THROWBACK THURSDAY: Kermit, You Drive Me Loca

The thing about "memories" is that you never know when one's going to come along and bite you in the butt. Especially when said bite comes from a frog named Kermit and the memories are of childhood vacations taken to Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara is a coastal town dripping with Spanish influence situated a couple hours drive north of Los Angeles. It boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California, dubbed the American Riveriera, a pier and long windy boardwalk, the same boardwalk on which my sisters and I roller-skated and found a flawless Kermit doll, lounging on his side, as if waiting for us.

I look back on these vacations, now, with mixed feelings, due to learning in my early twenties that our father had a secret family living there and that I have four half brothers.

My green hero would become in later years a symbol of family secrets, sibling rivalry and wanting to grow up too-fast. This, here, is a picture I stumbled across on Pinterest this week. I love it for its casual irreverence. It pokes fun at this symbol that has stayed with me these last 30+ years.

MIERCOLES MUDO: Heaven and Hell

Vroom ... Vroom ... There Goes the Sushi!

Wasabi Modern Japanese Cuisine at the Natick Collection, Natick MA

Well, well, well ... what do we have here? An unexpected treat! My trip to the Apple Store at the Natick Collection, today, turned up one of the coolest experiences I've had at the mall in a long time. Then, again, I couldn't tell you the last time I went to the mall, since these trips are usually reserved for iMac cords or Genius Bar visits.

Take a close look at this photo. Can you guess what this beautiful crab stick and avocado sushi plate is doing?

Zooming by! Sushi on a conveyor belt. :D

It's moving on a conveyor belt! Around the perimeter of the entire restaurant and within arm's length of the diners. I almost died as I stood there watching one of my favorite foods go round and round and was seriously bumming that I'd already had lunch.

The sushi called, nonetheless, and a "Big Kid's Bento Box" (I'm a sucker for mega-cute) made it into this big girl's bag.  Here are two samples that were sitting on the hostess' counter.

Wasabi "Big Kid's Bento Box" at the Natick Collection

I learned that the sushi is "radio-controlled." Each one of those little orange platforms on which the sushi sits has some kind of radio-frequency ID chip that lets the sushi chef know what's traveling and what needs to be replaced. Can you say, "Smart"? Yes, I'm a nerd.

Here's the dine-in menu:

Wasabi dine-in sushi menu.

The color rings correspond to the sushi plates and help diners tally up their ticket. :-) And this is the kid's menu that I ordered from:

Wasabi kid's menu

The options couldn't be more adorable. Hello -- a peanut butter and jelly roll. And this is my "Big Kid's Bento Box" unveiled at home. Wasn't expecting it to have two compartments. The white rice was a nice surprise and the spicy tuna roll was super-spicy. 

I don't usually post about these kinds of things, but this was just too fresh of an idea not to write about. The entire experience made me smile.

Have you ever seen food traveling on a conveyor belt? If so, was it sushi?  

Feeling Grateful This Friday

Today I've been asked to write about gratitude.

Where does one start, or stop, giving praise when there is so much to be grateful for?

When the mere act of being able to write these words fills me with thanks?

Gratitude is a sentiment that makes my heart swell when I gaze into my young son's eyes.

Gratitude is the place I want to be every minute of every day that God blesses me with life.

Gratitude is the food I eat when I yearn for something more.

I am grateful for ...

... the life-giving air that I breathe

... a family to love and who loves me

... having raised a son with a strong sense of self

... words left unsaid but not unwritten

... prayers answered in the darkest of times

... books, books, books -- my road to salvation

... health without which nothing else would matter

... a circle of friends more akin to sisters

... a curious mind some might call strange

... having the freedom to choose which path to take.

It is for these things, above all others, that I am grateful.

What fills you with gratitude?

Mi amiga, Bella Vida by Letty is hosting THE THINGS YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR LINKUP. Hop on over and share your gratitude. Thank you for reading and Happy Friday! :-)

MIERCOLES MUDO: Parecen de Papel

Are You Sleeping With Your Smartphone?

Sleeping With Your Smartphone by Leslie A. Perlow
(Burlington, MA -- Barnes & Noble)

Look at what I stumbled on while perusing the new non-fiction at B&N this morning. LMAO over this one, partly because of how ridiculous the title sounds, but also because this shamefully applies to me. Just add some rizos to this wackadoodle and replace the Blackberry with the iPhone.

Apparently I'm not the only one ailing from cell phone separation anxiety. Here's my explanation: I reason that if the phone's on the nightstand, should there be an emergency in the middle of the night, you know the kind that involves a house fire, or no electricity, it's within arm's length.

Let's be real. The temptation is too hard to resist. Pinterest. Twitter. Work email. Personal email. Facebook. Da blog. You know what I'm talking about.

Me thinks it's time to set some boundaries. Sorry, Chulo, but it's time to move you across the room.

What do you say? Are you enraptured by your smartphone?

p.s. I have this habit of taking pictures of books and uploading them to Evernote for archiving. It's helpful for when I'm not in the mood to buy but want to archive (without adding to Goodreads). Call me eccentric. :-)

Listen and Sea

Listen and Sea

Salty kisses

Whispered breezes

Fields of dandelions

Come, they beckon

Sing our praises

Abandon your defiance

Close your eyes

Empty your mind

Surrender

Be enlightened

Go

Be free

Savor the sea

Open to nature's guidance

Being Comfortable With Vulnerable

"Maybe stories are just data with a soul." Brené Brown
Happy Wednesday! Wanted to share with you, today, this inspiring TEDX by research professor Brené Brown titled "The Power of Vulnerability," which was shared with me and a group of my bloguera amigas by Sofia Keck over at Living La Vida Blogging. I encourage you to pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa or coffee, grab something to write with and listen to what Brené Brown has to say about how authenticity, creativity, shame, vulnerability and self-acceptance are all interrelated.
There's nothing boring about her talk, in fact, she has a great sense of humor. I loved it. Her message resonated with me. "Tell the story of who you are with your whole heart," she says. Harder for me to grasp is the concept that being vulnerable is beautiful, because I've always equated vulnerability with pain, which I guess is her point. To grow, to be real, we have to hurt a little.
In case you're one of the 4 million+ viewers who've already seen it, watch it, again. It's that great. :-)
Does any of what she says speak to you?

iPhone Moments

Happy weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying a little down time before Mother's Day. Just for fun, wanted to share some random moments I captured with my iPhone this week, starting with this one...

We got "flocked" by our local Relay for Life Team last night. The clever note left on our front door read,

"A fundraiser is being conducted by Team Proulx to raise money for the Relay for Life. This flock of flamingos has gathered on your property to roost. In case you did not know this, flamingos are extremely territorial and unless they flock to another lawn, they could roost on your property for a very long time. Removal of these flamingos should only be done by our trained professionals since they are highly skilled. Please fill out the information below and we will come and remove this flock of pesky birds." 

Pond on my commute to and from work. Don't mind getting stuck in rush hour traffic.

TIP: Ladies, always take a picture of where you park in a parking structure. Especially if you're going to be heading back to your car alone and in the dark. I find it helpful at the airport.

This tortugita was crossing the street in front of our house. Don't believe what you hear about turtles being slow-pokes. Mr Turtle, here, was bustin' a move to get away from all the neighbor kids that descended on him.

Margarita glass dog biscuits? Yes, even dogs celebrate Cinco de Mayo. o_O

A sampling of stickers you can earn at DailyFeats for making progress on personal goals (check out the iPhone app). Met them @MassInno this week and fell in love with the concept #bebetter.

Neighbor's Magnolia bush

Chicken parm calzone 2Die4

First Year of Grad School, Officially Over!

Cambridge College, MA: School of Education, National Institute for Teaching Excellence
and School of Psychology and Counseling

Believe it, or not, tonight marks the end of my first year of graduate school. Can you say, "W-E-P-A!"? If only my last final weren't a freaking oral exam, in front of my peers, I'd be skipping down the street with a cup of coffee right now. :-)

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out how the heck I crammed so much into what I thought was a busy schedule, five classes: Intro to Counseling, Counseling in Schools, Professional Seminars I and II and Counseling Techniques, a research project, a 75-hour pre-practicum, two stressful jobs, and the MTEL (which I passed!) ... yeah, the thought, alone, gives me heart palpitations.

But I did it, and I would do it all over again, con gusto, because of how much I've grown.

Source: promised-love.tumblr.com via Ezzy on Pinterest

I tell you all this not to pat myself on the back, but to encourage YOU, if you're thinking about going back to finish school, or to pursue an advanced degree TO JUST DO IT. Don't over-think it. We can talk ourselves out of the best growth opportunities with just a little self-doubt and fear of the unknown.

It's a tough lesson to learn: The only barriers in life are the ones we build for ourselves.

Have you gone back to school, or are you thinking about it? If you're on the fence, what's holding you back?

The morning I drove 45 mins to take the MTEL. I've been a notoriously bad standardized test-taker all my life. I'm convinced that the reading and writing I've been doing the last few years were the best preparation. *relief*

"Cambridge College is a microcosm of America's future." Hugh Price, President NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE