Love on Reality TV

Dear Paulie, I've been watching the CBS ‎show "Big Brother" since the first season. I noticed you, Paulie Calafiore, right away. It was something about your eyes and openness. You seemed to be flirty and talkative. I thought to myself "This is a handsome, smart, and humorous man. He's just my type."

The rest of the cast didn't thrill me until Zakiyah was introduced. She is the most beautiful and kind woman I have ever seen on "Big Brother". You kept smiling at Zakiyah. She flirted back and soon the two of you became a complicated love affair. I started to notice that you would bite your lip when thinking about or watching Zakiyah. Super sexy! Through the ups and downs, you kept my attention. I always wanted to hear what you had to say.

My goal was for Zakiyah, Paul, Victor, and you to make it to the final four. My hopes were dashed when you made a few major moves that resulted in an eviction from the Big Brother house.

You living in the jury house with Zakiyah made your love grow stronger. An Italian soccer coach ‎and a African American pre-school teacher found love on a reality TV show. I think you two are perfect for each other.

I'm proud to be a part of the #CalafioreNation. Thank you Paulie for an adventurous summer!

*This letter was written as a part of a dedication to a house guest on the popular TV show "Big Brother ". Paulie Calafiore and Zakiyah Everette were on #BB18. Marissa Meleske is creating a fan book for Paulie and asked fans to write a letter to him.

**Zaulie video - My Boyfriend Does My Makeup

Fangirling,
Monica

Good News/Bad News

Ah the joys of home ownership...

I have a mold problem in my basement. I'm super allergic to it, so I'm doing everything I can to remove it so I won't end up in the hospital with an asthma attack.

All this started because I haven't been able to turn on the air conditioning unit. Now I have a bad situation brewing. Going to try and take care of this myself. I have gloves, eye protection, and N95 masks.

If I can't get the mold cleaned up properly, this is the end. I can't take any more stress. My shoulders are already loaded up. No más por favor.

Thinking about doing a giveaway for my fabulous readers during the next couple of weeks. It will be wedding related and I'll talk about it more on my Twitter ~ @mlvlatina and my Tumblr ~ Bliss by Monica.

Abrazos,
Monica

Aww Yeah!

*I love winter this year. The cold and snow have been making me smile a lot!

*My last day of work was January 31, 2014. I miss my students so much it physically hurts thinking about them. I had to do what was best for my health and me so I took disability retirement.

*Dealing with insurance companies is a nightmare. 

*Mi hija graduates in May. I am so proud of her. She's job hunting. Please pray and send positive vibes to Chicago for her. The job market is frightful, even in big cities..

*I haven't had a vacation since 2007. I think I'm un poco overdue. 

*Totally disappointed in Anna Wintour. She put that awful Kim Kardashian on the COVER of Vogue. Kim is the exact opposite of a role model. Wonder how much Kanye had to pay for that "honor". I will never purchase that magazine again.

*Are you following me on Twitter? I hope so. @mlvlatina

Siempre,
Monica

Wedding Wednesday Update

I'm so excited to have joined Wed Over Heels. I work on the site almost every day. My hard work has paid off because my page is now one of the most popular pages!

Abrazos,
Monica

Stress!

I am under so much stress right now. I don't know how I'm even keeping myself together. Everything than could go wrong has gone wrong. I don't want to answer my phone, open the mail, or leave my room at work.

I'm even hiding from social media. I want nothing to do with Twitter, Facebook, or even Myspace right now. Yes, I'm still holding on to my Myspace for sentimental reasons. #dontjudgeme

In that past when my stress level has gotten out of control my health goes down hill fast. I'm trying to stop that from happening. All I can say is that if you don't see or hear from me for awhile, I'm trying to pull myself together. It's not you, it's me.

Mucho amor,
Monica

The Jersey Shore...

Last weekend I had the best conversation with an Italian man. An absolutely gorgeous, single Italian man...Okay, I'm back. Somehow the show "Jersey Shore" was brought up. He told me that the show was an embarrassment to their culture and real Italians hate it. The term guido is a slur, a bad word. Not something to be proud of in any way.

I had heard rumors of this, but had never taken the time to actually listen to the reasons why. Watching "Jersey Shore" is one of my guilty pleasures. I look forward to MTV at 10:00 pm on Thursdays. I start posting *fist pump* on Facebook and #tshirttime on Twitter hours before the show starts. Snooki and JWoww are my girls. I want to do inappropriate things with DJ Pauly D. Now I have a little bit of a conscience. Am I feeding into the stereotypes? Am I part of the problem?

I will still continue to watch, but I'm watching informed. Thanks to S. Who by the way made last weekend fantastic, but that's another blog for another day. Maybe :).

Ciao,
Monica

Friends...

Mi madre always drilled in our heads, "You will only have a few true friends, but many acquaintances". As I get older, I've come to learn that she was right. Then Twitter came into my life and flipped the script.

As many of of you know, this has been a rough couple of years for me. My health, job issues, a failed marriage, and too much stress have equaled an ongoing nightmare. I don't like sharing my pain and problems with others. I hate to feel like I'm a burden, but then someone in Twitterland sends me a DM or a tweet, because they...care!

The number of quality people on Twitter amazes me everyday. I have found support, laughter, a little flirting, and an outlet to vent and be myself. The real me! I can be overly talkative, naughty, sad, happy, angry, and weepy and someone will be there for me through all my ups and downs.

I can't tell you how many times I have been so low I've wanted to run away and never come back. On those days I've logged in made some mysterious tweet and *BAM* I feel better within the hour.


Thanks to each and everyone of you that have made me smile, cried with me, been inappropriately bad with me, and most of all put up with my rants. I don't want to make a list and leave someone off. You know who you are, and I'm sending Twitter love to all of you.

Hugs, kisses, abrazos y besos,
Monica

LATISM!!

Latism stands for Latinos in Social Media. It's a wonderful organization of highly intelligent, driven Latinos who happen to be professionals in the social media world. Through the #Latism hashtag on Twitter, I have most a group of the most wonderful people. Our conversations, charity drives, and Twitter parties keep me energized.

Right now there is a lot going on in the month of March. It's the month of the Mujer. A celebration of the fantastic Latina. A woman who can do it all and still manage to spice things up! We're also hosting a special Monday night Twitter party to raise funds and awareness for Chile. The 8.8 magnitude earthquake caused many deaths and horrible destruction of that beautiful country. Por favor, join us March 8, 2010 on Twitter at 9:00 pm. Look for the hashtags #Latism4Chile or #Latism.

I'd like to give special WEPA recognition to the following members of Latism:
@AnaRC @ergeekgoddess @UrbanJibaro @beinglatino @LatinaBella @LouisPagan
@KetyE @LLOnlineBlogera @TheOnlineMom @IsolatedExisten @Latinaprpro
@xavierism @julito77 @OfeliaNJ @chela816 @LTLV613 @hissip @Mcontemporanea
@carogonza @lorena_vale @MsLatina @antonio @httponline @iCuevas @JaiMami
@jeannettekaplun @jennifervides @josieinthecity @kcrojas @KellyMullaney @NancyPerez
@spanglishbaby @SupaSistaLatina @TargetLatino @TikiTikiBlog @vidagirl @mikeroblescomic

Besos y abrazos mi gente,
Monica