october chill

I changed my calendar to October today. I usually get very excited when it's time to change the calendar. So excited that I do it a day or two early, just to see what picture is next. But today as I flipped up a new page on my Vintage B&W photographs of New York I was depressed. I can't believe the Summer is really over and the cold is coming our way. As much as I love Fall, I hate so see the warm breezes go.

oh my goodness gracious...

Kingda Ka, The World's Tallest, Fastest Roller Coaster

Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey announces the largest expansion in the park's 30-year history with a new 11-acre, mythical jungle domain, The Golden Kingdom. The cornerstone of this new section is Kingda Ka, shattering all existing world records for speed and height at 128 mph and 418 feet!!!

Oh my-I am SOOOOOO getting a season pass next year! Check out the video on the link. Its sooo cool.

bye bye Summer

Photo of Matthew & I taken by David about 3 wks ago on the West side of Manhattan near the beach volleyball courts. Summer is already beginning to seem so far away...

Rold Gold & Canada Dry

Called in sick today. I have such a hard time calling in, I always feel guilty. Like they'll think I'm lying or something. Not that I take a lot of sick days. I think I've only taken 1 this year in April. It took me 45 minutes to decide if I should go or not this morning. But I finally made the decision when I felt dizzy. Then plugged in the GameCube and made my place on the couch. It's now 5:45 and my tummy feels just as, if not worse. But my bronchitis-like symptoms have improved a bit. Hearing that pouring rain outside makes me glad I'm all comfy n cozy inside.

Spoke with my Dad last night. I had a message when I got home from him saying he needs to 'chit-chat' with me about something. Uh oh. Didn't sound good. And I didn't want to call him back to hear it. I felt like it could be his 'good-bye' phonecall. But eventually he called again. Turns out he has been diagnosed with liver cancer and possibly some in the aorta as well. Not good. Chemo will be needed soon. It really sucks but I did feel much better after I talked to him. He finally got some pain med's that actually work so he is not in agony right now. That's good. But chemo could be really good, or really bad. And only time will tell.

my mind

Things on my mind today:

~I am getting sick (the annual October bronchitis-fest is about to commence!)

~My Dad is very ill and has just been diagnosed with cancer in the liver. He begins chemo in a couple of weeks. My Brother has decided to go to Australia next week to visit. After much thinking, I have decided not to go.

~I have just received my first Jell-o Pudding Pop courtesy of my co-worker Christine who made a mad dash to a store on 32nd and 3rd that had 1 box left. You rock Christine!

~I can't wait to get home to chill on the couch with my blankey, my hubby, hot tea with lemon, and Empire Strikes Back on DVD.

Happy Fall!

The leaves are not yet a fallin' but autmumn is a callin'! Fall is here as of 11:30am today.

I love fall. Crisp air. Apple cider on the stove. Sweaters and boots. Apple picking. Leaf catching. Just pure joy all around.

David made a pumpkin pie last night and sent me a beautiful fall bouquet at work today. This is my favorite season.

Cell phone pt. 2

My new cell phone. Courtesy of Verizon Wireless. Isn't it pretty. It has tron like lights that scroll across the front.

Now, I shall have service! AND, I get to keep my original number, you know, the one that ends in 8475. Woohoo!

No, there is another....

Where oh where is my Star Wars Trilogy DVD Widescreen set? Amazon, hurry up!! It's the only thing to keep me busy until I'm ready for Buffy Season 6. I'm still trying to take in everything that happened in the last episode of Season 5. Yes Celvyn, it was that episode. I'm also trying to come to terms with the fact that there are only 2 Buffy seasons left. Oh how I wish that it went on forever. It brings me so much joy, sorrow and humor.

Unlike that crap Angel. His good looks aren't enough to keep me entertained.

heaven on a stick

Could life get any better than this?

Popsicle brand has decided to bring back my beloved Jell-o Pudding Pops. I can remember back in the day, when I had the Summers off of school. I would sit down in front of the TV, watch Gilligan's Island, Bewitched and Happy Days, and consume an entire box of these delicious treats.

Oh joy!

Family fun wknd

Fun wknd with the family. Friday night was 'our' night. David and I On Demanded Mystic River. Hm, I am now convinced that Clint Eastwood can't direct very well. I mean, you have an amazing cast and he still managed to mess it up. Emotions should've run higher with all involved. Sean Penn is in my opinion the best actor out there, and I feel he was wasted talent in this one. Sorry Clint, you didn't make my day.

Saturday my Mom & Fred came into town. We started off with Dim Sum at Golden Unicorn. Had all the regular favorites and added a few new tasty treats. One standout was the tapioca pudding/soup. Tasted a bit like coconut and had little chunks of sweet potato and taro in it. Really sweet, warm and delicious. Perfect to warm us up with the crappy weather outside.

Proceeded onto the new Time Warner center. Browsed through the mall quickly, then onto the Mandarin Oriental. We went up to the bar on the 35th floor but apparently it was closed for a Bar Mitvah. A BAR MITVAH!! Damn, rich people kill me.

Had drinks at Hudson Hotel, which I realize is a lot more dramatic at night than during the day. Then went on to Artisanal for a cheesy-licious dinner. But too much cheese and Simone is not a happy girl. Cheese=bad. Other than that the meal was great. Although we did try one cheese that, I kid you not, smelled like doo doo. I mean really smelled like it. But Matthew and I decided to try it anyway and guess what? It tasted like doo doo. I almost threw up. Never in my life have I had something so unbelievably disgusting. How could anyone enjoy this crap? Sent it back and got a nice aged Gouda instead. Sent Mom & Fred back on the train to LI and went home.

Sunday was a family brunch hosted by David's Mom & Dad. Weather was picture perfect. Huge spread was set up, courtesy of Costco. But what meal on LI isn't? All the food was great and plentiful, as were the calories. All my cousins came over with the kids, aunts, uncles, the whole gang. Played kick ball out front with the kids, and I realize I still suck at sports after all these years. No wonder I was always last picked. Sat with my uncle a bit as he told me yet again that his time to go is near, he's 80 years old, has an aneurysm near his heart, and is not going to have an operation to fix it because as he says, "he's been around long enough". So sad.

Snuck away with Matthew to DSW. I've never been to this 'shoe heaven' and found lots to choose from. But ended up with one pair that was exactly what I was looking for. Now my Yom Kippur outfit is complete with my new Steven brown crocodile pumps.

I love the Fall.

MUMMY & FRED @ DIM SUM


MICHAEL JR, KIMMIE & ALEX


PEACE



BABY SOPHIA

I hate t-mobile

I hate it so much I am returning my new phone with the pretty lights. I don't get service in my apartment or anywhere on my block. This will not work. Verizon-here I come.

I had a gut feeling when I bought this phone that I would end up returning it. I don't know why I never listen to my gut. Now I have to drag poor David to the store with me so he can get my money back (he's better at these things than me).

Stay tuned for the new phone #...

B-day Girl

Happy Birthday IMJ!! IMJ is my mystery blog buddy in Atlanta. (I think) she's turning 16 today.

Hope it's a happy one and hope you are safe from all those crazy storms!! Now it's time to party party party!

NOTE:THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO FALSE RECORDS PROVIDED BY IMJ. SEE BLOG FOR DETAILS...

new phone!

I have a new cell phone. I hated my old one and am so happy to get something new and pretty. Its lights up different colors when people call and I have cool new ring tones. Cell phones are like accessories. I love making it 'mine'.

My new cell # is the same except for the last 4 digits-it's now 5121.

pet portraits

Magellan (aka Mamagellan)




Bear (aka Momma's Chubbies)

frustration

I'm so frustrated with people. People who like Bush. I can't even talk to them anymore. I lose all respect when I hear they are voting for Bush.

I rode the elevator down w/ a co-worker yesterday. He asked who I was voting for, Kerry of course. He said he was leaning towards Bush. Why? Because as he put it "Bush has screwed up things so much that he's afraid to have the gov't change hands now". WHAT?? Are you listening to yourself? He said he's heard it from his Granma already-she's the President of the Democratic Foundation of Tampa!

Another coworker sent around an email with all the numbers of what Bush has done, similar to what Irene posted on my earlier post. A coworker read it, and refuses to believe its true. I told him to look at the numbers, then look at the sources. Then make up his mind. He refuses to believe that a President is capable of screwing up so much.

I AM SO FRUSTRATED WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT RESEARCH, DO NOT READ THE PAPERS OR INTERNET NEWS, WHO JUST MAKE UP THEIR MIND BASED ON ONE STUPID ISSUE LIKE 'WELL BUSH WILL PROTECT US BETTER'. BUNCH OF IDIOTS. IS THIS WHOLE COUNTRY MADE UP OF IDIOTS? IS ALL ANYONE CARES ABOUT IS THEMSELVES? NOT THE WORLD AROUND US? NOT ALL THE TIES THAT HAVE BEEN BROKEN WITH OUR ALLIES? NOT THE COUNTRIES WHO HAVE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WEAPONS AND COULD POSSIBLY BEGIN WAR WITH US AT ANY GIVEN TIME?? NOT ALL THE PEOPLE DYING IN SUDAN, RUSSIA, NORTH KOREA, IRAQ?

Not to say that if Kerry is president this will all go away. But for god sake people, it has to get better than the state we're in now. I'm so scared of what this country will be in 4 years if Bush is elected.

Damn, I need a coffee break.

Welcome back

Welcome back to NYC Eugene! I missed you :)

Numbers

Eugene's cousin Irene has posted some numbers that are quite surprising. And upsetting. Take a look.

NY Post

I did something today that I'm ashamed of. On NY1 today Pat was doing the 'Today in the Papers' report and mentioned that today's copy of the Post has a coupon for a free Adventures of Huckleberry Finn hardcover book. Apparently the Post is trying to make their readers more literate. Not that they really need to be literate to read the Post. Anyhoo, I was leaving the 7 train and noticed the lady in front of me on the escalator reading it. As she got to the top she put it in the trash. I promptly grabbed it out of the trash, tore out the coupon, and went to my nearest magazine shop to redeem it. And now I gots me a free book! How excited am I? I mean I didn't really go into the trash if it was under the 5 second rule, right? And I've been meaning to read this and the other classics for a while now so here's my chance. The only catch is the other classics will be released every Monday, but for a low price of $5.99. Not bad.

Friday night David called me asking if I'd wanna go to the US Open. DO I WANNA GO??? ARE YOU CRAZY! So we hopped on the 7 Express and were there in no time. Henry had found 4 tickets from Shea who had them handed off to him from a mailroom worker. They each said $175 on them so we knew they must be good. But when we finally got there around 7 we were too late. The women's semi-finals had just ended. Phooey! But we did come across Girls Doubles so we checked it out. Nothing special, but we had to watch something so we could say we were there. We did it!

Took the 7 to Flushing after for dinner. We've only been there once before and had excellent Dim Sum at Jade. But Jade was closed. For good. So we went to something we knew wouldn't dissapoint-Joe's Shanghai. Food was great, but differerent. Dumplings were more crabby. Young Chow fried rice excellent and salty. Bean sprout shoots-tasty sauce but with every bite you felt as if you would choke. Finally the NY Times suggested 'Fried Yellow Fish Fingers' we ordered was brought out. Looked interesting. But tasted bland. Very bland. Fried fish w/ seaweed inside. But no sauce. Finally at the end we asked and it did have a dry salt & pepper 'sauce'. BAH! Now you tell us. So Dave & Henry asked them to remove it from the bill. They agreed. But not before I snuck a bite of the fish fingers with the salt/pepper. OMIGOD. Sooooo good. Damn them Flushing people!!

Saturday Dave and I walked around the UWS (Upper West Side) and shopped. I got a great dress for Yom Kippur and a pretty top to wear on Rosh Hashana. My Mom will be very pleased. I see the ladies and gents dress up in their very best for temple here in the city. In Long Island its quite different. For them its a day to put on a cleanT-shirt and their very best jeans. But its not a fashion show. By no means.

For dinner Dave & I went to the fabulous Mexicana Mama for dinner. Eugene had recommended it some time ago. Unbelievably great food. So many different flavors in every dish. And the scents of the different foods coming from the kitchen made me feel like I was ready to eat all over again even after finishing. Dessert was also very impressive. Dave had the Isla de Chocolate. An 'island' of chocolate cake surrounded by vanilla cream and coconut milk. Scumptious! I had the flan which was very thick like cheesecake. Very different, very unusual and soooo good. The place is tiny, can only seat maybe 16 people so get there early or plan on waiting. But if you do wait it will be well worth it!

9.11.04

Tribute in Light

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Celvyn & Henry have updated their blogs! Read about all their amazing goings on! Well, it's not really much, but it is something.

Da Yankees

Beautiful Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night (right before we clobbered Tampa Bay)

(oh, and I added a couple of pics of that crazy turtle and other stuff below)

Tooth Fairy

I sure hope the tooth fairy is real.

A few years ago my front lower canine tooth became loose. I went to the dentist for a routine checkup and I told him about the tooth. His response: "yeah, well, it's a baby tooth". WHAT??? My first thought was this guy has no clue what he's talking about. An appointment years later with another dentist proved I was wrong and he was right. Not only is it a baby tooth, but the one on the opposite side of my mouth is also a baby tooth. How could this happen? How could I have never been told about this before? 2 baby teeth?? I'm an adult!!

Soon after I lost my tooth while eating a giant turkey leg at a street fair. I have been toothless for years ever since. Until now. Now I will be dual-toothless. That's right. My last baby tooth is now loose after eating wings Friday night. And its not going to last much longer. I'm so angry. For a replacement tooth it will cost me about $1800. Now it's $1800 X 2. Shouldn't someone be held responsible for this? Shouldn't some dentist from my past have to pay? I bet you it was that damn dentist at Kmart that I used to go to who screwed up. This is outrageous. For $3600 I could buy a small used car or something!

Maybe I just need to stay away from poultry legs. Or change my name to Cletus and move to West Virginia.

Rain rain go away

This morning's commute sucked. I left the apt at 8:40am. Pouring rain. No fruit man on the corner so therefore no fruit for breakfast. Trains were not working due to flooding (so common on our line). So I went home to dry off. Waited for David to get ready, then left together. Strangely when we left there was no rain. None. Zilch. And the fruit guy suddenly appeared. So got my fruit and waited for the bus. Lines were long and the bus was packed. But luckily another bus pulled up behind and we jumped on and I even got a seat in the back. But after a few minutes we weren't moving. Didn't have lights either. No power. Nothing. Sat there for 10-15 minutes. Then the busdriver got the thing started again and we moved on to the east side. My commute ended up taking an hr & a half. Sucks. But it does mean an hr & a half less time spent at work!

Monday

Monday Dave and I decided to do some domestic shopping. First groceries. Stocked up on Boca burgers and tofu. I really want to eat less meat and more soy/veggie stuff. Except Fridays of course.

Then we went to Bed Bath & Beyond. Oh my goodness. The place was packed like it was the last day to buy housewares EVER. People had huge carts they were pushing around that were overflowing with towels, bedding, pots, pans, trash cans and vacuum cleaners. Pure craziness. We got a new vacuum. Much smaller and neater than the old, but more importantly with a TRUE Hepa filter. Must get rid of all that damn cat hair & dust in the apartment! So far it works pretty well with the exception of hair clumps getting stuck in the hose. But with the help of an old wire coathanger its no biggie.

Proceeded on to Century 21 for brand new towels and a duvet cover. Red of course. Now my entire bedroom is deep, dark red. I love. It is my cocoon for the coming Winter months.

Hauled all our crap to Chinatown after and had some awesome food at Shanghai Cuisine. Great great dumplings, really sweet n tasty (Joe's has been more and more dissapointing lately), great whole yellow fish and best of all I had red bean rice balls in soup for dessert. Move over Joe's.

Finished up with an episode of Buffy. Halfway through we realized something horrible. We had skipped an episode. Oh the horror. How could this happen? We're so careful. My whole world has turned upside down!!!

Saturday

CRAZY TURTLE THING


BAHAMIAN PERFORMER IN ALL HIS SEQUINED GLORY


BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM CRAZY RUSTY BOAT


Saturday we walked along Hudson River Park with Matthew. Very hot. But we were amused with a dog park that had the cutest little French Bulldog playing with a hose in a kiddie pool. He was shaking the hose and splashing all who were watching. So cute. I almost want one. If they'd just learn how to use a litter box it would be a go. Also came upon one of the strangest pets I've seen yet. A turtle. Or rather, a tortoise. Large (a bit larger than a frisbee size), prehistoric looking beast. He was just munching his way through the grass, his amused owner looking on. Who in god's name owns a turtle in New York City? He was a mere 12 yrs old and they can live to be 120. And who will take care of him when his owner dies?? Personally I think its best to get a pet you will outlive.

Around 23 Street we came upon Bahamian Day Festival on one of the barges. Perfect. We were hungry and in need of a shady spot to chill out. Had conch fritters, stewed goat (eww!), craby rice, Malibu and cokes and Johnny Cake. Perfect. There was also a wedding reception starting at the end of the barge. I watched and remembered the stress and panic of the wedding day. But the bride looked great & glowy in her sexy dress and I realized that its such a wonderful day and worth all the stress.

Next to the barge was a big ol' rusted boat. So we went up to investigate. Very creepy. Very rusted. Very interesting. Downstairs there was a disco ball hanging with couches placed throughout the boat. Apparently parties were held here. A DJ was actually there warming up. It would be great for Halloween but anything else would be too freaky. Henry thinks its a gay sexboat. But he just assumes b/c its in Chelsea. So we climbed up a ladder, got some drinks and chilled as we watched the sun set ahead and the wedding progress down below us. Very relaxing.

Sunday

Sunday went to Bronx Zoo with Matthew & Eric. Didn't get in until 2:30. Park closes at 5:30. So we ran around trying to squeeze in all the exhibits. Highlights were the tiger exhibit (see picture below) and the Gorilla exhibit. Both of which you can get up close and personal with the animals with only a glass wall between you. Really really awesome. Most other stuff sucked though. And too many damn strollers. Why can't people either a)make those brats walk, or b)use a baby bjorn to cart them around? I swear when I have kids it'll be baby bjorn all the way. Strollers are a menace to NYC society.

Had dinner at Uncle Nicks then walked over to have dessert at...DIPPIN' DOTS! That's right. In case you didn't know there is a Dippin' Dots, aka-Ice cream of the Future!, store right in Hell's Kitchen. And what a variety of flavors. Bubble Gum, Banana Split, Creamsicle, Chocolate Mint, Cookies n' Cream. The list goes on and on. Now we don't have to wait for Great Adventure for those tasty little nuggets. We have them right in our own backyard. Ice cream of the future? How 'bout Ice cream of the here and now!

Friday

It's amazing. On Friday we were happily let out at 2:30. It felt like I had so long before being back here at work. Like I had the whole world at my fingertips for 3 1/2 long days. And now it's over. So sad.

Friday I decided as a good New Yorker I should take advantage of No-Tax week. So I went to Banana and bought a lovely skirt for Rosh Hashana next week. My Mom is coming and always is pleased if I'm dressed appropriately. So this is for you Mom. Also got some nifty new sunglasses that the lady at the counter said looked great on me. I bet she says that to all the girls though :-
Had dinner n drinks in East Village Friday night. It seems to be a trend with me to get a big, juicy burger on Friday nights. Rounds out my week of working out like a crazy woman. Its my treat. My time to put back the calories that I just lost. Tit for tat. Ying for yang.

Day at Bronx Zoo

Bye Bye RNC

I'm so happy this RNC is over with. Although it didn't affect me personally as I live and work far from it, I know it affected other New Yorkers and I am glad to see them gone gone gone.

Bush's speech was better than expected but did put me to sleep last night. Kudos to all the protesters who made it into the convention. It obviously stirred him up a bit. I was very happy to see Kerry come back at midnight with a strong speech that hit all the right points. Now if he can just keep it up I think he can do this. I was very annoyed that his speech was only broadcast on CNN and then interrupted by Larry King's big ugly smug face towards the end and then cut off by commercials. But Kerry will get more play time in the coming months as I hear they have $50 million in commercials coming. What I'm most excited for is the debates. I can't wait to see Dubya squirm.

We saw Open Water last wknd. Eh-definitely something you can wait for on video. It was just alright. Acting was horrible porn grade acting. It just didn't get to me like I thought it would. Ok, so there's sharks. It just didn't hit that emotional fear that it claimed it did. It does make me think twice about scuba diving/snorkerling trips. I will continue to go on them, but I will be very careful of how they count people.

Don't know what to do for this long weekend. Any suggestions?

Hurricane Frances

Looks like Frances is heading straight for Florida, and straight for my family. Everyone called me yesterday sounding worried. A hurricane warning was issued this morning. That means a hurricane will hit within 24 hours.

I checked up on everyone today to make sure they've all got supplies and such. So far my Mom & Fred sound like they've got it all together. Even my 12 yr old nephew went to the dollar store to load up on cameras and batteries. My brother will stay with a friend inland as he lives on South Beach. Kids have today and tomorrow off of school. Mom and brother will be leaving work by mid-afternoon to go home and buckle down.

I feel really nervous for all of them. Hurricane Andrew back in '92 was devastating to the city. This one looks larger and moves slower. Its so frustrating that all they can do is wait and let the storm takes its toll on their cities. So helpless.