Yuletide Stress

I love the holidays, and this year Christmas is going to be particularly enjoyable because the family is coming to stay with us!  I love spending time with my family, and I also love hosting (and the control that comes with it), but I have been having trouble getting myself ready for the holidays this year.  I have been particularly exhausted lately, so nothing on my to do list is getting done.  Today is the18th of December, and that means I only have four days to get my butt into christmas gear.  Oh my!  Can I do it?  Definitely not up to my normal standards.  If I manage to get a nice big burst of energy, I think I can at least get the big ticket items taken care of before the family arrives on Wednesday. 

And out pops the list maker in me.  Below is my BIG TICKET ITEM to do list. 

1. Christmas shopping (Nope, I have not bought a SINGLE gift yet)
2. Buy a christmas tree (put on the lights)
3. Buy christmas ornaments
4. Grocery shop for company & Christmas Dinner
5. Buy 1 airmattress, 1 blanket, 1 duvet cover
6. Fix leaky airmatress OR buy a replacement
7. Reserve parking for my sister in our building

If I'm not able to manage anything other than the items on this list, everything will be OK.

Cross your fingers for me that I don't need a 3 hour nap this weekend!

Gimme a break, gimme a break: Vacation Planning (or the kit kat song)

B and I want to take a much needed vacation in February.  We haven't been on a vacation together in about a year (not counting trips to see family or overnight camping trips of course), which is really odd for us.  We're the type of couple that generally goes on at least two, possibly three vacations every year.  Unfortunately, my hearing loss and 5 weeks off from work on disability made me reluctant to request any vacation.  Then B started his new job in July didn't feel like he could request a real vacation for a little while.  Now it's December, and I'm just ITCHING to get myself out of the area. 

The Options:

• adventure vacation vs. warm & relaxing vacation (I am leaning towards an all inclusive with some adventure options)
• local destion (driving) vs. getting away (flying)
• Forida vs. Mexico vs. Jamaica vs. New Mexico (I don't know where I got that from, I just felt compelled to write it).

What to do... what to do?  Anyone have any fabulous but reasonably priced ideas for us?

To Relax?

or Adventure?

Bagels with cream cheese

B and I probably used to eat bagels at least 4 times a week for the first 4 years that we lived in NYC.  Sometimes for breakfast, sometimes lunch.  Even growing up, it was a tradition in my family to get a dozen or two of Breggers bagels and a variety of creamcheeses for breakfast every Sunday.  I loved them!   For some reason B and I just stopped eating them. I haven't had a bagel in 2 years until this morning.  We went for Brunch at a friends house and they served bagels with cream cheese (along with a variety of other fixings including home made cheese blintzes).  OMG.  It was so good.  I think my love for bagels and cream cheese has been reignited.  I've been thinking about them all day.  I even asked B if we could have them for dinner tonight.  Alas, he said no (don't worry, he cooked a lovely dinner of pasta with meat sauce instead).

Social, lazy and active

This weekend B and I managed to achieve what I think is the perfect combination of social, lazy, and active. 

Friday we went to a dinner party at S&K's place which was a lot of fun.  I had some difficulty due to the noise level and the number of different conversations going at the same time ... but hopefully no one minded when I zoned out or just took a minute to myself.

Saturday B and I woke up and went for Breakfast.  I came home and promptly went back to the bedroom to lie down for a minute.  4 hours later, I woke up feeling refreshed.  The last few weeks at work have been very busy and have taken their toll.  I guess Saturday was the first day I paid for the recent long hours.

Sunday we woke up relatively early (8:30?) and were out the door at 9:10.  We drove up to the Catskills to go hiking at the Minnewaska State Park.  We took it easy during the hike and simply hiked (instead of running) for a change.  We spent 4 hours hiking in the park and enjoying the folliage.  Except for a 1 mile hike through a stream (literally trying to not walk in the water but failing) it was a lovely hike with beautiful weather and views.  After hiking, we drove to a local farm for apple cider donuts and hot apple cider. TASTY.  I hope to get another farm fresh applecider donut before the season is over. 

I'm still a bit run down from the hike yesterday, but I'd have to say it was a pretty great weekend!

15 again

My dad is moving out of the house that he's lived in since I was 12 years old, and he recently gave me a box that had been up in his attic since 1996 - when I went to college and Mom moved to Tennessee.  In this box of goodies I found my diary from 1994.  Oh the things I wrote....

Anyways, I was leafing through the diary and a scrap of paper floated out from the back of the diary.  Apparently, in 1994 I was as much of a list maker as I am now.  I had made a list of "Ideas for a Date".  For those of you who need a few ideas for your own date night, and for those of you who are simply curious, here it is:

1. Bowling
2. Movies
3. Miniature Golf
4. Museum (hahahahha)
5. Rent a movie
6. Park
7. Picnic
8. Amusement park
9. Dinner
10. A Party
11. Roller skating
12. Ice skating
13. Swimming
14. Water park, sprinkler, Slip & Slide
15. Bike riding
16. Tie dying
17. See a play
18. Cafe Lena (hmmm, I don't remember this cafe)
19. Baseball
20. Basketball
21. Volleyball
22. Badminton
    
23. Tennis
24. Football
25. Play in the rain or mud 
26. Climb a tree
27. Dancing - but where?

I am still chuckling (yes, even after reading it three times).  This is good stuff.  Ahh, the things that run through our head when we are 15.

Sugar addiction

I have a problem.  I'm addicted to sugar.  It seems as though all I think about these days are cookies from the Treats Truck (specifically the Peanut Butter Jamwich) and Scones from Alice's Tea Cup.  I am constantly checking to see where the Treats Truck is parked, and I've started calling Alice's Tea Cup to find out what their scones of the day are at all three locations -- just in case I decide to get scones after work I'll know which locations has the flavors I like best.  It's a sickness I tell you.  Just to make you all salivate, here are the flavors for today at all three locations:

64th St- Pumpkin, Buttermilk, Ham & Cheese, Pimento Goat cheese, Lemon blueberry, black tea fruit tea infused with chocolate chips.
81st St - Pumpkin, Buttermilk, Ham & Cheese, chocolate butterscotch, pear walnut

73rd St - Pumpkin, Buttermilk, Ham & Cheese, blackberry cream cheese, cinnamon vanilla, strawberry chocolate.

Sugar .... Goooooood.

Itsy bitsy

A while ago, I wrote about my quest to find a bathing suit. I tried on several occations to find something that looked good, or at least not dowdy on me. For a while, I thought I was never going to succeed - but then I ventured back to Linda's and let the ladies at the store just put me in anything in my size. I am proud to say that I was victorious, and walked out of the store with this little lovely number.

I am pleased to say that even though its an itsy bitsy teenie weenie polka dot bikini, I feel very comfortable in it.  I am so happy I found this early enough in the summer that I will actually get to go swimming in it.

Y I love YA

These days, it seems all I want to do is read YA (Young Adult) novels. I don't know what it is about them, but I LOVE them. It started with me revisiting a few favorites from high school, but then I started branching out -- reading new books recommended by friends and on websites. Lately, I've found myself browsing the YA section of the bookstore for what is new and popular so I can borrow the latest YA books from the library. I think I need to start a list of what I'm reading and enjoying in the world of YA on my library blog.

Click here to check it out. Right now I just list a few good reads, but I plan to update it with book reviews and recommended authors.

Actively kicking my butt, one squat at a time

I bought a Wii and Wii Active about a month ago and have been using it periodically to supplement my workouts at the gym. Yesterday, I used Wii active with my mom. We did lots of squats, some inline skating, boxing, etc. All day yesterday, my legs were a little fatigued but not bad. This morning, they were even more tired. Now, about 24 hours after finishing a 45 minute wii active work out my legs are SORE. Every step brings a little twinge of discomfort. My thighs, butt, back, and arms are all sore - but a good sore. The kind of sore that lets you know you actually worked out and did something good for yourself.

For anyone who is looking for a workout program or just something to supplement their already existing workout program, I highly recommend wii active. The programs have a good balance of cardio and strength training, and the programs are varied enough to keep you from getting bored. Sometimes it is hard to get the positioning of the nunchucks just right, but with a little practice you will zip through the exercises.

Sweet Dreams

I will be having sweet dreams for the next few days about a restaurant B and I went to with Swati and Kabir a few days ago. The restaurant is called Suenos, a Mexican restaurant on 17th street owned by the chef Sue Torres. We started the evening off with Tequilla and Sangrita, which is a spicey/salty tomato based chaser (read - super tastey). Kabir and Swati learned about Sangrita while vacationing in Mexico last summer and introduced it to us. For anyone who likes to try new drinks, I highly recommend this one.

After we moved to the table, we poured over the menu for a long time, trying to decide what to order. We ended up deciding on the make your own tacos. It was a little pricey, but mmmmmmmmm, so good. Lets put it this way, it was good enough for Kabir to declare Suenos the best Mexican food in NYC. Before the tacos arrived, we received piping hot corn bread with a black bean dip, then salads with dried appricots, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese. Then the tacos arrived, and we went to town. I don't know how I managed, but somehow I stuffed 4 1/2 tacos into my stomach. 1 steak, 1 chicken, 1 tuna, and 1 1/2 pork, all on various types of tortillas and tostadas. And of course, being a woman with two stomachs - one for the meal and one for the dessert, I polished off the churros and tres leches that followed the huge meal.

To top off this excellent evening of food and friends, the chef-owner Sue Torres came by our table several times during the course of the evening, delivering a few of the food items, an assortment of super hot peppers, taking the time to chat with us, and even bringing Kabir another lime when he asked for it.

Thanks Swati and Kabir for a great spur of the moment evening. And thanks Ducky for the recommendation!

Earning Adult Points

B and I are the proud owners of our very first car (yay for earning adult points). We've been together since 1999, but have always lived in cities so we've never really needed a car before. Since we moved to NJ a few months ago, we've wanted to branch out of city life. We want to go hiking and camping more often, grocery shopping at the big grocery store, apple picking, visiting family, going on spur of the moment adventures, etc. Which lead us to buying our 2002 Jetta on Monday evening. After a month of scouring ads, riding the train to parts of NJ unknown, and test driving cars -- where actual ownership was questionable, we finally found a car that we love. After a little negotiating, the price was finally right. Two days later, cashiers check in hand, the exchange was made. The next morning we left the apartment at 7:30 to get the title transferred and the car registered. Hopefully we'll take the car for its first drive in the next few days.

An exercise in exercising

My arms feel like they are going to fall off. In fact, they are shaking so violently as I type this, that I am very thankful for spell check. Why are my arms so tired? Because I've finally, after two years of an extreme sedentary lifestyle, started exercising again. Today, I went to "Club Strength" at New York Sports Club ("NYSC"). The description for this class says that it is "suitable for all fitness levels" but I wish to disagree. This class is suitable for anyone who doesn't mind feeling like they are going to die while doing squats. This is my second time going to this class. The first time, my legs were so fatigued I could not walk down the stairs. Literally.

Hopefully in a few weeks my hard work will pay off and I'll be in better shape than I am now. I'd cross my fingers, but they are too tired.

Icky Sticky boat ride

Now that B is working in JC and is no longer my commuting buddy in the morning, I'm starting to explore alternative commuting routes. When I take the Path train from Exchange Place to the World Trade Center and then north to Times Square, it takes me 45 minutes to get to work (door to door).

Today I experimented with the NY Waterway Ferry from Paulus Hook to 39th street. The walk to the boat was 5 minutes shorter than my walk to the Path, and then the boat ride was only 15-20 minutes long. However, afterwards I had to get on their shuttle bus and ride it to Times Square. Door to do this trip took 60 minutes. Plus, it cost $2 more than my normal route.

Even though I won't be taking this route on a regular basis, it was a really fun trip. The boat travels up the hudson river to Pier 79, making a quick stop in Weehawkin on the way. It was a very novel experience. Plus, everyone on the boat got a seat (which often doesn't happen on the path and the subways). The only thing that wasn't great about the actual boat ride was the weather today. It's hot and humid (78 degrees - 85% humidity), and my skirt was sticking to my legs by the end of the trip.

I would love to try this trip again sometime on a crisp sunny day.

Hear ye hear ye!

I haven't really posted much about my hearing problems here, but now that I have an update I might as well. Back in February I suffered from Sudden Hearing Loss. When it first happened, my hearing was completely gone. After lots of acupuncture, lots of pills, and three steroid injections into my eardrum, I've regained somewhere between 50-75% of my hearing (The amount I can hear varies daily and depending on the setting I'm in -- it is very difficult to hear when there is background noise such as air conditioning, vacuum cleaner, wind, chatter, etc... it is much easier to hear when it is pin silent).

To help cope with the hearing loss, I've gotten a hearing aid. At first, I thought it was great. I really noticed an improvement in my hearing with its help. Unfortunately, it seems as though my hearing changes fairly regularly (a symptom that my hearing loss might possibly be due to an auto-immune problem). Therefore, some days the hearing aid is a great help, while on other days it feels like it does nothing. The last few days it has felt as though my aid isn't helping me at all. Right now, I don't even know why I'm wearing it... I wonder, is my hearing getting worse? Or is my hearing aid not working? I sure hope its the aid not working :-(

Lee Child - book sigining in NYC

I'm so excited. Lee Child (Author of the Jack Reacher Books) is going to be in NYC signing books on July 16th. Depending on whether or not I'm working, I so want to be there!

July 16, 2009
6:30 PM
Madison Square Reads
Madison Square Park
23rd Street & 5th Avenue, in front of the Farrugut monument
New York, NY 10010
Borders to provide books available for purchase.
www.madisonsquarepark.org

To see if he will stop by your home town, check this out: http://www.leechild.com/appearances.php

Ahhh, vacation

My week in Sweden is going entirely too fast. I've had a great time so far. For those who are curious, here is a quick recap:

Thursday - Flew from Newark Airport to Stockholm Airport

Friday - Arrived at 12:00 in Stockholm. Spent 6 hours walking in the airport and drinking a beer on the side walk while waiting for our plane to Kristianstad. Upon arrival, we had dinner with the family before going to bed.

Saturday - We went to the lake and spent the day in the sun and in the water with Ulrica, cousin Jenny, Lasse, their daughter Linnea. Afterwards, we went to the store for some ice-cream and also picked up some wild boar jerky (this particular store also sells alligator jerky, bear jerky, ostrich jerky, and a large assortment of exotic dried meat). The jerky wasn't very good, but at least it was memorable. Later that night, Ulrica and Andreas had a joint birthday party in Andrea's barn up at Norragarden. It felt very "Anne of Green Gables". The barn was lined with picnic tables which were decorated with candles and wild flowers. The barn walls were covered with leaves to make the barn more festive and Christmas lights were hung from the rafters for light (it got dark around 10pm). Andreas set up his speakers, and we all hooked up our ipods for some music. We had tacos, wine, and lots of beer. It was a nice night.

Sunday - It rained most of the day. We played cards on the porch, and ate tacos (take 2) with Farmor and family for dinner. Later, B and I went to Kristianstad with B's friend Mattias to watch Transformers 2. I surprisingly enjoyed the movie. It was definitely better than #1. Maybe I enjoyed it because I went in with low expectations.

Monday - B and I took the ATV out for a ride. I was enlisted to pick up some stuff left in one of the fields, and managed to get the ATV up to 60 KPH on the way home. It was fun! I hope to do it again. Later, B went to a soccer game with his dad, while Ulrica went to Kristianstad with some friends for a concert. I stayed home and went for a long walk in the rain, took a nap, and read my book. It was gooooood.

Tuesday - B and I went for a long bike ride. I showed him a few places I had discovered during my walk on Monday, he showed me a few places he had never taken me before. We stopped at his cousin Emma's place and visited with her, Henke, and their two kids: Moa and Elize. Then we had waffles with jam and cream at a historic park (I'll have to get the name from him later). Later, B went fishing with his friend Jimmy while I stayed home.

Wednesday - I went for my birthday massage (cranio sacral therapy - Ulrica knows me very well - THANK YOU ULRICA!). This was followed by lunch with Farmor, B and Ulrica at the local Gasthus. The day was finished up with a trip to Hastvadamarknad, a local fair with booths and games, etc...

I can't wait to see what Thursday and Friday have in store for us.

Sookie Stackhouse & Reacher

For anyone that is paying attention, I ended up buying the first Charlaine Harris book: Dead Until Dark. I think it is a fun and fast read and I'm really enjoying it. I plan on buying the whole series for my e-reader as soon as I finish the first book. I also picked up "Gone Tomorrow" by Lee Child. I haven't started it yet, but I haven't yet been disappointed by one of the Reacher books.

Which book to buy?

I am getting ready to start packing and picking up last minute items for my trip to Sweden. Before I start actually packing, I like to make lists. A major hole in my list is which books I'll pack. I normally have a list a mile long of books that I want to read, but for some reason nothing on that list is popping out at me right now. I want something light and fun. Maybe a little adventure and intriguge, YA or Chicklit. I can't decide.

I have been debating whether to start the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, but I'm feeling a little tired of vampires. What to do, what to do...

Worst case scenario, I'll stick with my standbys: Lee Childs, Vince Flynn, John Grisham, and Linda Howard.

Peanuty goodness

Growing up, my Grandfather always had a jar of dry roasted peanuts around. I also almost always received a jar of those dry roasted legumes as a part of my birthday present. To this day, no peanut out there holds a candle to the dry roasted peanut in my heart. Not coctail peanuts, raw, or honey roasted. Not even those new fangled flavors like heat, or sweet and crunchy.

I just bought a giant jar of dry roasted peanuts today for my flight to Sweden on Thursday. This may seem odd to most people because they serve peanuts on most flights, but they only ever serve honey roasted peanuts on airplanes, and they are just not the same. Also, you have to prepare for that all too often event where pretzles are served instead of peanuts. This pretzle phenomenon has recently become the norm, and I don't understand it. Are peanuts that much more expensive than pretzles? I guess when you are buying millions of 1 ounce bags, those pennies add up quickly.

Speaking of peanuts on planes, last year on our flight back from Sweden the crew didn't serve any peanut products during the flight because of an individual with a peanut allergy. The allergy was so severe, that they even requested that no one on the plane eat anything containing peanuts in it! I can't imagine making my way through life being that allergic to peanuts. It has to be impossible!!!

TGIF

I am oh so happy it's Friday. I have a bunch of fun stuff on the calendar this weekend, but I don't think it is so much that I will be overwhelmed. Tonight, I will hopefully be able to do something alone with B since I've barely seen him this week. Tomorrow, we have a picnic in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx with my Dad, Paula, Tauren, Jaimie, and Kori (possibly Eric and Sharon too, but I'm not sure). Sunday afternoon I go for a massage at the Swedish Institute, and Sunday night I go into the city again to do a sleep study.

A few things that B and I would love to fit into the weekend, but won't stress over if we cant: IKEA trip to buy a bookshelf, Buy a car, Grocery Shop and cook food for the week (and to freeze), and go to the gym. Of this list, the two that I'm most intersted in doing are buying a bookshelf (We can't finish unpacking until we have a place to put some of this stuff) and going to the gym (it needs to happen people!!).

Too much of a good thing

After working in a law firm for two years, I have forgotten how to relax*. It is so bad that on Saturday, B had to impose quiet time on me, and litterally had to hold me down on the couch to force me to stop for a minute (he did this very nicely by calling it "cuddling", but he still didn't let me get up).

This morning, I arrived at work at 8:00am, finished up some pending work and suddenly had some unexpected free time. Instead of just enjoying this free time, I started a second new blog: A Blog for Family Recipes!

Then, I got another assignment... finished it... and promptly wrote this entry. Yeah, I need to work on relaxing. My first instinct to tackle this relaxation issue(see, even my verbage refuses to relax) is to do yoga, accupuncture, therapy, etc... but isn't that counter intuitive? Shouldn't I be taking more OFF my plate instead of putting more on it in order to relax?




* Side bar to note: My doctor believes that is possible that one of the reasons that I lost my hearing in my left ear was due to my bodies inability to ramp down and relax. The theory is that the constant stress (even when sleeping) makes my body believe that it is constantly under attack. When attacked, the body may decide to not supply blood to certain areas of the body. Normally, the feet and the hands get shafted. Sometimes the blood vessel in your ear gets shafted, leading to hearing loss. Combine this with some possible auto-immune issues and you've got me.

I'm in love

I just bought a new bra, and I'm in love. It fits sooooo perfectly, and does everything it's supposed to do without making me bulletproof. It's called the Simone Perele Andora. It was a bit expensive, but oh.so. worth it.

Now a song:

Lovin' you is easy cause you're beautiful
Wearing you, is all i wanna do
Lovin' you is more than just a dream come true
And everything that i do you help me feel so good
La la la la la la la... do do do do do

No one else can make me feel
The support that you bring
Stay with me while we grow old

And I'll wear you each day in springtime
Cause wearin' you has made my chest so beautiful
And every day my life is filled with support from you

Wearin' you i feel support through and through
And every time that I wear you
I'm more in love with you
La la la la la la la... do do do do do

Sleepy

Because I've been working so many hours lately, and because my body has been having a lot of trouble dealing with it, B has been trying to get me to sleep as much as I can whenever I can. Last night I went to bed around 10:30. B woke up at 7:00 but had to stay in bed until after 8am. I didn't realize this, but apparently he is unable to get out of the bed without waking me up. He can lie in the bed with me for a good hour, tossing and turning and I am like that wine glass on the temperpedic bed: I do not stir. However, whenever he gets out of bed, even if he softly sneaks out without even jostling the bed, I am awake and ready to go in minutes. Turns out I have trouble sleeping unless he is there in the bed with me. I think it's romantic. I think B might find it frustrating.

Not much to update

Not much to update around here. I've been working around the clock so not much is going on with my social life.

Tomorrow I need to be on a 7:00am train to Philadelphia for work. I am going to a local company to do some due diligence. While due diligence isn't my favorite task, I always get to learn something interesting about the company I'm diligencing and the way it works.

Adventures in bathing suit shopping.

I need a new bathing suit. My old one was moldy, so I threw it away (I forgot to unpack it from a plastic bag after a vacation last year). I ordered one online, but when it arrived it looked like an old ladies bathing suit. Online it looked very pretty: black body, with a white and black pattern top. When it arrived, it was crazy animal print with beading. I am NOT wearing that in public.

Back to the drawing board...

Packed Sunday

It's Sunday, and my plate is full. On the agenda for today is a haircut (if I can get an appointment), a massage at the Swedish Institute Massage Clinic, laundry, a trip to the gym, return my old lady bathing suit, and lots and lots of homework. I hope I can get everything done. I tend to schedule more than I can fit into a day.

I wonder what B will do while I'm running around all day...

Gaming

B and I went a little gaming console crazy recently... He bought a PS3, I bought a Wii. They both arrived on Friday. It was awesome.

We've been driving on PS3 and playing wii sports all day (well, all day after we got home from attempting to hike (it started to rain on our way up to the hiking spot) and hitting up Friendly's). I can't wait to get Wii active and either guitar hero or some rock band game. I think lots of good times will be had with our new gaming systems.

Saturday hiking and house party

Today, B and I are going hiking with two friends, Jacob & Marianne who live across the street. We're going up to Cold Springs for a 5 mile hike. I'd say that's just about perfect for a Saturday morning. Hopefully it won't rain, but even if it does it I'm sure it will still be fun (I like being outside in the rain).

Tonight, we're going to a friends (Angelica and Dave) apartment for their house party. It's amazing, B and Angelica used to go to junior high together in Sweden. Years and years later, she moves in to an apartment a block and a half away from our old apartment in Brooklyn Heights. It truly is a small world.

Mrs. B.P.

B and I have been together for about 10 years, and have been married for a little over 7 years now. When we first got married, we decided that the time wasn't right for me to change my name. With all the paperwork for B's greencard and for our new apartment, etc... I just couldn't stomach the idea of another set of paperwork to officially change my last name to his. Plus, I was attached to my name. It has a ring to it. It just sounds good. However, I've decided that I'm ready to change my last name so that we are now B&B P instead of BGH and BP. I'm glad that I waited all these years until I felt ready. Now feels good, it feels right.

Salad crush

I love the signature salad that they make at Cosi's. I love it so much that I am a regular there (2-5 times a week). One of the guys that works the night shift mans the bread station, but fills in on the salad lines has a little bit of a crush on me (I swear, I'm not being vain - he really does). This means that he tries to be super nice when ever I come in and is always trying to add all sorts of extras onto my salad, even when I ask him not too. Extra cheese, extra dressing, extra extra extra. It is a really nice gesture, but doesn't he know that those of us who are eating a salad for dinner are probably working really hard to not gain weight.

Book heaven

My bestfriend Ducky has been writing a book for quite some time now. As a surprise for my 31st book, she completed it and gave me an electronic copy to read on my e-reader. Let me just say that I am in book heaven. I wish I didn't have real life obligations so I could just read and read and read. I am enjoying myself so much, and I know I'll enjoy it that all over again when it is published and I can read the bound version again.

As an additional surprise, she named one of the minor walk on characters after me. I can't wait to find out if my namesake is a good guy or a bad guy. B. Badillo, it will be great!

I am so proud of Ducky, and thoroughly impressed by her writing and editing abilities. Congrats Duck! I can't wait for the next step!

Vegas bound

Our two friends S & K are going to Vegas on July 31st and they have asked us to join them. B took me to Vegas last year for my birthday, we had a great time. I didn't love the time spent in the casinos, but the out door activities and the pool were pretty cool. If we join our friends (which I hope we can), I hope to do a spa treatment and an outdoor activity like RVing in the mountains. Yeah, that would be cool.

Maybe we can convince them to go to club getaway with us instead...

Rain rain go away

Last night B and I were woken at 3am by a rather violent thunder storm. B informed me this morning that I was very protective of him when I was roused by the thunder and lightening, almost like when Joey tries to save Ross (or the sandwich) in an episode of friends. I do recall rubbing his back to make sure he was alright, but I don't recall sacrificing my body to keep him from being struck by lightning.

It's been raining all day and while I would like for it stop or at least slow down to a sprinkle, better it rain during the work week than on the weekend. My new bathingsuit should arrive in the mail this week, and B and I will order chairs for our balcony for delivery this weekend, so I am hoping for good weekend weather. Ahhh, thoughts of the weekend on the balcony and poolside will carry me through this work week.

New Jersey!

B and I just moved to NJ, Jersey City to be specific. We love our new apartment and are happy with the laid back vibe of our new neighborhood. Hopefully we are ending a cycle of moving every 12 months. I think we are ready to settle down.

That being said, we are looking forward to the advantages that come with no longer living in one of NYC's boroughs. B and I plan on buying a car in the near future so that we can escape on the weekends to go hiking, camping, etc... It will be good. I never thought I'd live in New Jersey, or god forbid, that I'd be excited about living in NJ, but here it is, 2009 and I am.