I want to taste and glory in each day,
and never be afraid to experience pain.

Sylvia Plath

Photography by Denise Blasor

LEN.T.JUELA GOES LOIZA STREET

With its grey facade and lively window
displays, Len.t.juela carves out a
beguiling presence on Loiza Street.

San Juan -- "Fabulous." "Welcoming."  "I 
love the sparkle and the exclusivity of each
piece.""It's Not a store It's more than that. 
It's culture, family, good taste, love. Good
stuff!!!!!!!"

That's the sort of enthused comments
you'll find posted on the Facebook page
of vintage boutique Len.t.juela in response 
to the store's new location on Loiza St.  

All deserving plaudits.

The new store is a winner. It sports a hip,
industrial look (notice the black cement floor),
lots of colorful details and an eclectic mix of
glass cases to enshrine all the lovely objects 
of bygone decades that store owner Valeria Bosch
and her partner in vintage Bryant Huffman have 
culled for their clients' consideration.

The new locale gives Len.t.juela the kind of 
visibility missing from its former location,
which was just around the corner but off the 
main drag. 

It is sure to translate into more traffic and
consequently more business for this special 
store that proves yet again the value of 
recycling. Well-made products can live if not
forever,at least a very long time, and each
user contributes a story to each object as
it passes from one person to another in a
continuing chain of ownership.

Here you will find clothing (on its official opening day, frocks were flying off the racks),costume 
jewelry aplenty, accessories
like bags and hats,plus
items for home or hobby 
(from pretty china cups 
to old cameras and movie 
cameras).

The store is accommodating: its hours run from 11 am to 7 pm so people can stop by after work, a
perfect detour to make after a long day and a way to while away a little time while the customary 
late afternoon traffic eases up. 

len.t.juela, 1852 Calle Loiza
next to Oro Centro 787.408.7111
Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm

Photography by Denise Blasor

All that lives must die eventually,
passing through nature to eternity.

Shakespeare, "HAMLET"

OF RAGS &  RICHES

It turns out that donating used clothing may not be such a
helpful thing after all.

True, it may fill a donor's heart with satisfaction but based
on recent online reports, only a small portion of the
clothes that people donate is actually kept by charities
to either donate or resell in their stores. The rest is sold off
in third world areas where these goods compete with the
textile industries in some of these countries, to the
disadvantage of these industries and the vital jobs they
represent.

So next time you want to head over to the Salvation
Army or some other charity organization, donate only
the best clothing and the rest, well, you're better off cutting
up the material into pieces of different sizes and keeping it
handy around the house to mop off spills, use as dust cloths
and for other home cleaning duties that would otherwise require
paper towels.

Photography by Ulrike Blasor

Where is it, this present?
It has melted in our grasp,
fled ere we could touch it,
gone in the instant of becoming.

William James

☛  A SIMPLE TIP: Those plastic pouches (with or without
zipper locks) so commonly used for packaging these days
are not usually recyclable; it would be great if companies
would find an alternative that is environmentally-friendly.

In the interim, use these bags to fill with water and place
in the icebox for a convenient ice pack to soothe a sprain,
aching joints, or arthritis flare.

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

Today you are you, 

that is truer than true.

There is no one alive

who is youer

that you.

Dr. Seuss

Cupcake Madness

New York has Magnolia Bakery, tucked away on a corner
of Bleeker street and made famous by the ladies of Sex &
the City. San Juan has its own heaven for cupcake madness
and it too is tucked in a corner on the ground floor of Casa
Bella in touristy Condado.

The cupcakes at Vanilla Bean Cupcakery are truly scrumptuous.
Nanette Cordóva, the woman behind these delights, makes them
in nearly two dozen flavors but no matter which one you choose,
you can't go wrong. At $2 a pop, these small, delicious confections
reward the palate without ruining your diet or your figure.

True to her beginnings as an interior designer, Cordóva turned
the Condado store into the visual equivalent of her baked
goods: luscious pink walls, white glass display cases to show off
the wide selection of cupcakes all neatly lined up like precious
jewels in their white trays, and a wall chockful of motivational and
life-affirming sentiments set off by decorative frames suggestive
of flowery cake ornaments.

Vanilla Bean combines the joy of baking with the joy of design:
Cordóva's twin loves, a double treat for the price of one.


Vanilla Bean Cupcakery
1400 Magdalena Ave. Condado
787.283.8989/6868
Tue through Sat. 9 am - 8 pm
Sunday 11 am - 8 pm
(Other locations: Torrimar Shopping Center &
Galeria Paseos)


ⓒ 2014 Lorraine Blasor, All Rights REserved☂

SPRING RECYCLING

 IN THE SPRING a young man's, or woman's, fancy turns to thoughts of love. Or maybe, recycling. Springtime is as good a time as any to do a little housecleaning but rather than throw everything away consider donating cast offs that are still usable and in good condition to a charitable organization like the Salvation Army, with more than 2,300 donation drop-off locations throughout the U.S., or to a charity-run thrift store in your city or community. For large items like furnishings and appliances, you can arrange a free pick up by calling the Salvation Army at 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).

AND WHAT ABOUT electronics, whose toxic components make them a hazardous waste? One reliable recycling option is Best Buy, the specialty retailer of consumer electronics which in addition to recycling also allows trade-ins for some items. With more than 1,000 stores nationwide, the company has a broad reach. The Best Buy store in San Juan is located at 230 Calle Federico Costa, practically around the corner from Plaza Las Americas shopping center (787.764.4900). Business hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

PRODUCTS accepted by most Best Buy stores span nearly everything electronic, including TVs (as long as they don't exceed 32"), DVD players, monitors and mobile phones, desktop and laptop computers with the hard drive removed.  Consumers may drop off two items per day for free with the exception of small TVs, monitors and laptops, for which the company charges a $10 fee. In return, however, you get a $10 Best Buy gift card.

BEST BUY'S trade-in program, according to the company's website, lets you trade in "gently used electronics for Best Buy gift cards," either in-store or online. For in-store trade ins, bring Apple laptop, Apple iPod, mobile phones and PC laptops purchased at Best Buy and get a Best Buy gift card instantly.  There are three requirements: be at least 18 years old, have a valid Best Buy receipt, and bring along a government-issued photo ID. Online trade-ins cover a wider range of articles. For more information on Best Buy's recycling program, including a full list of all items accepted, go to the company website and look up the recycling section under product support. 

RECYCLING gives new life to materials otherwise headed to the local dump. The idea that something unwanted can be turned into something valuable is awesome, particularly in view of the fact that landfills are a limited resource. To find out more about recycling and to locate recycling centers in your area consult Earth911.com for its comprehensive recycling directory covering over 300 materials, plus news and tips. The company also runs a toll-free, bilingual environmental hot line at 1-800 CLEANUP®.

EQUALLY HELPFUL is 1800recycling.com,  a recycling location search engine. The site includes a blog with very interesting stories. One recent piece under the headline of "Holiday E-Waste? Beware Fake Recyclers!" highlighted the growing problem of unscrupulous e-recyclers selling their toxic scrap to brokers who, in turn, dump these materials in Asia and Africa where this waste is broken down in a dangerous way, creating dangerous toxic areas.

©2009 Basel Action Network (BAN)

Accra, Ghana, among the 
 most toxic places on Earth

How to differentiate between good and 

bad e-cyclers? The answer is the e-Stewards® 

Recycler Certification Program that certifies

 responsible e-recyclers and was developed

 by a leading environmental watchdog, the 

Basel Action Network (BAN). "Only

 Certified e-Stewards Recyclers ensure your 

e-waste will not be exported to developing

 countries but rather recycled by the most

 secure practices in the world," said the story.

Best Buy, by the way, is a good recycler. 

The company, according to e-Stewards, 

uses legitimate recyclers.           

                                    

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

TEA TIME: Everything about tea is perfect. It is soothing, relaxing and drinking it makes you feel like the heroine, or hero, of a British novel (in Barbara Pym's novels, everyone seems to be drinking tea all the time!). One especially delightful brand is Rishi Organic Green Tea Mint, a harmonious blend of full-bodied, roasted loose leaf green tea and aromatic peppermint. At vitamin shoppe.com, the 1.94 oz tin sells for $9.99. 

Photograph by Denise Blasor
Artwork outside shuttered business in San Juan, P.R.

"I can't go on. 
 I'll go on."  

     -- Samuel Beckett

Copyright©2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved