How Much is Enough?

An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The American then asked the Mexican why he didn’t stay out longer to catch more fish. The Mexican replied that he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor.”

The American scoffed. “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually NYC, where you would run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long would this all take?” The American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then, señor?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich – you would make millions.”

“Millions, señor? Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire – move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”

A Few Escapes

What do you do when the black cloud of work just absolutely won't go away? You plan vacations - very far away. Specifically, Vegas, New York and Mexico.

I didn't actually plan it this way, but the sequence couldn't be more perfect. Vegas - Ah, Sin City in March. I need to shake off the ghosts following me around with a bad mood. Some NCAA March Madness gambling, stiff drinks, a buffet or two. Something thoughtless to lighten my mood.

And then there's New York, my love. I've said it before, there's something wonderful about that city. New York unashamedly makes you love life. If you lose your heartbeat, stand on the streets and you'll find it again. Magnolia Bakery, Central Park, Wall Street, maybe Bloomingdale's has my heart?

And finally, relaxation. Riviera Maya. Some friends of our are getting married in Mexico and we'll be there barefoot on the beach with a tan, wearing linen, cocktail in hand.

Sin, love, and relaxation - yes, that'll get me back to sane.

Weekend of Love

I wouldn't recommend trying to kick a hangover with cardio. I slept in this morning until I saw only two puppies staring me in the face instead of four, had some cheerios and drug myself to the gym. Well, if you are looking for a sure-fire way to induce vomiting, try a 15 minute run, 15 minutes of rowing, and 15 minutes of elliptical. You will give up, not that I would know or anything.

However, my morning nausea came from an excellent evening. {Before going any further, I'm going to squash the 'Is she pregnant' concern by saying hell no, I'm just a belligerent drunk.} Bo planned Valentine's Day last night by making his special - reservations! At some point, I believe I've traced it to our 5 year anniversary in Puerto Rico, we developed an expensive palate for steakhouses. Yes, The Strip House spoiled us. Del Frisco's took care of us on our one year wedding anniversary so we chose Ruth's Chris for Valentine's. Cocktails, a bottle of wine, salad, steaks, sides {green beans with garlic, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts with bacon}, and dessert later, my belly was fuller than it's been in over a month. Diet suicide. Well worth it though. A couple more beers at Pete's Piano Bar and I was toast. I guess I should say toasted.

Dinner was wonderful and it's always a treat to dress up, have a fancy dinner and flirt with your husband. The unfortunate migraine I woke up with this morning was only a small consequence. Until next year, or another occasion to have yummy steaks...

On a side note, I'm watching the Grammy's...how do we feel about John Mayer's nod to Johnny Depp's Pirate of the Carribean look? The Grammy's this year are just odd.

Why Am I Moving?

My motivation is back row on the cardio machines. 105 machines moving. 105 people in front of me I have to catch. All striving for something. I wonder what their motivation is. Why are they moving? A high school reunion, new years resolution, a wedding, polka dot bikini...? What makes them sacrifice time with their children or spouse, a clean house or their career. I was very active about two years ago: pre-marriage, pre-mortgage, pre-puppies, pre-10+ hour work days, among other commitments. Now that I live to fulfill those responsibilities, no one was compensating me to move "Go to gym" up that to-do list. That was until I realized my happiest times weren't because I was living the single life in a city apartment. It was because I was healthy.

So, new agenda at my house. Be forewarned, if you come to my house, you're getting something baked, roasted, grilled, or raw. I'm even converting the Mr.

Still stuck.

80 hours now. 80. Long time.

I was so hopeful to get to the office today. Do you see how far gone my mind is that I am wishing to go to work? The work hasn't stopped though. I'm fully functional from home with VPN so productivity is still at work.

Channel 5 indicated we might get a 1 inch "dusting" of snow over the night. They were wrong. Amazes me how inaccurate their predictions are, yet they still have their highly paid jobs. To their credit, we did get snow, so they got something right. I'd say we have 4-5 inches? That's not a sprinkle of powdered sugar, more like a pounding of flour.

So another day of house arrest in our future. Plus the winds were so bad Tuesday, we have 30 feet of fence to be repaired. The beams snapped at the ground. Awesome.

Here's a challange for you. What would you make for lunch or dinner if you were down to leftover raw carrots, string cheese, canned green beans, cheerios and sunflower seeds? I could probably come up with a few more ingerdients if you're inspired.

House Arrest

Bo, Shooter, Stella and I have been in the house for 72 consecutive hours. Not by choice. I'm not sure who is more ready to escape - us or the dogs!

Inside the Walls

Normally, the inspirational item spawns decoration. I just happened to find pillows after I had already incorporated all the colors. How great is that?



I've been thinking about the red kitchen wall since we moved it - it just wasn't working. There's just no way to calm fire hydrant red, especially when it competed with red-toned cherry cabinets. Designer bleh. You might remember...



And now, calm.



Blue is emerging as my preferred color to decorate with. Blues and grays. With a smidge of white. Mmmmmm.

One last one, new art.