 2 feet of snow. It looks pretty but it will make your bones hurt. Spent the entire day on the set of Shop NBC. Working.
Jan 4, 2011 - Spent the day in one hotel room, two airports, two airplanes, finally made it home.
Jan 5, 2011 - Spent the entire day in bed... sick... cough, cough...sniffle...
Jan 6, 2011 - Spent half the day at the Torrance courthouse, paid $124 for a delinquent fix-it ticket that could have cost me $10, half day at work with massive head ache and cough, Cough, COUGH... bad cold.
Jan 7, 2011 - stressed at work trying to meat deadline...realized it was Friday and sighed. Kept telling everyone I was fine! But it sounded more like "I'm Find!"
Jan 8, 2011 - slept and slept some more.. got a hair cut to make myself feel better... watched a cheesy but silly enough made for TV movie with my cousin. Had Epifany. Realized I did not know how to spell Epiphany. But most importantly realized that I got my first week of this new year jacked by Minnesota and this awful cold that WONT GO AWAY! 

Well, Let's hope week two looks a little better. Oh did you noticed I changed up the blog again. Yeah I totally messed up the HTML of the way it was before so I stripped it. She (my blog is a girl) feels a little exposed but likes it at the same time.

I'm of to drug myself! I just love me some NyQuil. It truly is the nighttime, sneezing, sniffling, coughing, aching, so you can pass out and not feel guilty or get a hangover medicine. AKA my precious...

Holla!

Guest Post: Claudia

December's guest blogger... yeah I know it's January, there were some setbacks I had to deal with, you'll learn about them later this week. Anywho... like I was saying, December's guest blogger is my BFF Claudia. Or Awesome Claudia, well that's what I call her. Her post made my day, scratch that it made my month :) She definitely falls under the one-of-my-favorite-people-in-the-world category, so here's my Bosom Friend, Claudia:

Now & Then

  

I know Marisol for about 19 years now. We met in third grade at Eucalyptus Elementary in the 80’s, (that explains our outfits in the picture), but lost touch in High School and found each other again as adults.

The old saying "You don’t know what you have until its gone " is very true. When Marisol and I were kids I didn’t realize what good friend I had until I had lost her. I don’t like to make quantities of friends by calling my acquaintances, friends and allowing them into the secrets of my thoughts, instead I keep a selected few as quality friends, which is why I am very selective of who I call friend.

Marisol is what I call a super friend. She has been not only a good friend but also showed character and kindness to others, which is a quality I admire in her. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind or be independent and strong when the occasion calls for it. She is a born leader and doesn’t waver in her beliefs.

I on the other hand, according to the personality type indicator test, Myers-Briggs given to me and Manny, my Fiance, by our priest (for wedding purposes) showed I am an Introverted Intuitive individual with Extroverted Feelings. What’s that you ask? According to the Briggs, I am artistic and creative and live in a world hidden in meanings and possibilities. I put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, but I constantly define and re-define my priorities. On the other hand I operate intuitive and spontaneous. I know things intuitively, without knowing why, and without detail knowledge of subject at hand, but am usually right.

One of my down falls in my personality is my determination, because it makes me focus on one thing and one thing only, the goal at hand. This makes me shut out everyone and everything else around me, family, friends, work, or school, what-ever is not my goal at the time. I guess its true that I re-define my priorities constantly. This is hard on my loved ones and me. I am very concerned about others feelings and hate hurting anyone in the process. I often find my self-reflecting on my actions to make sure that I have not hurt others. Most of the time I think I am not good enough and push my self even further to limits I thought I couldn’t reach before. This creates a paradox within my self because I can’t ever go back to ordinary or where I was before, because I know I could do better and refuse to go backwards. 

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/ (World within worlds)

I am a forward thinking individual and often think too forward and scare even my self. I have theories of ancient aliens, God is an alien, and worlds within worlds. I have others but those are my favorites. I am very emotional and cry when I am happy, sad, mad, sick, nostalgic, depressed, you name it I cry. I feel weird around too many people and feel socially uncoordinated unless I am drinking liquid courage.

In a way Marisol and I are similar in our personalities; we like to find the most efficient way to get things done. We like to plan out what we are going to do, but I am more emotional and get sidetracked by my emotions and act impulsively at times. We are both caring and loyal. We share similar family values, but I tend to be a little more liberal in some views willing to bend the line when I see fit. Even though we have some differences the major thing we have in common is our kindred spirits that are intertwined in a friendship that has withstood time.

In case you are wondering, no, this is not me and Claudia... this is Anne & Diane from Anne of Green Gables...