SoapNights / Kristin Nicole

Have you seen the new Apple iPad? It’s gorgeous, it’s almost like a bigger iPhone, just better on the eyes to read.

Features:

It features Safari (Wi-Fi) – Email (where you can turn the iPad to portrait like you do the iPhone to fill in the screen better), Photos, Videos, Youtube, iPod, iTunes, App Store, iBooks (This one is my personal favorite, I love to read books, and even though I can do it on my iPhone, the screen sometimes is just too small, and my eyes begin to hurt, my only concern is how much do the books cost on iBooks?), Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts and Home Screen & Spot Light Search. Whoa, is that it? Do you need more? Did I mention that any apps you bought on your iPhone can also be placed on the iPad? Well they can!

My thoughts:

I think that Apple as created another monster, I think this is a beautiful design and I know one thing for sure, my boyfriend is trying to find reasons to buy one. My only problem the price, but like any Apple Device it’s always a little more expensive then others. It starts at $499 with just the Wi-Fi, but if you want Wi-Fi + 3G it bumps itself up to $629 (GEEZE, $130 dollars more, OUCH Apple, and that’s only for the 16GB). If you want the one with the most GB, they offer 64GB Wi-Fi only for $699 Wi-Fi + 3G = $829. Is it worth it? Do you think it’s worth it?

If you want to read more about the iPad go to www.apple.com/ipad

xo,
kristin nicole

Stop the Violence

The story:

Another shooting another day it seems. Sunday evening there was a drive by shooting at Annie Coleman apartment complex at 2135 NW 52nd St. Witness say they didn’t get a good look at the men in the car but there was at least four men riding in a gray Nissan Maxima or Altima. Neighbors say the 15 year old girl who is not yet identified was only playing outside with her friends when shots were fired and she was shot in the head. She was pronounced dead on the scene. The other 3 victims who have not been identified were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. (to read more on this story click on link miamiherald.com ).

My thoughts:

These people who live in these areas are scared, I don’t think they know what else to do. I’m not sure they can do anything, but hope that they catch these kids and put them away for life. I can not imagine what this 15 year old girls parents and family is going through right now. To know that your children can’t even play in the front yard, to know that your home is not safe, it’s just wrong! I don’t understand the kind of violence that these people portray on others, why they think this is a way out of whatever they are trying to accomplish. What is going through their minds, and if they think what they did was right?

Police spokeswoman Det. Rebeca Perez urged anyone with information to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Speaking of the teenage victim, Perez lamented, “What could she have possibly done to deserve this?”

xo,
kristin nicole

VS.

Okay so I know this is a strange topic, but what can I say I love to cook, and well I always see the Prego commercial that states they had a blind fold test and the majority picked Prego over Bertolli. My response: REALLY?!?

Prego vs Bertolli

First is it true that PREGO really did do this test? And second, did they really choose Prego? Personally my favorite store bought sauce is from Bretolli. They have viarities of tomato and basil, four cheese, vodka sauce and more. I know the others have the same viarities but the flavors, oh the flavors are oh so Delish! Now of course people have their own taste buds and their own opinions, some prefer Ragu, personally Ragu to me is just bland and just tomato thrown together with out seasoning, but that’s just me. My question however, is what do you prefer?

Do you prefer Prego or Bertolli? Or is there another brand you think will throw these two out of the water? I would like to know, maybe I haven’t tried it yet and I’m missing out. Leave a comment and let me know. I promise I’ll taste them and I’ll let you know what I think. Pasta is my weakness, I love pasta so I’ll try different sauces to see what is really and truly the best ones.

Change it up

If you want a change though, I also recommend trying to make your own sauce. I tried a recipe over the weekend that was very simple. I used a Mascarpone with Parmesan cheese, I didn’t have heavy cream so I substituted it with 2% milk and it worked just the same, just not as thick but still oh so creamy. I then seasoned it with a little salt and paper, and in less then 10 minutes your sauce was ready to go. I then placed the light crusted lime flavored Tilapia I made in the oven. Oh what a dinner. This weekend I want to try a new recipe, if you have any favorites I would love to give it a try.

I look forward to any comments. — Until next time…

xo,
kristin nicole

Did you know?!?

Star from Dexter (who plays Dexter) Michael C. Hall has been battling a form of cancer called Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Luckily a form of cancer that is treatable into remission. Michael is in remission now but has a few more treatments to go. He showed up to the Golden Globe awards with his wife and co-star Jennifer Carpenter. Something else I didn’t know. (So much for being a Dexter fan).

I didn’t know…

I just found out “Dexter” Michael C. Hall has cancer, when I saw the picture of him at the Golden Globes with a hat on, and also noticed he looked a bit different. Come to find that he has cancer and is in remission. This news was sad to hear yet happy that he’s now in remission and doing okay. Another shock, Jennifer Carpenter plays his sister on “Dexter” but I didn’t know they were married in real life. That’s awesome, yet weird all at the same time. I see them has brother and sister…hmmm…I guess I have to get used to the fact they are married in real life. Other great news, Micheal C. Hall won at the Golden Globe Awards for best actor in a television drama. He didn’t make any references to his cancer only that “It’s nice to have a justifiable excuse for accessorizing,” he joked. (referring to his hat, I’m assuming). He didn’t want to go public with his disease but because the Golden Globes were important to him he decided to buy a nice hat and make his first statement. Dexter is going to resume filming soon. Thank goodness because I just ♥ Dexter!

I’m glad you are doing great Micheal, can’t wait to continue watching you on screen.

xo,
kristin nicole

CONTINUE 01/15/10
Thank you all who have read my post and have tried to contribute to one of the areas below. I have more information if you need it and if you can please pass it around:

all fire stations will be collecting these 5 items

Canned Meat
Canned Fish
Canned Milk (Evaporated)
Canned Milk (Condensed)
Bottled Water

Do not forget that they also need baby supplies, they need clothes and toothbrushes, toothpaste, anything that also has to do with hygiene. Anything can help.

Haiti has suffered tremendously in this earthquake and we are asking that everyone get together and help. You don’t need money to help, you can help donate clothes, canned foods whatever might be helpful.

I have come across a few places here in Miami that are asking for your help:

3555 NW 7th Street, MIAMI FL 33125 – At Life Skills Center from 7AM TO 4PM. 1st Charter leaves Friday. Looking for Food, Clothes, Water, Necessities. Accepting Donations at the school. – PLEASE HELP HAITI!

Haiti Relief——->Large truck that will be on the corner of 1st & Alton Rd. South Beach, FL 33139 –beginning at 6:00 pm today (01/13/10) and will be there 24/7 until it is filled. Items most needed: blankets, tents, batteries, candles, clothing, medicine and canned food.

Publix is collecting donations for Haiti. They have teamed up with American Red Cross to help. Also, Power 96 will be at Calder Race Course from 6-6 tomorrow collecting food, water, etc. PLEASE HELP these people. Every little bit matters. Spread the word.

AMERICAN AIRLINES is taking doctors and nurses to Haiti for free. Please call 212-697-9767. Spread the word. Thank you.

If anyone knows of any other donation locations that I can post, PLEASE let me know.

For Donations (Please help Haiti) Click on one of the links below:

AmericanRedCross.com

Americares.org

More Places to Donate here

Wyclef Jean Haiti

This didn’t only happen to people in Haiti, it’s happening to us. We have people that live among us that have family there, and I send my prayers out to those families. In the Miami Herald this morning I read that two journalist from UF were there working on a documentary there names Jon Bougher and Roman Safiullin, we are still waiting to hear from them. No one has heard from them since this devastating disaster. Safiullin last posted a note on his Facebook page on Jan. 9, saying he was in Port-au-Prince. This means it was most likely that they were still there when the earthquake hit. I hope they are okay, and I hope their families hear back from them soon. UPDATE: I heard in the news last night that they were able to find out that Jon & Roman are in fact okay. I’m sure their parents are now relieved and can breath.

I heard on the radio that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave 1 million to help in the relief. I want to say thank you and I hope there are others who have the money like they do to help in this way, in any way.

Please help however you can.

xo,
kristin nicole

The sad devastation:

A 7.0 Earthquake hit Haiti Tuesday killing so far thousands and possibly even more. Tearing down thousands of structures, including schools, the National Palace and U.N peacekeeping headquarters.

The United States and other Nations are building force teams to go aid in the help of this horrific disaster. It was said to be clear that thousands have lost their homes. “The quake struck at 4:53 p.m., centered 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of only 5 miles (8 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS geophysicist Kristin Marano called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti”. To read more on this story go to news.yahoo.com

My thoughts

Haiti already suffers so much and now for something like this to happen is just devastating. The US and many others like Venezuela and Italy are sending people to help. It’s sad that something so horrible has to happen for other countries to work together. With everything going on it’s a blessing that so many people are willing to help. My prayers go out to the families that are there, the families that have been lost, the families that are here and can’t do anything to help. Yesterday, Today and the days to come are going to be hard, but our country will work together with others to try and help Haiti and the families that have been lost in this sad day. Many will be remembered, this event will always be remembered.

For Donations (Please help Haiti) Click on one of the links below:

AmericanRedCross.com

Americares.org

More Places to Donate here

If you know any other websites we can help donate to please let me know, so that I can post them. Thank you.

xo,
kristin nicole

Oh Simon….

First Paula now Simon? It’s confirmed all over the news and radio that Simon Cowell’s last season on American Idol will be this season. People are worried that American Idol won’t exist after he’s gone, and some hope that it will continue on. This is American Idols 9th season, can you believe it? Simon has been working on a show in Britain called the X-Factor, it’s become one of the most popular shows there, and he is wanting to bring it to the US. Here he will be a judge and produce the show as well. He wants a challenge and this is it.

Will American Idol survive?

I don’t know that American Idol will survive much longer. They have had a few successes from their contestants but most of them haven’t even been the winners of American Idol. I believe there is only 2 of them who have won and have become huge stars, Kelly Clarkson & Carry Underwoood, my favorites of them all. They are true talent and unfortunately a lot of times these reality shows are based on popularity. As you can see, where are half of the other so called American Idols? I stopped watching American Idol a long time ago, when you can see that the people winning didn’t really have the talent to be an American Idol yet were still winning the crown. I didn’t see the full show when Carry Underwood was on, but caught a few episodes and fell in love with her instantly. Great singers will prove themselves & I think Kelly & Carrie have done just that. Daughtry wasn’t even a winner yet has had a wonderful career, I also like his band, great music and great talent. However, now with Simon leaving next season I think the show will drop, he’s the biggest one on the show, and I hate to say it because the guy is a complete a** but he’s what people tune in to see. Paula Abdul left and even though many fans were upset it really wasn’t or isn’t a huge make or break deal. A lot of people don’t think Ellen DeGeneres can bring what the show needs, but I personally just LOVE HER! She’s great, funny and I think she’ll be a little more honest then Paula was, you can’t just always double coat everything with niceness. I don’t know that I’ll watch American Idol this season, but I might take a few peaks just to see how Ellen is doing.

I guess we’ll all just have to wait until this season is over to see where American Idol will lead us.

xo,
kristin nicole

Brrr it’s cold in the MIA

Record lows have hit South Florida and even more up North from us. Well don’t worry Miami, your warm weather will be back shortly. For most of us this is a blessing but for some, we were enjoying the change in weather for once. I am one of those people. I love it, I love being able to wear my boots, and scarfs and jackets and just not having that humidity we usually have this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in love with waking up in the morning and not being able to get out of bed, because my bed was oh so warm this morning. Then getting in the car didn’t help either, boy did that heater take long to warm up. But all in all, I really do like it. I am a little sad that by Friday we are going back to 78 degrees during the day, reaching Saturday we’ll be in the 80′s Yuck! My only silver lining, that the night times will still be in the high 50′s to 60′s.

When is it too cold for you?

This morning was a little too cold for me, having ice on my windshield as you can see in the picture above isn’t your ideal morning here in Miami. Still loving the fact that it’s cold, just wish it wasn’t that cold in the morning so I can get out of bed. But like I said, we won’t have to worry about that for too much longer, this week will start warming up and becoming the Miami you once knew.

xo,
kristin nicole

The story (CONTINUED):

I wrote about this just the other day. Woman found in burning North Miami trash bin is identified. I was shocked to hear such a story, well last night I was saddened even more after watching the news and watching her mother cry for her daughter who was only 26 years old. Paula Sladewski once modeled for Playboy was identified on Wednesday (Jan 10, 2010).

Who are they looking for?

The person in question right now is her boyfriend. They went out to Club Space and people said they got into an argument and he left her there. The news stated that The boyfriend, whom police did not identify, reported Paula missing to police and also tried to find her by calling hospitals and jails, interviewing people and hiring a private investigator, his attorney says he was with police for 12 hours talking with them and that he is very devastated and traumatized. He also told the news he had nothing to do with Paula’s murder. Examiners state that she was strangled before she was burned. Her mother was crying saying how sad to know her daughter died looking into the eyes of the person who killed her. Her burns were so bad that she was unrecognizable and they can only send half her body back home. For more on this story you can go to cnn.com

My thoughts:

This is such a sad story and I feel for her family and friends. The only thing that concerns me is that even though they had an argument and the boyfriend got kicked out of club space and Paula decided to stay why he didn’t report her missing until Monday. I can understand that sometimes there are rules about being missing more then 24 hours or something like that, but he left the club Sunday morning at 7am. When she didn’t show up by that afternoon, wouldn’t you wonder and go looking for her, try calling her cell phone? Did this happen often that he didn’t think anything about it? He did however call police first thing Monday and states to look for her in hospitals and even hire a private investigator. I hope that he didn’t do this, but the thought of what happened to poor Paula is devastating and now her family grieves for her. They can’t even have an open casket to try and have closer because her burns were so bad. I just hope they find who did this and fast, because if it wasn’t her boyfriend there is another person out there in Miami who strangled and burned a victim, this can happen to someone else if they aren’t careful. My prayers go out to Paula’s family. May Paula rest in peace and may they catch whoever did this to her.

If you know anything click on my post above for more information as who to call.

xo,
kristin nicole

The story:

A body of a woman was found burned in a trash bin in North Miami Sunday night. She was found in a flaming receptacle when Fire Rescue was called to extinguish the fire. She was identified through her dental records as Paula Johnson, 26 years old.

They are saying Police have not named a suspect or a motive. Investigators asked anyone with information to call Detective Michael Gaudio at 305-891-8111 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

For more information you can also visit miamiherald.com

My thoughts:

Stories like this astonish me every time. How can someone put another human being on fire, leave them there to die in pain. How did Paula get into a situation like this? Was this a family member, a boyfriend, a friend, or was it some random act of “wrong place at the wrong time”?

Every day there are stories, every day people die, every day people grieve for the ones who have passed and every day is another case to be solved. I hope that anyone with information goes to the police. Let Paula’s family get justice for what this person has done to her.

There is a time and place for death, being burned alive, isn’t one of them!

xo,
kristin nicole