#95 Watch Dexter

I am making my way through the first season of Dexter. It's a television show that follows Dexter, who works as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami police and is also a serial killer . He tries to follow the code his adopted dad Harry - also a police officer - taught him. That is, kill only murderers who deserve it.

At first I wasn't sure if I could watch it. Some scenes in the first episode are pretty gruesome.

But I like the Miami in the series: the crazy crime and the scenes around town.

Also, Dexter talks a lot about wearing a mask. I think we all do that, to some degree.

#25 Join youth group

Faith is important to me. So is community. And the St. A's young adult group has helped me feel rooted in Miami. We have weekly discussions on faith, and hang out afterwards. We help out on service projects, like serving at a soup kitchen. And every so often, we play volleyball at the beach or at the University of Miami. Pray and play.

#37 See Fairchild Gardens

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a Miami gem. It is home to more than 50 acres of palms, mangroves, agave, orchids, bamboo and ginger plants. Some are native to South Florida. Others come from around the world, from the Caribbean to Madagascar. 

I didn't just see the botanic garden.

I became a member of Fairchild. (Thanks to Groupon!)

I recently made my first visit with my sister E. and can't wait to head back, especially for the chocolate festival and later the mango festival. It is a fascinating escape from the urban grind.

We saw:

Lots of palm trees;

Bright and pretty plants that I don't know the name of;

Fruit so big it grows on the ground;

More crazy fruit; and 

A giant spider on a giant spider web. I'd call her Carlota.

#20 Make own cards

A little card-stock. A little stamp. Some crayons and pen. Et voila!

My signature home-made card.

I love making them. They are nice for thank you notes and birthdays. Or just to say, 'Hi, I'm thinking of you.'

I also like finding photos in magazines that remind me of mis queridos and then building a card around the photo. They're highly amateur, but fun.


To my grandmother:

For a sister:

# 85 File radio story

Radio is pure storytelling. Or the theater of the mind, as a great professor once told me.

This piece was so fun to report for radio. (The Miami Herald and WLRN have a partnership, which rocks.)

The piece is about a group of artists and writers in South Florida - the Foryoucansee collective. They're trying to break Latin stereotypes and celebrate the Miami they know – 17 syllables at a time.

So, here’s some Hialeah Haiku to go with your rice and beans.

(This aired on Aug. 4 on WLRN-Miami Herald News. I created the video in order to post online.)

#21 Swim in ocean

The sea is beautiful - Pacific, Atlantic and even my beloved Gulf of Mexico, where the water is always brown, sandy and warm.

Is there anything more relaxing than swimming in the ocean?

It’s like a massage, for free. And there must be some fish in my genes. My grandmother, even in her 90's, loves to go in the surf. Her father would row out on the Gulf and swim in the deep.

In South Florida, I am always amazed by how clear the water is. (This time I took a dip in the Ft. Lauderdale beach at dusk.)

# 100 Go blonde

This is as blonde as it gets.


(Thanks to out-of-control summer highlights.)


I can't go more blonde, unless it's a wig.