Casey Anthony: Murderer or Victim?

“Justice: the quality of being just…guided by truth, reason and fairness” (Collins English Dictionary). The Casey Anthony trial, a case that has intrigued the nation since 2-year old Caylee Anthony went missing in 2008, came to a close today after a six-week stint in court. After deliberating for less than eleven hours, the seven women and five men jury found Casey Anthony not guilty on first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. Within minutes of the verdict announcement, my Facebook news feed read as follows:

“Really? Not guilty?”

“Unbelievable! Not guilty.”

“What really happened? No justice for Caylee.”

“It’s nice to know you can still get away with murder in America…”

Now, I didn’t follow the trial very closely, but I am familiar with the evidence: Casey’s chloroform-soaked trunk, Caylee’s skeletal remains found with duct tape attached to her skull, and a web of lies to local law enforcement regarding Caylee’s disappearance and Casey’s whereabouts for a mysterious 31-day period. This evidence and 400-plus more pieces of evidence left the jurors pondering whether the bizarre life Casey Anthony led and the “dysfunctional” family life she lived was just that: bizarre and dysfunctional or murderous?

Based on my background in anthropology and osteology and my little experience with forensic evidence, I’d like to say that I’d find Casey Anthony guilty any day. But the way the United States justice system is set up, you get the prosecution, the defense, 12 jurors and then you trust that the rest will lead to justice. The point is this, unless you’re one of those 12 jurors, you’ll never know what went on behind closed doors, what was going through their heads. Maybe a mom who sympathized and pitied Casey? A daughter who also felt abused and neglected by her family? A father who would do anything for his daughter?

Caylee is still gone but never forgotten, and her murderer is still out there…where is the justice in that?

Win, Place, SHOW!!

In honor of today's Belmont Stakes (I'm rooting for the orange horse #7 Monzon), I just wanted to share with everyone my team's third place win at Geeks Who Drink this week!! Wednesday nights at O'Niell's Irish Pub is trivia night and this Wednesday there were about 14 of us celebrating our friend Corey's birthday (he's the creature on the far left. In case you were curious about the other creature on the far right, that's Tony!). I'd like to say that I contributed to our win, but with title rounds like 'firesongs', 'album titles that could double as porn titles' and 'medieval times', my contribution was minimal, at best!! I did write all the answers down and turn in our sheets, does that count!? Since teams can only be made of up 6 players, were split up into two teams: my team, Happy Birthday, Corey and Ash Wednesday: The Return (many of you know that Arizona is burning and the winds have brought all the smoke and ash into our lovely city. Evenings are the worst!). Ash Wednesday pulled off second place (only because we gave them some of the answers!). You can check out pics of the other teams and read the complete wrap up here. It was a great night filled with many laughs, good food, tasty drinks and useless knowledge!!

PS. my sports bra tan is going to be around FOREVER!

Wear your sunscreen, kids!!

For those of you who know me, I've always been a fan of sun-tanning (laying beachside/poolside in a tiny polka-dot bikini soaking up the sun's rays) and have long appreciated my brown skin (thanks to my black and Venezuelan heritage). As such, I have long believed that I was impervious to sunburns, assuming I am able to produce more melanin which ultimately protects against sunburns. As I reside in the high desert known as Albuquerque (Land of Enchantment to beloved residents like me), the cold and sometimes snow-filled (at least in the eyes of a San Diegan!) winters have contributed to a rather lame basetan. Now, as summer quickly approaches and the hot sun and thin air grace us, I've decided it's the perfect opportunity to get some much needed Vitamin D and color. The result (after 2.5 hrs of gardening) is this:



Don't forget to wear your sunscreen, kids!!

History in the making

It's amazing how quickly things can change, how one event, one moment in time can change the world in which we live. This weekend marks one of those historic moments in time. This historic weekend started with the Royal Wedding, London's biggest wedding in three decades, which marked the nuptials of the second-in line, Prince William, to the throne since Prince Charles famously wed Princess Diana. I have to admit that I suffered from some serious royal fever and woke up at 3am to watch the glamorous nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. It was quite a beautiful ceremony, one fit for a princess for sure!


Then, late this evening, while watching trashy Sunday night television (ie., Real Housewives of Orange County), it was announced that Obama got Osama. Almost 10 years after the 9/11 attacks that killed more than 2,000 people on American soil, we finally got the man responsible for generating so much fear and hatred around the world. I want to take this opportunity to thank our armed forces for the many sacrifices it took to eliminate this being of terror.

God Bless America

Happy Easter

There are no kiddos around to hunt for eggs (the black lab and tuxedo cat don't count here!), but that doesn't mean I can't still dye eggs!! Tie dye egg coloring kit, Martha Stewart glitter, 10 eggs, an hour later and...VOILÀ :




Happy Easter and enjoy the week ahead!

Hello Again, San Diego!

So, I'm in the lovely (and cloudy, for now) San Diego for the weekend. Since San Diego is home and where the fam is, I try to visit every few months. This weekend is also special for two reasons. First, my best friend of 25 years, Danielle, just turned 27 (yes, we're getting old!!) and we're celebrating this weekend. Since I left town for college and graduate school, Danielle and I don't get to hang out very often, and it's been even longer since we've spent either of our birthdays together. So this weekend is a special treat for us! Second, one of my other great friends, Cheyenne, is expecting her first baby girl and her baby shower is this weekend!! I took my mom with me to buy her baby shower gift and it was a lot of fun (overwhelming too, and I'm not even pregnant!). I can't wait to gather around and shower her with great gifts for her and her precious baby!

I packed a bikini so hopefully the sun and its warmth make an appearance so I can tan this pale body of mine! I also plan on walking everywhere since gas is over $4 a gallon ( I'm on a diet too, so the exercise can't hurt!). Oh, how I've missed San Diego...

Happy Birthmonth!!

In this family, we don't just celebrate birthdays, we celebrate birthmonths!! March marks Andrew's birthmonth and this year we celebrated with a lot food and libations. I surprised him by taking him out for drinks at Seasons and dinner at The Melting Pot, one of our favorite dining experiences in town. Later in the month, we dined at Tropical Grill and Sushi Bar, a local spot serving South Pacific deliciousness that is literally a hop, skip and a jump away from the house. The husband closed out his birthmonth with a week of spring snowboarding in Telluride, CO. I'd say he was happy with this year's birthmonth festivities, and I bet he's looking forward to next year's! Happy Birthday, Husband!!