Blackberry Mojito Quest

Since I act so silly all the time, you may be surprised to learn that I don’t drink alcoholic beverages often. In fact my new year’s resolution a few years back was ‘Drink More’. But like most resolutions it just didn’t stick. I still drink a few times a year and ‘throw it down’ when I do. That just means I have 1-3 drinks but believe me I feel it!

Other than the savings in money, not being hung over often and savings in calories I have found yet another advantage to not drinking often. When you don’t do something often you tend to look forward to it more and get more joy from it. On my last trip to Delray Beach I knew I was going to my favorite restaurant and going to partake in my current favorite drink…the coveted blackberry Mojito. Just knowing I was going to drink became a celebration all in itself.

So how to celebrate? Well by singing of course! I started finding lots of songs that just fit ‘mojito’ so well. While we boated down the intercoastal towards downtown Delray Beach I came up with the following songs that I shared with my boyfriend and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to be within earshot:

My Mojito (To the tune of My Sherona by the Knack) – “Oh you’re such a tasty rum. A tasty rum. Give me just another one…my mojito”.

Go Go Mojito (To the tune of Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult) – “With a purposeful smile and a laughing sound she gulped that tasty mojito down. Oh no….she says it has to go. Go go mojito.”

Mojito Got Low (To the tune of Low by Flowrida) – “mulled blackberry, lime and sugar cane, so tasty there was no one to blame. She drank it down. Next thing you know, mojito got low low low low.”

And my personal favorite: Mojito (To the tune of Maria from West Side Story) - “The most beautiful sound I ever heard, ‘Mojito’. Say it loud and there’s music playing. Say it soft and it’s almost like praying. ‘Mojito’, I’ll never stop saying ‘Mojito’.


In summary blackberry Mojitos Rock (and pop, dance and sometimes show tune!)

Cat ‘Make it a Double’ Cathy

Subway Biking

Day three of our NYC trip again took us out of the city as we boarded a subway with our bikes to visit Coney Island. Stepping out of the subway building I immediately felt like I had gone back in time 40 years or so with the old amusement style boardwalk. We rode our bikes down the boardwalk to the ends and back which was only a few miles total. We stopped briefly to watch some strong older manly men playing handball. I had never actually seen anyone play handball since racquets are so cheap and easy to come by. But it was popular here and fun to watch for a bit. We started to wait in line for our ‘official’ Nathans hot dogs but changed our mind to other fair food based on the ridiculously long lines. Maybe that means we didn’t truly experience Coney Island but I was ok with that since I can buy them at Publix anytime.

Next we boarded a subway to Rockaway beach. I was a little confused on the subway but a very nice guy helped me realize we had chosen the correct train and offered us advice on where to go. Again I was totally shocked by his friendliness and kindness and really enjoyed meeting locals like this. Rockaway beach gave the impression of being not the richest neighborhood but the condos were still nice and the view of the beach and boardwalk was great. We biked the boardwalk and stopped to watch some kids at a skateboard park. This ‘berb’ had all the makings of a cute beach town until you saw the signs warning of snow in the winter.

After a long subway ride back including getting crunched in the subway doors we cleaned up and headed to Times Square for dinner. This place is busy! But except for food, lots of artificial lights, shopping and more food, I didn’t really see much to do. We walked to Broadway Street and I did a little song and dance just so I could say “I performed on Broadway”. Then I did my shopping which took about 10 minutes and consisted of purchasing my long awaited “I heart NY” t-shirt.

It was a fun day exploring and observing and learning and enjoying!

Cat “If I can make it here” Cathy

Bodacious Bods

As part of my ‘don’t knock it till you try it’ philosophy I attended a charity event featuring sexy dancing for women. I was my normal punctual self and was surrounded by lots of sexy dressed 20-somethings who worked at the dance studio. I felt a bit odd in my jeans and flip flops at this point but other ‘normally’ dressed and ‘more mature’ women starting showing up which made me feel a little more at home. But the young girls were actually quite nice and very talented as I found out watching them belly dance, chair dance and pole dance too!

Then it was our turn to try these sexy moves starting with belly dancing. I was horrible! I looked like I was having a seizure or something. There was nothing even remotely sexy about my moves. If I had tried these moves to impress my boyfriend he would have probably called 9-1-1. Our instructor was awesome though and fun to watch. She looked the part with an Indian looking ethnicity. Even if I had somehow managed to do the moves correctly I just don’t have her exotic look.

Next we moved on to chair dancing which I learned is called bump and grind. It was easier than belly dancing and I fared somewhat better. At one point they passed out hats to use as props for our sexy dancing. I felt a bit like Madonna with my hat and chair and hip thrusting moves. There was a lot of bending, grinding and ‘sticking out of the buttocks’ but I think I actually pulled some of it off. I was definitely getting my groove on.

Finally we did pole dancing which I had tried once before. It was sexy and fun and also a good workout. Now I want a pole for my house but I know this will pass as have many other short term fancies in my life. My friend asked one of the instructors if she had been a stripper. I was actually curious too but afraid to ask since I thought it might be rude. It turns out she wasn’t but her moves were definitely good enough for it.

So overall I really enjoyed the night with good food, socializing with other women, exercise and a chance to get my sexy on. The dance studio was looking for new members but I knew I wasn’t going to join since it was expensive and I already have way too many hobbies. I was there for the charity event and to have a fun night out. I would like to go again someday but I can’t imaging making it a regular thing much to the disappointment of my boyfriend I’m sure. But it was a fun life experience and something to tell the grandkids….well um …maybe not.

Cat “Like a Virgin” Cathy

The Great Faith Debate

I attend the Great Faith Debate about Atheism versus religion and more specifically Christianity at UCF recently. I have to admit I don’t know much about religion which is part of the reason I decided to attend. After many nights of exercising my body it was time to rest my weary muscles and exercise my mind. I was excited by the packed arena as I walked in carrying my bubble tea and singing “Gotta Have Faith” by George Michael.

Sadly, I wasn’t very impressed with the debate. The arguments used were sometimes way out there and at times it seemed the questions asked were not even answered. I’m an engineer so I try to be a little more direct and this seemed to be more about throwing out fancy words and obscure knowledge. I doubt if a single person was even tempted to change their current belief based on what they heard. But that's ok I guess since faith/religion is a very personal choice and shouldn't be changed easily.

So even though it wasn't all I expected, it was something different and I’m glad I tried it. As an added bonus UCF is my alma mater and it was interesting to see how much it had changed and reminisce about my college days. I’m just hoping the next great debate will be on paper versus plastic!

Cat “Bless you” Cathy

Blading The Big Apple

Day two of my New York City trip started with inline skating from our hotel in Long Island City to Manhattan. The most fun part was just skating over the Queensboro Bridge. I loved the view and feeling like just a regular New Yorker.

Then my boyfriend and I went into Central Park which is amazing since it gives you a sense of nature in the middle of the city. There’s a lot to see including a small castle and an ancient obelisk. There’s also a lot to do from just relaxing on a green somewhere to paddling a boat in the pond. We chose to do the paddling as I’d seen this in many movies and it looked romantic. It was relaxing, offered great views and was even a bit romantic but nothing like the movies. The water was a putrid green toxic looking substance. There was a sign stating “no swimming allowed” …as if this was necessary. But it was still a fun touristy activity and relatively cheap too. After our paddle we bladed the whole park with lots of stops for lunch, pictures or just to take it all in.

We were over Central Park after a few hours since it seemed to have a Disney feel to it and we get enough of that in Orlando. I was double dog dared by a friend on Facebook to skate Times Square so that is what I did next. Skating down the street with all the taxis and through the crowds was a blast. Thankfully it was a weekend so it was not overly crowded. With so many lights and so much going on I don’t think anyone even noticed me even though I pulled out some of my best skating tricks. There were several people in costumes who charge you a dollar to take a picture with them. While it was just a buck this just seemed crazy to pay to take a picture with someone. I get lots of pictures taken of me every Halloween...just think of the money I could make!

We went back to the hotel to rest and I switched to my bike for the evening's transportation needs. We took the subway with the bikes to Chinatown. When we got on the subway it was light but it was already dark when we walked up to the surface in a new part of the city. I was looking at my map trying to figure out which way to Chinatown when my boyfriend said “I think we are in it”. After looking around and noticing lots of signs in Chinese I realized he was right AND a lot more observant than me.

We biked around looking for a good outdoors place to eat. When we didn’t see any we headed toward SOHO thinking they would have some nice outside areas. Then we found a cute street full of people and places to eat. I was only finding Italian restaurants and wasn’t really in the mood for Italian so I kept looking. It took about six Italian restaurants before I finally realized we must have crossed the line into Little Italy...duh! It’s amazing to me how close these different communities are to each other. We ended up picking one of the many Italian restaurants. It was tasty but the best part was we met the couple next to us and they were locals and bikers too. They were a great help and gave us lots of advice for the remainder of our trip. They told us to go to DUMBO! That sounds mean but it was a cool spot and I will talk about it in a blog coming to you soon!

Cat ‘City Slicker’ Cathy

Biking the Big Apple

With winter approaching I wanted to head somewhere north before it was too cold so my boyfriend and I chose New York City for our latest travel adventure. Except for what I’ve seen in the movies I really didn’t know much about the city or what to expect. But that just added to the excitement.

The first thing we did in the city was get on a bus and leave…to go to New Jersey and buy bicycles. They seemed like the best way to get around the city and since renting them was so expensive we just bought ‘disposable’ bikes from Wal-Mart. I was surprised when I asked a Wal-Mart employee about getting a second bike and she didn’t seem to understand what I was asking. Quickly I pulled out my big Spanish vocabulary and said ‘dos’ as I pointed at the bike we wanted and she seemed to understand. This really surprised me since I would have expected it on our last trip to Nicaragua or even in Orlando but I didn’t know NJ also had a big Spanish population. I guess that’s part of why I travel…to learn more about the world and all the people in it.

After snapping a few silly pictures of us with our new bikes at the Wal-Mart we gps’d our way back to the city. It was only a few miles and it was definitely worth it when we hit the Hudson River and had an awesome view of the Manhattan skyline.

We took a ferry to Manhattan to get dinner. I was just about to lock the bikes with the lock I brought from home when my boyfriend asked where the key was. Good thing he did this since I had left it in Orlando! That would have been a huge downer and a big waste of money for two bikes! So with no real lock the first day we stayed near the bikes and spent the next several hours exploring the east and south side of Manhattan. I’ve always wanted to bike in NYC since I pictured taxi cabs everywhere and riding like one of those bike messengers but this wasn’t like that at all. The trails we rode were separate pedestrian/bike trails and were not dangerous. This was probably a good thing for our first day but I don’t think a trip to NYC would be complete without some biking on the streets.

My first impression of the city was a good one. I loved the energy I felt just being a part of it all. Plus people were very friendly. Obviously no one just smiles or says hi to strangers on the street since there are just too many people around. But everyone we spoke to was very friendly. We met a nice fisherman at Battery Park who showed us pictures of some of the cool fish he had caught. We enjoyed these 'local color' experiences most of all.

After about a 15 mile bike ride which ended with crossing the Queensboro bridge around midnight we were safely in our hotel. Our long travel day of taxi, plane, tram, train, subway, walk, bus, bike, ferry and finally bike some more was finally over as I crashed out quickly in our hotel room. Stay tuned for our next day at Central Park, Times Square and SOHO/Italy.

Cat “I heart NY” Cathy

Caught Between Ma’am and Baby Doll

I was playing hockey the other day and one of the younger players ma’amed me. I’m not a huge fan of the title since it just seems to bring up visions of a very old librarian but I realized he was a young kid and was just being respectful. Not five minutes later another young player called me ‘baby doll’. Now this title although not overly respectful and rather unusual was almost a little flattering.

I feel like I’m at an unusual age somewhere between ma'am and baby doll. Personally I wish there was just one title for women like there is for men. What is the deal with distinguishing young women from old and married from single? Why is that around anyway? Let’s all just be Miss and be done with it!

Miss Cat “Baby doll” Cathy