Roadrunner Soup

I have a new spot.

2010-06-28T13:31:00.002-04:00

I've spent a while debating whether I should direct people to the new spot, but have decided its ok.
http://roadrunnersoup.tumblr.com/

They're changing all the rules on me!

2009-11-05T16:41:00.003-05:00

Apparently the two spaces after a period between sentences has been thrown out the window. See?! We're down to one space. I like two spaces!!!

All the grammar rules are changing. And even the science knowledge I learned in elementary school has been deemed untrue. I thought I had a good education! Now look at the things that they're teaching now:
- Pluto's not a planet
- Brontosaurus isn't real
- Only one space between sentences
- The comma after the second to last item and before the ‘and’ in a list is thrown out

Are they next going to tell me 1+1 = 3??? Why do they have to go and change all the rules on me?

P.S. I always used two spaces between sentences and will continue to do so. Even knowing that the rules have changed. Hrmph!

A good question

2009-10-30T09:31:00.003-04:00

Spotted on W 23rd... Too amusing!

Rant on Plaid.

2009-10-28T12:50:00.002-04:00

You heard right. I am ranting about plaid. You know, that pattern that has recently started coming back in fashion after the last bout in the early 90's.

Why has it come back!? Does no one remember how awful people dressed in the early 90s with all that plaid flannel? "Hick trucker" comes to mind when I see it.... Is it just me that thinks this? I challenge you to prove me wrong.....

I love the analogy

2009-10-27T13:37:00.001-04:00

“Lately I feel like somebody made a big mess and I’ve got my mop and I’m mopping the floor and the folks who made the mess are there (saying) ‘you’re not mopping fast enough. You’re not mopping the right way. It’s a socialist mop.’” President Obama via Reuters

He makes sense....

How Halloween costume ideas lead to manicures:

2009-10-24T17:24:00.001-04:00

I never know what to be for Halloween. On the list of possibilities this year are:

Deal or No Deal Girl
Substitute Teacher
Orbit Gum Girl

They’re all relatively easy… the last is probably the one I wish I could do the most, but I haven’t found the great hat she wears yet. So Orbit Girl will likely be out. And I’m not so sure which of the other two I like more. I think it depends on how appropriate my new glasses are when I get them on Tuesday! Hmmm….

I think a mani-pedi will help the thought process. Good excuse for pretty nails, right?

Sigh

2009-10-03T17:52:00.006-04:00

The title of this video should be called "Where Jim raises expectations to unrealistic levels". I melt watching this.

Proud Aunt

2009-09-16T19:36:00.003-04:00

I adore these kids

Randomness

2009-09-16T19:06:00.006-04:00

Do people actually check voicemail still? i cannot imagine having to actually check it after 3 years of having them delivered via text. i always question whether to leave a vm now because i just assume they don't get checked.

I have a cold. it sucks, but at least i have really super-soft tissues. Hopefully this is the last of the illnesses/injuries for me in 2009. I have had enough!!! On another note, love the boyfriend for bringing me cold meds that work!!!

I have a slight (read: massive) obsession with scrabble. Cannot get enough of it.

I figured out why people stopping on the sidewalk in NYC annoys me unlike anywhere else. It is my street. My primary method of transportation. If someone slammed on their brakes in front of you on the highway, you would be annoyed. Maybe even say a few choice words. That is how I feel when you stop in front of me on the sidewalk.

Things I have learned to do sufficiently well one-handed (and lefty) in the last month:
- use chopsticks!
- signatures (not text, mind you, but I have the signature down pat)
- type one-handed relatively quick
- open child-proof containers (i still cannot get them closed again, though)
- put deodorant on (you would be surprised how difficult this is!)

Things I cannot do well one-handed (and that are a major annoyance!):
- open glass jars
- get child-proof containers closed
- write
- put my hair up - at all!!!

Sex and the City II

2009-09-10T11:21:00.001-04:00

They've been filming on my block!!!!! AAhhhh!!!! :)

I feel like Humpty Dumpty

2009-08-23T20:37:00.003-04:00

I am falling to pieces.
Earlier this year I messed up my knee. It is still not healed and I am supposed to start a series of injections to help this week.
Last Wednesday I decided I still had the ability to tumble. Yes, gymnastics. Apparently I missed the memo advising that those within 4 months of their 30th birthday should have quit these sports (for good) years ago. I walked away with a broken right hand and spent all day Thursday in the ER.
Very soon I expect to be held together by screws and super-glue.

The good news is that my parents were scheduled to visit Thursday through Sunday, so I had some help learning to do things with my right hand. Really appreciative and glad to have seen them.

Best Email Ever

2009-08-17T09:13:00.004-04:00

My sister's mother-in-law sent me some pictures this morning, primarily because I beg for any kind of access to my nieces that I can get... even if that just means pictures and the occasional phone call with the elder of the two for the time being. Evelyn sent over the picture below, and let me tell you, this completely made my morning. :-)
Isn't Riley cute!?!

I hate to say this....

2009-08-13T15:27:00.002-04:00

Bronson Arroyo, former Red Sox pitcher, made a comment the other day:

"People don't own teams to lose money. If you ask any owner whether they would rather make $20 million and come in last place or lose $20 million and win a World Series, there's only one guy who honestly would take that championship: George Steinbrenner. Nobody else."

It saddens me... If only Steinbrenner would make this decision, who really loves the game itself anymore other than the fans? I can only sigh a breath of relief that Georgie isn't still running the Yanks. I can continue rooting for the Sox comforted in the knowledge that even Hank and Hal would go the way of the cash...

New Yorkers live longer than the average American

2009-08-10T10:42:00.002-04:00

Its true!

"... it’s the way we walk that has a surprising spillover effect on life spans. Researchers have long known that people here walked fast—far faster than anyone else in the country. Indeed, the easiest way to tell a New Yorker from an out-of-towner is by walking speed: The natives blast down the sidewalk at blitzkrieg pace, and the visitors mosey along like pack mules."

I love that the tourists are compared to pack mules. Ha!

http://nymag.com/news/features/35815/index1.html

Cooking and cupcakes

2009-08-08T22:24:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been eating out a lot. I cleaned out my fridge and defrosted my freezer last week though and have decided to cook at home for most of the next 3 weeks... since I head on vacation after that!!! I sat down tonight and have put together a grocery list, top of the list being ingredients for Mojito Cupcakes, yum! I feel so productive. Just thought I'd share. Now, who wants a cupcake?!

20 Things a Woman Should Do Before Getting Married

2009-07-31T10:41:00.001-04:00

Just about there....

~~Live by herself for at least a year.~~
~~Live with someone else for at least a year.~~
~~Recover from a broken heart~~.
~~Have a vacation fling.~~
~~Take a road-trip with a group of girlfriends.~~
~~Relish sleeping in a queen-sized bed by herself.~~
~~Get her finances in order.~~
~~Learn to love her body.~~
~~Have sex with at least one person she’d never want to marry (or introduce to mom).~~
~~Find reliable birth control.~~
~~Pay off as much credit card debt and student loans as possible.~~
~~Spend way too much on a something frivolous.~~
Exorcise all past relationship demons.
~~Travel somewhere exotic.~~
~~Establish a strong circle of friends.~~
~~Forgive her parents for not being perfect.~~
~~Have at least one night she can’t quite remember.~~
~~Experience some really bad first dates.~~
~~Find hobbies that fulfill her.~~
~~Celebrate her 25th birthday.~~

4th of July

2009-07-10T23:45:00.000-04:00

My sister’s engaged. I haven’t had too much time to spend in getting to know Keith, but the time I have had, I have been impressed. Keith and Emily have a 9 week old daughter now and I spent the long Independence Day weekend at my parents house with them and a bunch of friends. Keith showed himself to have endless amounts of patience and adoration with both Riley (the 9 week old) and my sister’s older daughter, Gwen. He’s caring and firm, and I cannot imagine a better father for the two little girls, or a better husband for my sister. I’m just so happy for the four of them.

The weekend otherwise was amazing – sunny and warm (the way I like it), with family and friends in abundance. I’m so lucky to have parents that not only are OK with me bringing gaggles of friends to their house for 3 days, but that enjoy it! I loved having the time with them cooking dinner, playing on the boats, and refilling that cavity in your soul that only time with your family can fill. I love that they got to meet those friends that are close to me, and I’m happy that my friends got a peek at the people that made me who I am.

This is the type of relaxing weekend that just makes me feel so fortunate to have all the people in my life. Many pictures were taken over the weekend…. I’ll add some as soon as the photographers decide to let me see the pictures. (HINT, HINT, my lovely photographer friends that joined me in VA).

Next up? Sonoma with some Virginia friends this weekend, then a self-made bike tour of the Long Island wineries the weekend after, and perhaps a beach day or Six Flags day the following weekend. I have a full few weekends coming up!

From Literally, Genevieve Clare...

2009-06-30T11:12:00.001-04:00

This is so completely me....

Wherein we stumble upon a movie set in Washington Square Park...

Me: Hey, can we stop and watch??
Boyfriend: Oh that's nice of you to pretend that I have an option.
Me: [Getting giddy and jumping up and down a little bit] What do you think it is?
Bystander #1: Harrison Ford is in town filming a movie. Maybe it's that.
Bystander #2: Gossip Girl has been filming downtown all day.
Me: [surveying the scene] Oh my God.
Boyfriend: What!?
Me: OH MY GOD!!!!!
Bystanders #1 and #2: What? Who is it??
Me: That is Adam Sevani.
Boyfriend: Who is that??
Me: THEY ARE FILMING MOTHEREFFING STEP UP 3!!!
[Bystanders #1 and #2 leave immediately.]
Me: Babe, I'll die if they do a dance sequence. I will fall on the pavement and DIE. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Boyfriend: Oh sweet Jesus.

4th of July with my kitties!

2009-06-27T20:25:00.004-04:00

I'm so very excited! My favorite holiday, and I'll be spending it with great family and friends playing down at my parents house.

My kittens are coming with me this time... I'm curious how they will deal with the trip. 7 hours in a car... Any suggestions?!

Amassing a Navy or Learning to Sail

2009-06-16T12:42:00.002-04:00

I called my Dad today to whine about having to get knee injections (still trying to heal the destroyed knee), and he cheered me up telling me he is "amassing a small navy"... buying another boat.
The new boat is a sail boat, though, not a power boat! So now I get to learn to sail this summer! How exciting is that?! I think I'm heading there for July 4 weekend to lay on the boats, waterski, learn to sail, and watch fireworks from the water. Yay!!!

If you're thinking about birthday presents...

2009-06-15T16:45:00.002-04:00

If presents for my birthday have been on your mind, might I suggest the following if you can find it:

Cameras and Shoes

2009-06-12T00:58:00.006-04:00

I have a handful of new pairs of shoes of which I'd like to take a picture.
I'm still in the process of figuring out how many new shoes it takes to make a heart stop hurting... And I think documenting the process would be a helpful reminder of how many to start with next time.

Do you realize how much a picture of the newbies would make this post oh-so-much prettier!?

I really need a digital camera to manage this. The phone just isn't cutting it these days... Any suggestions?

Something to remember...

2009-06-11T23:25:00.000-04:00

“I must learn to love the fool in me—the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool.” - Theodore I. Rubin, MD

My sister's engaged!

2009-06-01T20:05:00.002-04:00

Congrats to my little sister, Emily, and her fiancé, Keith!

Tell me where one might wear these...

2009-05-28T22:04:00.004-04:00

Please... I cannot come up with a situation in which I'd think, "Yes, I must wear those socks tonight." And yet, American Apparel is selling them (along with scrunchies... is it 1987 again?)

July 4th is coming!

2009-05-26T13:04:00.002-04:00

It is my favorite holiday by leaps and bounds. Really, what is left out of a July 4th weekend?: warm summer days, sparklers, fireworks, hot dogs, water games, watermelon, friends and family, no pressure to buy gifts and wrap them... It is a holiday that for me can just be summed up with smiles and laughter.

One more month... I can't wait!
Just have to figure out where I'll be for the festivus that is July 4th.

Wanted: certainty

2009-05-24T23:16:00.003-04:00

The last few years, I've felt happy and comfortable about where I am in life. I like my job. I like my personal life. I have a good relationship with my family and close friends that are dear to me. Its not often I feel lost or unsure of what I want - in fact, I feel quite sure of what I do want and what I do not want. Don't misunderstand - I don't have everything I want (who does?), but being able to specifically identify my goals for the next 5 years both personally and professionally allows me a certainty I wouldn't likely have otherwise.

Recently though, I do feel lost.
Not without hope, just without certainty.
At one of those interminable junctures that is a decision point without being one; where by not making a decision you effectively have made a decision. Why can't life be more like poker games - when its time to make a decision, you have a few options and play doesn't move on until you decide the way you want to go?

5 Things...

2009-05-21T02:11:00.003-04:00

I am grateful for:
- Good neighbors... the kind that are welcoming, friendly, and warm.
- My life... I have a good one. Remember that.
- My health... I could be less fortunate.
- I feel... I could be ignorant of love and life and emotion.
- Rest... I could be unable to sleep. I have been there before. Sleep helps manage the rest.

Today this was hard. I need to remember these things right now.

Gravity

2009-05-20T19:50:00.010-04:00

Gravity, Sara Bareilles

Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I still feel you here, ‘til the moment I’m gone
…
You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain
…
Set me free, leave me be
I don’t wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I’m just the way I’m supposed to be
But you’re on to me and all over me
…
But you’re neither friend nor foe
Though I can’t seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know
Is that you’re keeping me down, you’re keeping me down

A Happy Weekend

2009-05-16T16:54:00.004-04:00

The perfect day:

Wake up early-ish, read a book in the warm sun with an egg sandwich for breakfast

Ice tea and Mexican for lunch with sopapillas as dessert with wonderful friends

Nap time after lunch

New Nieces

2009-05-13T17:36:00.005-04:00

How come they are just so much fun to hold!?

Weekend with the family and new baby!

2009-05-11T00:49:00.003-04:00

My little sister had a baby girl on Thursday, just in time for mother's day! Riley Noelle is her name... perfectly healthy and adorably cute! Pictures will be coming...

I went down this past weekend to meet Riley and see my family. Its always such a breath of fresh air to see them. I had a glorious weekend - tromping through the woods around my parents house, playing yoga games with my older niece, cuddling the younger one, cooking for Momma and Poppa, and generally just relaxing. I'm so lucky to have not only great parents, but ones that I am friends with too.

Catch & Release

2009-05-06T19:05:00.001-04:00

What a difficult movie to watch.... it legitimately is my nightmare.

May is the best month ever

2009-05-05T20:54:00.003-04:00

True story.
A few examples for you:

Boston has beaten the Yanks every game so far.
My 2nd niece is due to be born this weekend. This means I have a new (and valid) reason to shop!
I get to go to Albuquerque for a weekend. This means I get some much-desired sopapillas, spicy food, green chile chicken soup, and other tasty, true-mexican food. It also means I get to meet my college roommate's daughter, see my college roommate, along with a number of other wonderful friends too.
Memorial Day weekend = 3 day weekend! How could one argue with that kind of goodness?!
I get to cook in my Momma's kitchen. As mine rivals the size of a shoebox, its always wonderful to cook where there's room. AND where the groceries are purchased by someone else. Heehee!
No more crutches! I spent all of April on crutches and being free of them is lovely!

Fortunate accidents

2009-05-01T11:57:00.002-04:00

I love the word "serendipity" and its meaning, a fortunate accident. It defines how I experience life. Not that you aren't in control of and responsible for the decisions you make, but in my case, things tend to work out best when I accept the serendipitous events and go along with them. Maybe you can argue that this is being easy-going, and that in and of itself creates a less stressful environment. I can't believe that though... I really think things happen for a reason.
For instance, that 90 degree weekend 2 weeks ago.... definitely nature's way of avoiding a cold-weather melt down by me (and probably 90% of all New Yorkers), even if we had to go back to Spring for a while after the two 90 degree days. It was fortunate for all those around me that we had some warm weather to keep me sane for a bit longer until summer comes. :)

Older than the Docs

2009-04-23T22:46:00.003-04:00

I had to start physical therapy a few weeks ago after tearing up my knee playing dodgeball (of all things)! Its been an interesting thrice weekly event for me... First of all, the docs (can you call them that?) are really pretty cool. They laugh with me, and on one occasion even drew everyone in the office into a debate with me on which celebrities had nose jobs... while massaging my leg, of course. I'm getting better slowly too, so the overall experience has been positive, despite the pain.

The one thing I haven't yet been able to get over has been the fact that the two physical therapists that I see are younger than me. Both of them. This is the first time I've gone to see someone to 'fix' me and they've not even been my age. I understand this is inevitable. I'm getting older, and students are continually graduating with fancy degrees allowing them to work in these professions. This is the first time this has happened though, and I find the it extremely discomforting. Maybe the second time this happens will be easier. Or maybe the feeling never goes away. I find myself thinking "I could have been a doctor by now"... if only I'd enjoyed chemistry. I'm successful and happy where I'm at, but the positive stigma of being a doctor still sticks with me. Knowing I could have done that already in my life irks me. I suppose I just have to take a deep breath, realize I'll be dealing with this the rest of my life now, or start a mission to find old doctors. Haha!

Thankfully I have good and amusing doctors.

Its been a while...

2009-04-14T23:38:00.003-04:00

So it has... I think I've had too much going on to focus on writing. I'm working on grad school applications (scary!), the associated personal statements, taking care of my cats, traveling for work, breaking myself playing dodgeball, etc. And now I should have the time to write since I'm down and out with a bum knee, but I find I'm just exhausted and frustrated continually since I really can't jump up and run around the block or walk down the street to the park or simply get out easily.

The thing is, life is good right now. Yeah, there are bumps and twists, but overall, the past 2 years have been the most enjoyable two straight years I've had in memory. I feel like I'm complaining unnecessarily because all the bumps and twists are temporary and even still, good things are happening.

I went to my sister's baby shower last weekend - she's having a girl in 3 weeks! I'm so baffled by the different paths our lives have taken, though Em does seem happy, which is a good thing. Her boyfriend is a darling too, which is fabulous! I'm convinced the child will be born with a southern accent... I'll just have to take up for NYC visits to cure it. ;)

Kitties!

2009-02-27T19:28:00.008-05:00

I (finally!) got my new kitties a week ago! They arrived by delivery (of course… I live in NYC… everything is delivery here). They are the cutest little kitties possible. Before they came to live with me, they were named Bitz and Sadie. Then it was found that Sadie was a boy. I was going to name them Bits and Pieces at the urging of a few people around me, but when they arrived at my house, Pieces was simply a Tucker.

So my kitties, Bitsy and Tuck, are now the huge focus of my attention. When they’re not being cute and cuddly, they’re chasing anything that moves across the TV, dumping their food to play with the bowl, climbing up my shower curtain, and stealing rolls of toilet paper. Who knew that taking care of 2 kitties required this much attention!? Certainly not me, but I am enjoying it. Bitsy was the runt of the litter, so she is the smaller of the two. The funny thing about her is her squeak. She can’t quite meow, though she definitely has mouthing it down. What ends up coming out is only ever a high pitched squeak though! Tuck has a little belly, on top of being about double Bitsy’s size (they’re the same age!), and looks more cat-like now than his kitten-like sister. But they’re both still super-adorable. Here they are:

The New Year's Post

2009-01-10T01:26:00.005-05:00

I have always hated the idea of making New Years resolutions that you never intend to keep. There is absolutely no point to it! I do believe in making a small number of resolutions to provide some goals to attain. It’s a good reason to write down the goals that are floating around in my head anyhow, right?! So here are my 2009 New Years resolutions:

Increase my fluency in Spanish (and go somewhere to use it!)
Hide some money (i.e. Find and use a good income tax shelter) – buy a house, increase my 401k, etc.
Stop eating at the same places! Limit myself to dining at a particular restaurant no more than once a month. (i.e. stop going to Bella Vita and Supermac so often – this will be hard!)
Apply to (and get into) grad school. And find a good student loan where interest doesn’t begin accruing until after you’re out.

Last New Years I made a list of events and realizations I made throughout the previous year and found it refreshing to hash through what I’d learned over the course of a year. This past year has been far less eventful, but there have definitely been some realizations and subsequent changes made.

I vowed not to work more than 60(ish) hours a week last New Years

+ I learned that some resolutions are worth working on

+ I succeeded on this one for the most part

+ I’m happier with the balance in my life

I left town for every major holiday in NYC (New Years, 4^thof July, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

+ I realized that once is enough for each of the big holidays in NYC

I took some friends and hung out at my parents house mid-summer

+ I savored the fact that I have fantastic parents

+ I realized having a place on the water to vacation is a fantastic luxury

+ I thought about how nice it would be to own a river house with a boat, a dock, and a rope-swing

I moved into my own apartment

+ I found relief and peace in coming home to a quiet spot all my own

+ I realized how much stuff I actually have (and that I could not fit into a studio apartment)

+ I have re-learned how much I appreciate living on my own

+ I found that I love hosting game nights

+ I got lucky with what has thus far been a great landlord

+ I did forget to take pictures of my apartment before I moved in again (D’oh!)

I paid off my car and all credit cards

+ I realized how relieving it is to know you have no debt.

+ I thought about how much debt buying a house would incur

I went to South America on vacation

+ I learned how fascinating socio-political setting and economic development is to me

+ I realized you need more than a week to really understand a country

+ I remembered more Spanish than I thought I did

+ I found a new love in the beautiful butterflies of Iguazu, Argentina

+ I learned to keep a better eye on valuables while traveling (my iPod is gone…)

+ I realized a vacation from your vacation is necessary after spending it all on adventures

+ I learned if you declare everything in customs, you can bring back lots of good wine

I moved my office into my apartment

+ I figured out how much I could save myself and my company by not having an office

+ I realized the dedication needed for taking showers and getting dressed in the morning

More friends got married, had kids, or bought houses

+ I am continually baffled by how all this growing up happens…

I ended the year in Vermont with a boy and good friends

+ I realized I only like to sleep in rooms with people I know

+ I realized how long ago college seems now

+ I thought about how nice it would be to own a ski chalet

And I am still keeping track of that balloon ride I won in 2007 that someone still owes me.

Argentina: Mendoza and the trip over the Andes

2008-12-20T01:40:00.018-05:00

I have to say up front that South America was absolutely amazing. It was amazing in so many ways, and there wasn’t a second of it that I would trade. It is, however, is a unique place in terms of their recent and cultural history, the separation between city centers and everywhere else, and how unbelievably (dis)similar it was to the US. There are adventures and stories that may portray some areas in a negative light, but take this with the idea that it is simply different – not better, not worse – than to what I have been accustomed. It allowed me some visibility into a world that truly has not been my own…. I believe I’ve traveled my fair share and honestly was prepared for an experience more similar to that of my trips to southern Europe than to the some of the places I was fortunate enough to see.

The flight down there was a business class red-eye. (All done with airline miles!) I highly recommend this since the flight didn’t seem close the 11 hours that it was – I slept nearly the entire way. I did learn that the “lay-flat” beds are a far cry from coach, and are flat… just not parallel to the floor. I think I had to hoist myself back up the seat a few times during the night to keep from sliding under the seat ahead of me. J I know I know… What right do I have to complain about business class?!

We landed around 9am in Buenos Aires, and were to take an overnight bus (another 11 hours or so) later that evening to Mendoza. The international airport in Buenos Aires is almost amusing. A single runway, and the airport itself appeared more like your regional airports in the US. The airport is about 40 minutes outside of the city center, so we got a remise (hired driver) to take us straight to the bus station thinking we absolutely had to get there at some point, and could wander around there a bit until our bus left. Taxis abound in the city and at the airport, but we heard (and later experienced) that the taxis in Argentina can be a scam – meters that clock in double time, drivers taking you in circles, and being given fake cash when you get change. A remise is the way to go….

At the bus station, there were stray dogs all over the place. I can’t really call it a problem since the dogs were all quite amenable and didn’t bother anyone, but they really were all over. I had to keep telling Brian not to pet the dogs (for fear of him bringing fleas back to the hotel, much less anything else!) I thought the stray dogs were perhaps a bus station issue, but they’re in every city like that – in parks, on the street, wandering down the sidewalk… Keeping Brian away was a full time extravaganza. I finally bought hand sanitizer and just made him wash his hands every 15 minutes (exaggerating! kind of...) The dogs seem smart though! They even wait at the cross walks to cross the street. Very strange…

We found a place to store our luggage for the day and went in search of lunch in the sweltering heat. We found this huge but empty place at the rail station that was air conditioned and decided anywhere with a/c was good enough for us. My first real experience in trying to communicate in Spanish happened here successfully! The food was good, but what I most remember was converting the Argentinian pesos into $ and being SO happy that our meal (a pizza and 2 liters of beer) cost all of $8. The rest of the day we wandered close by the bus station, found the hotel we’d be staying at later in the trip (not far from the bus station), and relaxed. I also had the task of keeping Brian from trying to pet every dog that entered his eyesight.

The bus that night was actually quite nice. We took a first class bus to Mendoza, which has lay flat seats (parallel to the floor!) and was quite a comfortable ride. The food wasn’t bad either! We arrived in Mendoza around 9am the next morning, took the risk and grabbed a taxi to the hotel, where we were able to check in early to our suite! We showered (for the first time in 2 days – ugh!), and got some rest before heading out to explore.

Mendoza is a very outdoorsy place. There were lots of small travel agencies that specialized in mountain treks anywhere from a day to a week, paragliding, whitewater rafting, biking, and wine tours. Wine is BIG in Mendoza – the area is the largest producer of wine in South America, and their malbecs are world-renowned. We only had 3 days in Mendoza, and then were planning to take another overnight bus to Santiago, Chile, so we quickly decided we needed to do a wine tour and go whitewater rafting. The whitewater rafting was not so long in the water (45 minutes?), but it definitely gave us a sense of Argentinian’s time. If they tell you they’ll be there in 10 minutes, they mean around 40. They’re very relaxed people. We did the whitewater rafting our second day and spent most of the afternoon hanging out above the water with some other Americans that we met and waiting for the van to take us back into the city.

That night, we were able to go to a 5-star restaurant in Mendoza called 1884. It’s a restaurant that’s been written up in the New York times, and the food and atmosphere were absolutely amazing. The entire restaurant is walled in. You have to have a reservation to enter, and its an old winery that surrounds a beautiful courtyard and grill area. Apparently the governor of Mendoza was there the same night we were, so security was very tight. The picture here is of my dessert, "burned fruits". The absolute best thing I've ever eaten...

The next day, we’d hired a driver to make reservations at 4 wineries in the area and take tours of them. Wineries in South America are not like those in Sonoma/Napa – reservations are a must, and you get a full tour of the winery in addition to the small tasting sessions. We had a beautiful lunch at one winery, were able to drink wine straight out of the barrel at another, and bought a handful of bottles to bring home with us. It was a quite intimate experience, and we met a few other people – both from the US and South America, as well as Germany and elsewhere. I think the rest of our time in Mendoza was spent eating… I love their food… And I gained about 20 lbs because of it.

In all of our chats with other people, whenever we mentioned our overnight bus that was planned for Santiago, it was heavily advised to take the bus during the day. So we did.

The trip over the Andes mountains into Chile is a beautiful 7 hour ride, and a little scary at times! The road just after the border crossing turns into an extreme version of that twisty Lombard St in San Francisco. I was completely convinced we were going off the edge of the cliff at every turn. The transition from Argentina to Chile was almost shocking to drive through though. Argentina is very poor in the rural areas. The highways we were on in Argentina were dotted with small shacks that were lucky to have windows, but all had bars over the doorways and windows (or where the windows should be). On the Chilean side, the level of living was noticeably higher. The houses rarely had bars, and were actually quite cute cabins in the mountains.

Santiago is just at the base of the Andes, and is a wonderfully clean city. Their subway system (although it closes at 10pm) was so clean and decorated so nicely, it could make you think the Manhattan subway stations were from a third world country. I have to wonder how heavily subsidized the subway system there is, or what NYC is doing wrong. Santiago may be cheaper than NYC, but its certainly not the place you should visit if you want to save cash. The exchange rate was something like 660 Chilean pesos to 1 US dollar (insanely hard to figure out how much you’re spending on the fly), but you’d spend 20,000 pesos for a taxi ride....

More to come when I have some more time to sit down and write...

Efforts to be a wise old owl. Or an old maid. :)

2008-11-09T22:46:00.005-05:00

As I'm nearing the end of my twenties, I have been feeling that I should start planning for the future - namely ensuring I will be OK in 30 or 40+ years. Financially, I am doing the things I think I should: saving, contributing to my 401K, etc. Minus owning a house. Its a good time to buy I think, but that's such a scary idea for me, and buying in NYC is exponentially more scary compared to buying outside the city - who outside NYC would agree a one bedroom apartment is a deal at half a million dollars?! But I digress...

Outside of financial security, I am determined to have mental security: I will be a sane, lucid old woman (even if I end up as an old maid with a cat)!

I've known for a while that crossword puzzles increase brain function and decreases the susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. I am fortunate to be the nerd that loves crosswords. So check that one off my list in my efforts to be mentally sound.
Tonight PBS had on a show about brain functionality. Supposedly your brain function increases if you concentrate on good things in your life... And thinking of 5 things a day for which you are grateful has proven to help your brain function. The nice addition to this practice is that I just get to think nice things and have my own personal mini-thanksgiving in my head every day, which hopefully should help me start (or end) my days with a happy thought.

Don't expect me to do this constantly here, but for today, as a start, I shall list 5 things for which I am thankful/grateful. Here goes: I am thankful....

for my parents' support. My parents build me up and are proud of me. They let me know when they're disappointed in my actions, but always let me know they'll be there to support me.
that I am able to support myself. Although I have worked hard to get where I am, I know that a piece of my success is simply luck in being at the right place at the right time. I am thankful to have worked hard and to have had luck on my side.
that I have had the opportunity to travel. To have been able to visit much of western Europe and will soon see some of South America before my 30th birthday, I am fortunate.
that I can read. Simple, I know... but I love where books take me and how they stir up images and people from words on a page.
to have fantastic, interesting friends and a boyfriend that all care about me. They all contribute to the person I am and make me a better person for their friendship.

He tried to steal my blender!

2008-09-25T10:11:00.003-04:00

Oy vey... Maybe I should write a book on the trials and tribulations - and un-fun adventures - of living with a psycho.

I'm down to less than a week living in my current apartment and CANNOT WAIT to get out. Roommate number 2 moved out last Friday, so its just been me and the Psycho packing up. The apartment is a colossal mess right now - boxes everywhere and a resulting layer of dust on the floor since most of the furniture is now gone.

I walked in the kitchen the other day to make my last meal in the apartment. (Nothing to worry about regarding my eating habits - I'll be eating out the next few days.) Psycho has a box of the few kitchen items he owns on the counter, and I happen to notice my cutting board sticking out of it. He tried to steal my cutting board. I grab that, of course, and in doing so, it moves the handy towel he has COVERING MY BLENDER! In his box of stuff! He was going to abscond with my blender! A good one at that - glass and 20 different mixing speeds!

I have taken control of that situation (ie, taken and hid the blender), but I wonder how much more he has already taken and what more he will attempt to take. I tried to pack up all the kitchen stuff I could and move it into the new place (I got my keys yesterday!), but I'm still feeling very suspicious. All my boxes are in Roommate #2's old room, and I even wrote down the number of items in there so I could count and make sure nothing was missing. This is so crazy.....

14 More Days...

2008-09-16T20:14:00.002-04:00

I'm down to counting my days. 14 days and 6 hours.

To what, you ask!? MY OWN PLACE!
I'm really excited... I looked and looked and looked.... Found a few places that I liked, but they were in the wrong place, wanted me to move in too early, weren't in great buildings, or simply had massive broker fees that I was trying desperately to avoid.

And then I dramatically threw myself on my super's desk one day while walking in from work and told him I was devastated that I was leaving my building... The building that has a fantastic super, is on a great street - accessible to everything, has a doorman, is safe, and has great tenants. He laughs at me, then fate steps in! Apparently THAT DAY a woman in my building decided to rent her 1 bedroom apartment 4 floors up from me. I was certain it would be WAY out of my price range - the apartments in my building are humongous compared to normal NYC apartments. But she negotiated (and yes, rent is still ridiculous), and likes my move in date, so I get to stay! I just have to move up a few floors! I am unbelievably excited! No brokers fees, stay in the building, and I get to keep Tim (the super), who comes to save me from imaginary mice when the occasion requires it, or installs brand new a/c's when he thinks I might be hot (without me even complaining!)

How lovely is that?!

Who wants to visit!?

Psychotic Roommate

2008-08-26T17:06:00.005-04:00

I know I've talked (complained, ranted, whatever...) to a few people about my psychotic roommate. But I promise, he really is nutso. To recap the highlights of my last year of living with him, here's a condensed version of the events:

refusal to pay bills to the point I threatened to shut off electricity (and would have if the other roommate didn't step in and take it over);
demanding immediate payment on his bills or he would "take further measures" (I waited 2 weeks to pay him once.)
advising my other roommate and I to call the cable company ourselves to add more lines to his bill when he didn't want to put cable anywhere but his room and the living room (umm, what company would say "sure, i can add that to someone else's account!"?)
eating my sole package of broccolli and cheese, denying it, then asking where he could buy more to replace it (if he had bought it in the first place, wouldn't you think he'd know where to find more?!)
hiding the phone for the household phone line
drinking all my wine the day after I opened the last bottle I had (nope, no replacement either!)

Here's the fun one, though! My roommate told me this, but it absolutely without a doubt paints the third roommate to a T:

M (the good roommate) comes downstairs to make waffles for herself one morning. She takes them from the freezer, pops them in the toaster oven, then decides to go back upstairs while they're cooking to get dressed. M comes back down 10 minutes later to find her waffles missing from the toaster. Knowing that only C (the psycho rooommate) is in town for the weekend, she goes to his bedroom door and knocks. C opens the door with his mouth full of waffles and asks what's up. M asks him if he ate her waffles. HE DENIES IT! M calls him out on it and asks him to replace them...

But what on earth!?!? Who takes someone else's food that they're cooking?!! He is deranged and completely inconsiderate!!!

I can't wait to get rid him from my life.

I'm an old broad already?!

2008-06-11T11:08:00.001-04:00

I’m on a plane last weekend, sitting nicely in first class, thanks to upgrades the wonderful boy gave me, waiting for take off. In fabulous first-class-land, they offer you drinks before you take off, and I quickly accepted the offer, requesting a jack and coke. Although I would prefer them to carry Crown, I think I probably would sound very pompous if I made a fuss about it, so I’ll leave it at that. I digress…
So I request my jack and coke, and am ID’d. First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been ID’d on a plane before. Not even when I was 20 (looking 12)! I pass over my ID, she checks it out, bends it a little looking for the hologram and whatnot, sees the date, and says, “Wow! You’re an old broad!”

I AM NOT KIDDING.
I’m not even 30 yet!!!! Since when does this qualify me as an “old broad”? No wonder women have issues when they turn 30!

A Baseball God touched me...

2008-04-28T16:44:00.006-04:00

i.
met.
MANNY!

You remember that teenager feeling... The butterflies in the tummy. The inability to not ramble. The way your tongue felt like it was 200 times its normal size. I felt that. Manny Ramirez, the beloved Red Sox player, was on my flight. He's beautiful. He's not as big as he looks. He touched my arm. How giddy do I look?!

And I got a picture and 2 (count 'em) autographs!!!

A Rather Unseemly Habit

2008-04-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

Its been a while since I've written anything down. I've had a lot roaming around in my head, and unfortunately, it is of the stuff that shant be written about in such a public forum. So I'm skipping all the good stuff (sorry!).

I learned to play golf this weekend. That's an exaggeration. That I learned to hit a golf ball harder than what is standard at mini-golf is a more accurate statement. Very exciting! My father will be very pleased with my attempt (though if I ever chose to show him my skills in person, I think I'd get laughed at!). My mother... well, my mother never got my dad's love of golf. She'll think I've gained a rather unseemly habit at best. Which is exactly why I only told my dad! I wish I had pictures of me in my Connecticut gear - slacks and polo shirt (I was totally missing the sun visor).

Does Hypnosis Work?

2008-02-11T20:18:00.000-05:00

Memories should fade more effectively. Maybe I'm a forgetful person here and there, but its the stuff I want to forget that never seems to go away and can haunt indefinitely. If hypnotism worked on me, I think I'd be interested in figuring out how to filter out the good stuff for remembering.

I was so proud...

2008-02-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

Work has sent me out traveling for a bit and I have to admit, I was more than a little proud of my brilliant packing abilities the night before I left New York. See, I was able to get over 2 weeks worth of clothes, spanning at least 3 different climates, packed into the nice 21-inch roll-aboard/carry-on suitcase I use, my only other bag being my laptop case since my little purse fit nicely inside one or the other. I was determined to both not be that American that carries around 2 million tons for a 3 day vacation, and also to be able to avoid waiting for luggage to come around the carousels by carrying it on board with me. (The UK now has a 2-bag carry-on allowance, recently changed from 1). I was sooo proud to accomplish this, I even took a picture of my 2 bags!

It worked fantastically out of NYC and into London last night. I even had a nice non-economy seat with a footrest. Pleased with my flight and my packing...

Then I got to the airport this morning in London to leave for Barcelona. Ugh! They wouldn't let me carry on my roll-aboard! Granted, the flight was short (2 hours), and the luggage was promt on the carousel, and my bag even one of the first ones out... but not exactly my plan. I'm disappointed now. I'm expecting to have to look forward to the same situation on my way back, and I don't even have a non-economy seat to console me. :(

Poor me! ;-)

And.... I'm out...

2008-02-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

Once again, I was idiot enough to make a silly bet on my team. There are some that would kill me for this - but I did. I was feeling confident. Not cocky, just confident! Who would have even dared to put their bets on the Giants?! A comfortable 12.5 point spread. An undefeated season for the Pats. Brady. Moss. Welker. Stallworth. Faulk. ...Bellichick!

Ugh. But I did. Not money... just my pride. I'm to be forced to wear an Eli Manning jersey to my favorite Boston bar for an entire evening. Oy! Please do NOT mock me for this! I'm already feeling enough pain on my own.

Let's not discuss this further. I'm just glad I was fortunate enough to be out of town for the blasted parade in NYC.

Specifically

2008-01-17T00:29:00.000-05:00

I wrote an email yesterday that happened to include the word “specifically.” When MS Word underlined the word in red (noting its incorrect spelling), I looked at the word I had written – "specificly" – and could not, for the life of me, figure out what was wrong with it, though it did look clearly wrong. I’m disappointed in myself. Appalled, really. I’m a good speller! How could I make this silly of a mistake?! Either I was half asleep when typing, or I really need to go back to school and get my brain working again.

Maybe I should go back to teaching... !

No More Dreams!

2008-01-16T01:16:00.000-05:00

Its a rare occasion that I remember my dreams, until the last few months anyhow. I had a run of dreams over the last month, but they seem to have ended - thank God! All the dreams I've remembered have ranged from awful to horrifying to seriously painful, without a single good one in the bunch! I'm really glad that they've gone away. I prefer no dreams to bad ones.

A crazy year. Much learned:

2008-01-10T18:09:00.000-05:00

:: I started with a trip to NYC with my best friend, at which point I decided I would absolutely "someday" live in the city. Now I do. // I learned to act upon my desires.

:: I'm healthy. // I learned I’m a strong person.

:: I went to Barcelona and Italy for a bit of work, a bit of play. // I learned that I could go through the Vatican 100 times over and still not see everything. // I learned to shut my eyes and trust traffic would stop when crossing streets. // I learned that my Spanish sounds like Portuguese. // I learned the Spanish word for "raincoat" (gabardena).

:: I went to my sister's wedding as her maid of honor. // I learned I should prep for MOH speeches ahead of time. // I learned a stash upstairs usually works just fine. :)

:: I moved into my own apartment after my roommate decided to implement "no talking" rules after 7pm. // I learned that roommates are not always the best plan.

:: My parents came to visit with my niece for a week. // I learned that a 5 year old has infinite amounts of energy when you want them to sit still, and none when you need them to be on the move.

:: I made a big job decision; stayed with my company and asked for a move to NYC. // I learned to weigh my options carefully and that sometimes the best option is NOT to move on, but just to move away.

:: I went to the UK for a college roommate's wedding. // I learned that I'll always be a klutz, and to be careful of drains when wearing heels. // I learned to clarify work expectations before heading to different time zones. // I learned that age can be irrelevant.

:: I took a tour of the country (primarily for work) and moved to NYC. // I learned that I should think hard before making another big move. Its not easy, financially, emotionally, or organizationally!

:: I ignored my gut, and realized in the end my gut was right on. // I learned not to settle for “almost good enough”. // I learned to trust my instincts.

:: I sublet an apartment for a few months while finding a place of my own in NYC. // I learned to take pictures of the way you find a place, or you could end up arguing for your deposit.

:: I moved in with 2 roommates in the city, which has been an extremely trying experience (only with one roommate). // I am re-learning that roommates are not always the best plan. (Maybe I'll get it one of these days)

:: My best friend came to visit and introduced me to a boy. // I learned I love that my best friend knows not only what I like, but what is good for me too.

:: I flew to St. Louis for a first date. // I learned sometimes you just have to be a little crazy and go for it. // I learned that there are people in the US that believe humping speakers equates to dancing. // I learned long distances make the conversations interesting.

:: I won a bet for a balloon ride. // Someone still owes me that!

:: I went on a 2nd date in California, a 4th in Vermont, and a 6th in Albuquerque. // I learned I can miss a person a lot when it just feels right to be around them. // I learned that Alpine Slides are waaay fun. // I learned how romantic hot air balloons and starry nights can be with the right person.

:: I asked for what was mine. // I learned that I shake ridiculous amounts when I’m really nervous. // I learned that my Dad can hear nerves in my voice. // I learned it feels good to stand up for yourself, even when its hard to do.

:: I introduce a guy to my parents and meet his family as well. // I learned I find this a bit nerve-wracking when you like the guy, and especially when its not on neutral turf.

:: My sister grew up. // I learned my sister learns things the hard way. // I learned I can feel fiercely protective of her, but need to let her figure herself out.

:: I came in 1st in my division and 3rd after the playoffs in my fantasy football league. // I learned that I love to win, even when its virtual games. // I learned to be a great delegator, but to trust my own calls as well.

:: I ended the year in the Bahamas by the water with the boy, random strangers, fireworks, champagne, and big grin. // I learned I can be braggy (something to work on). // I learned its hard to stay frustrated with someone when you care. // I learned there are girls that think I’m cute enough to kiss.

New Years Resolution Implementation: i.e, I went to the Bahamas

2008-01-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

I have officially implemented the New Year’s Resolution I spoke about previously and took about 2 weeks off work over the holidays. In reality, I took off only 8 work days b/c of the two holidays, and ended up working on Christmas day. Yes, I realize working on Christmas is not a great start to keeping my New Year’s Resolution, but it was NOT officially New Year’s, so I refuse to admit defeat yet…

I spent a week down with my family, and am only realizing now that I didn’t get a single picture in while I was there. My sister, with her new job as a Front Royal police officer, was working the entire week, so it was just my parents and my niece, roaming around the house and off seeing friends. In general, it was a good week, though I could VERY easily argue that time spent with my family can not actually be considered relaxing. My dad in fact, gave me a set of napkins for Christmas stating: “I’m visiting family for Christmas, by New Years I’ll be in therapy”. I think my Dad gets it… :)

The Boy came down towards the end of the week to meet Momma and my niece, although introducing a guy I like to my parents can only be considering a nerve-wracking and nail-biting experience. Fortunately it was only for 2 days before we headed out to the Bahamas for some definite relaxing. I had an absolute blast, didn’t work a single day this past week (um, today, the Saturday after my return, cannot be counted against my resolution. I’m catching up so next week I can continue on my path to work-life balance enlightenment!)

We had 2 days of 80+ degree weather in Freeport, on Grand Bahama Island – and then back to “normal” weather there – in the 50s and 60s. Still a far cry from the 20s and 30s of NYC.

I had tons of time for kayaking – I do NOT recommend sitting in the front of a 2 person kayak as you are highly likely to get whacked in the head by your rear companion, getting soaked by them, ducking trees, and having to understand their “instructions” on steering, (“Steer right”, “STOP”, “Why aren’t you paddling”, “Don’t steer like that” being common phrases you’ll hear throughout the ride). I loved every minute of it; goofing off, running into trees, and all...

For riding a 2-person scooter around town – I do recommend requesting your partner’s scooter-driving experience first, and ensuring that they can successfully perform the following items:

- Stay on the road
- Stay on the correct side of the road
- Drive straight without wobbling
- Turn without wobbling WHILE staying on the road

It was hilarious. I absolutely recommend looking silly in the ridiculous helmets and scootering around an island.

For horseback riding – I recommend riding the horse that does not annoy all the other horses and cause them to attempt biting your horse and avoiding your horse at any cost. This makes for bad pictures.... Or as bad as a picture can get when you have horses on a sandy beach in front of clear aqua waters. Which clearly isn't that bad. :)

For hikes to see caves and raccoons!

Let’s hope these 2 weeks have refreshed me enough to keep me from stressing out over work, etc. at least through January… The Dodgeball team I have joined should assist me in releasing any anger or stress – I pity our opponents!

My Choose Your Own Adventure Book

2007-12-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is getting married and going through a “which life do I want” dilemma that’s making me think about what I want in 5 or 10 years. I know not all of my hang ups are either-ors (there are instances where both can happen), but I feel like I should know by now what I want in life. I don’t think that’s the case for me at the moment.

At 12, (6th grade), we all had to write down what we wanted to be and what we wanted with our lives in 10 years. My 12 year old idea of where I’d be today was very defined. Where I actually am from where I thought I’d be so completely different, its unbelievable. At least I kinda had a plan, though…. right?
I was going to be a doctor (probably would still be in school).
I was going to have kids (who knows… They don’t fit in my life at the moment).
I was going to be married (the idea of forever requires a patience I don’t know that I have).
I wasn’t going to live in NYC (school, kids, and a husband would not have allowed it).
I was going to travel the world (this, at least, I’m doing somewhat inline with my 12-year-old idea).
My parents would be retired (my Dad can’t seem to figure that one out).
My best friend would live much closer (damn it, Amy!)
I’d never even think about teaching (today it sounds so relaxing…. And I did love doing it).

At 28, if I think ahead 16 years ahead (44, for you math majors), I seem to come across this black hole of ideas. A million plans in a million directions and nothing certain or concrete. Maybe its a lack of focus. I’d rather call it open-mindedness. Or insatiable curiosity. Not that this by any name is anything out of the ordinary… How many college majors and states did I run through before landing where I’m at?! It’s a bit disturbing in an oddly satisfying way.

There are a few options that seem to be seriously viable possibilities, and I know the decisions I make today will place me into one of these lives. Likely without allowing me the chance to consciously decide which I really want. Does anyone really end up consciously deciding where they land anyhow? I need to be able to read ahead in my Choose Your Own Adventure book and see which life works out the best so I can make my decisions accordingly. If anyone comes across the book about me, send it my way.

Things I've forgotten and Newly Remembered

2007-12-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

// I really really really like the sun
// Gray skies were never my thing
// Mailing cards when I have a deadline is hard. When there is no deadline, I mail them often!
// I shake when I get really nervous, even when I shouldn’t be nervous
// Opening the door for people in my California office was always a pain
// I have a Fry’s gift card that I haven’t yet used… and can’t in NY
// I miss having no roommates
// Cooking is usually much tastier than food I order in.
// My head and my heart don’t often agree
// Ashley’s couch really is comfortable

New Years Resolution....

2007-11-30T23:44:00.000-05:00

Some weeks are just hard, and there’s seemingly no way to escape it. Don’t get me wrong; I love my life right now. I really really do – my job, my personal life, my family – all of it. But this week has been enough to make me want to crawl under my desk, curl in a ball, and not come out. One of my favorite colleagues had his last day today, too, which doesn’t help. This has gotten me thinking about what I want my life to be – I hate being this stressed out, and want to enjoy my life, but work hard and be successful too.

**I must interject here. The TV is on, and I just saw someone presenting the most amazing shoe. It has a convertible heel! The heel folds from a high heel down to a low one really easy! Mental note: must figure out where to find these. I so need them!

The good news, despite the stress (that oddly is making my chest bone crack like a back or finger does), is that I know I can get through this. That I’m a strong person and am only learning. I only wish this learning didn’t keep me from the other silly things I’d like to do – start doing some gymnastics again, taking a Spanish class, etc. My new year’s resolution has come out of this, though, and I’m going to separate work and life better. That’s it. Separation. A piece for each side. Ignoring neither.

My issue today is that its not even December, and I’m already thinking that I may have to delay implementation of this resolution until February. *Deep breath* I can start in January and make sure I’m set in February. Right? Right?!

What I did last weekend (a la 4th Grade's 'What I did last summer')

2007-10-16T23:40:00.001-04:00

I had to start with the kissing bees. :)
There are certain things that innately relax me:

A hot cup of tea (with milk!)
A good book (not the start. It becomes relaxing about 5 pages in).
Open expanses (where can I get that in NYC?)
Listening to someone talk. Not what they're saying, necessarily, but the sound of their voice.
Hiking
Star-gazing with the heat on and the windows open from a car (again, where can I get that from NYC?)
Quietly sitting with peole I care for. The knowledge that they're there is comforting. maybe just reading, taking a nap, or watching (or sleeping through, in my case) a movie.

This past weekend encompassed a number of these for me, and resulted in an amazing weekend in Albuquerque. Even if I didn't get to see any old friends while I was there (a first for me!). I went to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (http://www.balloonfiesta.com/) this past weekend. I have my eyes opened to something new everytime I visit a place, and this was no different. The quirkiness that originally made me yearn for Rhode Island, then became commonplace, has now become quite strange again. But this time, its in an I'm-so-glad-I-got-to-know-that kind of way.

A friend was with me this weekend that had never been to ABQ or NM even, and seeing their experience of it for the first time helped me see it anew again as well. The good and the not-so-good (which did make me a mite sad).

To get on with my Albuquerquean Adventures:
- Mass Ascension:
One of the greatest things to wake up at 6am for - EVER. Hundreds of hot air balloons lifting off. With every lift-off, there is clapping and cheering by crowds in the the thousands. It is silly, but lifting in a very simple way. Every age group is represented, and you still see people tinkering with massive film cameras, just to have these images put somewhere more permanent than the fade-prone memory bank provides.

- Evening Balloon Glow:
A picture simply doesn't do this justice. Feel the excitement of an old-ime amusement park. Hear the happy chatter of a million people on a sunny beach, mid-summer. Smell the deep fried twinkies and turkey legs that can only mean care-free, relaxed people ignoring their usual diets. Curl tight into your warm sweater, as you would in front of a fall camp-fire... Add in a hundred inflated hot air balloons thethered down in the light of the sliver of the moon. No other lights around, and as a countdown ends, have the them all light up like flickering stars up close. It's an experience more satisfying than almost anything I've ever known. Romantic, too. I would take a "date" at that event over anywhere else (provided, of course, that I liked the guy enough to suggest it). :-)

- Albuquerque/Sandia Peak Tram:
This tram provides access to the spot in Albuquerque that allows for postcard worthy photos when the sun sets. I went a number of times while living in Albuquerque but make a point to do a trip here every time I go back to visit. A cup of hot cocoa, a perch on an outside bench, overlooking the entire city of Albuquerque and the western horizon, and a warm blanke (forgot that part this time!), and you've found yourself the bests sunset to watch. I took a photo here a year or two ago, and its framed on my wall now.

- Hinkle Family Fun Center:
(Yes, I have included Hinkle... so did the "Things to do in Abq" at the hotel, so I feel validated). Corny, yes. It's really just an arcade with laser tag, go-karts, and mini-golf. Somehow I lost at everything I played ---Skeeball, basketball, airhockey, and some firing ball game. How that happened, I'm not sure. I'm convinced the machines were against me. Unfair!!!

- The Volcanos:
In the 4.5 to 5 years I lived in Albuquerque, I never actually went out to the volcanos on the west side of the city, I never actually went out to them. I wish I had. It's a great sunny (albeit short) hike up to the top, and a perfect East-facing vantage to the city and Sandia mountains. Plus, you get to sit on lava-rocks!

Although i do love NYC and everything it offers, it is the polar opposite to ABQ. When I grow-up, I want a place somewhere as brilliant in the relaxation & scenery departments as Albuquerque, and a place as rich in experience as NYC. I have a lot of work to do to get there....

Oh! I've brought back some new Green Chile recipes too... Time for home-cooked meals by Amanda!

FF Bragging and Baseball Playoffs

2007-10-08T23:17:00.000-04:00

Fantasy Football (Bragging):
Week 5 games have ended and I, the sole female on my Fantasy Football team, am in first place in my division. Yes, ok, there is one person with a better record than me, but you have to give me that I'm still doing brilliantly with Maroney and Westbrook out last week. I'm going to savor this moment with a picture. Come back to me in a few weeks; hopefully I'll still be bragging. :)

Baseball Playoffs:
I purchased a few tickets to the 5th game of the ALCS in NYC and as much as I love that the Yankees are OUT (ok, 1 inning remaining in the CLE/NYY game tonight), I'm disappointed that I won't be attending the 5th game of the ALCS as a Boston/Yanks series. :( The good news is that I love being in NY and making fun of the silly Yankees fans who think they're actually going somewhere... SUCKS FOR THEM!!!

And where did the Rockies come from??? Gotta say I'm impressed (though they'll never take it from the AL...)

Peculiar Feelings

2007-10-08T22:57:00.000-04:00

I never know how to start writing… Everyone always says the first sentence is the hardest, and it seems today to be absolutely true. I have this spool of thoughts in my head at the moment, and I just can’t seem to find the end to unravel it.

A good friend of mine has always accused me of being insensitive, and though I would never call myself that, I can see how I might come off as such at certain times. That said, I don’t think I’m particularly emotional, though I think you only come across emotions as they’re evoked within you. Emotions aren’t something you understand until you feel them. I’m not sure why over the last 5 or 6 years I seem to recognize the abnormality and peculiarity of new emotions when I do feel them, but it does seem to happen. More than 5 or 6 years ago, I don’t recall feeling something and stopping – dead stop in my emotional tracks – to think I could feel *this* and never before have come across it! It’s a strange combination of curiosity and amazement… and then excitement or tension, exhilaration or unrest… It’s bizarre to realize you feel more than you think you could.

I had this happen today. I was with someone I trust and still felt it was so foreign I couldn’t even discuss it, even if I almost needed someone to steady me at that moment. It was not a good moment, and I can’t say I’ve ever hurt so much for someone else’s pain.

Exhausted, but happy. Really happy.

2007-09-22T18:23:00.000-04:00

I got my haircut by someone other than Sergio.
I'm really happy.

I took on a new role at work and now work a million hours a week.
I'm really happy.

I finally got approval granted for my new apartment and need to move in.
I'm really happy.

My car was delivered in 1 piece to the east coast and needs to be sold.
I'm really happy.

My furniture was delivered to Hoboken and needs to be moved into my new apartment.
I'm really happy.

I'm spending only 2 weeks of the next month at home.
I'm really happy.

One of my roommates is a little anal...
I'm really happy.

I have a lot of cleaning to do.
I'm really happy.

Don't you just love it when you just can't stop enjoying your life, even if there are a million things going on!?.... Loving my life here; I'm really happy!

It’s already September!

2007-08-29T19:34:00.000-04:00

Excitement! Although the Red Sox have just finished a disappointing 3-game sweep here in New York, they’re still in first place across the entire league, not just the AL East, and 5 games up on the ogres I have to live amidst. I cannot wait for the series to begin!
(Yes, I called them ogres.)

One of my soon-to-be roommates is a through and through New York Yankees fan. Over the top. Even though he’s lived in Boston the last few years! I haven’t decided if this is a recipe for an interesting at-home rivalry with a bit of goading from us both, or just flat-out hatred for each other for 7 months out of the year. Hopefully our other roommate doesn’t kill us both for our constant battling on this subject.

The three of us have been looking for a place incessantly for the last couple of weeks, which is an extremely draining experience in NYC. We finally put in an application to the co-op board of a great building this past week, and my fingers and toes are crossed that all goes through without a hitch. (Now is the point where you assure me your fingers are crossed as well).
I want a place to just call home now, and really hate the apartment hunt –I’ve been in a near-constant state of apartment hunting for about 7 years now. There was 1 place that I lived longer than a year, and everywhere else I had short term leases, and thus bounced around. I think I must be growing up for want of this stability. My parents should be so proud… Only took just shy of 28 years!

I’m heading back to California for this next week to sort out the remaining bits of my life on the West coast – my car, my apartment, etc, etc. Half of me is dreading this for the pain-in-the-ass component, the other half relieved to finally be getting my bits and bobs out to the East coast. I have a few A’s games planned, some time out at the beach is definitely on the schedule, I have to get a few cases of good wine to ship back, and I’m working from our SV office too, so it likely will be a complete whirlwind of a week.
In the meantime, GO RED SOX!!!!

Firsts

2007-07-31T01:02:00.000-04:00

The Small Stuff:
** Watching rollerskate dancing
Really. I fall in love with this city all over again when I find the little NY quirky hobbies

** Clicking
Meeting people that are immediately fun and disarming...

** Not really missing California
This is a newer development. The pangs for my house and my life in Cali are waning. Not that I don't miss my friends and good wine, and I'm sure next time I'm there it'll be hard, but I'm happy here.

** Dressing up
And enjoying it... This side of the country is far dressier, both in the office and outside of it. I think I've worn jeans a total of 3 days (weekends included!) since I moved to NYC. I don't have to dress up for work, but I have been and I find I enjoy it immensely.

** Wanting a [slightly] longer commute
Everyone else gets to read a book! I'm confined to the iPod since I only go 3 stops away. Not that I don't like music....

** Giving directions
I so love how it feels to be asked where something is in the city and actually knowing where to direct them! Its like I'm a real New Yorker, only with a CA drivers license!

The Big Stuff:
** Being a NYC resident
Loving living my dream - a good life in a big city.

** Being car-less
It's liberating in so many ways, though I couldn't imagine not having one somewhere else. I actually don't even think about it much, sitting out there in glorious Sunnyvale. How cool would a vespa out here be though?!

** House hunting - for real
Unbelievably scary, daunting, and exciting all at once... How much it symbolizes being an adult to me scares me even more.

** Desiring stability
Odd... I've moved more times than I can count in the last 4 years (5 states and about 4-5 times that in moves!). I finally want a home.

Definition of a Date

2007-07-29T22:36:00.000-04:00

After a few discussions on what exactly constitutes a date this weekend, I feel the need to clarify my position on the matter:

1. Someone included in the outting must admit to the event being a date.

2. Hooking up does not necessarily mean you were on a date.

3. If, while dating someone exclusively, you later find out it was not exclusive despite exclusivity being laid out by both involved parties previously, you can choose to remove the label of having dated.

4. Going out to dinner does not necessarily mean the event was a date.

First 4 Days

2007-07-15T22:57:00.000-04:00

I'm not quite at my week mark in NYC yet, but I've had an eventful couple of days.

:: I found my 2 new favorite bars ::
- Automatic Slims, which is a crazy dive bar with plastic cups and 80's music and the most non-pretentious people in all of Manhattan. They even played 99 Red Balloons, which made my night! :)
- 75 Dive, which is a fun bar with Scrabble, Connect Four, and Jenga, among other games... And jars of candy around! (For those of us with a sweet tooth, this is much much better than nuts and pretzel jars). To note, I won at Scrabble and Jenga. Connect 4 was dominated by the folks at the table next to mine.

:: I attended a author's book launch party ::
- A friend of mine took me to the house party celebrating the release of Hannah Rogge's new book. So fun! Met a few new uber-creative people, and got to meet an author!

:: I saw the jazz floutist that provided the track for Ron Burgundy in "Anchorman" ::
- This was cool! I went to a tiny jazz bar in Greenwich Village (55 bar) and watched an amazing jazz show. The sax player also played jazz flute and was later introduced as being of Anchorman fame. He played a bit of the track, and yes, it truly was amusing!

Gotta say, I'm enjoying this city! :)
I just hope everyone I've physically run smack into, face first of course, while trying to navigate the subway system can forgive me!

Arrived.

2007-07-11T20:44:00.000-04:00

I've arrived. I'm in Manhattan now, supposedly for good. Or as long as "for good" means for me, which could only be construed to be anything over 6 months with my history.

The good news is that I LOVE my apartment. I have a temporary furnished apartment for the time being, which is 2 blocks from Union Square - a really great area to be in the city. I'm a few train stops from my office, and in the middle of everything: a block to the movie theater, mall, walgreens, starbucks, the subway stop, etc etc etc.

The apartment itself is a 1 bedroom place PLUS a loft area, so I have room for visitors. :) Who wants to visit!? And I have a dishwasher, elevator, and a doorman! These are things not often found together in a NYC apartment for less than the price of your soul. I only had to shell out 1/2 my soul for this beauty!

The bad news is that this has been an unbelievably hard week. Like you wouldn't believe. I've spent the last few days visiting clients (which, actually can be classified as a "good news" item), but in the process, my work and email have built up. Ugh. And I miss California. And those that have been close to me. And my apartment. And the beach. And the lack of humidity. And the sunny skies and lack of rain. And the mountains. And my car... No, not really the car. But the rest of it, I miss A LOT. I feel like a pregnant woman. (I'm not!) Up and down, love ny and miss california....

I also met a girl that I didn't expect to like. Oddly, I think I would enjoy having her as a friend, despite the wreck of an occasion that made us meet. It feels strange though... *shrug* Not sure what the right thing here is to do.
I wish all of this was so much easier.

A Vote:

2007-07-04T14:01:00.000-04:00

Are relationships supposed to be easy or do they take work to be good?

Cheated!

2007-07-01T23:42:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago I went to London to be there for the third of my 4 college roommates to get married. (Ellie! Its you and me now....)

I decided to fly Air Canada primarily because it's a partner with United, and I'm all about the miles, and the flight was super-cheap. And super-long. 17 hours out there, to be exact, which doesn't take into account the 2 hour delay we ran into in Calgary. I will never do that again, though I have to say, the flights are nice: Personal video screens, video/game/music libraries to choose from, tasty food (and fruit!), and lots of leg room in Economy.

What DID get me was the cheating they engaged in. Yes, cheating. You see, I decided to have some extra snacks on the first leg of my flight since we were delayed out of San Fran and I hadn't had a chance to have dinner. Thankfully, they had excellent choices, including pepperoni pizza and fresh apples with caramel sauce, which I chose to have. This came out to a nice total of 5 US dollars OR 5 Canadian dollars. I thought, well, drat! I don't have 5 Canadian dollars, which is the equivalent of about 4 US dollars (so I could have gotten my meal essentially for a dollar cheaper).

I thought, ok, oh well, its a dollar or whatever. And then, when I only had a $10 US bill, they gave me my change in Candian dollars!!!! CHEATERS!

*sigh*....

A Disappointing Level of Smack Talk - Nay! A LACK of Smack Talk

2007-06-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

I have to admit 2 things:
1. I am a weirdo when it comes to baseball... Super-passionate, uber-excitable, avid follower. Anyone who knows me at all can attest to this. Which leads to my second revelation of the day:
2. I play fantasy baseball.

Not only do I play it, but I'm that guy that checks it daily (and still isn't number 1 - grrr), updating my players, checking who's being dropped, added, figuring out new ways to evaluate my players - I even get all of my players' stats for the day sent to my phone (ok, so this is complements of one of my clients at work, but that is neither here nor there).

I also enjoy a tiny bit of sh** talk. Smack Talk. Making Cracks. That's right - I like to goad people, make them feel like crap when they can't beat me, and even stoop low enough to claim "At least I'm prettier than you" when they do beat me.

And yet, this year, NO ONE has said a word back. There's a part of me, only a small speck, mind you, that is feels the tiniest bit bad about making snarky comments to everyone. This is supposed to be a game, people! Games are supposed to include people that WANT and LIKE to win... People with a competitive spirit that enjoy trash talking. It fires you up (unless no one bothers to care that you are trash talking).

And this is the problem that I'm running into.... very disappointing, I must say, very disappointing.

Starting Over...

2007-06-13T17:42:00.000-04:00

This being my first post that I've publicized, you might think I'm "starting over" my blogging.

I wish it was that simple!

In the past 2 weeks I've made some pretty tough decisions:
1. To move Cross Country, planned for July (in a month!)
2. To turn down a fantastic job offer with a company I respect
3. To (try to) open my heart to someone I've cared about for a long time

I didn't mean to put them in order from easiest to most difficult, but I did. It even seems harder for me to spit out the decisions I've made as I get further down my list (so my list is only 3 items long... let me believe this is as hard as it feels).

The cross-country move has been something I've had on my mind for a while now. It was part of the reason the Other Job was appealing to me. I love California and all, but gotta say, I don't think the state has really liked me - at least until I decided to leave. It's being nice now, right as I'm getting ready to make the big move. There's so much I'm going to miss. I, being the list-maker that I am, made a Pros and Cons list before I made the decision to move. There were items on this list that were stricken off by friends and family that seem now to have merrit - namely, good Cali wineries, Santa Cruz (yes, the entire town; beach, boardwalk, downtown, pier, and all), proximity to fluffy Tahoe skiing, and shark fishing. Oh yes, and let's not forget the sunroof on my car (not the car itself), and my fantabulous balcony overlooking the pool. All valid items to list on my Pros for staying in California.... right? NYC seems great though; I'll love giving up my car (not the sunroof!), living in the city, having everything open late, being able to walk places (maybe this is a Con in the winter)... In the end, the score was California - 10, New York City - 10.5.

I've made the decision to turn down a new position (at a new company) that would allow me to lead the account management division of a company - this was a tough decision. When it came down to it, I accepted it, gave my notice to my current company, and was asked to stay - and offered the ability to move NYC if that's what I needed. After much discussion and even more thought, I decided the best decision was to stay with my current company. I'm happy about it - I like the company, the people I work with, and what I do - and now I believe there's some understanding around where I can grow. In the end, this was a good thing for me to go through.

The heart is by far the most difficult one. For a number of reasons, after starting to date someone a year and a half ago - someone I cared immensely about - I ended things. Granted, most of my reasoning behind this wasn't great; In many ways it was selfish, though I do know I was trying to do what I thought was best. My problem was that I refused to discuss the real reasons for ending things.
February this year was a turning point - I finally was at a point where I could allow myself to be in a realationship, but I didn't know how to go about changing things. Only recently have I opened up about my reasons, and I think I may have taken too long to open up, losing any chance I had with this person... I'm not sure now how to handle this - if there's even a possibility left - but I do know at least that I have to open myself up to him in order to even have a prayer. And now I just wait.....?

WAIT!!!

2007-06-10T01:40:00.000-04:00

I spent today cleaning. REALLY cleaning. My car, which hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in at least 3 years, is now spotless. Vacuumed, dusted, steam cleaned... Its great! I'm so completely impressed with my car now that it's clean that I definitely can't - don't want to - sell it to move into the city.

My house also got the same treatment - vacuuming, dusting, going through boxes of stuff, framing pictures to get them off the floor; I even bought some 20 hangars to make sure I have enough to hang up all my [new] clothes. I feel so content in my house and with my car and with my life here that I'm having 2nd (and 3rd!) thoughts about the big move. Namely, I DON'T WANT TO GO YET!!!!

I'm down to just over 2 weeks left in California, and while I'm excited about moving to NYC and starting my life there, I'm SO happy with my life out here at the moment. Do I have to go yet? [Yes]. Can't I wait a bit longer? [No].

*sigh*

I will miss it here.

Just Getting Words Out...

2007-05-16T22:45:00.000-04:00

I spent last weekend in NYC. In Manhattan. I absolutely loved it, though I had sticker shock when it came time to get a feel for the housing market. All I gotta say is "ouch!"

I think I'd do really well there, both personally and professionally, but a friend told me yesterday not to "get hard." I understand the concept, but how much really would it change in me? I can be blunt. I am hugely reluctant to let people into my personal life - it doesn't happen easily. I know what I want and I don't get sidetracked. Will I really change? (Elle - is Holly different?)

I'm certain my life will change - California is far different from NYC. Everything about it. Have you seen the difference between JFK airport and the SFO airport?!

And really, how much time do I really spend in-town on the weekends? I think I've spent all of 5 weekends in town since the New Year - I like to travel!

I'll keep my perspective. I'm certain I will. I feel like I'm trying to convince myself of this.....

New York or San Fran?

2007-04-26T08:53:00.000-04:00

New York, New York… My Way… It Was A Very Good Year… If I Go Away… All of Nothing At All

Frank Sinatra's song titles seem to describe my life at the moment. I am getting My Way in having a good chance for a transfer to New York, New York. So far, this Was A Very Good Year, especially as it relates to my job and the potential transfer. But what happens If I Go Away?

I've actually started to really enjoy my life in California – a fairly new development after the last few years' surprises, disappointments, and struggles in just about every perceivable area of my life – health, career, personal relationships… I'm at my 2 year mark from my health diagnosis (tomorrow, actually) and only 2 months ago, received my "All's Clear" from the doctors. My career is going well, a new job and 2 promotions later, and I'm finally at a point where I've [mostly] let go of the after-effects of a bad relationship. I guess I'm lucky in that I did get past it, and understand it was NOT a good thing. Won't be going there again, ever!

So this year has been all new for me. I recently moved after my then-roommate decided to impose ridiculous rules for the house (no phone calls after 7pm!) and absolutely LOVE my new place. It's spacious, not too expensive, and in a really great location. And I live alone for the first time in 5 years. God, it's glorious!

I've been on a mission to live in NYC or abroad for a while, and now that I finally have the opportunity, I'm a bit nervous about whether I actually should leave. I'm excited, though sometimes I'm not sure if that's because I have what I want, or because I've "won" in getting what I (thought?) I wanted. I'm a competitive person. I don't know which one it is…

And how do I decide? It's not like I'm trying to choose between places that are near each other and I could visit quite a lot. I'm picking between either end of the country. It's likely I'll have the chance to be back on the West coast two or three times a year and I love to travel (+), but I'm giving up fabulous winter weather (-), fabulous skiing close by, (-) and the laid back attitude (-) that comes to everyone that lives out here.

I would get to keep my laid back work wardrobe (+) since the office in NYC is only 3 people large, including myself. I like dressing up, but I definitely appreciate knowing I can wander into the office in jeans when I just don't feel like putting myself together in the morning. I'd be closer to my family (+), able to travel to Europe more easily (+), and get to live in Manhattan (+). Plus, the people in California aren't straight with you like in NYC. (+,-) East coast "attitude" is that bluntness that I've really worked hard to reign in since living on the West coast.

So it's not really All Or Nothing At All. There are benefits to living in both places, though I can see that I'll end up going either because I've "won" this or because I really want to go. Either way, it'll work out. I don't have the "it's not right" feeling, which I had last time I was offered a position back East. Not to say I have the "it is right" feeling either. I guess we'll see. My time to make my decision is fast closing… I have some wiggle room, though, I do NOT want to move out there just in time for the crappy cold winter. I'll need some summer to get used to it. Waiting until the end of the year probably won't happen… My parents will be pleased.

Slight Overreaction?

2007-04-23T17:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I may have slightly overreacted last night. But please grant that I had long flights and jet lag to deal with when I arrived to messed up hotel stuff and had spent the day doing my best not to get too cranky. It ended when I found the hotel.

I'm better today after my 2-3 hours of sleep last night, though still NOT happy with the hotel. Because its so late, and being the week before Queen's Day, hotels are scarce... I'm having to spent another night with loud Sexy Time noises coming from everywhere. I'm so serious! Above me, below me... people need to STOP having so much sex while I'm trying to sleep!!! (Not pleased). So another night there, then on to another hotel for 2 nights, and then another hotel for the last 2 nights. Fun stuff, but hopefully the beds have a bit more padding, the walls are thick enough to muffle sex, and my window doesn't overlook a sketchy alley with yelling weirdos all night. Cross your fingers for me.

Really, I'm better today, though it may not sound like it. ;) I'm happy to have found a decent internet connection (not cheap) and have a new hotel to look forward to tomorrow night. One that has a blow dryer since I nearly started a fire trying to use mine last night... Forgot to mention that before...

Next time I travel, I think its possible I hire someone else do to my bookings. Apparently I suck at it.

Complaining from Amsterdam

2007-04-23T04:28:00.000-04:00

FYI – This is solely me complaining. If you continue to read this post, you cannot tell me I'm just complaining. It will get better at some point, and maybe then I'll post a happy blog. Until then, just let me rant.
Amsterdam has lost major points.

Yes, today, my opinion of Amsterdam is hardly above "sucks". Possibly below that, actually. Maybe I'm just being grumpy and exhausted after being in airports and in planes for the last 12 hours and then getting poor directions to hotel (resulting in an extra 20 minutes wandering around Central Amsterdam) but I think this is the first time I've ever been in a foreign country and just wanted to go home. My hotel room wasn't booked correctly and now I have a shared bathroom to deal with. I moved out the dorms in college because I hated sharing bathrooms. I do NOT want to be back there now. There is a spring poking through the mattress. How am I supposed to get a decent night's rest? The internet that I also required the hotel to have is broken. So neither can I work from here tomorrow, nor can I find a new place to stay tonight. I'm annoyed. And exhausted. And really displeased with the current situation.

Can someone/anyone fix this crappola!?

Sports Categories

2007-03-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

I've had a lot of time today to devote to my internal dialogue of random and useless thinking as United's flight plans have been a bit "mussed." United and I need to have a chat - I was bumped from my 1st [direct] flight, the 1st portion of my rescheduled flight was ok, the 2nd portion of my rescheduled original flight was cancelled, I was bumped from my rescheduled 2nd portion, and my re-re-scheduled 2nd portion has been delayed 4 hours... 4 different problems, and YES, I'm counting. I digress.

In all this spare time, I have given some thought to Tennis and other sports people enjoy. I've come to the conclusion that there are 3 general categories people fall into with regards to Sports People Like to Play.

a) People who like Tennis,
b) People who don't like Tennis, and
c) People who don't like sports

I belong to the second category. Now, I'm not sure if this is a throw-back to the controlling, narcissistic PE teacher I had in 10th grade and her desire to Force tennis onto people, but I do NOT like tennis. Its closer, really, to abhoring it. I don't like all that tennis stands for, nor is a particularly interesting and fun sport to play.

Plus, who names a score "Love"?

Spanglish-Italiano-What?

2007-02-21T23:47:00.001-05:00

Coming to Spain/Catalonia, I was nervous about handling the language barrier. I didn't trust my knowledge of Spanish to be good enough to get around, much less having any kind of knowledge of Catalan, the language local to Barcelona. Before leaving, I was quite focused on my initial week in Spain, thus, Italy was not really on my mind – much less learning or understanding the Italian language.

When I arrived in Barcelona, I found early on the language to be a struggle, but I could form sentences. Surprisingly, I was able to understand about 20% of Spanish at "regular" speed, and around 50-80% at a slower speed or with repetition, even more. I felt a combination of embarrassment that I didn't know or understand more, and pleased that I obviously knew more than enough to get around, ask for and understand directions, order meals, make purchases, and have very basic conversations. I have to say I tried hard and I think I was respected a bit for it, though those that I was speaking to would usually switch to English when they heard my broken Spanish… This was a relief, but I also wasn't crazy about the switch since it didn't force me to understand as much. Before the week was over, I remembered how to do past tense and present perfect (the "-ings") – neither of which I could remember prior to heading over there.

Then I got to Italy.

Italy was a bit different. I have no background whatsoever in Italian, though I can manage a handful of words; Hardly enough to get around the city. I should have been more prepared. I did pick up a few words here and there that I didn't know before (to manage directions and meals, primarily) since English is not as prevalent in Rome as it is in Barcelona. Still, I understood a few things fresh off the boat (plane, whatever) – A guy asked me if I needed any help (in Italian) while I was getting myself and Amy lost attempting to find our hotel. When I said "No, grazie", he persisted with much more Italian than I could handle… Haha. I appreciate his attempt at helpfulness, but I didn't know how else to respond except with the same "No, grazie". At that point, he realized my Italian was limited nearly to those two words.

[Note to Self: It does not make someone very effective at getting around if all you can say is "No, thanks". And, ok, I knew a bit more: Buongiorno, ciao, vino, and a few choice words/phrases that may not have been the best way to start a conversation in Italian, but not nearly enough to be convenient or liked.]

Getting back to my story… So he realizes I'm clueless when it comes to Italian. I'm responding with Si and some warped combination of what little Italian I do know, Spanish, and when all else fails, English. It was really more of a Spanglish-Italiano mess. I cannot imagine this was particularly useful to me or anyone attempting to speak with me, but when flustered, I was just going with the words I knew in the language closest in proximity to where I was. So, Italian first, Spanish second, and English third. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Fortunately, "yes" is "si" in both Spanish and Italian! One more word to add to my list of Italian words I understood! But at the beginning, I did only think my "si" was Spanish… And I think English is a more common language here than Spanish, but again, that flustered thing would come into play….

But again, I digress. What I did get in response to him was obviously a displeased lecture. And although I don't know Italian, I did pick up that he thought that I should know Italian if I was in Italy and leave the Portuguese (?) and English to when I was in the appropriate country. I'm still not sure where the Portuguese came from, but that's neither here nor there. I was lectured for not knowing Italian within an hour of being in the country. Lesson here: Know at least some of the language prior to entering a country.

Now that I'm nearing the end of my trip, I have managed to pick up directions and can order a few things off of a menu in Italian. I know I can get around pretty well in Spanish and understanding Spanish wasn't a problem. Reading is probably the easiest form of communication in both Spanish and Italian - I can read to you the advertisements and billboards I passed on all my bus rides! Definitely an improvement from where I started, at least in Italy.

Two goals have resulted from this experience:

Learn a second (third, fourth?!) language fluently. Most probably, my second will be Spanish, noting where I currently reside.

Make sure I know enough of the language to at least get around a bit, next time I visit a foreign country.

Barcelona & Roma: Observations and Lessons Learned

2007-02-18T04:47:00.000-05:00

I've spent a lot of time over the last week or so enjoying Barcelona and Roma and have run into so many things that make you open your eyes and realize how different things are around the world. I am absolutely, 100%, capital 'L' - Loving my adventure - every minute of it, even in the rain and cold... :) I want to make sure I remember things about my trip, so I've been keeping notes (yes, I'm a dork) and thought I'd open a few of my thoughts and quirky items I've come across to my friends. This is a work in progress, so I'll be updating as I have time and an internet connection.

1. Never drive in Rome. The Italians may trick you with their lane lines into thinking they drive very obediently like the rest of europe. These lane lines are purely for asthetic reasons and nothing else. They are crazier drivers than i have EVER seen. But, they seem to do this all very safely (I'm not sure how there aren't wrecks every 20 meters)....

2. Crosswalks in Rome: Interesting concept if you're at all used to mmm, well, anywhere else. Drivers here pretend they don't see you and will run you down even when you're in a valid and very legal crosswalk. The trick to crossing streets is to just close your eyes and walk. They will screetch to a halt only if you challenge them by stepping into the street AND keep walking. The initial step or two will not encourage them in any way whatsoever to slow, pause, or stop for you. Think of it as a game very similar to 'chicken', but with unequal weapons (car v. foot).

3. Never trust the weather report in Rome. They must do their weather reports the same way they drive - It's going to be 20 C and sunny... No! 12 C and rainy... No! 18 C and windy.... Haha. I've learned to be prepared for everything, no matter what they say.

4. Barcelona is one of the cleanest and ordered cities I've ever been to. The Plaça Catalunya (near where I was staying) has a huge square that is so shiny and clean it can easily be mistaken for ice. No kidding! Roma is nearly the opposite it some ways. The subways are grafitti'd (is that an Italian word?) and I wonder how such a great people could let the city and ancient ruins be marred the way they are. I suppose you get used to 2000 year old buildings if you live here? (And I even saw 2000 year old grafitti at the Colleseum)!

5. Food is unbelievably good, both in Spain/Catalan and Roma. It has put American food to shame at nearly every meal I've had, including breakfast and snacks. I'm determined to learn a few recipes... Specifically a yummy pasta I'm returning to have a 2nd time today... Be on the watchout for New Meals by Amanda, for those of you that have the benefit of enjoying my cooking.

6. I spent a few hours at the Basillica di San Peitro (St. Peter's Basillica) today. It was a bit of a last minute decision - I was on the bus heading to the Castel San Angelo and when the doors opened for the Basillica stop, I jumped off, thinking it would be a quick jaunt prior to the Castel visit, which I'd heard has an amazing view from the top. And I got extremely lucky and was in the ''square'' right when the Pope came out for a speech. Crazy. I need a better camera.... I then went up to the Cupola of the Basillica, ran out of film, but saw some of the most amazing views you could imagine. Standing basically on the roof of a huge cathedral looking out over ruins and buildings 1000s of years old... It's worth a visit.

7. In Barcelona, I had the opportunity to walk through Gaudì's most triumphant building - La Sagrada Familia. This cathedral is amazing... very modern, colorful, and obviously drawn on nature in every bit of its architecture. It's still in the process of being built - 8 of the 12 spires are erected, and they expect the building to be completed at some point in the future, after 100 years of building it thus far. It is anything but traditional. There have been comments made that Gaudì must have been on drugs it is so far out there. I don't mean to imply it isn't beautiful - its definitely is beautiful, especially after you see some of Gaudì's drawings and initial erections. Everything he imagined and created is taken from nature, from the columns and ceilings made to look like trees with umbrellas of leaves, to the basket of oranges at the top of one of the spires. And yes, they are orange. Like I said - anything but traditional.

8. I could live in Barcelona. Big city, little town. Do I have to come back to the US?

9. OK, I have to comment on the keyboards, as its been troublesome trying to learn where keys I use often are located (parentheses, question marks, apostrophes, etc...). I think I may have issues going back to the American standard after a week of my fingers being trained that the apostrophe is next to the 0 instead of next to the L.

10. The Barcelona architecture is amazing. I know, I'm using that word a lot, but trust me on it. I mean it. It's very Mediterranean. Shutters, big windows, flowers, plants in every balcony... *really, do I have to come back?*

11. Take the random English Speaking tours in Rome. They may be on the expensive side for some, but they are definitely worth it. I've learned more history in the last few days than I think I learned through all of my formal education.

12. Signs. I'm so amused at the pictures that are used for typical signage around public places. You know, the no shouting, no grafitti, exit (I can say that word in 5 languages now), etc. signs.... I have some pictures that I'll be posting at some point.

TBC

Worst pick-up line ever....

2007-01-14T18:58:00.000-05:00

"I love the way you talk. I know pretty people. You can call me and I'll teach you salsa! I can do 50 push ups. You should really call me."

That's right... I am serious. This was how some guy at a restaurant decided to try picking me up.

HAHA!

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." – Henry Miller

2006-11-26T01:28:00.000-05:00

I've been traveling quite a bit lately - and totally enjoying it. Although ending up semi-exhausted at the end of each, traveling is well worth it. Mr. Miller has it right: It always ends up as a learning experience; Seeing things in a new light, whether you're visiting far away lands or just going to visit old friends. I love the expansion of mind and soul that follows a good trip. And the bad ones too... when it comes down to it.The last few weeks have been a string of travels for me.

The last month has included Washington, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, and a brief drive through New Hampshire to get to Maine. A second trip to Albuquerque and a second trip to Seattle are coming in the next 2 weeks, and then back to the East Coast (New York and Virginia) for 2 weeks around Christmas/New Years. ... Call if I'm in the area!

The latest trip was to Seattle, WA/Portland, OR, which allowed me the chance to visit with a good friend that moved away and deep fry a turkey for his family and friends --- My first attempt at such a thing, and it turned out exceptionally well, I must say! (I didn't burn, scorch, or otherwise mutilate the turkey or anything else - quite a feat for me, and I suspect those of you that know me well would agree). :) I hope to have pictures from my cooking extravaganza posted soon.

It was fantastic to spend the Thanksgiving holiday having fun cooking and playing (read: losing) Trivial Pursuit with a group of happy, laughing, people. I also drove down to Portland, primarily for a concert, though Powell's Bookstore, the largest bookstore ever, did manage to snag me for a while. I love the smell of bookstores. The musty, dry, papery smell soaks me up. I will wander for hours in bookstores, if allowed. But I digress...

The concert I went to was Ozomatli, and honestly, one of the best concerts to which I've ever been. The opening act was downright poor - they couldn't get the sound right, they weren't energetic or in touch with the crowd... But when Ozo came on, they were alive! Jumping around, obviously enjoying themselves on stage, and thus, the crowd was in love. Ozo is a band too difficult to explain with a simple sentence. They encompass everything from big band, to salsa, to hip hop, to a reggae island sound, complete with bongos, steel drums, a trombone, trumpet, maracas, a tambourine, and rapping. They hopped off the stage at the end and played songs in the middle of the crowd, which was amazing. The ability to have a large room full of people packed in jump together, crouch on the ground together, and yell together is an incredible thing to be a part of and see. Its amazing to me that people can garner that much influence over a group. Ozo then formed a train, and, all the while playing, wove themselves in and out of the crowd with the floor threatening to fall open to below from the incessant crashing of the jumping fans.

I haven't been to a better concert in a long while. If you have the chance to see this band, DO IT!

I'm going again this week in San Francisco, possibly to Santa Cruz the following weekend as well... They're too good to pass up, and still relatively inexpensive to see. Anyone that wants to join is definitely welcome!

A few thoughts on changes, being affected, and kidneys.

2006-11-18T00:49:00.000-05:00

Getting it out on paper... or written, anyhow. Just some running thoughts....

1. I like Ricky's blog
Would you donate your kidney to me? Would I donate mine to you? Hmmm...

2. As I've been away from California (arguably, home) for the majority of the past few weeks, I'm realizing some differences to *me* versus who I have been in certain periods of the last few years. Its said that hind sight is 20/20. I think its closer to 20/40. Either way, it's an interesting emotional process to look back at who you have been and who you are today and actually be able to pick out differences that are so significant, you almost wonder if you're the same person at all.

The reason I bring this up is because this past week I've felt more like the person from 3 years ago than I remember feeling in all of the past 2 years combined. I miss this person.

3. A question: Why on earth do we (ok, I) subject ourselves to things that we know will hurt us? And I'm not talking about anything big, just the small stuff. I'm talking about knowing a certain movie, song, etc. will throw you back somewhere - and literally, it does feel like someone's up and thrown you against a wall - and yet, you can't somehow tear yourself away. What is that?! Is this some quirk that I have; forcing myself to re-live this? Am I dousing myself in this, hoping and waiting for it to not affect me anymore? Or is it wanting to wallow, or thinking I deserve to re-live the awfulness over and over, or something else?

Seriously! What is that about?!

Inherent Evilness

2006-09-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

As I have endured widespread unrest and tongue-lashings on my classification of all males as Inherently Evil, I concede that not all males should be labeled as having Maximum Inherent Evilness.

In an effort to dispel any further uprisings on this topic, the implementation of Circles of Inherent Evilness has taken place (think Dante's Circles of Hell):

Circle 1: Minimal Inherent Evilness
Circle 2: Inherent Evilness, Lacking Intent
Circle 3: Inherent Evilness for the Protection of Others
Circle 4: Inherent Evilness for Self Protection
Circle 5: Inherent Evilness with Intent
Circle 6: Inherent Evilness with Intent and Execution, compounded by Emotional Inclusion
Circle 7: Inherent Evilness with Intent and Execution, compounded by Physical Inclusion
Circle 8: Inherent Evilness, Lacking Regret
Circle 9: Maximum Inherent Evilness (combination of Levels 6, 7, and 8)

If further definition is required, examples can be noted on all Circles.

(I may have too much time on my hands).

Difference between Running Away and Moving

2006-08-14T13:42:00.000-04:00

I went to Albuquerque this weekend - just to visit and take a break from all that represents California to me these days. It was an amazing trip.... Enjoyed myself and really remembered the person I liked to be. So much so that I sat on the plane ride home and wrote down a 3 page soliloquy that was running through my head. A short highlight on the direction of my thoughts:
An odd thought to have run through your head: Understanding there's such a vast difference between who I used to be and who I am now....

I had a conversation about how different I am today and why I make some of the decisions that I do... Specifically, why I "run away" (move!). I guess that's what it seems like since I've moved a million times in the last 3 or 4 years now. Literally, I'm working on my 14th move since October 2003... not a million, but to give myself some credit, not all of it was major moves... multiple times within cities!

Anyhow, back to the running away, which I disagree with. What's the difference between running away and challenging yourself to something new and different? Or how long are you supposed to tough a situation out before you can be deemed an idiot for keeping yourself in a bad position to begin with? I think there's a fine line between these... but I'm not one to stand still if someone's swinging a bat at my head. I will move! I think the idiot would be the one that doesn't run.... Right?

Recurring thought: Travel-Writer seems like the perfect occupation.
Reality: My writing would end up being about where my mind takes me rather than the actual places I've visited.

Why I Love New Mexicans

2006-07-15T02:43:00.000-04:00

They are extraordinary. Friendly. Helpful. Go out of their way to help you.... This was my experience today with a transplanted New Mexican.

I'm helping to host to a baby shower tomorrow and was given 2 tasks to manage: decoration and find/make a diaper cake. The primary of these being the diaper cake. At least in my opinion. (Everyone needs one, right?!)

One thing that should be noted about me is that I am fantastically effective in the art of procrastination. Although I've had a month to figure this out - if not more than that - I decided yesterday afternoon I should start thinking about this diaper cake thing. And today I decided to do something about it. The cake's appearance tomorrow is scheduled for 11am. Oy!

I called a few places (after 5pm, I might add - I wasn't kidding about the procrastination) to find that no one, NO ONE, was open or even had a cake in stock anyhow.... Ugh. I was coming to the conclusion that I was going to have to make this grandiose cake myself.

UNTIL! I called a small boutique in Santa Cruz, wonderful place that it is... A last-ditch effort, based on a note in a website saying that a diaper cake - making company shipped to this particular little boutique. A girl answers the phone, explains to me that she does, in fact, have 2 cakes in stock - a pretty yellow 3-tiered one, and a small blue one. As Charlotte is having a baby girl, the blue isn't appropriate, so I immediately ask the relevant questions regarding the yellow one - its perfect!

Unfortunately, she informs me that the store closes as 6pm (its already after 6 at this point, and I'm not even in Santa Cruz yet), and doesn't open tomorrow until 10am (when I'm supposed to be in Los Altos). Argh! I explain my situation and the fabulous person that this girl is, offers to come back in an hour to let me get this cake... *sigh of relief* She gave me her cell phone number (505!!!!), explains that its a New Mexico # (she's from Las Cruces), and to give me a call when I'm in the area so she can come do this for me. It makes me so happy to meet people in California that are from New Mexico. I love that!

So she made my day. I have the most beautiful Yellow Orchid Diaper Cake ever, in time for the shower, and all thanks to the New Mexico kindness.... I'm so happy! :)

A Dog-Napping!

2006-07-04T04:14:00.000-04:00

I witnessed the most unbelievable dog-napping the other day and as I found it a tad bit sad and uproariously hilarious at the same time, I think I should explain. Before I do however, please do note that although I found this absolutely the most hysterical event ever, I do not condone dog-nappings otherwise.

If you've read my previous blog, you'll know I recently moved back to Santa Cruz. I could love this town solely for the story factor! Because my move creates a considerable distance between where I'm living and where the rest of my life is still remaining (storage unit full of crap, work, friends, etc.), gas has already started becoming an Item of Note in my life. $3.10 per gallon to go 75 miles r/t to work everyday and it would be an Item of Note in anyone's book... What was I thinking!?

Anyhow, so because I'm traveling back and forth so much this weekend, I stopped in Santa Cruz the other day to get some gas. Apparently everyone and their cousin have decided to relocate to S.C. for the holiday weekend because while I'm at the gas station, I'm watching all these RVs drive by with at least 22 people in each one. I swear! No, okay, I don't b/c it would take away the credibility of the story I'm getting to and this coming story deserves its credit. I digress...

So I'm people-watching waiting for the gas pump to finish, which takes a while since my tank is completely empty, and this RV pulls into the bank of pumps one row over from mine. And this is the swankiest, decked-out RV I've seen yet... its got the nice paint job and the Lexus being towed behind it and all. This woman gets out of the RV in a hot pink and purple jogging suit, complete with gold jewelry and the poufed-up bleach-blonde hair. I'm already grinning about how totally LA this woman is, when she pulls from the RV her equally as coifed toy poodle on a leash.

Unbelievable that these people actually exist. Ms. LA chats with her dog and puts him on the ground and starts sauntering towards the shop after him while her husband is getting out of the RV on the other side.

At this point my eyes start drifting. Although Ms. LA is completely out of place in Santa Cruz, my interest has waned and I'm looking for the next something to catch my eye. I notice a bird flying around above us against the beautiful blue sky of a perfect Santa Cruz day.... Its really so pretty out here! I start to realize that the big bird is circling and vaguely think that something must be dead on the side of the road. Thinking this completely messes up the prettiness of the picture, I get lost in my thoughts, though am still watching as as its circling gets tighter. All of a sudden, this bird dives down out of the sky, I swear to God, and grabs Ms. LA's little toy poodle, pulling the whole leash from Ms. LA's grasp!!!!!

The bird takes off, not missing a beat, with this little white dog firmly in its possession. The dog is gone.

Ms. LA FLIPS out, jumping around, shouting at her husband, who hasn't seen this happen, to do something. I'm on the ground, doubled over laughing so hard I'm crying, along with the handful of others at the station who've seen this happen.

It was the funniest thing I've ever seen! I laughed for a solid 20 minutes after getting back into my car and driving off. The woman was going crazy when I left, trying to explain to her husband that Fluffy had just been "dog-napped" by a hawk or some such bird... HAHAHA!

I do not know if I will ever again have a story as good as this one.

Conclusions on Luck

2006-06-29T00:56:00.000-04:00

"If Amanda didn't have bad luck, she wouldn't have any luck at all!"

... So says a friend of my mother's after hearing about the car wreck I was in a month ago, knowing I spent the last year being sick and going through 2 operations, getting fired from the job for which I moved to California, AND getting my heart fractured into pieces. Her opinion sounds like a reasonable statement, if not understated, in my humble opinion. I have tended to agree with the idea that I'm consumed by bad luck over the last few weeks. (Making me a miserable, depressing person to be around, I'm sure).

Last night, all that changed. I went down to Santa Cruz for the evening and walked into this brewery/restaurant downtown that I love for their atmosphere and beers and hate for their food. I sit down, order some snacks and start chatting. Unbeknownst to me, it is Raffle Night at 99 Bottles (of Beer on the Wall). [Yes, they do have 99 different beers offered. Amazing, huh?!] As soon as I get my first three tickets to be entered in the raffle, they call out my number! I yelled out "I GOT IT", much like I would in Bingo, and hopped downstairs to collect my prize, bowing and cheering the way there. Ok, so I only won a pint of beer, 3 beer cap magnets and the Lagunitas glass my pint came in, but Dude, I won something!!! That, my friends, is a turn in the tide of Luck. :)

Then comes Wednesday. Today added two nice items to my "good" list. :) Now for some decision-making!

I feel like I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum from where I was only 2 weeks ago. Is this how its supposed to go, or is this really just a handful of good luck to make up for the last year of hard things?

One thing I'm sure of, what a relief to have some positives come my direction....

Impending Transitions

2006-06-26T00:40:00.000-04:00

Today I did it. I made a concrete decision about where I'm moving to and when I'm moving there. In actuality, it was a less of a conscious decision than me curling my arms in to me, closing my eyes tight, and jumping into the water. But either way, I paid rent for 2 months on a place back in Santa Cruz and I move in on Saturday. Its going to be a helluva drive everyday from Santa Cruz to Sunnyvale and back again - literally over the mountains and through the woods - but I'm looking forward to living back by the beach.

Santa Cruz is an interesting town. There really is no perfect descriptor for it other than interesting. Its isolated from the rest of the bay area by the Santa Cruz mountains that run along the eastern edge of the town. There is a single road (the infamous Hwy 1) the runs North and South out of town, but that road provides 1. a lack of a real place to go if you go South (Monterey for the day, maybe?) and 2. the inconsistant, slow, North-bound access to San Francisco. It will take you 2 hours to get there using this road, provided the 101 isn't shut down for flooding, mudslides, etc.

Because of this isolation, it seems to have evaded the 10,000% growth the rest of the bay area has seen over the last 10 years. You can still see places where the 1989 earthquake left its mark. People are normal there - they're not crazy Californians! Not that Silicon Valley or San Franciscans aren't normal, but ... no, they aren't. They're a team of IT rats tripping over themselves they're still running so fast to make back the tons of investment dollars they lost in the dot-com crash.

Santa Cruz is an idle beach and college town in the winter with a portion of the population coming "over the hill" to work in Silicon Valley. In the summer it turns into a traveller's destination that doesn't rid itself of the charm that keeps the year-round folks from leaving every September. Downtown is a strip of 1 and 2 story buildings, the majority of which haven't been renovated in quite some time. It doesn't pretend to be an upscale place. It doesn't try to lure the wealthy to high-priced, vanity shops. It boasts and treasures the locally owned bookstores, unique gift shops, and even a thrift store. The Gap, O'Neil Surf Shop, and Borders Books are avoided by many hoping to keep the locals in business.

I've decided to move here for the summer, primarily to keep some salty wind in my lungs, make sure I get out of the house more, and to see the fabulous Boardwalk Concert Series - Eddie Money is playing! Come on, who'd want to miss that?! :)

I don't think I'll miss the preppiness of Los Gatos, nor the smug doctors driving around my town in their Ferraris. I do think I'll miss the short drive to work