Way to go Martha!

Dear Martha,

In 48 short minutes, you have shown me why Julia and I are the only two people in America watching your version of The Apprentice. Who knew that a competitive reality finale could be so underwhelming?

Take this opportunity to spend more time with your snippy daughter, and enjoy your garden. You are not a good fit for the reality television line up.

Continued Success.

A Reality TV Junkie.
P.S. Randal says hello.

I am so MAD at Donald Trump!

I just have to get this off my chest.

IF YOU WANTED TO HIRE REBECCA AS THE APPRENTICE TOO YOU SHOULD'VE JUST DONE IT!

Beyond that, is it a coincidence that the only time you ask winner if the runner-up should be the apprentice too is when he's black?

Whatever. DT it's your show and you completely undermined the whole process by putting Randal on the spot. I'm proud of Randal for saying no. That's the kind of decision you would have appreciated in the boardroom. I'm just sorry that the Pollyanna viewers have forgotten the spirit of the show and now despise Randal because he fought for himself.

At least I'm not forced to hear Rebecca sing Christmas songs as evidence that she should've won.

A Dream(girl) Come True

Some people play fantasy football. I play fantasy casting. My spring game? The new Dreamgirls movie.

I'm also a BIG fan of American Idol. During Season 3 there was a Wild Card finalist that really caught my eye. After seeing Jennifer Hudson's performances of Circle of Life and Weekend in New England I was convinced that I'd seen the perfect Effie White. When I heard the Dreamgirls film was finally going into production my wheels started turning. Ms. Hudson has more than just a great voice. She is confident in her singing, unapologetic about her physicality (and pleasant to look at). While grand on stage, she is still a little rough around the edges which is a great complement to the ever "worldly" Beyonce Knowles who has been slated to be Deena for awhile.

During the American Idol 4 finale in May, I had a conversation with George Huff (who was quite gracious considering I was one of many crazy fans) about the movie and how I thought Jennifer would make a perfect Effie White. We exchanged several "fabulous, fierce, and over" comments and he mentioned that she was having a hard time getting someone to see her. A few months later I heard from a reputable source that Fantasia was going to be assuming the Effie White role. I was crushed.

But tonight? I stumbled across Broadway World's announcement...Jennifer Hudson would star in Dreamgirls as Effie. I'm still dancing around the living room.


For your amusement, here is my fantasy Dreamgirls Principal List:

Effie White.....Jennifer Hudson*
Deena Jones....Beyonce Knowles*
Lorrell Robinson....Fantasia Barrino
Michelle Morris(The Stepp Sister who competed at the Apollo who was seen at the end of Act I wearing the dress)...Anika Noni Rose

Curtis Taylor...Jesse L. Martin (I believe Jamie Foxx is actually cast in this role)
James "Thunder" Early...Jamie Foxx (I believe Eddie Murphy is actually cast in this role)
CC White...Usher (or Chester Gregory from Hairspray if Usher is unavailable)
Marty...Alton White (of the ever effervescent James Alexander for that matter)
* actually cast in the movie in the role

I guess I won't be getting Jennifer to star in my project. She is going to want big money after this movie.

Click here to listen to Jennifer Hudson.


While I'm thinking about fabulous singers in musicals, a big congratulations goes to my fellow Spelmanite Maia Wilson who is currently in a featured role in the Color Purple. I have heard from several people that she is a part of one of the best elements in the show. I knew she was a star in school. I feel lucky to have shared a stage with her.

My dream bumper sticker

My first impulse was to put this on my car. Then I remembered that I live in Jeb country. Maybe one of my blue state friends can purchase this bumper sticker.


george W bush - john F kerry -- Hmmmmm the only way you can be offended is if your mind is in the gutter.


http://dontblamemeivoted4kerry.com/

The best hour in reality TV history

For those of you who enjoyed 2 weeks of Marguerite "God Warrior" Perrin, listen to the Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy: The Remix.... "Dork-Sided!"

You can also bid on your very own God Warrior.

Thank you Fox, first American Idol, and now Trading Spouses. Someone needs an award.

I thought my haircut was bad

I ran across this picture of the Baltimore Hair Massacre (not to be confused with the Baltimore Email Massacre....never underestimate the power of 2).

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks died Monday night at the age of 92.

I saw her picutres and went surfing the internet for confirmation. Why did it take me a full five minutes to find a report of this American History Legend?


I'm not going there. It's alarming that's all.

Wilma

First of all:

Thank you Natalie for calling me Sunday night and making me get supplies. My radio came in handy when I was without power.

Secondly:

I'm completely over CNN. Their coverage was heavy on hysteria and light on facts. I guess it made for good entertainment.

Before and After

Little Shop Kim

Florida Kim

Enough Said.

August Wilson

August Wilson died Sunday from liver cancer.


NY Times Associated Press Article

What is there to say?

Race this weekend

Race has been on my mind all weekend. I'm sure my black friends will pull out the ADW textbooks and remind me that viewing the world through the lens of race is the norm for blacks in America and the dichotomy is something very few groups can identify with.

So Friday begins with a very subtle but mildly disturbing racial incident at work. The person who was on the receiving end of the prejudiced behavior probably didn't even realized it had gone on. I noticed it and I was PISSED. I try to believe the best in everyone but this person keeps showing ugly and evil on a regular basis. The very small thing on Friday turned sneaking suspicions into accepted reality.

Saturday, I experienced the positive side of racial divisions...pride. I went to celebrate a Spelman alum's new job. Reflecting on my own experiences at Spelman and the amount of resistance I experienced from faculty, staff, and fellow students over the choice to pursue a career in entertainment, I was truly happy to see another Spelman sister experiencing career success in entertainment.

Tonight, I got off the phone with one of my dearest friends in Atlanta. Her 21 year old son came home from prison today. I remember feeling such sadness when I learned that he was in jail. He is such a bright, respectful, caring, articulate, and likable kid it's so hard to believe he has become another statistic. As his mother struggles with finding the new place "mom" resides the life of her boy turned man, my militant mind can't help but imagine how his consequences would have been different if he hadn't been black.


What does any of this mean in the world? I'm still trying to figure it out. But I came across this piece in Salon that resonated with my whole entire weekend.

The wrath of Chipotle

I spent all day being Helen Homemaker. It's funny what a brand new coffee table will inspire you to do.

Since my coworker Jeff Lindberg was on my mind, I decided to have Chipotle. I made it halfway through my burrito bol and decided to leave the rest for dinner.

Hours later, my internal dinner bell rang and I rushed to the fridge to enjoy Chipotle Part II. Greed made the refigerator door to close on my paper bowl, causing my delicious feast to fall on my newly hand scrubbed kitchen floor. Ha!

That's what I get for being so catty yesterday.

I'm not that shallow

I just feel like posting because my previous entry is so shallow.

An update....Let's see.

Ugandaman is driving me nuts and I've officially turned into one of those women.

My mother and I had an awesome time in DC. Photos to follow shortly.

A former partner in crime, and the other half of the most meaningful relationship I've had with a man who is not my father, is getting married. At first I was upset, replaying events in my head. Finally, I mustered up the nerve to call and congratulate him.

The conversation resolved two very important things for me:

1. There was a reason we were such good friends. With the healing salve of time, I can place previous perceived injustices in a box and remember why he was my closest friend for several years.

2. My needs as a woman pushing 30 are quite different than my needs were at 23. As great as he is, if my friends introduced us now, I would never go after a relationship with him. I'm enough drama for two people, who needs to add an actor to the mix?

Well, maybe that's not entirely true. He is fine. However, right now I have my sights set on a banker, or a lawyer, or an accountant, or a contractor (I have a thing for tool belts), or someone who isn't determined to have a smoking career in entertainment. That's my schtick, and someone needs to buy the Dior and 7 jeans when I can't.

On a lighter note, I've lost 24 pounds and my hair is growing just fine.

hmmmm.......I wonder what the health curriculum covers in Uganda.....

Damn. Still shallow.

I am so upset

I went to get my hair done yesterday.

The stylist offered me a trim. I told her I had one less than a month ago. She responded that it was a little jagged up top, but everything else looked fine. She would just do a little at the crown. I agreed.

Silly Me. This woman cut an inch off all of my hair (which wasn't that long to begin with) stating that she didn't know what the last person did, but she thought it was uneven. Now I can't pull it back at all and the ends hit right where I sweat. I work outside. I go to dance class. She couldn't have given me a WORSE haircut.

I've never really been this up in arms over hair, becuase it will grow back, but this time I'm PISSED!

I guess that's what I get for going to the salon on the day when most salons don't operate.

...and now...I'm off to work to swat at my neck all day.

An Interesting Sunday

This morning my mother and I decided to play our Google game. We think of a person that we've lost touch with and we look for links about their current lives. During the course of the hunt, we start looking for different people and AIM a surprise link. Well, my mother won this morning with a link involving a former piano teacher of mine. (Smoking Gun items are always a tragedy. Click here for the Playbill Online article)

Some of you know the intense nature of the tri-state area performing arts scene for school-aged children. I had prayers, fortune cookies, and car seating all planned before the bi-weekly trip to Mrs. Ivanov's. A bad lesson was a catastrophe, and not because I was embarrassed or because I let myself down; this woman was scary. However, she was one of the best in the state. Her students went on to win many competitions, not just the one she ran. As a mediocre school student who is secretly (or not so secretly) very competitive, I wanted to be the best (during the hours that I didn't want to quit) and Mrs. Ivanov was the way to go. She pushed many students to be better pianists than they would've been otherwise. I don't know how much I can fault her for that. However, Carnegie Hall? Someone else’s student? That's a little much.

You can read other people's comments about the incident here.

After recovering from my hysterical laughter about the Ivanov/O'Lone incident, I prepared for my first day of soccer in 14 years. When I arrived there were women with ages ranging from 18 - 40. We scrimmaged. I defended aggressively. I kicked the ball down the field a few times. I fell. Twice. Then I left.

I think soccer will be interesting. It's completely different crowd than the entertainment group. They were fun and competitive, and I didn't feel huge either. These woman were sturdy and played hard (No Mom. "Sturdy" isn't my way of saying lesbian, although there were a few out on the field.). I walked away feeling excited about playing soccer. I also walked away extremely sore.

My sore aching muscles were just screaming for a trip to the hot tub. While I was there I ended getting into a discussion about politics. Most people in entertainment are usually liberal, and those who aren't keep it to themselves. I was quite alarmed to meet a group of people who were all pro-life. They assumed that I was too. I was ok with the assumption for about 5 minutes. Then I had to say something. The discussion became a ping-pong game between me and another guy. I knew I should've gotten out of the water as soon as he said his favorite channel is Fox News Network because the reporting is so fair.

Killer Katrina may have missed me, but there are still very scary things going on in Florida. Oh yeah, the guy is also a gun carrying member of the NRA.

I Love Macs!

Mac users with Tiger can follow this link to download Sudoku right on your desktop.

I will never do work on my computer again.

Wherever she lays her hat is her home....

Like most of America, I've had real estate on my brain for the past 12 months. Even though I have a place to live, I have real estate on my brain.

Yesterday, Julia and I were watching an episode of America's Open House. Most of the hour featured homes way beyond my means. I wondered how people afford to live in these homes. In some of the country’s more expensive cities $450k meant living in a shoebox. If the median income is around $42,000, how are people able to afford to live in any kind of house? How do I rise above living a modest existence and attain a piece of the American Dream for myself? (Stop buying Gucci Shoes would probably be a good place to start.)

Fast forward to this evening and an interesting conversation I had with one of my dearest friends. We were talking about getting out of graduate school with tons of debt and trying to figure out how to buy a house. During the course of the conversation, we talked about American Wages. I had no idea so many people made close to minimum wage. We then talked about how we perceive our material lives. How could it be possible to make more than 100k a year and not be able to provide a decent living for yourself, to not be able to buy a decent house?

I began to think about my meager existence, and I realized that meager is relative. I live like a pauper compared to an investment banker. However this year, 90% of Americans would have rather collected my paycheck than theirs. Was the plan to purchase, not to rent, upon leaving the tour? Sure, but in the Orlando market purchasing was a bigger risk than I was willing to take. However, my current financial situation is ok. I can pay my bills, I do not live paycheck to paycheck, and I have the freedom to buy designer handbags, while meeting my savings goals.

Will I be a millionaire by 30? Probably not. If I had made smarter choices, I would be on my way, however that fact is not on my list of major disappointments. Perhaps, knowing that my career would be in the performing arts from a very young age prepared me mentally for not having a big salary. I do worry about how I’m going to get my first house, but like most things I obsess about, I will figure out a way to make it happen. The first step? Remembering I will not be Philip Banks overnight. The second step? Turn off HGTV.

So it's been awhile

It's been a month since my last post. So many things have happened.

I left the tour and took up residence in Orlando. I'm sitting in bed surfing the web and I can see the fireworks out over my balcony.

Relief. Instead of being in my resort style apartment watching the display from my bedroom I could be in a musty basement seeing real people explode instead.

I must take a moment to appreciate my blessings.

And now, back to mindless surfing.

I Need You to Need Me

My second to last day at Little Shop was filled with excitement. The day began with my mother and her book group coming to see the Matinee.

The author of the month was Debra Dickerson. It was quite fitting that the front page of Salon featured a piece written by her. The topic? Black women's sexuality in America.

Sounds kind of selacious, it wasn't at all. That's the problem. Every black woman that I know has experienced one of the things described in the article (read it here). Invisible. That's how I feel at times.

Fast forward a few hours. The moms are gone, and James and I are headed to the clubs.

The evening was filled with desperation. The black men were desperate to catch one of the scores of white girls dancing suggestively while they imbibed. The black women were desperate for any kind of attention. Any at all. What's new.

James and I had a great evening. I even have war wounds to prove it.

I'm going to Kentucky and we're going go to the Carnival....

A dream is a wish your heart makes, and The Butterfly has a ton of heart. For the past 3 years she has wanted to come to Kentucky and go to the carnival. This year, Julia finally took her. I went along for the ride eventhough my face was seriously messed up, I wouldn't have missed Deja's return to the carnival for anything.

Click here for photos.

Oh Happy Day!

Today was a great day. I received the best news I've heard in a really long time.

In addition, Rachel Kiwi turned me on to a new puzzle.

Mom, don't follow this link, it will only make you crazy.

But She's Homeless....

Lisa Stansfield is not singing about me anymore.

I am no longer homeless. I will no longer receive strange looks from bouncers and rental car agents wondering how I have a Flordia driver's license with a New York address. In fact my time at rental car counters will be limited as well.

This must be the single woman's nesting phase.

So, Carole, Janelle, Lya, Gwen & Lisa and anyone who's opened their homes during one of my many periods of homelessness: You are welcome to stay in my apartment whenever you like.

Ahhh....A bed, a door, an address.

The American Dream

Milwaukee is not that bad

I'll be honest. I was dreading the trip to Milwaukee. However, fate was on my side.

Two major events were in town the second week in July: Summerfest, the country's largest music festival, and the NAACP National Convention.

How did I get so lucky? Every single night there were friendly black people in every restaurant and bar in the city. I even had the chance to pay back a co-worker for an unforgotten uncomfortable racial situation. HA!

In addition, Fantasia Barrino was performing at Summerfest. I managed to wrestle my way to the 3rd row. Carrie who? Ruben what? Fantasia is the American idol.

The picture is a little blurry,

but that's her.

July 4th Continued

Gucci wasn't the only reason my 4th of July was special this year.

This year I met a charming young man who was out on the town with his godmother for 4th of July fireworks at the Navy Pier. So in honor Mr. Charles Bredford, I am posting a few of his photographs.

Gucci=Independence

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I talk to my mother every single day.

For the past 10 years or so, the July 4th conversation begins with either one of us saying, "What's 4th of July to a slave?!" Of course this is our bastardized version of the Frederick Douglas speech delivered to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society.
We usually have a good laugh and talk about all the ways we actually are free.

This year was different. This Monday morning my mother was in the 4th of July spirit. I don't know if it was the fact that The Butterfly was at her house or that one of her best friends was moving into her first house. There were no "slaves weren't celebrating" jokes. In fact, I was in pretty high spirits. Knowing that my life was going to change shortly brought on such glee that I didn't need to make jokes. I wanted to buy new clothes to go with my new attitude. The plan was to meet up with James. The location? Gucci.

During my stay in Chicago, I had a tumultuous relationship with Gucci.

The first time I went into the store I was curious. I went in with Iris and James after seeing some of the company members’ purchases. The store was emotionally overwhelming to me. Beautiful handbags, clothing and shoes, many things emblazoned with signature Gs, however, the thought of paying $800 to be a walking advertisment was very hard for me to wrap my mind around. While browsing, the store went from half empty to full; most of the shoppers were black. There were shoppers who clearly had money; there were also shoppers that I questioned their financial stability. Did these people own houses? Did they have savings? None of my business, but I wondered. I walked into the store with my deflated self-worth and walked out knowing I had saved a down payment for a house and that was more important to me than any designer handbag. I was on my high horse.

So on Independence Day, with renewed confidence knowing that "the call" was behind me, I went into the Gucci Store to talk James out of gross consumption. While I was waiting for him to come to my conclusion (which he did), I spotted a pair of shoes. No way a girl with flat wide feet could get into a pair of Gucci shoes. Right?

By the time I left Gucci, I felt like a million bucks. Have you ever had on a pair of Gucci Shoes? I went from feeling like another nameless overweight black woman to feeling like Naomi Campbell in 2 seconds. What did I do? I bought the shoes.

They were a congratulatory Independence Day present. This July 4th, I came out of the deep self-loathing period I was experiencing. I knew that my life was going to change for the better, and my personal independence from the circumstances that were troubling to me would be behind me in a short time.
Maybe that is what Gucci means to everyone.

This is definitely an after picture.

The Angel Butterfly

Here's a picture of The Butterfly. Julia hates the other picture on this page, so I thought I would post this one too.

She's so sweet.

I can't win for losing

There's something so wrong about not posting anything between the picture and the title of the next post.

I'm not trying to imply anything. I just don't want to get in trouble with my mother again.

The Fat Black Girl

I went to Six Flags on Monday, but today, I road the biggest roller coaster of them all. I logged on to post my fat black girl observations for today, but they seem somewhat trivial in the grand scheme of things.

The first incident happened this morning/afternoon when I was too embarrassed to leave my hotel room because of my now limited wardrobe; I looked at my tired clothing for hours before I actually had the strength to leave. Maybe it was a mistake to send all of those clothes home. Sorry guys.

The second was during my trip to Old Navy to put emergency finishing touches on said sad outfit. I had to return an item that was not the size as marked on the plastic strip and hanger. However, I did not have a receipt. All the drama that ensued was going to be a part of that rant. I left the store with the correct size in hand but still a little miffed. There is nothing I hate more than condescending bitches. I would have rather she told me no she wouldn’t exchange the item than listen to her go on with such attitude. This reminded me of an incident over the weekend. I figured they were both because I'm now black AND fat.

Whatever.

My next trip was to the bank to make my deposits. When the teller returned my slip that revealed that I was now $550 over my goal I was elated. With the Old Navy bitch completely forgotten, I called my parents to share the good news. I had a very interesting conversation with my father. He didn't know it, but he reminded me that life is short, and the things that seem big can become unimportant very quickly.

In this world of theater where drama is in super-overdrive and people make things seem as if their lives depend on it, a person can forget that there is life to really enjoy. Getting caught up in all of the drama and beating yourself up over it is not always worth it. Sometimes we need to cut our losses no matter how much of ourselves we've invested, just to save the one you sometimes forget…Yourself.

Dad I love you.
-Kimberly

Powerful Images

I came across this site today.

What's on your postcard?

The Funniest Thing All Day

Thanks to LaTonya for sending this to me.

This photo is entitled: Crack is One Helluva Drug

"And what? Whatcha gonna do now?!"

Hey, LaTonya. Is that your new house on the corner of Figeuroa?

Chicago 6/25/05

I walked around Chicago today.

The Taste of Chicago was in the park across the street from the theater. Iris and I decided to take a stroll and take pictures as well. I realized that I have no pictures of myself on this blog. So here it is. Iris and I in front of Buckingham Fountain. If I had any doubt that this tour has been hard on me, this picture is proof.

It just supports the conclusions I came to in New Orleans.

Chicago is a great town. Finally. Here are the pictures from my first week in Chicago.

Creative Producers at Columbia

Columbia University was in the NY Times.

Click the link below to read Jesse McKinley's article on the new Hal Prince/Columbia University "creative producers".

I wonder if it's too late for me.....

Click here to read the article (you will have to log in).

The Big Easy

"I love heat, humidity and free flowing cocktails"

New Orleans was a welcomed change from Detroit. The weather was hot and the Saenger Theater was hotter.

The Hotel Monaco was beautiful and my 2 room suite featured a sorround sound entertainment center and a jacuzzi tub.

Personally, New Orleans was about facing some tough life/career decisions. There's nothing like a little heat and a lot of booze to make you think.

Click here for more New Orleans photos

Detrois May 30th - June 13th

So Detroit.

I'm really glad I missed the first week. The hotel was weird. The theater was old. I went to Atlanta on my day off because I couldn't imagine spending a whole day in the city.

Click here for pics of Detroit

Maybe I should start a special section on gross hotels....

Are we going to see the Lion King?

This is my 8-year-old cousin. Her name is Deja, but I like to call her The Butterfly.

She has been bugging me to see the Lion King for years.

December 2002, with comp tickets in hand on the way to see A Christmas Carol at The Madison Square Garden Theater.

The Butterfly: "We're going to NY? Are you taking me to see the Lion King?"

Kimberly: "No, not this time, but I think you're going to like this."
Meanwhile, I'm mentally making a note to take her to see the Lion King one day when I get the money. I felt like I let her down. Sucker.

Spring 2003 with comp tickets to A Year with Frog and Toad in hand (for those of you who forgot, it was the children's show featuring Mark Linn-Baker at the Cort Theatre, it wasn’t open very long).

On the Path train-
The Butterfly: "You're taking me to NY? Am I going to see a show? Are you taking me to the Lion King?"

Kimberly: "No, we're not going to see the Lion King, but I think you'll like this."

Turns out she loved the show, she sang the music all the way home to New Jersey, and continued singing for weeks. This is probably her favorite experience to date.

We had a similar trip to see 42nd Street. Honestly, I should've known better. I HATED the show; I have no idea why I thought she would like it. Tap dancing, sequins, and mirrors will only get you so far. By the end of the second number she groaned, "When is it going to be intermission?"

A year later, I tried it again. After finally landing my first 1st National Tour, I wanted to take The Butterfly to see the show I was working on. Here I am, walking down the streets of Midtown Manhattan, full of pride with The Butterfly in tow. She asked if we were going to see the Lion King. I said no, but I expected her to have a good time at Little Shop of Horrors. A plant, singing black girls, music with a beat and soul…Did she like it?

Not so much.

As soon as the blood red logo appeared on the show curtain, she said, "Aw man, I saw this movie."

Once again, she was praying for the intermission. Little Shop on Broadway was less than two hours including the intermission. I was faced with the fact that Broadway musicals aren't for everyone, and my idea that if you start young, they will grow up to appreciate the form. Boy, was I naive. I will have to figure out another way to entice young black people to support my career.

Anyway, this bring us to May of 2005, the day between returning from Puerto Rico and flying to LA. I made a stop in the New York Metropolitan area, picked up The Butterfly and we road the Path.

The Butterfly: "I know we're going to NY. Are you taking me to see the Lion King?"

Kimberly: "Yes"

I was so excited to be able to say yes. She was excited to finally go. We had a quick dinner and walked to the New Amsterdam where Simba loomed above us.

We took our seats in the middle of the orchestra on the aisle. The lights went down, the antelopes called, Rafiki appeared and the elephants came down the aisle, right next to The Butterfly. The moment was magical.

As the first act plods along, I find my mind wandering, I figured it was because I’d seen it so many times. Apparently Deja's mind was wandering too. When the lights finally came up for intermission I asked "How do you like it?"
She said, "It's ok. It's kinda boring." "Can we go to the bathroom or something?"

I think the most fun she had in the theater was in that bathroom.

After all those years of wanting to go, and all those years of wanting to take her, what did she enjoy most? Washing her hands in the bathroom.

Well, that's life. Deja won't be my new audience. AND I've taken her to see the Lion King. That circle in my life is now complete.

Trip to Puerto Rico May 17-21, 2005

My brilliant boss, Bill Ferry came up with the idea that I should take vacation the week before our May layoff.

The original plan was to go to my Columbia University graduation. That didn't quite work out. Maybe next year....I wonder if Steven's even read my thesis yet.

Anyway, I digress.

I managed to have an amazing time with my father in Puerto Rico. We stayed at the El Conquistador Resort and Spa in Fajardo Puerto Rico.

Our room was great. We had a lovely covered balcony overlooking the golf course, mountains, and the Atlanic Ocean in the distance.






My father and I rented a car after 12 hours confined to the resort. Mobile and self-sufficient, we went into San Juan. We dined at the Parrot Club.

We visited the Governor's mansion, which apparently is the oldest governor's mansion in the western hemisphere still used as such. We also visited the Coach Store and some Church (OK the San Juan Cathedral) and Nunnery (uh, I mean El Convento), my father could tell you more about that or you can follow the link for more information.

Click here for my interesting stops in Puerto Rico. Click here for all of the PR photos.

Where in the world is Kim Shaw?

Welcome to my weblog where you can follow my travels and my thoughts as I traipse around the country. I think I can keep up with this.

I will start posting with this week in Chicago and try to work backwards a little at a time. I would like this to become my personal diary to share with family and friends.

Special thanks to Rachel Kiwi for giving me the idea.