Rebecca A. Foster

According to Mexican tradition, brought to San Antonio by its large Mexican expat population, the color of panties you are wearing when the clock strikes midnight determines what you will find in the new year. So, you should wear red panties for passion, yellow panties for prosperity, and rose colored panties for true love. I love this tradition, because how easy is it to find rose colored panties vs. red ones?  RIGHT. The Mexicans are onto something. I always wondered about yellow vs. green for prosperity, but green panties are hard to find too. I guess this one is just about practicality. I have also heard you should wear yellow to find true friendship. 

As friends know, I hate having to wear a shirt in public. It just feels so much better when your skin is exposed to the warm sun and fresh air. (And you could in theory do this a lot in S. Texas, where winter lasts approximately 48 hours.) So I especially love Saturday and Sunday mornings when I can take a shower, slide back under the covers and doze again while drying off. And when I do get up, spend all morning in my skivvies. I don't answer the phone. I eat a leisurely breakfast. I read my new Entertainment Weekly or Voltaire or something. (Okay, Entertainment Weekly .) But the best part is definitely being able to lose the outer shell for a while (and be awake for it). The only time I get to experience this in public is wearing a bathing suit. It is acceptable to wear a bikini in public, but not bra and panties. Weird. Which is why my favorite relaxation-vacation is the Yucatan Peninsula, where the only thing I have to do when I wake up is put on a bikini and wear it all day l...

I tend to judge people based on: 1. Their ability to construct and/or understand double entendres 2. Spelling ability 3. Tolerance for spicy food I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying I do. People who can stop me in my tracks with a good double entendre/word play and eat really spicy food go to the top of my list. I love spicy food, but sometimes Tabasco or other hot sauces add too much clashing flavor. So I keep red pepper flakes handy and add them to most things I eat. Soup, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, veggies, etc.: there really isn't anything that doesn't taste better hotter. I even add them to salsa, especially when I can't get to the Mexican market for really spicy salsa. These seem kinda of fancy, I just use the Schilling brand you get at the grocery store for $3.00 or so. I keep a bottle at home and a bottle at work. I think the flakes are better than the powder.