Mexican food creates hazmat scare at Sea-Tac Airport

I love this story!

SEATAC, Wash. – A sick man's leaky baggage created a hazmat scare at Sea-Tac Airport Friday, April 25.

It turned out to be Mexican food.

An airport spokesman says the man arrived overnight from Puerto Vallarta aboard an Alaska Airlines flight. He was sick on the plane and had to be taken to the hospital.

The medics didn't get his bags, so they were set out at the baggage area all night and started leaking.

Crews in hazmat suits taped off the area to investigate, only to find that the man had packed tamales and chile in the bags.

It's not immediately clear why the man got sick.

I'll tell you why he got sick...he knew that his Mexican food from the motherland was going to spoil and it made him sick! Let me tell you, good tamales are like GOLD! I only get the good ones at Christmas when my mom and sister make them. My mouth is salivating just thinking about it. Good Mexican food is a slice of heaven on earth. If I could package the feeling, taste and smell of sitting at my Abuelita's kitchen table when I was a child, I would! Homemade tortillas, fresh frijoles, arroz, guacamole, carnitas, chicharones, papas fritas and homemade salsas! Ugh. I'm feenin'! Good thing I'm going to get a fix in a few weeks. Family Fest 2008 in California is nearing.

Jazz Fest 2008 is On & Poppin'

We've taken a 2 year hiatus, but we are back this year! Tickets are purchased, and we're gearing up! The "we" I speak of is the Crew. For many years we would go to the KWJZ Jazz Fest and enjoy the wine, jazz, wine, sun and wine. The annual event takes place at the gorgeous Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, August 2 and 3...but we only go to one day. I think 2 days would kill us!

It's a production when we go. The party starts around 9am when we load-up the cars, and head to the winery. Once there, we get in line and sit for a few hours. While we sit, we have breakfast, enjoy mimosas and talk about folks! Actually, I think folks talk about all of us because we conduct ourselves as if we are the only people at the festival! Once the gates open, we make a mad dash to claim our acreage for the day. It's all downhill from there! The concert usually ends around 8pm, and everyone has had a full day-o-wine and fun!

This will be the first time the Pupu has gone. He is in for good times!

2005 Jazz Fest pics: Rai attacking Carol, Nate hydrating while a prego Paulette enjoys the Jazz, Boogs and Scotty (love the hat!).

Kemo the Blaxican

It was the artists name that got me...but it's his music that kept me! I was checkin' out www.brownpride.com's music reviews and loved the name "Kemo the Blaxican". I might have my own "blaxican" one day, so it caught my eye and made me laugh! The review was great, "...enchanting spicy hot melodies that are braided in with timeless old school handmade beats...", and his website is very hot. Off I went to iTunes. Kemo has a couple of albums, but I bought his most recent one. Love. I'm dying that iTunes has a collection called "Raza Rap", and my man Kemo is on it. This cd is playing in the Solara. Bumpin'. All I need now is a Mexican flag and a decal of La Virgen de Guadalupe!

Green? Lime? Chartreuse?

I try. I really do. Ok, so not as much as I should, but I'm getting better. Today is "Earth Day", so green is on the brain. I use recycleable grocery bags (LOVE the Trader Joe's bags!), I put stuff in the recycle bin, I have those funky lightbulbs, I don't buy water bottles, and I unplug appliances when not in use. But I feel like there a million more things I should be doing! I recently signed up for thedailygreen newsletter looking for more ways to get there. Extra email is nowhere near the same as signing up for more catalogs to be mailed!

So here's to getting myself a little more verde!

¡VIVA MEXICO!

Mexicans were out in full-force yesterday at the Mexico vs. China soccer game. My cellie rang and it was Boogs saying, "Your people are DEEP today!". He was making his way to his car, and was swimming in a sea of Mexi's, so of course, he had to call his favorite Mexi and tell!

As one reporter said, "They sang Mexico's national anthem with passion and emotion. They did the wave. They banged on drums, blew air horns, twisted noisemakers in the air, whistled derisively...". I love it. ¡Ole, Viva Mexico!

[image from www.seattletimes.nwsource.com]

P, B & J

Great weekend. Great weather. Great company. Saturday in Tacoma was HOT! I was en fuego all day. Crazy weather for April in Washington, but I'll take it. Thank God the Pupu mowed the lawn. Because I don't ever want to do it! I love that that is officially one of his duties! We then headed over to visit his pregg sister and bro-in-law. More good times.

Sunday, I headed up to Seattle to hang with 2 of my favorite blondes around! Julie and Berit. The 3 of us shared a house senior year in college, and it was fun chaos! Exactly everything your senior year should be! So Julie just became a mom in January, and Berit is expecting late summer. I can't even believe it! I loved seeing them embrace their new "momminess"! I also loved that we met at UVillage! I needed to go to Sephora. Product was calling my name.

It's going to be so much fun to watch them and their babies grow and change. Can't wait!

The photo above was pre-marriage, pre-baby. I think around 2000 or 2001, when we headed to Puerto Vallarta! Now that was GOOD TIMES!

A National Latino museum!

Yesterday, the United States Senate passed a bipartisan bill to make the vision of a National Museum of the American Latino a reality. Isn't it about time? I think so!

As many have said, we must celebrate the diversity of Latinos. We have been (and still are) a significant part of American history, and have contributed to nearly every facet of our Nations culture including the arts, business, and served in our Nation's military with distinction.

Here's what they say the primary objective of a National Latino Museum would be:
To organize the contributions and achievements of Hispanics as pioneers of American culture. The museum would serve an invaluable resource to the Smithsonian Institution and to our nation as a whole. By highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of Latinos, the museum would do the following three things:
1. Provide insight into the nation’s history
2. Provide an opportunity to correct stereotypes about the nation’s fastest growing group
3. Enhance cross-cultural communication

Go on Latinos! I'm sure by the time the museum is completed, Latinos will be the majority in many more states. Takin' over!

(Yes, I know there is more to "Latino" than Mexican. But Mexican is my focus. Hence, the Mexican flag. Go figure!)

The wedding was fabulous!

It really wasn't a wedding. But everything about it felt like one. Decorations, floral arrangements, food, invitations, video presentation and giveaways. We had an open house at work celebrating 125 years of being in business, and yesterday was the big day. Of course I had nightmares that only 2 people would show...I was soooo wrong! I'll get the final count today, but I'm sure there were hundreds! By the end of the event, the once pristine building was covered in cookie crumbs and empty latte cups.

My mom, dad, sister, 2 of my homegirls and their baby's came. Loved the support and it was fun to share my "big day" with them. Here's a pic of Amyonce, me and J-Melly...pre-event, with free latte in hand!

My feet are still recovering. Owwwie!

The Palm Springs of Washington and a Matador?

Why does Yakima call itself "The Palm Springs of Washington"? I don't get it. I don't see the correlation. At all. Yakima is on a tip all by itself! That I know. It concerns me! Just about every time I've been to Yakima, something crazy funny goes down with those folks over there.

Anyway...why am I talking about Yakima? Well, one of my BFFs 4ever (I think I'm Musiq now!) was in town to visit her dad, and we always try to hook-up when she's over here. We always cram months and months of info into a short time-frame. Renee and I have been tight since we were 15. We were the "bad girls" in our church youth group...ah, the stories we have! I miss her and wish she was closer. I swear, within the next couple of months I'm going to get in my coche and drive over the pass to The Palm Springs of Washington and visit her in her own habitat!

We had the yummiest food at Matador on Pacific Avenue. I love that place! The food is nuevo Mexi, and their mojitos rank on the top of my list! Good times, good times!

Pic above of Renee post-meal.