Rafael - Living live a day at a time

After a great week invested back in Venezuela with my wife and daughter, we are already back in Miami tan, happy and with at least 4 extra pounds (or 2 Kg) after eating like crazy all week long.
It was great to catch up with friends and family but it was even better to see my family react to Daniela, I have to say that everyone was sad about us having to come back after such a wonderful week. Pictures and list of things done and ate are to come soon.
On the other hand I received a video of a Norwegian reporters trying to see the reality of hospitals in Venezuela, it is sad but it is the reality, for those of you interested in an international perspective on what is going on my country go to: http://www.albacom.no/images/stories/video/tv2_231005.wmv

My wife Perla, my daughter Daniela and me are back in my home country for a week. It has been a tough road with a lot of things to overcome before coming here, but I can only say that I am happy that I can share with her that big part of my heart that always stays home when I leave.
Si estas en Barquisimeto dame una llamada o pasa por la casa porque estaremos aquí en Venzuela solo hasta el domingo que viene.
Nos vemos,

You have FEMA's number on speed dial.
You have more than 300 'C' & 'D' batteries in your kitchen drawer.
Your pantry contains more than 20 cans of Spaghetti O's.
You're thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood covering your windows.
When describing your house to a prospective buyer, you say it has three bedrooms, two baths & one safe hallway.
Your Social Security number isn't a secret, it's written in Sharpie on your arms.
You are on a first-name basis with the cashier at Home Depot.
You are delighted to pay $3 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of the pool.
You have 2-liter coke bottles & milk jugs filled with water in your freezer.
Three months ago you couldn't hang a shower curtain; today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.
You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner's insurance policy.
At cocktail parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest chainsaw.
You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists who work at the National Hurricane Center.
Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your roof.
Ice is a valid topic of conversation.
Relocating to South Dakota does not seem like such a crazy idea.
You spend more time on your roof then in your living room.
A battery powered TV is considered a home entertainment center.
You don't worry about relatives wanting to visit during the summer.
Your child's first words are "hunker down."
Having a tree in your living room does not necessarily mean it's Christmas.
You know the difference between the "good side" of a storm & the "bad side."
You go to work early & stay late just to enjoy the air conditioning

I have been reading the Yahoo Odd News feed for quite a while, and here are some interesting news from it:

Doctor sued for sex treatment for back pain: "Dr. Smith's medical treatment included intercourse in which he told plaintiff was needed to help alleviate plaintiff's lower back and lower extremity pain," the former patient said in the lawsuit. This goes Directly to the Only in America!!

Police scramble to squash pumpkin threat: Venezuelan security services scrambled Monday to tackle a new threat on the streets of Caracas: Halloween-style pumpkins carrying messages of rebellion against President Hugo Chavez. Who said Venezuelans decorations were not dangerous?

How to beat the heat in stifling Dubai - go skiing!: "You see jungle forests in the UK, sandy beaches in Paris, tigers in Central Park, New York. Why not snow in Dubai?" Francois de Montaudouin of Ski Dubai told reporters on Tuesday. I know I said before that Dubai is a city which is always under construction, but is trully something that needs to be seen.

Woman buys winning Lottery ticket with stolen card: A woman bought a winning lottery ticket worth $1 million with a stolen credit card and could wind up with nothing if convicted, police said. Talk about bad Karma!

Million dollar bid for Lenin body: The head of the Russian Buddhist region of Kalmykia said Friday he was willing to stump up $1 million to give a new home to the embalmed body of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. Can you think of better ways to invest 1 million USD?

Pope's Ford Escort Sells for $690K: A light blue 1975 Ford Escort GL once owned by
Pope John Paul II sold for $690,000 Saturday to a Houston multimillionaire who said he plans to put it in a museum he wants to build in his hometown.

Findland's Tax details go public: Every November when the Nordic nation's tax records of the previous year become public, Finns indulge on a massive scale in satisfying their curiosity about each other's finances. Just imagine everyone checking each other information, it should be really interesting.

Bad lasagna sours Argentina summit security: At least 70 federal police officers guarding the beach resort hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush and others will meet were overcome by diarrhea and vomiting after dining on lasagna at a nearby hotel late Tuesday, police commissioner Daniel Rodriguez told local radio. You have to watch all the possible sides where the attack might come from!!

Stamp collectors hail blockbuster New York trade: The trade was remarkable in that it was a cashless exchange involving one $3 million item for another, and because it completed Gross' collection of every U.S. stamp from the 19th century -- a feat no museum has accomplished. Talk about being crazy about your hobby!

It has become a habit to do a Daniela's Photo attack every now and then, so here's the latest update with picture of the little one. 1 of the visit of an AIESEC friend from Mexico, one of me and Daniela sleeping together (and the same way), a couple more from her eating and some of her outfits. So Enjoy!

Here are a couple more pictures of the damage done by Wilma in the surroundings of where I live. In the first 2 pictures the damage done to a mobile home park, it is truly amazing how easily these houses are torn into pieces. In the 3rd picture, the damage done to the DHL Logo in the building where I work, and 4th picture is of the line of cars entering a gas station to fill up their tanks. 5th Picture was taken during our trip to a local park where it was said water and ice would be distributed. After 2 hours of waiting in line, the trucks didn't arrive as planned and everyone was sent back home empty handed. There were some major logistical mistakes done in getting the trucks out of Homestead to the distribution points in the first 2 days. Last Picture is about some Floridians enjoying the good weather after Wilma and putting on some Halloween decoration. Just for your understanding, at this point there are still lots of people (284000 just in Broward County), buildings, traffic lights, etc. without power. Some supermarkets are running on generators, and some of them are not well stocked. There's not enough construction workers to repair all the damaged roofs promptly, and this week we are expecting a lot of rain, so the Army is putting on blue plastic on the roofs in order to avoid further damage. There's too many damaged cars for the quantity of mechanics in Florida and there are still some gas stations without power, so it's not the beautiful Sunshine State as usual