What's New with Perkidiablo?

2008-12-08T12:18:00.001-08:00

It seems so weird that I haven't updated this since December of 2007 but I guess I didn't really feel like updating people on the hard things that have happened in 2008. I know that this has been the hardest year of my life and I have really struggled with staying positive despite the death of my father. One of my best friends in the whole wide world. I loved him so much that it's been hard to be myself again, to just relax and live life. I never knew how hard it would be to walk through this world without him. He was a beacon of light and hope and energy that just ran through every inch of me. And not having him here breaks my heart a little every day.

As the season is now upon me here in New York I can't help but think about him. How he loved holidays. Not for the spectacle but for the chance to be with his family. He was all about that. Family meant everything to him. As I get older I realize more and more how right he is about everything. Not that I really doubted it before. Just believe more than I did in all the things he taught me. I love you Daddy. I love you with all my heart.

2007-12-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Lazy Christmas Card Writer

I normally don't do this or at least I don't admit it but this year, towards the end, I have just been sending holiday cards out to those that sent them to me. To be honest, I'm proud of myself for even sending them at all given the last two insane months I have had.

My mom and I were joking about sending an anti-holiday letter to people. I know, how ba-humbug of us but we thought it would be kind of funny. Something like the following:

Dear XXX,

2007 was a year filled with wonderment and happiness as K and G settled into living in New York and SLY turned 2 years old. We took many trips including one to the outer banks North Carolina with the whole P clan. K and G traveled to Spain, Mexico and many cities in between.

And then October came. J found out he had cancer again and it was a downward sucky spiral until the holidays. Merry effing Christmas.

I know, I know, harrible. But it would be pretty funny to send that out to people!

But seriously, cancer and other crazy family issues aside, I'm happy. I have a great life. I have a husband that I love very much, a job that is challenging me (sometimes too much), friends that I adore and what I consider to be one of the best families out there. I'm blessed and I know it. I know that I'm thankful for every day I get. And every day I have with my father, with my husband, with the deli guy who delivered my coffee and bagel to my front door this morning. I'm lucky and I haven't forgotten that.

But an anti-holiday letter would still freaking crack me up. Love, Me

2007-12-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

Job is insane

I am trying to get my grip on this job so it's been hard to keep up here. At least I'm keeping up with my meditating every day. :)

2007-12-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

Oh Christmas Tree!

What a weekend whirlwind! We had a friend's wedding this past weekend which meant a ton of fun but now I'm of course exhausted once again from my weekend. I need a day to recover from my weekend. The wedding was amazing though and it was of course great catching up with our friends. We had quite a few folks in from out of town so I feel like I got my fill of visitors.

We did finally get the tree trimmed yesterday evening and I made a yummy pasta dish with turkey sausage, penne, spinach, shallots and mushrooms. YUM! I'll take a picture of the tree tonight and get the photos from the wedding up for you.

2007-12-07T07:46:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday!

I really enjoyed the meditation class last night. It was kind of cool since it's actually more analytical than I had anticipated. There was some meditation in it but it was also alot of the background on how to meditate and why one meditates. And the history of meditation which as you know I dig. I felt a little like I was back in school.

It was also interesting since this was the first time Jason Lamberth ever taught a class. He was really nervous but did a great job. It made me think of how hard and exciting that must be. He talked about how some people will leave this class wanting to spread the practice and I felt a little tingle thinking about how I would like to do that. Now I have to meditate for at least 5 minutes every day until the next class and document it in this journal. I'm excited!

2007-12-06T06:18:00.001-08:00

Celebrate, Meditate!

I'm starting a new meditation class tonight that will run through the beginning of February. It's at this yoga studio near my house and the instructor Jason Lamberth is also a furniture designer. You can see his stuff here http://www.jasonlamberth.com/. I'm really looking forward to this since I always sleep better when I meditate.

We are also going to be having a steady stream of visitors over the next week or so. We had our friend D here from Texas last night and tomorrow R & E get here for a friend's wedding this weekend. It's a black tie affair and I have a fancy new dress to debut. G order his tux so we are going to be all spiffy this weekend. I'll be sure to post a pic afterwards.

2007-12-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

New Leaf

I'm turning over a new more positive leaf today. Lately with everything that is going on with my family I have been just mopey mcmoperson and not really trying to pull myself out if it. I'm gaining weight and losing my spring in my step. And so far, neither one of those are making me feel better about what is happening. So I'm putting it out there to you universe that I'm taking this bad attitude and shoving it. Sunshine is back and you better get ready.

2007-12-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

Starting Chemo Today

And so it begins again. Jack has his first chemotherapy treatment today. Everyone cross their fingers, toes, arms and legs for him. I'm happy that things are finally moving forward and I am hopeful as always that this will work again for him.

I feel like work for me has been pretty insane but then again, I do tend to focus on the things that I feel like I can control instead of what I'm really worrying about. But who doesn't do that?

2007-11-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry...

I have been really horrible about keeping this up lately. I am re-committing to updating my blog at least once a week. It's just been a crazy month or so for me with the new job and we had some recent not so good news about Jack Bauer Perkins. I will fill those of you in that don't already know later but suffice to say that Jack's cancer is back which just means we have to get combat ready again. Nothing we can't handle since we have already been through it but it just makes for a stressful experience right now.

But we are all behind him and next to him and there for him. I love you Dad.

2007-10-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

FULL MOON OR WHAT?

I'm just trying to figure out why I feel like I'm a werewolf or maybe I'm thinking of Jekyl and Hyde. It's just been one of those mornings or was it evenings? I just called this physician's office for work and the very nice receptionist said, "I think today is just a bad day for him to talk. Must be a full moon." Ha, I can relate to that.

On another note, I had my second massage class last night. Very very fun. We give a massage and get one in each class. I'll leave you with a quote from the teacher last night. This was in regards to how sometimes the strokes go against blood flow. "The reason why we break the rules sometimes is because it feels good."

2007-10-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

T Minus Five Days

Until I leave my job and start a new one. I'm happy for sure. But sad too. You can't be in a relationship (work or personal) and not feel some sadness about it being over even if you know it's the right thing for you. While there have been good and bad things about my job, it has allowed me to do and live where I wanted on my terms. It let me be there for my family when my Dad was sick. It gave me my confidence back after working at the entertainment PR firm where I was beaten up emotionally.

So yes, of course I'm happy to move on to the next, better thing. But I'm sad to leave this behind. Sad that the one big thing other than my love for my friends in LA that held me there was this job. It let me see some of the people I love the most far more often than I would have if I just moved to NY with a new job. But I will be back there someday. I can never stay away too long. I have been talking a lot about how much I miss LA. I'm not sure if that will ever leave me. I still talk about missing VA and I haven't lived there permanently since I was 24.

I like to think that maybe someday G and I will move back to LA. Back to Hermosa. Who knows. It's not that farfetched. I know it would be hard to be far away from my family again but I also know that G is my family. And we will someday grow that family. So how can I have everything? Someone needs to convince my sister to move to CA and then I know my parents would follow. So I'm putting it out into the universe that my sister's husband get some awesome opportunity in CA to start his own gym. And then we will all move there. :)

My parents can live in Loyalton and come to LA whenever the winter weather gets too bad. They will always have somewhere to stay and get to enjoy seeing their grandchildren whenever they wish. Okay universe, get going.

2007-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

Let the Games Begin!

Tomorrow is G's birthday so in honor of it we are having a sports lovers game fest. Tonight it's the Mets, tomorrow the Mets and then Sunday the Giants. I will gain 14 pounds but the birthday boy will be having the time of his life so that's all that matters. I'm looking forward to the fun though since it is going to be a beautiful fall weekend here in New York and I'll be outside most of the time. Tomorrow we are taking a water taxi to the stadium for the first time which I'm excited about.

Things at work have been busy but that's to be expected since I'm leaving. Only one more week! I can't believe I'm going to start a new job that will involve me coming back to the west coast quite a bit. But this time to San Francisco. Watch out!

2007-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

I'm out of practice

Things have been so busy here lately that I haven't written in a looooong time. For those of you that are still checking, I gave notice at my job! I am still here for now but will be starting at another agency in mid-October. I'm really happy and looking forward to my new gig. I'm going to try to get back into writing here more regularly now that I have gotten past the hump of interviewing like a maniac.

G and I are heading to DC this weekend to visit friends and family. I'm so looking forward to relaxing and see my SLY.

2007-08-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Weight Loss Saga Continues

At least now I'm actually exercising. But still, the pounds are not peeling off as fast as I would like. I think my $10 contribution is turning into a donation. But my newfound excitement over saving money for some trips will certainly help curtail by going out and spending money on food. Plus this past week we have been getting back into cooking which has been lovely. I forget sometimes just how therapeutic cooking is for me. J was here this weekend and it was great catching up with her and taking her to Canal Street with the crazy purse people. We also went to see Rent which I really enjoyed. I'm happy that after over a year of living here I feel like I'm being better about taking advantage about where I live.

This weekend G and I are going out to LI to hit the beach with one of my friends from UVA. I am in need of some serious beach time and what better thing to do in 90 degree weather!

2007-07-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Good Ole' Virginia

I'm back this weekend for SLY's 2nd birthday. I can't quite believe she is already two! Time just flies. It was nice getting up this morning for a walk with my Dad. I love that I will be totally exhausted and sleep deprived and that makes no difference if it means I'll get to talk and walk with him. I'm a lucky daughter. I'm just working away today getting my stomach ready for Lebanese Taverna tonight. I have to be mindful of the weight loss challenge though. I have my next weigh in on Monday. ayiiiiieeeee!!!!

2007-07-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Weight Loss Challengers Unite!

My friends E & J have talked me in to participating in a weight loss challenge. Everyone in E's family is doing it too so I have thrown my hat in the ring. The incentive is whoever loses the most weight will win the pot of money. We all put in $10 so the pot is at $70. Not bad as far as I'm concerned. Rules of starvation do apply so you have to lose the weight in a healthy manner. So I guess I will leave the laxatives at home. har har. I just started today so I'll let you guys know how it goes. I have until mid-August and then the results are announced.

2007-07-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long!

It's been a busy few weeks. G and I went to Spain for my good friend M's wedding. Then I was just at our family reunion down in NC at the beach. I managed to spend some time with all my family and see my friend S a few of the nights which was great. All in all I have been spoiled with vacations and am now having a very tough time getting back into work. I'll manage somehow.

As for Spain, I cannot say enough how great of a time we had there. M's wedding was incredible but even more so was getting to see and experience Spain again. I had forgotten just how much I truly love the culture and lifestyle of that country. Sitting in a cafe having Manchego cheese, drinking vino tinto on the Plaza de Santa Ana, going topless in Conil. I think in my next life I need to be a Spanaird.

My family reunion was equally enjoyable since it's always nice to see all my cousins and immediate family. I spent a lot of time just soaking up SLY and seeing how fast she has grown. She is almost speaking in full sentences now which came as quite a shock from last month even. It all happens so fast. But that's life I suppose. We just have to remember to slow down every once in a while, sit in a cafe and enjoy the people walking by. I vow to do that more often moving forward.

2007-06-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, wedded bliss. The anniversary weekend was incredible. G went all out. We went on this great cruise around the island of Manhattan seeing all the beautiful architecture while sipping on champagne and eating brunch. And then dinner. Let's just say I don't think amazing does it justice. I decided this morning that we should treat every day like it's our anniversary. So happy anniversary again honey. I love you.

2007-06-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Almost One Year Anniversary!

June 10th is our one year wedding anniversary. Yes, we dated for 8 years before we got married, yes, we already passed the 7 year itch, yes, I still love him more than anyone in this universe and beyond. Thank you G for being a wonderful husband. I love you with all my heart.

I love you because:

- you love me despite and maybe because I'm crazy
- you still make the same jokes you did back in 1998 and I still laugh hysterically to the point of tears
- for some reason you believe in me no matter what, even when I'm being mopey and incapable of making choices in my career that I know are good for me
- you let me be the non-implentor
- you help me to relax (what does that word mean again?)
- you eat my cooking even when I have red-peppered something to death
- you are one of the funniest most sarcastic human beings on the planet but deep down you are all mushy just like me
- when we stand facing each other and I don't have heels on then I fit right underneath your chin
- you are warm and kind and all the things I could want in a husband
- you genuinely try to remember about putting the toilet seat down
- you always ask me if I want the booth side of the table at a restaurant
- you let me have the window seat on the plane
- you could get in a car with me going no particular direction and we don't have to talk we can just enjoy being with each other
- you are my other half
- you are all the things I wish I could be

2007-05-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Baby Baby Baby!

I'm back in NY now from what I like to think was a very successful baby shower thank you very much. And thank Mom very much. And thank everyone else who helped us put it all together. And thank H for getting pregnant so we have an excuse to get together to eat pink cupcakes! H looked radiant in her beautiful dress and got a lot of great gifts. I can't wait to see the baby's room now that she has all the fun bedding in it!

New York has been lovely the past few weeks. I have been enjoying that feeling spring brings of wanting to shed a layer of pounds and clothing. It's yet another fun thing about being on this coast again. This morning I was discussing some of the things that make NY well NY. Here are a few fun tidbits:

- if you are waiting in line, people in NY say you are "waiting ON-line" (mental note to not make fun of G anymore for saying this since he can't help it, it's how they do it here
- coffee regular - means you want coffee with milk and sugar
- when you get a bagel from H&H bagel you ask what is still waaaaahhhhhrm (insert accent)
- if you are a guy, no matter your age and you are purchasing something at a deli, coffee cart, etc. then your name is BOSS (how cool is that?)
- when you refer to a freeway you don't say the 405 like in LA or I-95 like in DC, you say it's name so it's The Van Wick or whatever

Once again proving I am a fountain of useless knowledge.

2007-05-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

Heading Home

It's funny how no matter how long you don't live somewhere you still consider it home. They say home is where the heart is. Then I must have three hearts. One in Virginia, one in California and one wherever G and I might be at the time. I guess I will eventually have four since New York is quickly becoming a place that I love.

This weekend I'm going back to Virginia for my friend H's baby shower. I'm really looking forward to seeing all my ladies from high school and spending time with my folks. I am blessed to have come from such a great place. I know we Virginians are snobby about our homeland but hey, what can I say, it's really that great. If you've ever spent a day driving down Rte. 29 or floating down the James River drinking beer you know what I'm talking about. There is something about our fair state. The history, the rolling hills. It's like slipping into a warm bath and letting it sink into your skin. I may not live there but I carry it with me wherever I go.

2007-05-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Madre, Maman, Mama, Mommy

As mother's day approaches I thought to myself, oh no! I need cards! I went to the Duane Reade near my house last night to pick some up. As I got to the counter, the woman laughed and said, three cards? I had to explain well there is my mom, and the there is my left coast mom, and then there is my sister. I am blessed with knowing so many lovely moms. Life is good.

In the spirit of my last post, here's to you #1 Mom!

Because of you:

I can shop better than any woman alive

I care so much about others sometimes it hurts

I believe in myself

I love with my whole heart

I am brave and know that I can do anything

I never get sick of taking care of others

I know the power of a really amazing hug

I can cry and know that it will make me feel better

I know saying I love you to someone every time I speak to them is not dorky, it's just right

I am special - at least to one person in this world

Thank you mom for being there for me every moment of my life. For being the rock of our family. For being you. You are truly an amazing human being. I love that as I get older you are more than my mother. You are my friend.

2007-05-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

My Dad

I was just reading a friend's blog who lost her father to cancer a few years ago so I thought I would give a shout out to my father here.

Because of you Dad:

I have a spring in my step

I have to get my eye brows waxed bi-weekly

I know what love is

I love history

I have all kinds of cheesy one-liners like busier than a one-armed paper hanger

I enjoy the simple things life has to offer like my walk to work

I know that there is no point to complaining (no one would listen to me anyway)

I see the good in people first before anything else

Know that every day I thank god or Allah or Buddha or whomever for you. Every extra moment I get with you is precious to me.

2007-04-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's Spring!

Well it feels a teensy bit more like it anyway today. I'm wearing a cute new skirt from G's Mom. Things are good here. My friend H from high school was here over the weekend and we did the town up. You should have seen her haggling with the the purse bargainers down on Canal Street. We went to check out the world trade center site as well. I swear I get all choked up every time I see it. That just will never sit well with me. Not that it ever should but you would think upon my fourth visit I could get through it without tearing up.

We went out to yet another very yummy Mexican restaurant last night with G's family to celebrate his Dad's bday. Who knew there would be so many yummy Mexican restaurants in New York? LA still takes the cake but I'm getting much more impressed by the Mexican scene here.

2007-04-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

SLY does New York!

She came, she saw, she kicked some big apple butt. That's right, my lovely niece was in town this past weekend with her momma and my parents. We had an amazing time and I think SLY really loved NYC. She took the bus, subway, you name it. She was totally fine with all of it and didn't bat an eye. We all knew she was an out of towner though since she waved and said hello to everyone. :) I was particularly excited since we took her to this cute place called Alice's Tea Cup which she seemed to like. They sprinkled fairy dust on her as we were leaving and my mom got her a fuzzy pink magic wand. I think next time I'll just get one for myself too.

This week I'm trying to lay low since my best bud H from DC will be in town next weekend. I will be playing tour guide again which as you all know I love. It's fun because you get to do and see things you would otherwise not do or see since you wouldn't want to be thought of as a tourist. God forbid! So now I will get to spend the next few days coming up with a tentative schedule of events. G is sitting there shaking his head at how insane I am but hey, what can I say. I'm a planner. I refuse to feel bad about it.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with G's family since it's his sister's bday. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. And they always pick some yummy place to go. I hope all is well with those who read this and that you are having a great spring so far. Love and miss you mucho!

2007-03-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

"We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something."
--Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Just thought this was an appropriate quote for me today. I am feeling more and more how everything is inter-conncected.

For some reason, I feel like today is one of those days I will remember for the rest of my life. Like a corner was turned. I'm shedding the weight of winter and not looking back. Spring is making me feel more awake, alive, fearless. I forgot how great it was to feel Spring. Living in LA you don't really notice the change of seasons very much. Being back on the East coast means I get to have that awakening again. Ah, it's good. Life is good.

2007-03-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Where in the world is Perkidiablo?

Sorry for being MIA for the past few weeks. Work was uber busy and I had lots of bday celebrating to be doing so was remiss in writing. Lets just say I had a fantabulous birthday complete with this awesome new "laptop bag that so doesn't look like one because I'm a hip new yorker" purse you see in the photo. I was spoiled all around by family and friends. Then over St. Patty's day my good friend I came for a visit and we trekked all over the city. I now know more than I ever wanted to know about bargaining for faux purses on canal street! :) We also attended my friend N's engagement party which was lovely. The food was incredible.

Work has been busy but I'm still finding time to play with friends. Tonight G and I are going to some cocktail party being thrown by Rolling Stone magazine. I guess there is free booze which cannot hurt. I am feeling more and more at home here in NY which I'm happy to report. I guess it just takes time for even a change lover like myself to acclimate to a place so big and full of energy. It's hard not to get swept up in it all sometimes but I'm trying to keep myself as grounded as possible. Cooking chicken fajitas the other night helped that. I guess Mexican has really become my comfort food. LA will always stay with me or perhaps it's because my mother loves Mexican so much that I'm surprised I was not born Mexican.

2007-03-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

I want to be domesticated! We got our new rug for the living room last night. I love all 5 by 8 feet of it. I'm really digging the blue and brown action. I think we are going to get some blue/white pillows for the couch that will look great with it. I made meat loaf for dinner last night. I really do sound like a 50 year old getting excited about rugs and meat loaf! :) Heck with it, I'm happy so that's all that matters right?

2007-03-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

So I already knew I had an amazing sister-in-law but now it's official. C took G and I to see John Mayer last night at Madison Square Gardens. It was an amazing concert and Alicia Keys came out and closed with him. So much fun! I had never been to MSG so it was cool to check that venue out. Check out John and Jessica. I mean, I'm soooo much cuter than her right?

2007-02-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Jack is Back!

You heard me people. Don't mess with Jack "Bauer" aka Dad. Luckily despite the countless terrorist insurgents he had to fight off who were WAY off protocol, pops is finally out of the hospital. Now we can all stop worrying about another nuke going off in Northern Virginia near CTU (Cancer Therapy Unit). har har.

G and I went down to see the family this weekend. I'm really glad we went. I think I needed it as much as my Dad did after over a week of worrying about him. Thanks to everyone for their warm wishes.

Last night we went to the Barney's warehouse sale. We managed to get some pretty sweet deals although you really need to be in the right mindset to be there. Plus went something that is $1500 goes on sale for $500, that's not really a bargain!

2007-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Faux holiday aside, I wanted to say to all of you who read this that I love you and I hope all is well with you. I'm sorry I haven't written lately. I was in LA for work/play and then adjusting back to the cold NY weather. It was SO great to see my LA peeps. I went with E to Hermosa for the day. Had the eggs California at Martha's, got mani/pedis, had to put on spf 30 for fear of sunburn. God it was great. I missed my hubby and NY so it was good to come home. While I miss LA, every day I realize more and more the things I love most about NY. And I realize that home really is where G is. The scenery just changes and since I love change, that's not a bad thing.

I'm having a touch time this past week since pops is back in the hospital. No big C so thank god for that but it's still been hard to think of anything but him. I hope he knows that I'm focusing all the positive energy I can muster on him getting out. If you all could do the same, I would really appreciate it. Love you!

2007-01-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

How was your weekend?

Good, I finally went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. G and I decided to go spur of the moment on Saturday afternoon after enjoying a late lunch. It was amazing. Huge, no way you can see everything in one afternoon amazing. I loved it. So now I of course want to go again. I love going to museums with G. He really gets into it and I practically have to drag him out when it comes time to leave. We even sat for a while in the Great Hall at the bar having drinks, listening to music. Then yesterday we met up with some friends at this British tea place called Tea & Sympathy. Very quaint and very British, whatever that means. We also managed to figure out a little more about our trip to Spain. I'm SO looking forward to it. Now we just need to figure out our hotel for after Granada. Is it June yet? I'm leaving for LA on Thursday and looking forward to seeing friends and getting some much needed sun. I think I'm as pale as I have been in years. Pasty pale.

2007-01-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Celebrate, meditate!

I went with my friend N to my first meditation class last night. And I'm hooked! It was a Buddhist meditation class and we sat for the first 40 minutes meditating and then they gave a lesson on Buddhist teachings. I loved it. I thought I had been sitting for 5 minutes when the little bell rang and it had actually been 40 minutes! I feel so great today and slept really well last night. I'm definitely going back again next week. I never thought I could meditate. I guess I thought my brain was too full of worry and crap to focus long enough but I love knowing I was wrong about it. :) The funniest part about the whole experience was this place is called Dharma Punx and the guy who leads it is covered in tatoos with all these piercings. And there I am in my suit from work with him. The things I love about NY continue to grow.

2007-01-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Success again! We bought a new bookcase this weekend! Our apartment has furniture in it! I'm very excited and now it's on to looking for the coffee table. I'm attaching a photo of the bookcase so you can drool over it's beauty. har har. G and I also spent the better half of the weekend shopping and looking for tickets to our frient M's wedding in Spain. We managed to score some almost free tickets by using miles so we are going for a week in June. I cannot believe it. M is getting married in Granada where I studied in college so I can't wait to take G to my old stomping grounds. Other than that I made a very yummy "Wintry Stew" on Sunday night which we will be having again tonight. I forgot how much fun it was to make wintry type food. Ah, yet another good thing about cold weather!

2007-01-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Success - Entertainment Center purchased!!!

I know, I know, it's a small thing and yes we now have to wait about 2 months for them to make it but we bought our entertainment center this weekend! I know M will appreciate this. As we were walking in I turned to G and said, "we are going to find our entertainment center in here. It will be about $800 and with tax it will still be less than the amount of money we have saved so far. And I kid you not it was $749!!! This is about $600 cheaper than all the other ones we have seen all over NY. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. The law of attraction at work! I have included an image of the center. Keep in mind it's a much darker color but I'm so happy we got it!

2007-01-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Work work work. It's been a busy few days here but I'm kind of digging it after the past few months of boring. I have been spending my nights getting geared up for this weekend. J, H and L are all coming into town from DC and E is here from LA. I mean, talk about a nationwide gathering!

G hung up some of our photos the other night. I now feel like our apartment is coming together and is more homey. When you walk in, it's very inviting. I will have to post some photos up for you all. We are still anxiously awaiting when we can finish buying furniture but we put our feet down and refuse to put anything on a credit card (my willpower is not as strong as G's but one of us has to have a backbone!). Alas this means furniture buying is taking longer than anticipated. So I have decided to spend this time thinking about how amazing our apartment is going to look once we have the entertainment center and desk. We are on our way and being good savers so I'm very proud of us.

This weekend is going to be uber fun. I can't wait to have my peeps in town. We are having Italian, mexican, tongue, you name it!!

2007-01-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

"I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure." - John D. Rockefeller

I think I need more pleasure in my life. I try to take pleasure in the little things but lately I have gotten a little off track. I am re-committing to pleasure from this moment on.

2007-01-08T12:18:00.000-08:00

Just got a new photo of my parentals with SLY from Xmas. I mean, I know I'm biased but she really is darn cute!

2007-01-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

My friend J had this awesome version of ColdPlay's Fix You on her blog. Had to share it here. Gives me an entirely different perspective of the song. I had thought of it more as a young couple figuring things out and realizing that no matter what they are there for each other but know ultimately they can't fix each other. This opened up a whole other door for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u6k-99qcCE&eurl=

I had an amazing weekend back in DC visiting friends and family. I got to see the new bebe TAD. She is beautiful. It's something so incredible to be in the room with a new child. A new family. It's like seeing life breathed into something that fragile reminds you of what hope is. I guess that's why we reproduce is for a chance to see that hope again. I know that is what SLY did for my family. I know C does that for my friend J and her family. Just reminded us all that there are so many doors you can go through. You just have to believe a little more in life and seeing it from a child's point of view makes us remember that we have endless possibilities.

2007-01-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

Found it!

My old digital camera that is! Here is a picture of SLY looking rather spiffy. Not that I took this or anything but hey, a very cute photo of her nonetheless.

2007-01-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

Things I'm thankful for.

Yeah, I know it's way past turkey day but I can be thankful more than once a year.

I'm thankful for my loving husband who I believe may be one of the finest people I know.
I'm thankful that my dear friend A gave birth to a beautiful little girl yesterday and all is well.
I'm thankful that my family is so wonderful and they taught me to believe in myself.
I'm thankful for my niece who made the past two years of insanity bearable.
I'm thankful for my mother-in-law who gave me almost an entire new wardrobe from ATL.
I'm thankful for birthdays since you get to be the center of attention and not feel bad about it.
I'm thankful for Weight Watchers since it really helps me to keep on track.
I'm thankful for hard boiled eggs because MAN are they good.
I'm thankful for the internet and blogs so I can keep in touch with friends and family.
I'm thankful for my job since I get paid and can use that money to do fun things.
I'm thankful that G and I are becoming more financially sound every day and I'm proud of us.
I'm thankful for the air I breathe and the shoes on my feet.
I'm thankful for one more minute on this planet so I can see one more person smile and remember just how great life is.

2006-12-29T07:13:00.000-08:00

Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd. - Edith Sitwell

Not that I'm an aristocrat or a genius. Promise my scholastic tests from childhood and my barely above mediocre SAT score will back me up. But I do sometimes think people think I'm crazy. So it's nice to know I'm not the only one of us out there.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. Tonight my good buddy J here is making G and I dinner and then tomorrow evening we are celebrating Xmas again with G's familia. Lots of celebrating to be done! Sunday evening we are having a little soiree at V's house on the upper east side. muahahahahaha. That just sounds snooty to me. I will go to visit but happy I live in the kitchen of hell. Sounds much more hip right? :)

2006-12-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

So we are back in New York from a great trip home with the folks. I felt of course spoiled once again and I got to visit with friends and family all over northern Virginia. Of course I totally exhausted myself per usual. I guess someday I will learn that I don't need to make myself batty every time I go home but I feel like it's worth it. I had a great time with my parents, sis and the bebe. We went to my favorite crab cake sandwich making place Chadwick's in old town. I had two crab cakes while home. There is nothing really that compares to crab cakes in the chesapeake bay area.

As for this week, work has been DEAD. Just plain boring and I'm having a very hard time making myself do anything remotely productive other than online shopping. :) My friend here at work M gave me this funny list called the SHIT list. It has an offender, what their violation is and my plan of attack. There are little boxes you can check off including, confront, ignore, stew, avenge and my personal favorite - TALK SHIT. :) I think I need to do that more often. ha! Last night my good friend I's brother was in town with his new lady. We met up with them for a drink and she is really nice. I'm very happy for him. Tonight G's friend from college and his girlfriend are here. It's a busy time here in NY with LOTS of people visiting. I have found it hard to really keep up with my exercising so I'm committing to a yoga class on Saturday morning. I think that will help me feel a little more relaxed. I'm about eliminating some of the stress in my life right now. This city is amazing but it can really make you a little insane sometimes.

2006-12-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
--Robert F. Kennedy, former U.S. attorney general and politician
Thought that was a good quote for today. G and I had a nice weekend. The second cabinet is finally all put together so we spent some of Saturday going through some of the boxes that had been sitting in the corner collecting dust. Our apartment is coming together! Slow and steady wins the race! Next we will focus on the entertainment center and perhaps a bookshelf. My freelancing thoughts for the new year are a little in flux so I'm thinking I don't need to harp so much on having the desk. I am thinking I need to really think more about what it is I want in the next year or so. I'm doing some evaluating and I really need to plan some things out. We have some awesome weddings coming up next year so I need to focus on planning my time. I leave tomorrow for home for the holidays. I'm going back early since my mom is retiring! So excited for her!

2006-12-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm getting predictable. Apparently I like to post on hump day and Friday. Well fine, I'm a predictable blogger! I have decided that G and I need to get a digital camera. We have had 2 recently but they disappeared. A story for another time. Needless to say, I am going to Rolf's the crazy xmas decorated place again this evening. I was trying to find a photo on google images but nothing is truly doing it justice! I'm having a pretty uneventful week at work. I need to buckle down and get some stuff done but the holidays have made me want to just say eff it!!!

2006-12-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Hump Day! Today I'm wearing this great new skirt that I got over the weekend with G's mom. I went out to LI to visit her and A. It was great to get to know them better and I'm feeling quite snazzy in my tweed pleated skirt. I wore it with my brown boots from Spain. I got these back in college. They say "come with me across the universe" on the sole of the boot. They really really need to be re-soled considering I have had them now for 8 years but I can't bring myself to do it. They are not even really comfortable anymore and have lost the majority of the cushion on the inside. But really, who would take come with my across the universe off the sole of the shoe if they could in any way prevent it? Other than that, just continuing to gear up for the holidays. I still feel like I have SO much to do before we go home. I guess this weekend will be a whirlwind of getting ready, doing laundry, blah blah blah. I found out a good buddy of mine from high school and his girlfriend are coming up for a visit. I'm taking them to this place called Rolf's. It's totally hilarious. Every square inch of the place gets decorated for xmas. And I say every inch, I'm really not exaggerating. It's totally nuts.

2006-12-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Holiday, celebrate! I think I have gained 10,000 lbs from the past weekend of holiday fun. Well okay, maybe just 2 or 3 pounds but you get the picture! Tonight I also have my work holiday party which will be at Bryant Park overlooking the ice skating rink. People in the office were talking about how fun it would be to ice skate after the party and I reminded them of my senior formal in college where we incorporated drinking and skating. In case you were wondering, NOT a good idea. My dear friend S's date got wasted and broke his foot and managed to crack his head open. He's fine now, just slightly brain-damaged. Okay he had to be brain-damaged to get on the ice in that condition so maybe that was beforehand. But it was rather hysterical seeing her with blood on her. It was like Carrie on ice. And while my date managed to not inflict any bodily harm on himself, I managed to get drunk and break up with him that night. And he cried like a baby. I mean, horrible. He was so upset and told me that he knows I love him because I said it one night at the bar we worked at. I sat there in my drunken haze trying to remember when the eff I told this guy I had been dating for about 2 months that I loved him. He finally reminded me of the night. Yes folks, apparently while he was bartending and I was enjoying a friend's bday party equipped with a male stripper I told him I loved him. I also remember telling pretty much everyone in the bar that night that I loved them. I think it was my goodbye to everyone actually. Something like, "I love you and you and you and you," pointing around the room. Needless to say, not a genuine love offering but hey, that must have been hard for him to figure out. It sucked though since then he decided to stalk me for about six months. So ice and drinking do not mix people. Friends don't let friends skate drunk.

2006-12-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

"Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius."
--Fulton J. Sheen,
Archbishop, prominent TV preacher

2006-12-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!
Last night I went out with my friend A for a few drinks in the upper west side. We went to a bar called Prohibition. Insert snorty chuckle on that name. G had his looney holiday party last night. I guess it was not as good as the past ones in LA. And of course it wasn't because I was not there. Hello people! How dare you think to have some cool holiday party and not invite me? Doomed to failure I say! Tonight we are going out with our friend C for her bday and I'm going to be working most of the weekend. It's good for me though extra money. I am going out to have dinner/shop with G's mom tomorrow afternoon. I think that will be a good bonding experience. I need to get to know her better.

2006-12-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Hump Day!
G has been super busy with his new job. Not that I enjoy not having him around but per usual I have managed to find the silver lining. I have been getting lots of our holiday shopping/card giving done with my spare time. I also went to the dermatologist yesterday and drum roll...I have adult acne! Ick! After accutane I thought nothing could grow on this face. :) But alas, all my best efforts at taking good care have failed. Turns out that I'm not supposed to use stuff with microbeads. All along, Cetaphil. G of course gave me a big I told you so today. I have been keeping up with my walking to/from work despite the cold weather. I love being outside. I don't care how cold it gets. I'll just put on more layers! I miss my LA ladies but my good friend N will be here this weekend for a visit. I really do think a LIFT in NY is needed. We must make that happen.

2006-12-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Cumin Crusted Chicken Curry Goodness
That was our dinner last night. YUM. I think tonight I'll kick it up a notch with a little more of the curry since I was fearful of it being too spicy. I should know us better! This past weekend was fun. One of my best buds from college H came to visit. We went to Lombardi's for pizza and partied like it was 1999. Or I guess 1998 since that was when we graduated. We ended up at Rudy's which always cracks me up. G's sister C came out with us which was so much fun. I tell you, I got so lucky in the sister-in-law department. She truly is amazing. I hope she knows how much I adore her. We are gearing up for all our holiday shopping and getting gifts. We started buying things online. Now I need to order a bunch of frames tonight so we can start getting the photos I have picked out for people done. I need more spare time!!

2006-11-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

Financial dating
No, I have not invented a new form of speed dating that involves playing the stock market. But G and I have decided to start being more on top of our finances. To make it "fun" we have been installing finance dates into our relationship. We have our second one tonight where we will focus on not going broke for Christmas. I'm excited to be more on top of our spending plan. We have been calling it that instead of a budget since that's just such an icky word. Spending plan good, budget bad. Today I also got my first paycheck as a Director. I must say, holy moly. I mean I know most of it will go to rent but it was certainly nice to see that in the checking account! Woo hoo!

2006-11-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

Let the tree lighting festivities begin! So I have now been to the Lincoln Center tree lighting and I'm going to the one at Rockefeller Center tonight. I guess tree lighting is uber important in NY. The one at Lincoln Center was very fun and they even had this HUGE street fare with all sorts of culinary delights. G met me there and we wandered through everything. A little nutty even by NY crowd standards but we had fun enjoying our new town. Then we went to Indian food at this fun place near Columbus Circle called Balucchi's or something. I know, sounds Italian right? Last night my friend N from high school came into town for a visit. He was here for work. It was fun seeing him and he came over for dinner at our pad. I made a lemony chicken concoction that involved using whatever we had in the kitchen. I only had to buy garlic and lemons in order to make it. I love when I have good stuff at home so I don't have to spend a lot at the store. G started his new job this week. It's going well I think. I'm VERY proud of him and I just know this is going to be a great new chapter in his career. I think working hard on something you enjoy and believe in is exciting so I'm happy that the man I love gets to do just that.

2006-11-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

It's the holiday season, It's the holiday season. I get it now why they say there is no place like being in New York over the holidays. I walked into work today and let me just say, the lobby of my building is gorgeous. The tree lighting at Rockefeller Center is happening on Wednesday. The windows as Saks Fifth Avenue are all done up. I mean, you cannot beat it. There is that smell of the season in the air. It just seeps from every direction. I think today I have decided to let it envelope me. G and I are sitting down this week to figure out our gift giving strategy. I know silly to strategize on such things but since we are still trying to buy furniture, we gotta really have our arms around it this year. I think unfortunately that means a lot of people I would normally buy gifts for are getting cards. I know, lame but I think all my years of crazy purse sale/DVD giving will get me a get-out-of-jail-free-card this year. I love giving presents. There is something so great about the look on the person's face. They are just so happy that you thought of them. So maybe that thought of them is a candy cane taped to a card. I think all the change and starting of a new life will buy me a little forgiveness this season. I vow that while I will never be as good as my friend H about buying throughout the year that I will start shopping earlier next year so that it does not all come out of the same paycheck! :)

2006-11-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Ludicrous Speed! Yes, that's me, living in Spaceballs the movie. This past weekend in DC was a giant whirlwind. All fun, but insane. I think just because I now live closer to my family that doesn't mean I have somehow turned into a super hero that can get more done than normal humans. I pulled one of my famous cram as much into one weekend as I can scenarios where I end up feeling like poo come Monday. One of my best friends from high school A had her baby shower this weekend. It was so much fun to see her and she looked amazing. I hope I look half that good whenever I am pregnant. It's just so nice to see someone you love getting ready to embark on something so incredible. I mean, she has a baby in there! It's real and it's about ready to come join us. :) Other than that I spent the weekend with family and G came with me. We tried a new mexican restaurant which was so great. Very tasty for DC standards I must say. yes, I know, I'm an LA snob when it comes to Mexican and I don't care! I will say this, taking the bus back up to NY last night and getting in at midnight was not the best thing ever. But in the cab ride back home, I had a moment. More like a flicker. Of knowing I was going home. Just me and G sitting in the cab and looking out the window at the still somewhat busy NY streets that I was heading to my home. My overpriced, one-bedroom, box ridden home. However imperfect it may be, it's ours. And we will figure it all out in time. I felt pretty calm for the first time in about 72 hours. Sometimes it's just nice to remember that no matter what, we will do this together. This whole thing called life. I might not tell him enough how lucky I am to have him. But I like to think he knows.

2006-11-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

It's FRIDAY!!!!! Just in case you forgot. :) This has been a busy week for me so sorry for not writing. I have been working my tail off and I am leaving for LA on Monday evening so it's just been one thing after another. Last weekend was an absolute blast. My dear buddy M was in town and we managed to make it to RUDY's after an afternoon of drinking/napping. That place just totally cracks me up! People get so into playing songs from the juke box. Yours truly included. I really could have partied there all night. Sunday G made us chili which was delicious and we watched football. Very all american of us! This weekend our good friend B is joining us which I'm really excited about. We haven't seen him since the wedding so it will be nice to catch up.

2006-10-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

"Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness." Robertson Davies.

G sent this to me this morning. Not sure if I buy the glandular part but it goes back to what I am always saying. You need to spend EVERY day waking up thinking about the little things that will bring you happiness. Like my walk home every day. I love it. I love the sounds and the people and the action. Or my coffee with skim milk and two french vanilla creamers. If I just have one creamer, not as happy. But for some reason two really does it. Or the smell of my hair when I put this over-priced, leave-in conditioner my mom gets me with shea butter. I could spray that crap on as perfume. Or eat it. :)

2006-10-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Holy crazy week Batman! I went to Philadelphia yesterday to meet with this company that I might start contracting with in January. I might be leaving my current firm which all seems so crazy to me. I guess I made a good impression though and A said they loved me! So we shall see. I can't really believe I might be leaving where I am but I kind of already know it's time. I am just sort of not growing much at all at this point. Which is really quite boring for me. I'm going out to CA for a week in November for my review so we shall see how that goes. I know they will not give me a big raise due to the state of the business. Or at least they will make some mention of that regardless of what they could do and that will be the end of it. I am excited about working with A and this other firm so that's good. Man, could I really be a freelancer??? I guess I could. I guess I just have to decide to do it and do it! I'm uber excited too since my friend M is coming into town this weekend and we will play on Saturday evening. Nothing too crazy due to the ear saga but we have to go to her favorite bar called Rudy's. It has this giant pig out front that makes me think of her every time I pass it. Not because she is a piggy. Well maybe Ms. Piggy but only in the nicest most muppety fun way. :)

2006-10-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that things continue to get better with the ear situation although not as quickly as I would like. I'm still hearing the sound of my own voice when I talk and when I'm quiet, I just hear my heart beating in my head. It is actually quite nice when falling asleep at night but REALLY annoying the rest of the time. This weekend G forced me to be very chill given that I'm still not really all better. We did do some returning of a few wedding gifts which was fun because we are now getting a bunch of gift certificates back! We are going to use the ones from Pottery Barn to get lamp shades for the bedroom. And we bought a meat tenderizer at C&B. G also made me a very yummy dinner on Saturday. Chicken Souvlaki. I'm putting it out into the universe that G should be a master chef and I can run the restaurant. Maybe we move to Nicaragua and open a restaurant! But first, we are thinking of signing up for a cooking class here in the city. I really enjoy cooking but G has just that natural skill. Thank you whoever decided I would be blessed with a man that loves to cook! We also went back to this place called El Centro for brunch in Hell's Kitchen. While it's not La Playita in Hermosa, it's as close as we have been able to find. Now we just need a place that serves Machaca!

2006-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Still can't hear...but couldn't STAND being at home any longer. I think I could work remotely for sure but I would have to be able to go out of the apartment sometimes which was not really an option given how snotty I still was yesterday. But today, much better despite how insane I'm still feeling with the steroids. I think I have roid rage. ha! I'm off to the doctor again tomorrow morning to see if there are other things they can do to help the hearing issue. I know my ears are really inflamed but come on people! A whole week of this? I had to cancel going to B's wedding this weekend since I don't think all the travel will be good for me. In fact I know it wouldn't but I still feel really bad about it. But that will mean I can relax this weekend and perhaps do a load of laundry since I have been so far under a rock this past week.

2006-10-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been around lately. I have literally been on the verge of losing my hearing for over 4 days now. I have a severe middle ear infection in both ears. You name it, I'm on it. Vicodin, steroids, antibiotics, ear drops. Nothing seems to really be working too well. I am going back to the doctor today to see if there is more they can do. Not sure why this has kept me from blogging other than I'm so miserable I couldn't fake enjoying writing right now. :) I know, I'm a big baby but so what! I'm working from home AGAIN which I'm getting really sick of doing actually. I am trying a new tactic of no tv so i'm sitting in silence. My best friend J and her hubby/my buddy L were here visiting this past weekend. It was soooooo great to see them but I felt horrible that I was not 100%. Thank god I have such good friends that forgive me for being a drug-crazed deaf woman. Oh and we had possibly the world's best gnocchi ever at this place in the east village. And I can't actually taste very much so that's impressive. I wonder what it REALLY tastes like!

2006-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Vamoose Adventures begin anew. Today G and I will be heading down to West VA for the annual Capon trip. We are taking the Vamoosebus line. It's this bus line run by Hasidic Jews that runs from NY to DC. They show movies and it reminds me of the efficiency of buses in Europe. I've done Greyhound and it's pretty nasty so Vamoose is a welcome change. I'm not feeling too hot today so I hope sitting on a bus for 5 hours doing nothing will be good for me. Somehow I imagine it's not but one can brainwash oneself into thinking it is! G is out buying us Mets gear so that we can rub it in to all of the relatives that are Nats fans this weekend. I love how into sports New Yorkers get. Basically whatever they are into, they do it with lots of gusto! I also just ate a totally amazing grilled cheese sandwich. This did nothing to help my attempts at dieting but the sick part of me was really happy about it. I will be good the rest of the day.

2006-10-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lets Go Mets!!!! The game last night was amazing and insane. There were so many people on the 7 train and then at the stadium that it's good I have gotten over my fear of small spaces! And the subway train had no air conditioning and it was still packed! All in all, getting the playoff tickets was worth it. G had a blast and I'm happy that we got to do something so very NY. People in my office left work at like 1:30pm for a 4pm game and no one cared! It was as if it was expected. Tonight I NEED to do laundry and packed for our trip. We leave for Capon Springs tomorrow after we get off of work and I'm SO excited. I can't wait to see SLY running all over the place! I will have to send pictures to everyone or maybe I can figure out how to post some up here. That will be my blogging challenge for next week.

2006-10-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Greek food. TG took G and I out for an amazing dinner last night. We had a blast and met one of her co-workers which was nice. Tonight is the Mets game and G is uber excited. I'm just happy about the prospect of leaving work early! In other news I think I am getting my commute down to 20 minutes each way give or take street light timing. Not bad. I am really digging this whole walking to/from work thing. It is a wonder that I haven't lost a ton of weight. Perhaps it is the insanely large jar of chocolate that A keeps in her office across the hall from me. Literally, it's impossible to resist. I have managed to to get it down to one mini peppermint patty or 3 hershey kisses per day. That is still a staggering amount of chocolate considering if it were not there I would just eat the freaking sugar free chocolate pudding I have in the fridge. ugh. I have 1.5 hours left to go before I take off so I should make it look like I'm working.

2006-10-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. - Ferris Bueller
I love this quote for so many reasons. One Mattew Broderick is just so cute you could pinch his cheeks. And the major two is living here in New York, you really do need to stop and look around or you could miss so much. Every day on my walk to work I see something different. It truly amazes me how many people there are milling about in the street. It's funny because I'm really looking forward to my weekend at Capon coming up but I'm also still so fascinated by this city. I feel like because of how busy things have been I'm not even close to seeing everything there is to see or doing everything there is to do. It's like I'm Lewis & Clarke but I got lost trying to find the west. On a culinary note, I made a yummy chicken piccata-ish dish last night. I pretty much just took whatever I could find in the kitchen and whipped it up. Tonight my friend TG is taking G and I to dinner on her expense account. Woo hoo! Nothing like friends with expense accounts. Thank you universe for giving them to me. Now I need a friend with a boat!

2006-10-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Did you know the fourth largest mall in America is in Houston? That's right, you heard it here first. It comes close to the biggest mall I have ever encountered not including SouthCoast plaza of course. We were in Houston this past weekend for the wedding of our good buddy J. The wedding was lovely and the reception was at Rice University. A beautiful campus I must say. And I really enjoyed Houston surprisingly. I say surprisingly since I guess I assumed that since Texas is so conservative that I would hate everyone there but everyone was actually really really nice and I got a good dose of southern hospitality. Other than participating in Houston's favorite pastime (shopping), G and I did what every red-blooded American should do in Houston, we visited the space center. I got SLY this great shirt that has the NASA logo on it and it says, "I need my space." ha. Not sure why but that just cracks me up. :) We also visited the Museum of Fine Arts where there was an exhibit called Best in Show with all this art featuring our four legged friends, doggies. Very cute. There was also a little cat exhibit but it was kind of creepy and there was a flat screen showing a cat lapping up milk on a loop. A little weird. The museum is fantabulous though and I highly recommend it if you visit. I thought of my good friend J while looking over some Rothkos and other artists I know she loves.

2006-09-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Telephone Bar - I swear in New York you can find anything. Last night we went to a bar called Telephone Bar. Why is it called this you might ask? Well because there are UK telephone booths outside and in. That's it. Period. It was for this college event G helped put together. It was fun and there were some cool folks but of course I didn't get enough sleep and didn't manage to get up for the gym. ARGH. Tonight is the Yankees game which should be fun. We just had a little pre-happy hour to get peeps in the mood. Now if I could just get to bed before 11 tonight. I am in this weird place with work right now where I'm just totally over it. I need to figure out my work situation.

2006-09-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Whew, that was an amazing ride. My parents were here this weekend. Of course we had fun but there was some preparation I should have thought of ahead of time. One, my mother is not a fan of walking, two that restaurants might be a bit loud for her. Don't get me wrong, we had a GREAT time but I could have prepared her better for it. Yesterday was nice and relaxing. We watched football and forced ourselves to not think about all the stuff we needed to get done at work. We also watched part of our wedding video which was really cool. Today I'm just working away and having a drink with some people after work. Tomorrow I have tix for the Yankees game so G and I will be going to that. Should be fun. I miss LA though. Things have been good but lately I have been surrounded with overly mopey people and I can't say it's not starting to wear on me. I mean, even I can't hold the world up.

2006-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Start Spreading the News, the parentals get here today...that's right, the folks arrive this afternoon in my fair city. I am SO excited to see them. I have devised all sorts of culinary delights for us to partake in while they are here. First we will go to Nacional, a tapas place in the West Village. Then tomorrow day we will be having brunch near Central Park and then dinner in Hell's Kitchen at Taboon, a yummy middle eastern restaurant down the street. K and I will for sure be going shopping in Soho and G/J are going to the Mets/Nationals baseball game. I LOVE New York. The apartment is not really where I want it to be with my mother coming but I'm over it. I guess at the age of 30 I should at some point stop worrying about what she thinks! So there are boxes. So I have no coffee table. So my TV is on top of boxes full of books. It's my business kapeche? Or however you spell that word! I managed to get this great corporate rate for this fancy hotel call the ROYALTON over in the theater district. I want to go see this new broadway show at some point called Spamalot. It's based off of a Monty Python movie. Need to see if I can get tickets for it. Off to the work grid. Boo hiss.

2006-09-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Quote for today:
Be sincere; be brief; be seated." --Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thirty-second U.S. president

I made chicken cacciatore last night for dinner. It was not too bad but WAY too many green peppers for my taste. JC said I should try it with mushrooms. I will not give up yet then.

Tonight I'm having dinner with my friend TG from LA. I'm excited to try a new restaurant here in the city. I could literally eat out every single meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a year and never eat anywhere twice for a year. It's nuts how many options there are.

The UN is having all kinds of meetings here this week so I have had to walk to work since the bus runs right into where all the streets are blocked off. I think I will continue walking to work from now until it gets too cold. Thank you UN for disrupting mid town east siiiiiddddeee.

2006-09-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Tuesday da da da da da da
Have you ever thought about what a useless day Tuesday is? I say this all the time. Think about it. Monday, you just had a weekend so it's not so bad. Wednesday is HUMP DAY. Thursday is ALMOST Friday. And Friday is of course Friday. And Saturday/Sunday, don't need to comment. But Tuesday, a pointless day. So I have decided that I have to make Tuesday something really unique. I have to figure out a reason for Tuesday. So far, I am thinking of it as my laundry/making dinner night. But that is just not exciting. I think maybe I'll make this the night I do yoga so I will have it to look forward to. oooooo, perfect! Okay, now must find yoga class.

In other news, I'm thinking of taking a class on being a life coach. I just think I might be really good at that. I need to talk to Mo more about it.

2006-09-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I have written anything. I have been having an insane year. We are now living in New York City and so much has happened I wouldn't even know where to begin. G had a job in DC. Then no job. Now we are in NY. We are married. I'm 30 and I'm not really sure what is next for me. I'm sort of thinking about getting another job. One of the things I have decided to do is re-dedicate myself to updating this blog. My friend JD has a blog that she updates all the time and she really wanted me to get back into this. Especially since I'm not in California anymore it will hopefully be a good way for me to keep in touch with my very good friends out there. Plus being in NY there is so much happening to me I think it will be good for me to have a place to write it all down. This past weekend we went out with G's parents to this yummy restaurant owned by Bobby Flay called Bar Americain. YUM. We also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and or bathroom is gorgeous now! I'm so happy. Tonight Fresh Direct is delivering our groceries so I'm happy about cooking this week. I need to get back into it!

2005-07-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

SLY was born Friday, July 22nd in the evening. Right around 9pm EST. I am so happy I'm bursting. I have never known what it felt like to love someone so instantly without knowing them. I flew home on a red eye (5 hours delayed) to see her. I spent less than 48 hours with her and it was so amazing. I'm so happy to have gone to be with them. But now there is fear running through all of us. She is jaundice. Now I KNOW she will be okay but I can't help but worry about her and my sister. They are staying at the hospital right now. Sofia is under a light to help get her more sun to her skin and get rid of the yellow tint. I guess it's called the bely rubin? level that is too high. They are also feeding her a bottle on top of the breast milk so she is getting enough nutrients. I guess her weight went down too much too fast but now they are in the hospital which is where they should be right now. I know everything will work out. She just needs to be under the light for about 16 hours and continue to eat and everything will be fine. I just wish I was there with them. While all of this is going on, my father is still in the hospital for this gallbladder infection. They think they found the right antibiotics for him so hopefully he will be getting out tomorrow. We don't know yet. My mother is being so strong. I'm having stupid fights with my fiance. It's just too much for all of us right now.

2005-07-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Remain seated. My sister is having the baby. She will be in Arlington hospital and my Dad is in Alexandria hospital. I'm leaving tonight on a red eye for my third weekend in a row back in DC. I can't believe this is all happening. I'm so excited!!! I got to hear one of her contractions on the phone. I guess they are starting to come more rapidly now. I wonder if she will get the drugs to make her feel better. This is so crazy!!! I wish I could just leave work but we have a new person starting on Monday and I need to prepare for her arrival! I better get to work but just needed to write about the exciting news. I can't believe this is all happening. My Dad is doing okay. They are still not letting him eat anything yet since they are not sure if they will have to perform surgery to take the gallbladder out.

2005-07-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is my first entry into my blog. I hope that I will keep this up well into the future. Seems weird that I'm just now doing this for the first time. I have been going through a tough time with my Dad lately so I thought this might be a good outlet for me. My father has colon cancer. In fact, right now he is in the hospital since he has an infection. The think it might be his gall bladder. I mean, doesn't he have enough going on???? I hope to start writing on this everyday. I think it will be good for me. I bet there are other people out there going through the same thing and who knows, maybe they will find this useful. Or not. I don't know. This isn't sounding very catchy yet. I heard I'm supposed to make this interesting. I don't feel very interesting right now.