Nathasha Alvarez Is Your Latina Diva On Wheels
I woke up at 5:30 and the weather channel said it was 28 degrees outside but it also said it feels like 19! That’s all I needed to know about the day! I stayed home. It was to prevent me from getting sick but it seems no such luck! I have a nagging cough that is making me sick!
I had no idea that Mother Nature had such a wicked sense of humor! Thanks Mummy! Now can you please give us some sun? Just a few extra rays.
Continue reading “Project 365 Day #11 Tulips To Kiss the Cold Away”
Several years ago, I penned the word F00F00 to those fluffy slippers that people wear at home. One Christmas, my Aunt Consuelo gave everyone unique Foofoos to fit their personality. Mine resemble my late fluffy love, Scrappy. Now I wear mine when the weather gets so freaking cold! And today, 35 degrees in Miami makes it FREAKING cold!
Fendi seems to think that I wear them to entertain her!
To most people, this cold,windy, cloudy weather is depressing. To me, it’s comforting. This year, I didn’t really have much of a plan for my 40th birthday. Other than the fact that I made it another year, I wasn’t too gung ho about celebrating.
Luckily, the weather helped me out. I spent the day inside, relaxing, reflecting and having visitors come to wish me a happy birthday.
These past two days have been the sweetest days of 2010!
A student in each period brought a cake and the kids sang Happy Birthday in English and even Spanish. These are the priceless moments that teachers get to enjoy despite the beauracratic mumbo jumbo work the district gives us.
Officially, my birthday is on the 9th but this year it lands on a Saturday. Today, a student in my first period Language Arts class gave me this beautiful gift. I don’t need to write much because the picture says it all.
This picture captures exactly how I see my surroundings at 6ish in the morning to walk Fendi for her poo poo dance. Amazingly enough, my iPhone camera captured it perfectly today.
There’s my car in the background, a nice reminder that I have the freedom to go wherever I want and not have to totally depend on Miami Dade County’s Paratransit system which might be in danger of changing and not for the better. The idea that our society would consider taking or limiting the service that greatly shapes the lives of people with physical disabilities is pathetic. It is greatly compounded by their excuse that it is the economy that is forcing their hands. I doubt it! So every morning I look at my car and pray that I never have to totally depend on Paratransit but I also promise every morning that I will continue to fight for its service because there are others who need it more than me.
My fridge is more than a place to hold food that usually goes to waste because I hate cooking. Therefore, I make the most of it by putting pictures, phrases, cards and anything else that will make me feel good. I have last year’s birthday card from my sister because she picks out the best cards ever! Then, she adds her own sabor to the message. It always puts a smile on my face.
This past Christmas like every other Christmas, my students give me wonderful gifts but this year like every other year, one or two students will write a special message in a store bought or homemade card. Despite the Diva attitude I have about Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, I love these gifts the most because they come from the heart. So I put two up on the fridge to remind me that despite how poorly teachers get treated by society, we still make a difference in the lives of children. And that…is…PRICELESS! Yeah, I had to say that.
There is also a page that I ripped out of a magazine. “Stop At Nothing.” I love that quote. When I think of the goals I have to achieve by the deadlines that I give myself, that quotes gives me the fuel to keep pushing forward. Everyone should have something that makes them feel like Rocky Balboa.
I learned a long time ago from Amway that I need to put visual pictures of the things I want and that’s why I have that picture of photo frames. They are the right size and color for my living room. Unfortunately, they are not the right price for my bank account. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the United Teachers Of Dade and Miami Dade County School Board for ensuring that my former contract never be honored and that the present contract only brings laughter rather than tears.
But you know, karma is a beautiful thing. 🙂
There are a few other memorable pieces like the Eiffel Tower magnet that a friend brought back from her trip because she knows how much I would love to visit Paris, meet a wonderful man named Jean Pierre and eat Croissants forever.
So there you have it. Yesterday’s picture.
Next post will be about today’s picture and then I will be all caught up.