smoochie, the poser and georgia

And we're back! We had a great time in Georgia. It was a very relaxing trip. We stayed at hubby's aunt and uncle's place. It was a full house with their eldest daughter and her family relocated to Georgia just that week. So we got to spend more time with her and her hubby, a chance we didn't have during our visit to NY three years ago. Their kids were a hoot. Smoochie (6) and ThePoser (7) kept the entertainment going and did it very well. We spent so much time with the kids that they were kind enough to bestow hubby with a lovely nickname, which I am not about to reveal. Especially since the kids now call us Mr. & Mrs. 'nickname'.

It was very hot and humid in Atlanta. Oh theGeorgia sun is much more intense. We could feel ourselves roasting and we were not on the bbq menu either. Hah, the men and kids reveled in the hot muggy weather outside and had no problems doing so. I don't know how they did it. And for that matter, I can't seem to remember how I tolerated the hot and humid weather all those years in Dubai. I guess it doesn't take too long to really get acclimatized to wherever you move to.

We also managed to get some shopping done. And you know I’m going to talk about this: we bagged ourselves a 14 pound box of laundry detergent and so many other goodies from target and Wal-Mart, of course. Oh and we also managed to snag ourselves a US bank authorized credit card in the process. They were handing them out like candy at target. What’s the big deal about this? Allow me:

We tend to shop online now since we moved to Bermuda and mostly on American’s websites because of their deals. When we decided to apply for a US credit card here in Bermuda, we were told it could cost us 80 bucks in annual fees. Ridiculous, since we paid NO annual fees in Toronto! All because Bermuda’s US dollar CR cards are authorized by a US bank even though they come from the US (yeah I know!). Since a lot of the American sites require an American authorized credit card it was quite inconvenient. We even tried getting a target CR card online. But Nooo!!! Gotta be a US resident for that. So imagine our delight when they were handing it out like candy and lemme tell you we were not about to say no. so now we're set.

It sure is good to be back in Bermuda, our home away from home. We missed the beach but not work and are already looking forward to our next vacay. yay!!!

central humidity

Oh, summer's here. Beautiful beach weather. It's hot and sunny and also very humid. Lucky for the hubby and me, we live on top of a bloody hill (you'll get killer calfs walking up that driveway everyday) and not only do we have a nice ocean view, we also get a nice ocean breeze, most of the time. You'd think that'd be enough to drive away the humidity. Not so. What's a bit of humidity right????

When we first got on the island we were given all these tips on what to do to combat humidity. Get a de-humidifier said some, you're going to need it just as much in the winter with the dampness. Well, actually everyone said that. Here's a good one: envelopes seal up by themselves with the humidity, so be sure to put them in a ziplock bag and pop 'em in the freezer. Huh !!!! Or how about, everything goes in the fridge: from uncooked pasta to salt and sugar to cereal and potato chips. Yes, that's right! I only heard about this last week from ShoeQueen. Of course she does not like the idea but her hubby, GoraGuy insists that thats where the chips go. Frankly, I don't really like it either. can you imagine the taste of cold chips ?!?!?

Last night, after our workout and dinner with SkarkBoy and LadyBug we got to talking about how our shower curtain rod suspiciously lost tension, gave way and plopped to the bathroom floor and how it was so annoying that it wouldn't go back up no matter how many times we tried. It's the humidity, they said. They apparently had the same problem the night before. What's going on !!!! So we tried fixing it up again today. Today, being a day where it rained all day and there was very little humidity. viola, it's up and it's staying there. For now anyway.

So we're leaving for Atlanta tomorrow. The reason I'm blogging and not packing. Well, there's nothing to pack. for the first time, hubby has reached the finish line before me. Well, we'll see about that on our way back. There'll be plenty to pack for the trip back. We are both looking to updating our wardrobes with the latest styles and also getting some much needed essentials including Tide. Powdered not liquid!

So Atlanta, here we come......you are much more humid and muggier than Bermuda. I feel its going to be an 'out of the frying pan into the fire' type of thing with this mini escape. Escape from an island you say? Yes, we who live on this island do need to escape it a few times a year. It's very catching.

bermuda day

Bermuda day (may 24th) is a day celebrated with great fanfare. Locals line up the streets the night before and camp out so they can catch a good spot for the parade that starts at about 1:00 am the next day. We saw the parade last year. This year I was left to my own devices, as I had to work the morning half. The hubby decided to go fishing with SharkBoy. While I didn't plan on sticking around for the parade, I met up with SharkBoy’s better half, LadyBug (who was also working - what's with the women working and the men fishing). So we decided to watch the parade and ohh & ahh the adorable little kids in their mini costumes with their batons and pom poms.... Hey we're women and our biological clocks tick all the time, so how can we not notice the little people?

So a few differences from last year - this year EVERYONE decided to mark out their territories, not as the lions would but in a civilized fashion - with duct tape. Each family created a neat little niche for themselves complete with sharpie engraved names on the tape, lest there be any confusion. All i could think of was: were there cat fights last year over spaces, that people had to resort to duct tape this year? Also, this year EVERYONE decided to bring food, tables, umbrellas and canopies along with packed and picnic food. Some had portable stoves and hotplates. I witnessed a lady actually cooking lunch over hers while waiting for the parade to start. I guess they all decided to follow suit after hearing about one family doing it different this year with food and protection. I must have not received that memo. Keeping up with the Jonses' is alive and kicking in Bermuda.

One of the new additions and the highlight of the parade in my opinion was the well-received intricate dance performed by the 'Filipinos association of Bermuda'. They dazzled the crowd with their bright yellow costumes and displayed a performance that is slightly reminiscent of an Indonesian dance. This past year, Bermuda has seen a significant rise in the number of Filipino ex-pats, many being employed in accounting and hospitality industry. There’s even a Filipino bowling association!!! Now if the brown folk would just get together for their very own 'Indian association of Bermuda'.

P.S. I still see some sidewalks laced with duct tape with names on them. They really know what they're talking about, these sharpie permanent marker people!