Roku rocks my world...

Biggs and I have been in the market for one of those nifty Blu-ray players that can stream Netflix and Pandora and all that fun stuff since we were in the states. We were going to bring one back, but as always with trips stateside, there was little room in the suitcases and little money in the wallets at the end of the trip, so we figured we could find one on the rock without having to dish our significantly more cash-ola than our stateside friends. I looked around and found some acceptable options, so we set out yesterday, on our day off and after doing day off chores, in search of the magic machine that would bring streaming movies to our TV, so we could cut out the nights spent staring at my tiny laptop screen, glued to episode after episode of LOST, or movie, or whatever.

Well, we found something WAY COOLER than Blu-ray, at least as far as I am concerned. We already have a DVD player at the house, a decently fancy one that hooks up to iPods and the like, so we didn't really need something that played discs. We found Roku.

Meet Roku:Wicked cute eh?

Roku looked like exactly what we needed, and was about $50 less than buying a blu-ray player with the whole streaming package thing. The box was only about 7"x7"x2", but we were both thoroughly impressed when we pulled Roku out of the box and found it to be even smaller than expected, like the size of a large cell phone or small remote control. Actually, I think Roku's remote control is larger, or about the same size as it is. Ha!

So Roku is a HUGE hit, despite a small snafu on the install, all is working and streaming beautifully now. We're beyond excited about the new addition to the entertainment system. Netflix streams beautifully, and Pandora works like a charm. It's definitely the best $90 I've spent in awhile! Roku rocks!

The Best Birthday EVER!

Funny that my last post was about getting old, and here I am reporting on my birthday which was over a month ago. It was, however, the best birthday ever!

31 seemed to me like a boring age, an “invisible” age for some reason. Turning 21 is a big deal, 30 is a big deal, but 31? Boring, it is an age that seemingly doesn’t exist, sort of like buildings that don’t have a 13th floor, or restaurants that skip a table number on their floor plan. These things “should” be there, but they aren’t. That is how I feel about 31.

That said, my 31st birthday was the best one I can remember. I had no plans and no idea what I wanted to do, though I did long for an awesomely special day, since my 30th was far from what I had hoped. The day came and after all that June had thrown at me and Biggs, I was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and wanted nothing more than to have a quiet day to relax and spend time with him. I had tried to find friends to come out to dinner with me the night before the big day, but no one was available, and of course Biggs was working. So I set out to have a glass of wine by myself at the Galleon and wait for him to get off work. A couple of friends were there, so I had some nice company and I even had some real life song writers play me “Happy Birthday” on the piano and sing to me at midnight. We probably stayed out a little later than necessary, but that allowed us to sleep in a bit the next morning, on my actual birthday.

Our plans were not terribly exciting, but I had wanted a nice lunch out on the North Shore, so we packed some bags, put on swimsuits and headed out that way. We grabbed a cold beer on the way out to soothe our hangovers and ended up at Rowdy Joe’s, still a little groggy, and hungry! After a yummy lunch, delicious cocktails and good conversation with the bartender (who was from Boston or thereabouts), we had perked up a bit and decided to continue our trek, finding another little spot for a drink along our North Shore crawl. I suggested eat@Cane Bay, but Biggs convinced me that we should go out to Carambola instead, because they made the best Bushwhackers, and had a nice view from their bar terrace. I agreed, so we shuffled out further westward on the North Shore, to the Carambola Beach Resort.

We got those frosty, tasty drinks we had envisioned and sat down at a table overlooking the beach, the same one we had sat at with our friends after hiking to the tide pools many months before. Biggs excused himself to go to the bathroom (or so he said) and returned, asking me what I wanted to do next. I was happy, content and relaxed by that point, but had no idea what to do next, or any future thoughts for that matter. He smiled and placed a hotel room key card on the table in front of me, saying, “why don’t we go check out our room?”

Onlookers must have thought he put a big sparkly diamond in front of me, because I gasped and beamed and laughed and even cried a little. I jumped up and hugged and kissed the man, I was completely surprised and absolutely floored. It was one of the coolest things anyone had ever done for me. It made my entire day, month and probably year.

Our room was gorgeous, and Biggs had more surprises in store, a bottle of champagne and a nice bottle of red wine. We drank the champagne, enjoying the comforts of our luxurious little top-floor beach bungalow as the sun went down. Deciding to go out for an evening cocktail, we headed back to have our drink at eat@Cane Bay. We knew lots of people at the bar, and we drank and chatted, settling on having a little snack before heading back to the hotel, most likely to order room service. Chef Sean was in the kitchen, so we asked the bartender to have Sean send us something he thought we would enjoy. Everything that came out was just perfect, some food shots, and small samples of some other dishes he had been playing with. Everything was perfect, and just what we needed.

After our long, relaxing and all around perfect day, we retired to the hotel room, where we slept better than we had all month. I really am the luckiest girl in the world, on my birthday and everyday!

Getting Old (er)

Yes, it is true, I am getting old(er)... errr something.

Yesterday I found myself squinting at my web browser and becoming increasingly frustrated by how difficult it was to read the page text. I had to increase the zoom settings on my computer! I was getting headachy, my eyes were getting sore and aching. This has actually happened quite frequently lately, but I was sure that my eyes were just, tired or I needed to change my contacts, or there was dust/ pollen/ ash/ soot in the air etc... My eyesight couldn't be getting worse!? My vision has certainly degenerated over the years thanks to plenty of abuse from using various magnification tools on a daily basis and jumping from one to the other, and doing lots of computer work, and of course working with teeny-tiny jewelry parts, but this was more of a dramatic change than I have experienced. Oh well, I guess there is a price to pay for getting older and wiser!

For the record, I wouldn't go back to my younger years for anything. It just keeps getting better! (Sadly I cannot say the same for my eyes...)

'Tis the season

Seasons change, though for us here in the islands, they change less dramatically than the US mainland and other parts of the world. It’s that time of year again, “season” is slowing and/ or coming to an end, tourist season that is. Wedding season is right around the corner and hurricane season follows shortly thereafter (I’m certain there is a joke in there somewhere, but I am too tired to put it together right now). There is also gongolo (Cruzan millipedes) season, mosquito season (some would argue that it is always mosquito season), mongoose season (no, not relating to hunting them), mango season, rainy season, dry season and I’m sure there are other island “seasons” that I am forgetting.

The end of season comes with many people coming and going, but mostly going. It happens every year and after surviving the other seasons, we will again be greeted with a crop of new, fresh, wandering souls who will find their ways to our little island in the sun, at the onset of another tourist season.

Season, and the long list of island events ended with the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience’s annual Taste of St. Croix. My liver, and most other body parts, are all breathing a sigh of relief. This was my third year attending Taste, and second in a row that I have been working for it. It was a lot of fun serving up awesome food and talking to people, seeing many friends I hadn’t seen in ages. Plus I got to get dressed up all pretty and drink lots of wine. The after parties weren’t as wild and fun as I remember, but Mr. Biggs was exhausted from long days and weeks of prep for the event. Best part? He placed second in both categories he entered, two of the most popular – therefore most competitive. I am beyond stoked for him!


Second place entree from the Galleon Restaurant; Citrus braised veal short ribs over a carrot ginger mousse, with preserved lemon and parsley salad, topped with a potato galette and finished with sherry gastrique.

Summer season will be dog hair season for the two of us, stay tuned to find out why…

St. Patrick's Day, Island Style

St. Croix does St. Patrick’s day like no one else, it is literally the biggest Paddy’s Day celebration in the Caribbean. Everyone takes to the streets of Christiansted, on our quaint little tropical island, dressed in green and orange, and ready to party. Cruzans will not ever be accused of not knowing how to party. The parade, which generally falls on the Saturday before the holiday, came around this year on the Saturday after. Cruzans will also probably never be accused of consistency.

For years I worked on parade day, opening my shop despite making little money and dealing with drunk people for most of the day, but back then I was a workaholic, something I have been able to give up temporarily (for the record, lately I find myself feeling like I need to be doing MORE). Then I finally got smart and closed my shop for parade day, and began to join the crazy, drunken masses. A few years back I had a little too much fun the night before the parade and after waking up still drunk, I decided to nap parade day, and my horrid hangover, away. The year my friends Sarah and Clay got married, a wedding planned to coincide with that year’s St. Paddy’s “season”, I had an absolute blast at the parade (and the days that followed)! I vowed never to miss another one if I was on island. Last year I was unable to make it because of work obligations, but this year I made the parade and lots of great memories once again.

The motley crew (minus Biggs, behind the camera).

This year’s parade was a first for Mr. Biggs, so I was excited to experience the whole event with a newbie, plus my girlfriend and her husband were. Decked out in green and starting with beers we grabbed at the gas station on the way into town, we stopped to see a friend who offered us a ride in, so we wouldn’t have to worry about parking, or driving home after a day of island style fun. Then we hit the traditional Bacchus breakfast stop, where we had some food, drink and shots. So it began…

Me and Biggs

Irish car bombs and Jameson shots (and much, much more) followed as we hit the town for a long day of drunken debauchery. It was a great day, and we were home early thanks to starting early. Our ride was unavailable when we were ready to go, so we started stumbling our way towards where we had left our car at his house, and found a ride from another friend along the way (though much further into the trek than I would have liked).

The Cruzan St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of my favorite island events, one of the many things I love about this place, my home.

That's My Cup of Tea

Well, I have heard of messages in tea leaves, not that I claim to be an expert in the tea reading department, but my tea is telling me something too. Tonight, I was in need of a pearl of wisdom with which to quiet my ever overactive mind, which was racing due to too much time spent alone, too many bloody marys for lunch and flashbacks to a life less extraordinary. So I popped a mug of tea in the microwave and vowed not to look at my little message on the tea-tab until my beverage was good and ready. With anxious anticipation I wondered what my little Yogi Tea fortune would read as the microwave ticked away the seconds. Those two minutes held all the patience I had at this point in the day, and I promptly yanked the door open to reveal my prize:

I remembered not long ago finding yet another little tea bag tiding that I found poignant, and that I had captured it too on camera:

Well okay then, I’m getting the message, and it comes at an appropriate time. I’ve been questioning lots of things in my life again – not so much a surprise, I know. It’s another one of those introspective phases o’mine, always good for some interesting blogging content.

Grace. Contentment. Hmmm…

Grace brings contentment eh? I concur. My most recent tattoo (circa 2010) is a Sanskrit symbol meaning grace, chosen by and for me, to represent not only physical grace from years of dancing, but the way in which I have handled difficult situations in my life.

Contentment is something I crave, that feeling of comfort and ease with one’s self, life etc… The word itself invokes a peaceful feeling that settles around me. I’ve been restless lately, thinking about the future and all the things I want to do, to achieve and to create. It has been important and enlightening for me to realize that I can have a sense of contentment without having my life exactly the way I want it right.this.minute.

Life changes, sometimes more quickly and abruptly than one might enjoy, but we deal with it, roll with it, and hopefully come out of it all for the better, dancing through gracefully en route to contentment. I’m settling more and more into this new life of mine, and getting to the point where I am taking more control of the situations around me. I am starting to think more toward the future, to plan, dream and allow myself to have goals once again. I truly think I am coming out of the period of Saturn’s Return, and fully enjoying the new place I am in. The years past have prepared me for what I have most recently survived and experienced, and this is all a cycle that can, and surely will, be repeated, perhaps many times over.

Because everyday is special ♥

Last week was Valentine’s Day, and for me that meant a long day, working a double between two jobs, both catering to the people who choose to make that day a special one for those they love. It is funny that I work in industries that put huge emphasis on holidays, the key special days of the year, but I chose to sell that without buying it. For me, it was just another day, a day on which I loved and appreciated the people in my life as I would on any other. Love is a beautiful thing, often a difficult thing, as I know quite well. I personally choose to make everyday special, and to show affection for those I hold dear all the time. I learned my lesson a long time ago that putting too much emphasis on one day in a person’s life can be disappointing at best, and devastating at worst.

I am fortunate to have wonderful people in my life, people I love, and a good man by my side every day. We started saying "happy everyday!!" to one another, as it is fitting for us both, and we truly act on that, loving one another and showing that all the time, making everyday count. I can look back to days spent together and enjoy having made the most out of them, whether the date was February 14 or any other. Imagine how much more loving the world would be if more people chose to do this! Love and positivity are infectious, and the air around us all would feel more powerful and beautiful if more of that power were consciously brought into every single day.
I’ve been feeling the love, giving and receiving, it is truly a beautiful thing.