Author Archives: A Star on the Forehead

Progress: we finally have a couch

23 Wednesday Apr 2025

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Last weekend we went to a follow up with my dental surgeon.  According to him, all is going well.    I was hoping it would look and feel better, but I know not to have too many expectations when it comes to my teeth.

The surgeon is located a couple of hours away, and it is not too far from some casinos.  Since I like casinos, we always stop by one of them.

This time we went to the Hard Rock in Hollywood.  The guitar shaped building is so cool. We had a great meal at their restaurant.  I had a flat smashed burger with burger and caramelized onions.  It was delicious. Michael had the impossible burger, since he doesn’t eat meat.  He enjoyed his as well.

To drink I had a cosmopolitan.  I had to stop and congratulate the bartender.  It is the best one I have had since my nights in New York City. Michael had a Bahama Mama and it was equally delicious.

We are finally seeing a lot progress in our building renovation.  This renovation started in March last year.  We bought it in June, but didn’t move in until September.  We didn’t expect to last this long and cost this much.  The cost is still increasing as at every turn there is a new costly discovery, and more assessments.

We finally have a couch.  Since we moved in, Michael and I decided we wouldn’t really get any furniture or spend any money until the construction was finished.  But there were things we needed to do.  We got a cheap bedroom set, an Amazon one that we put it together ourselves, and a couple of TVs.

As you can see in the pictures, the TV is sitting on Tupperware. We are still debating if we are going to have it on the wall or on a rack. The rug is an extra one I had in NY.  This couch has made us so happy.  It signal to us that this project is almost done, if feels like a huge step forward.

We also had contractors to do part of the tiles to match the part that it was damaged with the construction.  To do the entire floor, it would be costly and too much disturbance.  We also had the walls and floors painted.  We just left the second bedroom out, it has a wall painted with flowers, so I will leave that as is for now.

Once the building is complete than we will work on decoration and the rest of furniture.  With that being said, we don’t want a lot, we want simple and minimal.  We want it to be practical and comfortable for us.

 

 

Snake and Birds

16 Wednesday Apr 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, travels

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Today a saw a snake on the beach.

I am terrified of snakes, even if it is just a tad larger than a worm.  This finding makes me afraid of my morning walks and of going in the water.

I am not sure it had been in the dune vegetation and just wondered off too far, or perhaps a bird was carrying it and dropped it.

Since I heard the story of the hawk that dropped a snake on a woman and then both started attacking her, I am always aware of birds above me. 

“Even snakes are afraid of snakes.” — Steven Wright

After a few more minutes walking I encountered all these birds.  I am surprised they didn’t notice the snake.

 

Bike upgrade for Christmas

15 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Last Christmas Michael upgraded my Huffy bike from Walmart to a Specialized from the local bike shop.

He wanted a different color but the only one available was black, and he wanted to make sure I had it for Christmas.

I love it! Classic and understated 🙂

The difference is amazing, it rides so smooth.  I also love the accessories that Michael added: the mirror and the lights. And let’s not forget the bright yellow helmet!

I am a lucky girl!

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle

New wheels

New wheels- classic black

 

My black and blue beauty

My  old beauty is for when my sister comes to town.

Sunset Bike Rides

14 Monday Apr 2025

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I am blessed to start my day with walks on the beach, and to end it with bike rides along the Indian River.

I love discovering new neighborhoods and seeing all the different styles of houses, there are old Florida styles alongside very modern new homes.

But the best part of my evening rides are the sunsets at the Melbourne Beach Pier on the Indian River.

It is just spectacular!!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days.

One walk at a time

11 Friday Apr 2025

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I have started taking daily walks before going to work.  It has become a good routine that has improved my day.  It makes me feel even more blessed to be able to have this contact with nature first thing in the morning.

On the first day I saw some garbage and other items left behind by the beach goers and decided to pick it up and throw in the trash bin.

In the following days I started taking a bag with me to help with the garbage collection. For the first few days I threw everything out. But the last couple of days I decided to keep some of the children’s toys.  See the 2 pictures below.

The items I find the most are:

  • Children’s plastic toys
  • Hair ties
  • Bottles, cans, bottle caps, plastic cups and straws
  • Suntan lotion bottles
  • Food and candy wrappers
  • Socks (I found 3 pairs in 2 days)

Today I decided to take 2 bags, one for real garbage and one for toys.  Guess what?

Nothing was found, except for a couple of bottle caps.  I am happy to see the beach clean. Today is Friday, I am guessing the beach is the worst after the weekend. I will report back after Monday’s walk.

Wishing everyone a blessed weekend! 

Birthday weekend – beach, massage, shopping, eating, gambling, and loads of fun

08 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Food, travels

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The weekend before last I turned 59. 59!!!! I can’t believe I am 59. I don’t feel 59. But then again, what is 59 supposed to feel like?

The scary part is that 60 is just around the corner… and I have so much to do. Will I have time to do it all?

But, getting back to last weekend, my identical sister flew from NY to Florida so we could spend our birthday together.

I was excited to see her and for her to see my new place.

She arrived on Thursday night. On Friday we walked on the beach, went for a quick bike ride, then I took her to see my new office. Then we went to get massages, but they only had space for only 1 person, so I let her have the massage while I waited.

After that we went to a pizza place for a quick bite.  Then we went to Ross stores I had never been there before because of my growing dislike of shopping.  I don’t like going, but once there it was enjoyable, and my sister bought a bunch of stuff.  It was very similar to Marshalls.

After Ross we were going to Bealls, but my sister had no more room in her carry on so we skipped it.  We went back home and rested for a little bit, before getting ready for dinner.

For dinner we went to Estampa Gaucha, a Brazilian steakhouse. The meats were divine, but the salad bar and the sides were just okay. We had the typical Brazilian drinks, caipirinhas, and they were good.

On the Saturday we decided to take a casino cruise, Victory Casino Cruise. I was curious about it and figure it could be fun, since my sister is a fan of slots machines as well.

It was better than I expected. I won, my sister lost, but we all had fun.  The waters were choppy, so was a bit shaky at times.  I saw a young not feeling well and gave him a Dramamine pill.  I saw him a couple of times after that and he was very grateful.

After arriving at the port, on the way home we stopped at a Mexican restaurant called Tiny Turtle. We enjoyed our meal, and then went to Fat Donkey next door for ice cream, which was delicious.

On Sunday, we spent the morning at the beach, then it was time to help her pack and drive her the one and half hours to Orlando Airport.

Her flight was really delayed, she didn’t get to NY until midnight. But she had a great weekend and was happy to have been here.

We enjoyed all the food and drinks so much that we didn’t remember to take pictures.  I guess that is a good thing.

This was a laid back 59, perhaps I should start planning the 60 now!!

A little break for some snowy fun

25 Tuesday Mar 2025

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Life continues to be beautiful and chaotic.

In the midst of dental issues and audit headaches, Michael and I were able to get to our favorite skiing spot: Breckenridge. 

We were there for 5 days.  I only skied four days.  The first day I always struggle with altitude sickness. 

We had an amazing time.  There were some flight issues, but we were expecting those as we chose flights with connections.  We wanted to be able to use a small airport just 15 minutes from home.  

Every time we are in Breckenridge, we talk about buying a condo there.  That would allow us to spend more time there, and I would focus on improving my skiing. Skiing 5 days a year, or even 10 days, is not enough to see improvement.

Besides skiing, we didn’t do much. We spent some late afternoons at the hot tub and/or walking around in town.

We had some great meals. The most memorable was at Hearthstone Restaurant. We had an all-fish night. For appetizers we had pistachio crusted tuna and mahi-mahi tacos. For entrée, Michael had the salmon with a lobster sauce and I had the black cod with black rice.  To drink Michael had a beer and I had a cocktail called cornice fall (St. George citrus vodka, Domaine canton, lemon shrub and cava), absolutely delicious!

This restaurant also had an awesome view of the mountains.

We can’t wait to go back to snowy mountains!

 

Got Bread?

28 Friday Feb 2025

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After 2 weeks of eating just soft foods, mostly yogurts and creamy soups, today I finally had bread.  I couldn’t have the French, crusty, baguette that I adore, but this soft brioche tastes like heaven.

Yes, my heaven is made of bread and butter. And coffee with chocolate and cream.

My dental issues continue. I had laser surgery and gum graft in 2 areas in my mouth. The front upper and the lower left, so eating, even soft foods, has been tricky and awkward.  I still can’t have any foods that are hot, spicy, hard, seeded, etc, for another 2 weeks.

I am being extra careful as I don’t want to go through this surgery again.  It is way too painful and expensive.   I just they help save the implants and make the gum healthier.

There is always a silver lining, and in this case is that I lost weight. I am not sure how much, as I haven’t really weighted myself in ages… I can’t find the scale.  Blame it on the messy, chaotic state of our condo.  Even though we don’t have much furniture, whatever we have are in boxes, and it is a nightmare any time we need to look for something.

There is progress being made on this condo renovation, slowly but steadily. I can actually see the light at the end of this tunnel. And it is so bright, so beautiful, so full of hope.

This “not eating” really illustrated to me, how much I depend on food to even out my moods.  Hi, I am Ana, and I am an emotional eater.  I run to food to deal with mental discomfort. Well, for any reason really.

Many times, throughout the day, I find myself thinking of food. I know I am not hungry, what I am is anxious, worried, etc. I am happy I eat, I am sad I eat. Any emotion is dealt with food. And when I cannot rely on food, it becomes really tricky.  I am lost.

Speaking of food, the pictures below are some of the snacks I bought for the auditors that are visiting my office for a few days.  After only 2 years since the last physical audit, the auditors are back. They seem to love our little firm.  We are guessing it is because we moved from New York to Florida and they want to see if we actually have an office, or I am working out of my bedroom.

Those cookies and pastries were fresh out of the oven, from a French bakery.  Perhaps I can charm the auditors with food.

Thank you for stopping by.  I wish you all a blessed weekend! I will try not to be a stranger.  I keep promising that and failing.  Even my blog doesn’t recognize me anymore. Sad!

Happy chaotic 2025

27 Monday Jan 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me

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Hi everyone,

I hope your 2025 is going well.  Whatever plans you have, start NOW!  Great advice, right?  Yet, I continue to be waiting on things to be finished so I can accomplish other things, so I can live my life.

I continue hoping for calm and order, but I will have to wait longer for that.  The construction/renovation on our condo will continue for a few, or several, more months. I am trying to keep positive and focus on the fact that things are progressing, but it has been a struggle. 

I like results and to have things completed and orderly, and my life at the moment is the total opposite of that.  There is dust everywhere. It is a daily ritual of vacuuming and mopping. Still, the dust persists.

We have been living out of the second bedroom. Everything we have is either there or in NY, waiting to be brought to Florida.  We will not be buying any furniture until all is finished.

Every day there seems to be little progresses here and there, so it seems there is light at the end of this tunnel.  At this moment some apartments are already having their exterior painted. I think ours will be painted in the next couple of weeks.

To renovate the exterior and correct all the damage in the balcony and exterior, they had to come into the apartment several feet. In doing that, there was damage to the floors, ceilings, walls and electrical work. 

We decided to take advantage of the fact that all is a mess and go ahead and remove the fireplace. In doing that we got more floor space and a little more view.

Everything is slow going as one crew depends on the other to finish their parts, and they all depend on the inspectors to come and approve the work. Nevertheless, I see progress and that provides me comfort.

To top the chaos, I have a physical audit scheduled, besides the regular audits – the auditors just love our little firm.  I also have dental surgery scheduled – more gum graft and laser surgery in my future.  Will expand upon those on the next post.

And then there is good, the ever lasting feeling of being blessed and the certainty that all that is happening now is for the best.

Love, light and blessings to all!

2024: The year of finding calm in chaos

19 Thursday Dec 2024

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Always a blessings!

Always a blessings!

Happy Holiday Season everyone! This year just flew by. A lot was accomplished but a lot was neglected as well. It has been a very stressful year. I have an ulcer to prove it.

I neglected friends. I neglected this blog. I neglected my mosaic work. I neglected my health. I am hoping to change that in 2025.

At the beginning of 2024 I thought we would have a relatively calm year, with some traveling between New York and Florida, and a couple of weeks in Brazil. Instead, it has been a very chaotic year.

It started slow with my regular work plus daily bike rides, trying new bread recipes, and sightseeing on weekends. In March we went skiing in Breckenridge and had an amazing time. We both adore everything about skiing and dream of buying a property in Colorado.

In May, while driving around near Cocoa Beach, we went by an open house and decided to go in. From there we went to another property, which we fell in love with, despite the major exterior renovations the building was going through.

Michael sold his place and I put one of my places in NY for sale. We thought that this renovation was going to be finished in a couple of months, instead we are still in the middle of it. There is talk of being completed in March. Fingers crossed.

This renovation is due to a fairly new Florida law that requires that buildings that are near the coast and 3 floors and higher must complete a milestone inspection. Our building failed this inspection miserably, costing each owner thousands and thousands of dollars in assessments – we still don’t know what the final number will be.

We spent July and August in Brazil, where I got a lot things done. The most important accomplishment was getting a person to help my parents with cooking and cleaning. The lady I found is Godsent. She has been such an enormous help.

I was happy to be able to take one week off while there to visit some Brazilian historical towns. I really enjoy taking Michael around my country.

In September we came back to Florida, and realized that our condo was not going to be ready any time soon. We stayed in an Airbnb for a week, but then decided that we had to make the condo work as is. The exterior renovation had to come in a few feet inside the building, making balcony, living room and master bedroom unusable. We are by now used to all the confusion and are making the best of it.

At that time, we didn’t stay long in Florida. When we heard that Hurricane Milton was coming we went to NY.

When I mentioned that I was setting down roots in Florida, my boss/partner decided that we would move our business to Florida from NY.  I though we would be doing that next year because we still have a lease in the NY office until July, but he demonstrated a sense of urgency.

As soon as I got back to Florida in October, I started contacting attorneys, and eventually got our LLC transferred from NY to Florida.

I also found a space in an old historical building, got furniture and I am making it into a nice office. I still have to get it all finished, but I am getting more and more comfortable here.

In November I went back to NY to close the office. There was a lot to do, get my assistant set up at home, give away the furniture, etc. I am happy I was able to have it all done, and not have to deal with that office anymore.

The other good news is that my condo sold and closed. One less thing to worry about it.

When I thought things were on the way to calm, I got a letter from JPMorgan Chase to inform us that they are terminating the business relationship. No reasons given. I was shocked and angry. I had never heard of a bank turning away a customer, for no reason.  I didn’t have time to dwell on it, I got a new bank account and I am in the process of notifying our customers about it.

I am now sitting in my new office in Florida. When I look at all I got done in 2024 I am in awe and pat myself in the back. Each item had layers of headaches, phone calls, emails, etc,  but in the end, all worked out.

In 2024 I had many, of what I call temporary priorities. I hope to now be able to focus on my “living more” priorities.

Michael has been my constant, my friend and partner.  Life is infinitely better with him.

I wish you the most wonderful holiday season. May 2025 bring you a lot of blessings and joy!