Friday, December 05, 2003

O man, those snowflakes are HUGE!! And here I was hoping we could go get our xmas tree tomorrow morning.... somehow I don't think so!
Have I mentioned lately that SNOW is a *FOUR* letter word?

It just so happens there a millions of *FOUR* letter words floating out there. I can see them thru my office window. Big, Bold, Capital Letter *FOUR* letter words.

YUCK!!

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

I spent all of last week in Detroit taking an auditing class... class was very good, Detroit wasn't. I drove to downtown one night planning on having dinner down there, but discovered there are casinos (!) in downtown Detroit. I thought Greektown was an area, kinda like saying Chinatown, but it turned out to be a casino. The few Greek restaurants in the area were in a not-well-lit street that didn't look so safe, so I never even bothered getting out of the car, just kept driving back to the hotel. Yeah, Excitement City... NOT!

Last weekend we had dinner with my old friend Lally and we had a Wonderful time at our local french bistro. Nice to catch up with her, we've barely hung together since we all got in touch again a few months ago (or is it a year already?)

This weekend we're having dinner with our friends Mona & Matt, and Mona is going to give me a massage - given that she does this professionally, I'm REALLY looking forward to it!! Just hope I don't get sick like I sometimes do after a massage (from all those toxins getting released, I guess...)

This is our last week of emusic membership - bummer! I've enjoyed doing our marathon downloading of albums as we try to beat the Nov 8 deadline when emusic switches from unlimited downloads to only 4 albums per month. Frank's getting a bit worried about all the space taken up on our hard drive :0 we may decide to get an external hard drive to store all this fun music. I think we've downloaded about 150 albums so far!! Now comes the next fun part - listening and deciding which ones to burn onto a CD.

Fall weather looks so pretty... pretty colors.. but BRRRR !! Next comes the season I dread the most... hope I can handle the cold!

Saturday, October 25, 2003

Quiet Saturday Night.

I have to go find the phone # for the local Thai place so Frank can go get us some Pad Thai. Wish we could go, but I have to do my semi annual clothes summer/ winter switch so I can figure out what to pack for my trip to Detroit tomorrow. 5 days of Very Intense quality training - fun...not! But its something I've been wanting for my resume, and it will be a good learning experience. We shall see how it goes...

Saw Juani last night since he's here to visit our parents. Nice to see him if only for a bit. Got him a book for expectant fathers - I think (hope?) he got a kick out of it - I explained everyone fusses over the mother and forgets the father, so I thought he'd enjoy the book.

Kinda quiet day otherwise - been organizing shtuff around the house - mostly papers. And downloading e-music files like crazy before the cutoff date of Nov 8. Downloading is slow but we've done good.. I think we've downloaded like 70 albums since we found out, and there's like 60 more to go. Let's see how many I can get! OK back to 'work'...

Sunday, October 19, 2003

Last Friday we got some bad news - apparently one of Billy's chemo drugs can have the side effect of causing MDS, which could be seen as a pre-leukemia condition, and Billy's got it. Poor Honey!! I'm so heartbroken about it - he's gone thru so much, yet there's still more to go thru! And of course his parents are devastated as well. Couple that with insurance problems they are having, and its not a pretty picture. We'll be keeping them in our prayers...

On a lighter note - FINALLY got to go to Ikea, buy they shelves and start building them! Took all weekend to get the big shelf put together and it looks SO pretty, I'm a Very Happy Camper. Frank will build the smaller shelf set in the week, then next weekend I'll take care of doing the final box & basement junk reorg. THEN we can start on my 'dream' project of repacking all of our boxes into pretty white or kraft new boxes that are all the same so it looks all pretty and even like in the magazine pictures.. yeah right but I can dream, can't I?

Well gotta go do some prep for a meeting I'm running tomorrow at work - yuck!

Friday, October 17, 2003

Wow life has been BUSY! Mostly with Portuguese homework... had an exam on Tuesday then a presentation last night (Thursday). I think I did well on both.

Although I'm having fun with the class, I don't think I'll take the continuation class... its too much work and there's so many more things I want to do and I don't have time for it all. Plus next yr (fingers crossed) I may be busy with other preparations... so I'll probably continue studying but on my own... maybe get some advanced language CD's to pop in the car, who knows.

This weekend looks bz too. Tonight we're off to Ikea to buy some shelves for our basement, which we will be assembling tomorrow. Which means a LOT of reorganizing of boxes down there. On top of that I've got tons of Portuguese homework and I really need to do my summer- fall clothing switchover. And maybe sneak in some work-work since I've got way more than I can handle 40 hrs/wk... AND maybe sneak in some relaxation time (ha!).

Why am I feeling tired all of a sudden??
*grin!*

Sunday, October 12, 2003

Started doing some web surfing on 'rice to riches' and found this cool link! Check out the video link, it gives a pretty good idea of what the place is like.

New York City - Chic Rice Pudding
and here's a weblog with some neat pictures of the store & its goodies:

Gothamist: Rice to Riches Reviewed

can't you tell I'm addicted??

Saturday, October 11, 2003

And I'm shocking myself by being efficient, and not only writing the blog ON THE DAY it happened, but even posting pictures!!

NYC Pictures

The flower picture was from a rose garden we stumbled on while walking on 6th avenue in the Village. Pretty, isn't it?
Man, I’m tired but happy! I spent today in NYC, specifically walking from Chinatown to Greenwish Village, with my good friend Barbara. We actually took the same train into the city together, so I walked up/down the train until I found her – talk about coincidence! Once we got off the subway in Chinatown, we immediately found a gazillion booths on Canal Street selling cheap knockoffs of designer purses, belts, etc. My sister had asked me for one, so Barb & I had fun hunting thru their wares and finding a Very Cool LV purse for dirt cheap! Walking down on Canal St, we saw a lot of interesting shops… went into a grocery store and bought some candied ginger, went into a jewlery store, etc. Then we went into a ‘Tea Shop’ and had a Very Fancy tea ceremony. I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture of the whole thing, it was SO cute. Oh bummer, I guess that means I’ll have to return … .

We then walked up thru Little Italy & Nolita, and on the way we found the coolest junk food place – Rice to Riches! It’s a Rice Pudding store, they sell ALL kinds of rice pudding, even stuff you’d never imagine! Website:

www.ricetoriches.com

After all that walking we needed a break, so we found a bench in Washington Square Park and enjoyed the view… including the view of a couple of pigeons making whoopee (gasp!) There seemed to be a rally of some kind going on there so I took a pic. Also took a candid photo of Barbara, hopefully she wouldn't kill me (but I love how the picture came out!)

After some more wanderings thru the Village we ended up at having dinner at the Olive Tree CafĂ© and had some very yummy falafel, babaganush etc. plus I HAD to have some baklava. Not as good as mom’s (never!) but decent. The turkish coffee was Strong but very good. Man I miss going to that place! It sure brings memories of my single days...

The Olive Tree Cafe

All in all a most excellent day … thanks, Barbara!

Monday, October 06, 2003

Our weekend started when we arrived into the house around 6pm-ish. Everything looked so quiet, and we saw no cars so we assumed we were the first ones to arrive. So we walked in after getting the keys from the hiding spot in the grill. Our first impression is that its an Old House, not terribly well maintained, decorated on the cheap with old furniture, bedcovers, beat up carpets, etc. House smelled musty. Frank started getting skeeved. My sense of adventure on the other hand was starting to have fun. What can I say, opposites attract.. but I digress… We explored all the rooms, got skeeved by some, and picked what looked like the brightest one. Good thing we brought our comforter & sheets and towel, though!! So we started unpacking. THEN we realize there’s a note on the kitchen counter – from Stacy & Eszti! The wimps had gone into town to have dinner.. ok, so maybe they were being adventurous too in their own way, but I think they didn’t want to be all alone in that big musty smelling old house! I have to admit it was a bit creepy.

So as we are finishing the unpacking process, they walk in. What fun to see them! I think they cheered Frank up too. We all agreed the house needed some new smells, so Eszti put the ham in the oven, I started cooking some onions for the base of my soup, and Frank and Stacy went to the ‘Milk Run’ to buy some supplies, including some eggs that I’d forgotten I needed for making cornbread.

By the time they came back the house was transformed. Its amazing how cooking aromas turn a house into a home! So I got the cornbread in the oven, & finished assembling the soup (you could call it a minestrone, I call it Dump Veggies & Pasta & Beans in Veggie Stock & Diced Tomatoes Soup). In the meantime the Iannacconnes arrived and Dom’s kitchen supplies took over the kitchen. Then Tete arrived. Then the Jarmusches arrived and *More* kitchen supplies took over the kitchen. I had a grand ol’ time trying to fit everything inside the fridge, under and over the counters, around the microwave cart, above the fridge, etc. Everyone then took over the house to home conversion process – the kids were in charge of making noise, Stacy was in charge of making little candle holders with the foil, some people had soup & cornbread, others had ham, etc.

THEN Eszti brought out a puzzle! O what fun! I think everyone took turns working on it. Between catching up, playing with kids, getting rooms setup, it was pretty late by the time we all got to bed. We chatted briefly about plans for Saturday, but no one came up with any definitive ideas.

Next morning we wake up and come down to discover we were the late sleepers… but we got to eat some fabulous pancakes courtesy of Chef James. With two usable showers (the 3rd one was the stuff of nightmares) we took a while getting all cleaned up. I mixed up the dough for the pie dough so it could sit in the fridge, and when I was cleaning up I suddenly I realize the girls are all talking about going out and I hear the words ‘shop’ and ‘Blue Pearl’ being mentioned, and then Stacy brightly says to me – “Wanna come? Bring your credit card!” So I sneak over to the bedroom to get $$, and off we all go – and I mean ALL the girls (big & small) !! We left all the boys on their own, and went to have a girls outing!! I hear the boys did quite a bit of bonding, there was some talk about elevators (?) and about communication (?) when we returned.

We had a blast! Karen drove us, Eszti, Mary and I were in the back pretending we were in an amusement park ride while we teased Karen about her driving. The Blue Pearl was a Very Fun shop – very quirky, with lots of fun stuff to look at. Lots of Expensive fun stuff to look at. After browsing to our hearts content we found a place to have some snacks, and to share some memorable lines… Tai Chi! Or was it Chai Tea? And my favorite – Touch my brownie! Then on the drive home we stop at the ‘Milk Run’ to get some ice cream & gasoline (yeah, great combo)… and someone asks Sarah & Samantha to ‘Get in their Sheets’.

Turns out Tete had been busy too – he had a bunch of ‘stories’ or life snippets of all types, and he wanted each one of us to pick one that ‘called’ to us.

When we walked in it smelled WONDERFUL – Dom had been working some roast magic in that kitchen! So I got to work on making a blueberry & an apple pie. Had some expert help from Mary then from Stacy. When Frank invited me to go for a walk, Stacy even took over kitchen duties for me! Whatta friend!

Dinner was Very Yummy –Dom’s roast, with roasted veggies, was Amazingly yummy!! I had made some dinner rolls & green beans to go with it, plus with all the great company it was just a Wonderful dinner. Felt like a holiday dinner, to be honest!

We were so full we had to postpone dessert until we’d digested a bit. But we had entertainment – Professor Tuzik took out the telescope and we were all able to gaze at the moon for a little while until she hid behind clouds and wouldn’t come out. So we had dessert. And digested. Then Tete decided to start Class. That’s how it felt for me anyway. We did some touchy feely stuff – then he had us pair up with someone else in the group and share 1) what we brought to the group 2) what we got out of the group 3) why we’d picked the stories we’d picked and 4) our expectations for the future. I paired up with Dom. So we shared.

Then we all got together in the room and we had to talk about what the other person had said. That’s when I kinda lost it – I’m not into all this touchy feely stuff and it felt like I was doing psychoanalysis on my relationships with the crew. Probably very HRO. I’d never have survived more than one weekend I’m sure. ‘cause I just Don’t Like to Microanalyze relationships. I’d just rather Live them. Plus it was 1am and I was tired. So I closed my eyes and attempted to doze (unsuccessfully) while everyone shared. Got to learn some nice things but overall everyone agreed that they love being part of ‘The Crew’ and that we all want to continue being together. No offense, but I could have told you that 3 hours ago, I was thinking… doing all those ‘exercises’ didn’t make me feel any closer to anyone. But others apparently seemed to have enjoyed it, so I’m glad I played along. Though I will admit I was tempted not to even pick a story in a fit of rebelliousness. And we all agreed we want to do another weekend together again next Fall. Probably in another less musty house.

Next morning we woke up and discovered that now we had Chef Mary making some excellent pancakes! (funny how that works!) Then Eszti arranged for some people to go horseback riding. I declined, opting to hang out in the house with Karen, Tete, Chris and the kids. A favorite memory is Tete playing with Emma. She was calling him ‘Papa’ and wouldn’t let go of him – she actually started crying when Tete gave her to Chris so he could go to the restroom!

To be continued tomorrow…

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing

We probably spent at least an hr in this website, and we were laughing so hard we were crying. Too funny!

Monday, September 29, 2003

Monday Monday - but hey, its my honey's birthday today!!! SO that makes it a Most Excellent Monday!! He wants to go tonight to Harold's deli - knowing him we'll order the chicken with veggies & a ton of muenster cheese. And of course he'll HAVE to have one of their HUMONGous desserts - yum!

I surprised him this morning, I put a garland of 'suns' and a mini poster wishing him a Happy Birthday - all on his office wall right above the computer. He loved it! I have to confess I thought it looked pretty festive too.

And he surprised me - he was able to buy us some S&G tickets!! In a great section, to boot! Of course I didn't find out until today that there was a pre-sale that we could have tried to cash into. Oh well, I'll be aware of that for the next big concert.

Got to study some portuguese yesterday. And of course I prepared a silly birthday present(s) for my honey, I hope he likes it!

And after all the candy I ate yesterday, I lost a 1/2 lb. Go figure. Can I go on a candy diet? Would that work??? Wishful lazy inquiring minds want to know...

Sunday, September 28, 2003

Quiet weekend. I'm kinda glad Frank didn't have much in mind for his birthday weekend, aside from going out last night for hamburguers, and perhaps going to Harold's Deli tomorrow. Of course I also have to write out the cards I bought, and prep all the surprises. Maybe I should go 'study' some more portuguese tonight...

Otherwise feeling slightly crampy down there. I guess that's normal, the body is in the recovery process. Not fun.

Had a candy corn attack - bought a bag of it for 89 cents at Odd Job yesterday and I just finished it. If Frank finds out I'll be in trouble - I can already feel my tummy complaining but I just LOVE those darn candies!! Well, I hear him coming downstairs, I better close this blog before he finds out.

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Goodness!! I feel SO much better!

Today they did the D&C procedure on me - basically clean me out from the miscarriage, since none of it was coming out. I was a bit nervous, but Frank was there and to be honest I wanted to get my 'clean slate' as soon as possible. About the worst thing was getting the IV on me and feeling it anytime I was conscious.

We met with the Dr and he answered all our questions very nicely. I was happy that Frank got to meet him & that he liked my dr too. He's such a nice guy, I feel very comfortable with him. He said he was essentially going to 'vaccum' the uterus sac out, then send it out for pathology. And that he'll want to see me in like 3 wks. He also said he wants me to call him as soon as I get my next 'positive' result on a pregnancy test, apparently he'll want to check my hormone levels to make sure I keep the next one. Ain't that a great dr??!!
SO, the procedure went well. I woke up kinda groggy, took a while for all the meds to wear off enough and my blood pressure to come up to normal but I finally got home around 3pm. I knew my hormones were all cleaned out because not only did thoughts of coffee not gross me out, I actually Wanted to get some! So we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts on the way to get some muffins & donuts and my medium cup of java (decaf of course). Boy did that taste good!! But as soon as I finished eating - I had a 'sleep' reaction - I got so sleepy I was practically snoozing at the table! Frank had to help me up the stairs and into bed, and I slept pretty solidly for like 3 hrs! Even now I'm still a bit groggy but feeling much better.

Overall feels like a bad dream's over and that I've woken up to a sunshiny bright day. Its a good feeling.

Well, I'm tired of typing, so I'm off to watch my TTT movie. It will be good for me to sit still for those 3 hrs, LOL!

Friday, September 19, 2003

What a day yesterday was...

I went to the doctor's for my very first pre-natal check. I was SO happy that we'd finally be able to tell all the family about it! We'd even invited both sets of parents to dinner (on separate nights) to tell them. Then the dr starts doing the ultrasound, and sounded worried.

When he finished he basically said I'd had a miscarriage.

They took some blood to test & verify, but the dr was pretty sure.

I tried to be strong thru the whole thing but its so hard to hold your tears... I've been wanting this baby so much, I could almost feel myself holding it, singing to it... now its not to be . Not on May 4, anyway.

I told my sister last night. She was pretty supportive. Same for my parents & brothers today. I liked what my mother in law said when Frank told her - that it means the 'equipment' is working well, LOL!

Tuesday I'm having my uterus essentially scraped clean. Not looking forward to it, but what are you gonna do.

I'm pretty exhausted. The last week or so I've had this hunger/nausea combination that's made me feel grossed out by most foods. So I'm not sleeping that great or eating that well. And yesterday's news were very exhausting emotionally, both yesterday and today. I'm going to watch some tv and be a vegetable. I hope tomorrow I feel better and can work in the garden.

Here's to brigheter days ahead.

Friday, September 12, 2003

I'm tired.
We just had visitors from latin america at work ALL WEEK, and we've had meetings all day, then hosting them for dinners & entertainment at night. Going to be late every night, then getting up early. Though I did enjoy their visit, its a tough schedule.
Gonna nap now.

Monday, September 08, 2003

Had a nice quiet but busy weekend. Got to study some portuguese - kinda fun to be in school again, though there's always something to be done in the house that's calling my name. On Saturday we went to our favorite tiny french bistro and had a delicious dinner - that place is SO cute and so good I have to bring my family there one of these days. Then on Sunday I got to talk to my family.... some fireworks are still sputtering and threatening to combust vigorously... its pretty ugly when some people insist that the only possible choices are the ones they'd make and every other choice is not only wrong but Morally Ethically Wrong (yes, with capital letters) and they threaten to Stop Talking Forever to whoever does not agree with them. Puh-lease! Let's get a bit more emotional and irrational about it, shan't we? I HATE being put in the middle but I've got no choice... can't hope for it to blow away either, I'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
Whoever said that soap opera's are not like real life hasn't met my family...
Got an interesting but busy week at work, there's several visitors from Latin America we'll be hosting. Should be fun to be talking Spanish!

Saturday, September 06, 2003

I haven't blogged in sooooo long!!! Keep meaning to but never got to it, so I figured I may as well type something now while I'm thinking about it.

So much has happened since my last blog...

- my brother returned from Iraq (finally!), he looked great if a bit thin.
Feels more mature and grounded. Wonderful to see him!
- Went to Detroit, Indiana & Illinois with work, then Frank joined me and we spent the weekend in Wisconsin & Chicago visiting old high school friends. Had a GREAT time!
- My oldest brother got married in PR over labor day weekend. Beautiful wedding, lots of the usual family fireworks ;) but overall a great weekend.
- and most important of all... looks like St. Theresa was able to intercede for us... wouldn't say more yet for a couple of weeks but suffice it to say I'm SO grateful she helped out!! Can't wait to be able to spill the beans...

Next week we've got latin american visitors all week at work, should be fun!

OK, enough catchin' up, gotta go enjoy the sunshiny day out there!

Thursday, July 31, 2003

I'm SO happy we're picking up Fern tomorrow!! Most of all I'm SO GLAD he's not in Iraq and this is his going to be his last day of being in the Military!!!

*happy dance!*

Yeah I know it will be crazy and confusing and rainy but it will be wonderful to give him a hug, feed him cookies and listen to him talking non-stop as he always does ;)

Wednesday, July 30, 2003

I'm still in schock...

Last night I got a phonecall from an old high school friend who had just married another HS friend last November. She was due to give birth in mid-June, and when we went to DC a couple of weeks ago I had called and left a message because we wanted to visit and meet the new baby. Mind you we hadn't heard anything about the baby's birth so I was a bit worried and even when I left the voice mail I tried to make it as generic as possible. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with the baby.

No.

There was something wrong with their marriage. So wrong that she left their apt. 4 days after returning from a caesarean delivery. So wrong she had to call the police on him because he wouldn't stop the verbal abuse.

I know he was a bit of a con-artist in high school, but a harmless one and a good guy overall. Apparently he didn't outgrow the con artist part, he told her he was about to get a new job. That was in November, he still hasn't got it. And apparently he wasn't pulling his share in the marriage. Not fair to expect her to support both him and the baby.

I'm so sad. This should be a happy time, with a happy healthy baby. And she's in the middle of this mess. At least her mom's with her, helping out so she's not completely alone in this, and her mom a great person.

We'll keep them in our prayers, that's all we can do.

Monday, July 28, 2003

Just read in the Yahoo Co. G board that someone got a call from their son - around 1:30pm today they were in Frankfurt with a 1 1/2 hr layover... which means he'll be hitting the US soil TODAY!!!! WoooHOOO!!!! I'm so happy!!!! Hey baby bro, hopefully we'll see you in a few days!!!

Then again... the poor honey is going to be walking right into a soap opera... I'll make sure he knows he's always welcome to GAFIAte with us.

Bottom line I prefer him over here even if there's a soap opera. Much safer than Iraq! WooHoo!!!!
Happy Monday...

Well, at least its sunny and I have a window to enjoy the sunshine from...

Its lunchtime and I'm enjoying a wheat bread, turkey & roasted pepper sandwich with some baby carrots & ranch dressing.
I challenged myself last Friday - to loose 5 lbs in 2 weeks. As of this morning I've lost 2 already... though that includes a long 'sitting' session so I'm sure it will inch back up a bit. Not bad, though! Anytime I get the urge to eat something that's not so great dietwise, I just say - two weeks, that's all! Its a big help to know there's a time limit.

Fern is hopefully flying back to the US even as I type. Poor honey!! I'm SO GLAD he's heading back here, and I wish the same could be said for all of our armed forces in Iraq. Of course he'll be walking right into the the family soap opera du jour but at least he knows all the players and he's been forewarned. My prayer is that it does not tear the family apart... but given how most of my family members subscribe to the 'my way or the highway' philosophy I am afraid, very afraid. Frank's so funny, he wants me to keep staying neutral, in his words 'be the Switzerland' of the family. As I told one of the brothers, we all have to live by our choices. And be aware of the consequence those choices have on others you love, not just on you.

On the other hand, I had a nice weekend. I wanted to goto the shore, but Saturday I was too tired in the morning and Sunday the day didn't look that great at 8am. So instead I sat in our yard for a couple of hours, I think I got a bit of sun. And we got to see Seabiscuit! What a great movie!! I wish they made more movies like that.

Hopefully next weekend we'll be in Dover welcoming Fern and the Co. G Marines back to good ol' NJ.

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Can't believe we've had like 10 days without rain. I'm LOVING all this heat!! The one bad thing is that we need to water but Frank installed new hoses - TWO!! - on both sides of our deck and it makes it so much easier to do the watering that I don't mind. Tonight's my turn to do the watering again unless Frank beats me to it.

Looking forward to next weekend. We're going to try and use Priceline to get us a nice 4 star room in Downtown DC, hope we get a good deal!

Yesterday Frank picked 3 blueberries... I'm so *happy*happy*happy* that its blueberry season again!! My favorite time of year!!! I just LOVE picking those berries - and eating them of course. I'm so spoiled I can't eat other blueberries because they're never as good as home picked.

Went to a party at Stacy's last Saturday - it was nice to hangout with everyone, she's a pretty cool, down-to-earth hostess which I like, I preferred laid back hostesses who get to enjoy their own parties. Brought the guitar and made some noise with it, but it was a bit unorganized. Partly because I just haven't gotten around to creating a reportory for myself other than my church music. One more thing for my ever growing list of 'Things I'd Like to Get Done One Day'...

Well, gotta work so I'll close here. Hope the new blogger transition works ok...

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

Wow - Fern called ME yesterday!!! We talked for like 10 minutes. It was GREAT to hear his voice, poor honey! I wish I had had more to tell him, but in typical Fern fashion he spoke more than he asked. I'm really hoping he gets back here soon - hurry up, you replacement dudes from Italy!!

Then the other big news - Juani is engaged!! Wow! Ali suspected that this would happen, but I wasn't so sure give how much he and his girlfriend tend to clash. But I truly wish him the best. Kool Beans!!

Saturday, June 14, 2003

"5" Birthday Interpretations 14th Day of the Month
A birthday on the fourteenth day of the month indicates a versatile and dual person with both a reasoning and a prophetic mind. "Lucky" in games of chance and contests, you're a natural bettor and gambler. Your success lies in business on a large scale, but you need some form of artistic expression for recreation and to "let off steam." Very emotional, you can always be appealed to through your feelings and sympathies. You are apt to crave constant change, and should avoid all of the pitfalls associated with the physical - drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and other sexual excess. You can be a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, and have great constructive or destructive power - as you choose.
Your Horoscope for June 14, 2003
IF SATURDAY, JUNE 14 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY


A full moon on your birthday means you will face a series of challenges this year, but it also promises that if you overcome them, you will gain in ways you never thought possible. Don't dream of an easy life because even if you got it, you would soon be bored. Dream of a life in which each new day is in some small way an improvement on the one before.

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Sometimes you have to swallow hard to keep the peace and allow the other person to process their own issues... and keep your own issues at bay... no matter how much they hurt.... but that's what love is, isn't it... to put other's needs in front of your own... but when do you then go forward and bring YOUR needs to the front?
It just hurts.
Bad.

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Yesterday I received a letter from Fern from the field. Poor honey - he wrote the letter on 4/1, apparently just arrived from the US, already feeling filthy. He also sounds a bit scared because he had to put on his chemical suit due to scud missiles being fired in the area. In the letter he put in some requests - for a spare battery powered shaver, and for a red flashlight. I feel bad because he mentioned the shaver before he took off for Camp LeJeune, and I kinda ignored it because he never brought it up again on the phone. Oh well, Frank was ordering it today.

I was listening to the NPR on the way to work, and they had a "radio diary" from an HR person talking about a mom at her work place who was told about her son having died in Iraq. I got so teary eyed I had to change the station. I knew better than to listen, but I couldn't help myself. Here's praying that all our boys & girls get to return home safely SOON.

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

Looks like Fern may have seen some action in Iraq, but apparently no marines were hurt.

Stay safe, little brother.

Echo trades fire with 'bad guys'

Echo trades fire with 'bad guys'

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

NASIRIYAH, Iraq - Two Iraqis are believed to have been killed after opening fire with AK-47s on Marines from Harrisburg-based Echo Company's 2nd Platoon yesterday.

The shooting began just 21/2 hours after Echo took control of part of the city. No injuries were reported among the Marines.

Last night, Marines from the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines were preparing for possible attacks from paramilitary forces in retribution for the shoot-out north of the Euphrates River.


At 11:20 p.m. Iraq time yesterday (3:20 p.m. EDT), the Echo Company compound came under fire again. Several shots were fired from an AK-47 toward the compound.

An Echo Company sentry opened fire, while flares were fired into the sky to light up the area. No one from Echo was wounded in the shooting.

Also yesterday, Marines from the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines, who took over an area that had been patrolled since last week by Echo Company, came under heavy attack and called for support. No further details were available late yesterday.

Further south of the city, in a known hot spot for paramilitary activity, another Marine reconnaissance unit came under attack late in the day and called for support.

Echo is responsible for guarding a main route that leads to the area.

Stepped-up activity by members of Fedayeen Saddam against the American forces came as the Marines shifted units, and Echo and Golf company, of Albany, N.Y., took control of the city east of Route 8, the main north/south route that is key to supply and communications.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that they started a fight the night we moved out," said Maj. Geoff Rollins, commander of Echo's nearly 180 Marines. "I'm sure they know what we're doing. They've been watching us."

Echo was working out of a former Baath Party headquarters compound without benefit of generators, electricity or running water. The Marines' reception has been mainly friendly, although there is a growing unrest in the city because of the lack of utilities.

Echo's shoot-out occurred near the site of a recently discovered former Iraqi military training facility.

"These are the slums, as far as the city goes," said Maj. Nick Visconti, Echo's executive officer. "This is some really, really bad-guy country. This is the wild, wild West."

The area had been cleared by vehicle patrols, but Echo was the first to conduct foot patrols.

"You can walk down the street and they're waving at you sometimes, and then there's an ambulance driving around screaming anti-American slogans," Visconti said.

The shooting occurred not far from the Iraqi training site discovered Sunday that contained mortars, guns, rocket-propelled grenades and gas masks. Marine officers said it was unclear whether the shooters had a connection to the facility.

Another former Iraqi Army post was found yesterday about a mile from the former Republican Guard base being used as the headquarters for 2/25 and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Marines hoped to take an oil painting of Saddam Hussein found at the site back to battalion headquarters in Garden City, N.Y.

Sixteen prisoners captured a day earlier were transported out of the area. One Iraqi POW with a gunshot wound and another with other injuries were treated by a Navy physician before being transferred to a nearby Army hospital.

Brett Lieberman of our Washington Bureau is in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion 25th Marines. The battalion's Echo Company is based in Harrisburg
Wonder where Wil is? He hasn't posted since last month! Here's a link to his last entry:
WIL WHEATON DOT NET: Grand Slam

Here's hoping the !@#$%^&** snow melst REAL SOON 'cause I can't stand seeing any more white stuff!!!

Monday, April 07, 2003

Gross!
Its SNOWING out there. Not raining. SNOWING. Supposedly it hasn't snowed this last in the season for at least 21 yrs. Isn't it supposed to be spring? Why o why don't I live in the Caribbean? I'm hoping they send us home early from work...

Quiet weekend otherwise. Made some sticky blueberry buns for fellowship at church which came out INCREDIBLY yummy. Yes, 'Its a good thing' I kept this recipe from Martha's magazine :)

Thursday, April 03, 2003

Well, I decided to create a bulletin board community to share info on Fern, here's the link:

Fernando @ www.ezboard.com

I'm meeting my Emcore friends for lunch - looking forward to seeing these guys!

Weighed myself this morning, and I was surprised to see I've maintained my weight, I was sure I'd gained a couple of lbs - sure gives me motivation to try and lose 3-5 lbs before vacation!!

Monday, March 31, 2003

Monday Morning.

Poor Frank is still suffering from his molar tooth extraction - I think he's got what's called a 'Dry Socket' - in layman's term, tooth (or rather the lack of tooth) is hurting like !@#$ and unfortunately time and sedatives are the only cure. Poor honey! He slept only 3 hrs last night and that was a GOOD night!

We did manage to visit the 'Beneath the Sea' dive show on Saturday. It was fun to bump into Silvia from the Plaza Resort in Bonaire - she was our instructor when we got certified. Plus talking/ seeing diving stuff was fun, if bittersweet since we don't know when we'll get to go next.

Having a hard time with the diet thing - both the 'losing weight' diet and the 'acid stomach' diet. Plus I've been getting sick of watching what I eat. Had pizza on Saturday night and paid for it all of yesterday. ugh.

Fern got shipped out to Kuwait this past weekend. We're not certain exactly when, because he couldn't say but he did say if we didn't hear from him by today to assume he's gone out there. Be safe, little brother, and come home soon.

Billy is doing his chemo again this weekend. Poor honey is barely eating, my sister has to force feed him practically. I'm looking forward to seeing them the first weekend in May.

Here's to the hope that we'll see a peaceful world in our lifetime.

Friday, March 28, 2003

Just realized that my 3/27 blog did not contain the link I thought I'd put in there, so here it is:
www.minimumeffort.com/nutshell.html
CNN.com - First Stop, Iraq - Mar. 24, 2003

I thought this was a fascinating story of how the war in Iraq came to be...

Thursday, March 27, 2003



My sentiments exactly. Glad to see this is what my brother is getting shipped out to defend... not!

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

OpinionJournal - Featured Article

Interesting article... but I can't help but notice his last question:

"Thus, I ask: what if instead of learning freedom Iraq becomes a second Talibani Afghanistan? What if instead of becoming democratized by the Pax Americana the whole Middle East blows up and the cancer multiplies?"

That also is my question.
SO. We go to war in less than 48 hrs. Probably more like 36 hrs...

**** Ranting and Raving Warning******

I could listen to the President speak last night. In general I can't stand the 'presidential' tone of speaking (I guess it comes from reading the teleprompter). Plus I knew he was going to say nasty things and I don't like to listen to them, I'll read and hear about them soon enough. Sorry if some people think its a crime not to listen to the president. Personally I can't stand this one. It made me sick just to hear we're starting our own little 'Crusade' against the 'Evil Doers'. What the heck, let the US go at it alone, just so we can conclusively prove to the world that we're the big bully's that don't care about anyone else's opinion even though we profess to be a 'free' country. We believe in democratic government only when the government (or UN) votes our way. Otherwise they're all wrong of course. And we believe that its our job to clean out evil country leaders like Saddam. But why stop with him? What about Lybia and Syria? They sponsor terrorists too! Sudan is a quasy terrorist country. So's half of Africa and several countries in Asia, especially North Korea. Then again, none of those countries have a nice oil reserve.... gotta have gas for those SUV's, ya know...

I hope that those voting for Ralph Nader a couple of years ago are feeling nice and happy with their choice for president...

**** End Rant ***

Saturday, March 08, 2003

Friday, February 28, 2003

Just moved my office at work today. So nice to have a window! Even if it looks bleary outside, its a lot more sunlight than I used to get in my inside office! Who cares if its smaller, its SUNSHINE! Almost feels like a vacation to have all this light ;)

Now I have to get Frank to come do the "decorator" thing with me maybe next week and help me put up my pictures.

Friday, January 03, 2003

Snow.

Its snowing outside. Looks do pretty! I'm visiting our other office today, and my corner spot has huge windows on two sides so I almost feel like I'm in surround-o-rama or whatever that was called. Very cool!

Other than that I'm feeling chilly and run down, I don't know if I'm fighting a new cold or a relapse of the old one. I may leave work a bit early, what with the crappy driving weather and my not feeling so hot.

Went to a great New Year's party at my friend Lally's - she had puertorican food, yum!!! Its so great to meet up with her after loosing touch for like 20 yrs! And she's way way cool. Some people are cool, but she's several notches above regular cool. And I liked her boyfriend too - super nice guy! I was glad to see him & Frank got along as well.

Loved taking off yesterday - did lots of knitting while I watched the Pride & Prejudice videos Frank had given me from xmas 2001. Oh, they were Wonderful! Now I want to see more!! Maybe I'll rent some other Jane Austen adaptations, like Emma and Sense & Sensibility. Maybe I'll even reread some of my old Georgette Heyer bks...