The first fleet week that I can ever remember was during our country's bicentenial celebration. I remember it vividly because the impressive US Naval fleet took center stage for the first time in our State's history, and showed off its amazing power and technology.

The ship I remember the most, and not only because of its impressive size, was the beautiful ship below - The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). It was just a few years old when it sailed down the mighty Hudson along with its sister ships, but its newness was not what captured my heart. What swept me off my feet was seeing the the tender message written across it's platform, "I [heart] NY" by a formation of sailors standing at attention. Now that's impressive! They didn't even know us and yet they loved us. That message was displayed every time they visited NY for an official celebration. The picture below was from its Fleet Week visit in July of 1999.

So why am I telling you landlubbers about this ship? 2 reasons: It was decommissioned 2 months ago and will not be returning to NYC; as a result, my love affair with this impressive vessel is forced to be over. [sniff, sniff]

I now must find a new love. So to fill my hearts void, and see how lucky I could get [figuratively, I'm not that easy!] I went in search of a new love this past weekend. Yes folks, I trolled the piers for a bit of wanderlush. But more about that tomorrow. For today, enjoy the view!

Side conversation: Hey blog daddy, what happens to ships when they're decommissioned? And do crusty old sailors suffer the same fate? Inquiring minds want to know.

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I'm posting Eva Cassidy's rendition of Over the Rainbow, because its by far the best rendition of your most favorite song I have ever heard. When I hear it, it always makes me think of our fun sing-alongs during our roadtrips to Canada, Florida, & Pennsylvania. Here"s another favorite - Wonderful World - that is also sung beautifully by her. Enjoy!

The song below is a relatively new one, which I could have easily written about our friendship after you passed on. Thank you for having been in my life. You were truly a gift that I will always treasure and love.

Comments are closed due to the personal nature of this post.

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Coney Island, a historic amusement park that has always been a cross between a carnival and a freaky circus side show, gave the strip of beach in Brooklyn it's famed name. Well, this much beloved amusement park and the birthplace of the hot dog in the US (1867), was sold a week ago to a group of developers for over 30 million dollars. As a result, Astroland will be shutting down it's rides for good at the end of this summer. What will come in its place? A glitzy, Vegas-style complex that includes condos and upscale shops.

I'm sure Brooklynites will have plenty to say on this when they get back from their holydays. As a New Yorker, Coney Island was where I went as a child during hot summers for some sand, surf and sun, a lot of fun on the 15 different kiddie ride (including a kiddie roller coaster) and interesting food. ThatÂ’s where I had my first taste of cotton candy, caramel corn, corn on the cob, candied apples, ices, fish & chips and where my taste buds grew up by eating my all time favorite: Fried Calamari with spicy marinara sauce!

For the past 3 summers IÂ’ve taken my son there, starting in the spring and ending in September, hoping to stretch out the summer as much as possible. On hearing the news I got a bit wistful, because a bit of my past will be gone when it's demolished. It will only live on in film (over 200), novels, and photographs. IÂ’ve done my share by taking pictures and posting them whenever IÂ’ve been able to at my NYC Postcards site and here (can't find the pics right now). Actually, without the amusement park there really is no reason for me to visit Brooklyn. Sorry Erica, but as they say from where I live, "that's a long-ass trip from Queens!"

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I want to thank you all for the kind and supportive messages you left and emailed. Your words are a healing balm for my soul.

more...

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Five years ago I participated in my first 10k race on Labor Day. It was also my first major practice with Tom, the running buddy assigned to me by The Achilles Track Team, whom I was to spot for. Tom was blind, and like me loved running, even though we weren't very fast. He had trained me on how to run tethered to him and also taught me how to listen to his breathing as a way to know how he was doing in a run without asking and wasting precious energy and time. Tom explained it was the best way to identify the first signs of trouble. That Labor Day, all my friends were there to cheer me on. It had been a high point for all of us, because we were all finally ready to compete in the NYC Marathon that fall.

I used that listening technique many times when running with my best friends. It really gave me insight into how they were feeling during a run. For years we had worked out together, but our running together gave us a closeness and a feel for each other that was uncanny. For the first time few words needed to be exchanged between us.

The morning after Labor Day we were all supposed to meet early at the gym to do a quick 5 mile run along the Batter Park City Waterfront that goes past the World Trade Center, but my plans changed.

When Mike called me later that morning he was on the 72nd floor of the North Tower. I had been on the phone with him for about 15 min. let him know what was going on with the South Tower when Larry called and asked me to conference him in on the call. We'd done that a thousand times on Fridays or Saturday afternoons when no one could agree on what we were doing that evening. This time it was for a different reason.

The FDNY radios were not functioning properly and it was total chaos inside the towers, so this time I was conferencing them in so they could communicate with each other. I listened silently and stood by as I'd done countless times during impromptu rescues. That day my role was once again as witness and bystander, but I was to be a messenger also. I interrupted only once to let them know the Pentagon had been hit and we all grew silent as their suspicions were now confirmed - we were under attack. Knowing they had walked into a "tinder box" they gave me messages and information for their families in the event they didn't make it out alive.

While Mike and Larry spoke, I heard their labored breathing from the strain of heavy equipment and acrid smoke getting through their masks. They continued going up the narrow smoke filled staircases in full gear, in spite of the rising temperatures and enveloping darkness. Hearing the loud creaks from the straining weight of the floors above, I began to panic. I broke in, calling out Mike's name. We'd known each other for so long that he knew what I was about to say, to ask of him.

"Don't say it, Michele. I know what you're going to ask, and you know we can't turn back now. So I clutched my cell phone, closed my eyes, and hung my head in prayer. A few times I bit down hard on my lips knowing that anything I said or any sound I made would only distract them and force them to talk and waste precious oxygen.

So instead, I listened... silently and intently, as Larry & MIke communicated with each other in quick short words. I listened as they gave commands to civilians on what to do. I listened as they reassured people that were frightened and choking on acrid smoke, that they would be fine as long they continued going down. I listened as they continued to climb through the thick dense darkness that enveloped them, and grew hotter and more difficult with each step they took. And in my silence, with my closed eyes, I had been with them as I had many times before, and was privy once again to the sounds of their breaths.

As the creaking sounds grew louder, everyone came to a standstill and their voices became quieter. I held my breath, as I listened to Mike and Larry's labored breathing. Everyone had stopped to listen to the sounds above them. Mike and Larry remained quiet even as the rumble of thunder from the upper floors began giving way. There was no panic, no screams, no frantic yells for help; there was only Mike's voice whispering a "Dear God" before the sounds of loud crashing ended in an abysmal silence that reverberates in my soul to this day.

It's taken a long time for me to break that silence. It's still not easy to write about it. And I still can't about it. But for some time now, this blog has helped me utter the first innermost sounds since that day. I remain hopeful that someday I'll be able to find my full voice again. Till that happens, these small whispers of pain will have to be the small breaths that open a closed soul to let the airy light in.

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First, my apologies, an onslaught of spammers forced me to go crazy, reporting & blocking spammers. By accident, some of my favorite bloggers were caught in the cross hairs while doing this via my cell phone. As a result, I inadvertently reported a few of you as spammers to yahoo. I'm currently trying to correct that! In the meantime, I'm sorry if you haven't received any emails from me or anyone you know. I'm really sorry about that!

As we begin Day 6 of this Blackout I submit for your amusement, a few cute pictures of how Queens residents have coped with the heat and lack of electricity.

This horse was so hot in the 100+ weather on Wednesday it led its rider, a sergeant in the NYPD, to a drink. It was so hot Wednesday (105F) I did consider throwing myself into the fountain, clothes and all, after the horse finished drinking and walked away.

"NO, I still can't hear you!!!!" That's what I thought as I saw this Verizon employee taking a break. He had been inside a sweltering man hole for hours Thursday morning repairing telephone cables which were burned by underground electrical fires. "Can I interest you in a wet t-shirt contest?"

Sprinklers, fountains, parks and rivers are my favorite places for cooling off. I think this kid would agree. Except, that since the water pipes are buried deep beneath the ground, the water is cold as heck! So after I cool off, there's no going back in for me!

Never a dull moment in NYC, especially when there's a blackout. On Thursday, it was still too hot to go directly home after work, so I took my son to a park not far from us. While my son & I were relaxing, dipping our feet in the fountain, this gentleman gave me a show, that made me quite...uh... nervous. Luckily he stopped stripping at his BVD's before getting into the fountain.

I guess after seeing the above you could say that New York was going to the dogs. Well, the picture below proves it! The dogs were so fed up with being hot they took matters into their own hands. It was a good thing there were no Con Edison men around, I dare say these dogs would have bit them in the ass if there were. See, my blog sis isn't the only one that can do cute doggy blogging!

Well, that's it for me. I'm leaving work soon, where I've been hanging out and cooling off with my son, making sure his asthma doesn't kick up. Were headed out in a little while to go to the movies and dinner afterwards. No going home until this humidity eases up a bit or we're both dead dog tired ; )

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You won't believe who took that title... at least I didn't. These researchers must have asked for directions from tourists instead of locals!

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The snow has finally tapered off in our area and our accumulation so far is 27.7". I wish I could have taken pictures when I went outside midday, but we were on a mission, play in the pristine snow before freezing from the cold temps (21F felt like 12F) and high winds (between 15 and 30mph). Afterwards we defrosted our our bodies with some hot cocoa.

Tonight it will be going down to the teens, but it will feel like 1F. I think it just may be time to bring out my industrial strength flannel pj's to go to bed. Hope your warm where you are!

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Yes, there's some interesting stuff over at my alternate site, Postcards from NYC (7 short posts in all). They were posted today while I was playing tour guide and taking pictures, which led to some live blogging as I went around the city. So, for all you cats that stray upon this post in the happenstance that I'll blog live on New Year's Eve, it ain't happening!

This little cookie spent too much time outdoors in the cold today, improperly dressed, and is now slowly succumbing to a cold herself. I was improperly dressed because yesterday it was 50+ degrees in my fair city, and as it was supposed to be 50+ today also., Unfortunately, although I looked lovely in my wool wrap it wasn't enough to keep me warm in 30 degree weather. Still, it was great fun doing 2 things that I love: picture blogging and playing host and tour guide in this lovely city. Plus, I finally got to have lunch at the table where George Washington sat the night of his farewell party given by his troops on the eve of his inauguration as President of the United States.

So, if you only have 1 min. to spare, then read this, so you can understand why history is so important, and where your right to speak freely comes from.

Well then, Happy New Year to ALL!

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Follow this link to see a live feed of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Click on "Full Screen" to get your own window to Rockefeller Center Plaza and get the true feel of being a working New Yorker.

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Rush hour begins in Times Square this evening as word that the strike was over spread through the city like wildfire.

Woooooohoooooo! Picture Snoopy doing a happy dance... that's me!
Mercifully, state mediators accomplished in 18hrs what Pataki, the MTA, and others were not able to accomplish in several weeks.

Transit workers are told to report to work immediately!

As I walked down the street doing my errands, I heard the news of the strike being passed from one ebullient pedestrian to another. Smiles, cheers and high fives were enthusiastically exchanged between strangers. Personally, as a non-driver that depends solely on mass transit, I can't express how relieved and happy I am.

Of course, what this means is that the Union and the MTA will continue to negotiate and the Union and it's workers will be fined according to the Taylor Law. Unfortunately for the Transit Workers, their strike was for nothing as they return without a contract, concessions or amnesty.

As for me, I'm exhausted after logging in 15 miles today, walking around and helping my elderly neighbors with their errands. I know I'll sleep like a baby tonight.

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1 Congrats on some very good news!

Posted by: zonker at December 23, 2005 02:33 AM (/y7q3)

2 So that breeze is from the entire city breathing one massive sigh of relief?

Posted by: Victor at December 23, 2005 11:26 AM (L3qPK)

3 What the union did is criminal. The leaders still deserve to be put in jail for 3 days....

Posted by: _Jon at December 23, 2005 05:00 PM (/R7YK)

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Workers crossing the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan early this morning in 22F.

I cannot believe that in day 3 of this strike there are no joint talks scheduled, instead they are talking separately to a federal mediator. However, their role is only in an advisory capacity as the parties are not in binding arbitration. The only official thing scheduled for today is a mandated court appearance and a media war that's unbelievable. So here's the current status:

- A furious State Supreme Court judge yesterday threatened to toss transit-union leaders in jail for ignoring his injunction against a walkout — calling it a "distinct possibility" they would wind up in Riker's by the end of today.

- Calling them "frauds" for striking in the name of working people, Mayor Bloomberg tore into Roger Toussaint and the Transport Workers Union yesterday for the second consecutive day as the war of words and between Public Relations consultants escalated.

- The media war entered a louder and more contentious phase, with Mr. Toussaint demanding that thorny pension issues be removed from the table before the strikers returned to work and that the Mayor, Governor, and MTA officials.

- A very angry Gov. George E. Pataki joined Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in saying that the transit workers must end the strike before negotiations could resume. Of course they could take that stance because their chauffer driven limos would ensure that they would never have to walk more than a few steps to each appearance.

- The MTA and the International Transit Workers' Union took the highly unusual steps of running television ads urging individual workers to return to their jobs. So far only a few hundred strikers have returned to work, however, those that have returned have seen their property damaged and their lives threatened.

- The MTA, in an effort to play hardball with union members, will be using the direct deposit information on their striking employees to freeze their bank accounts in an effort to obtain the 25,000 court-imposed penalty from each striker.

Don't you just love the holidays in NYC?

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Lines of people going home via Penn Station Commuter Rail lines to all points East (Long Island) and West (New Jersey) of Manhattan/Metropolis.

Today I began feeling guilty over being lucky enough to still have 6.5 vacation days left and not have to endure what others (like some of my coworders) are enduring. My vacation days enables me to stay home, take care of my son and help a few elderly neighbors out in the process by doing errands for them while my son is in school. I racked up a total of 13.5 miles walking during yesterday's errands. Today I racked up almost 15 by picking up various prescriptions and making bank deposits for my elderly neighbors who are shut ins as a result of the strike and the frigid temps.

I've been asked to go into work on Friday to alternate with my colleague and give her a break and also to train the temp that will be covering for me part of next week while I'm using the remainder of my vacation time. So I'll be joining other New Yorkers in going over the 59th St bridge. walking all the way to work. I will start walking at 10:00am and will walk a total of 11 miles one way. Let's see if I'll still feel guilty or if I'll be cursing everyone involved as the wind off the East River hits me. I'll try to blog once I get into the office. I have a feeling I'll need to based on some of the quotes from NYers I've read (I've posted some of these on my companion site as the language is too colorful and too funny to pass up).

To answer a question some of you have asked in emails and calls, "How long do I think this strike will last?"

Well, if we look at TWU's strike history:
1966 Strike - January 1st, 1966 to January 13th, 1966 - 13 Days
1980 Strike - April 1st, 1980 to April 11th, 1980 - 11 Days
My guess: knowing the union leadership very well ... 12 days, which would mean this strike wouldn't be over until January 1st.

BTW, Friday I'll be picture blogging while walking over the Queensborough Bridge (see Turk 182, Spiderman 1 & 2 movies for a feel of this bridge).

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Current wind chill: 16F on bridges it feels like 6F

NYers are feeling lots of anger, frustration, and tremendous resentment towards the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Transit Workers Union (TWU) and it's sister unions, such as the Railway Workers Union who have vowed to not cross the picket line and bring in residents from NJ and Connecticut into the city. They will only travel as far as the city limits which for most will still be too far away.

As for me, my boss asked me to come in tomorrow instead of taking a vacation day, as I had originally planned. But earlier this evening I was informed that due to Railway Union's support of the strike, my son's after school program would not have enough staff to care for all the enrolled students. So, I will be staying home and doing the mommy thing (which I always enjoy) and will drop him off at school and pick him up at the end of the day and will spend some time doing some fun holiday crafts together. I'm really looking forward to this.

So, since I'm done with all my christmas responsibilities (shopping, gift wrapping, mailing of overseas gifts, making cookie dough and pie filliing) I am free to really enjoy my holidays, and no one, and I Mean No One: not the MTA, not the TWU or sister unions, not the Governor (who fell down on the job by not calling in a federal mediator), are going to ruin this holiday for me.

I hope the boneheads at the MTA will learn their lesson and make sure that the next contract ends in the spring and not in winter. Also, next time they have a 1 Billion dollar surplus, since they don't have shareholders to answer to, they might consider using that money to fix the problems in the system and enter in good faith negotiations instead of giving tourists (not those of us who support this system year round) 1 Billion Dollars worth of free rides 3 weeks prior to the strike deadline.

So lets talk about the cost of this strike:
- a loss of 400 million dollars in revenue per day
- a major disruption in the lives of 8 million NYC residents and 5 million out of state residents that travel in to NYC on a daily basis.
- endagering the lives of the sick and elderly who will be unable to get through the incredible traffic to get medical attention they need.
- Children being put at risk as there's no way a parent can reach a child quickly in case of an emergency.

Me, I'm luckier than most, I have the vacation time and it's really slow at work.

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My Christmas is being interrupted on 2 counts. Right now IÂ’m in the Emergency Rm. where IÂ’m being treated for an allergic reaction to something (donÂ’t know yet to what). So IÂ’m being pumped full of drugs and waiting for a couple of hours for the reaction to stop before IÂ’m realized. Side effects are a permanent grin on my face from the drugs. Also funny/insightful thoughts spring up, courtesy of all the drugs. LetÂ’s see in a few days if this post makes sense or if I can blame this week on a full moon.

First, a couple of observations on the planning for this strike. The pre and post-9/11 contingency plans have been updated and the information was made available to the public a few days ago. All large corporations had received a draft version of these plans last week. At my firm, we activated our Disaster/Emergency Business Recovery Plan. Because of my security experience I was recruited to develop a plan for my department for our current location. The neat thingÂ… I was given free rein which resulted in the plan being finalized 48hrs before the strike deadline. Having thought I was done I went home and returned the next morning to find my cubicle had been ransacked the night before, and several personal belongings stolen. As a result I spent yet another day with our security staff, this time dealing with the theft.

As if all of this werenÂ’t enough, I let my co-worker pick up a late lunch for me because I had been dealing with the security staff and the NYPD most of the day, and 6 hours later IÂ’m in the emergency room full of drugs, trying not to scratch and experiencing not a care in the world.

Now about the strike, I am angry with the private independent MTA Board that manages the operations of the NYC Transit System, which employs close to 40,000 workers, and let the negotiations lag until the 11th hour. As if that wasnÂ’t enough, the idiots announced it had a 1Billion dollar surplus, after a 30% increase in the fare 3 months ago. They were crying poverty before the fare increase, they publicized the surplus to the high heavens not even a month ago, and now theyÂ’re crying poverty all over again by saying by the end of 2006 they will experience a 3Billion dollar deficit. This is plain, boneheaded idiocy on the part of the Board and they should all be removed. All the individuals on this Board, along with their spokespeople, display such unbelievable arrogance, that I would love for EricÂ’s cousin, Brad, to neuter them, as he does his bulls, except I want a dull cut, a hard yanking and without anesthetic.

Other unions have now joined the transit workers, in a strike threat, in solidarity with and for the transit workers struggle. In doing so they are now holding city residents hostage. In anticipation of a strike, all sporting goods stores are holding huge sneaker sellathons.

As for me, aside from being mad as hell, IÂ’m lucky enough to be able to telecommute for some of my job duties, however, for the rest IÂ’ll have to walk the 9.5 miles to work (part of that over a very high bridge that spans 1.5 miles over the East River). My plan: IÂ’ll be using my remaining vacation time for the duration of the strike. In the meantime, I think IÂ’ll make a few voodoo dolls out of medical gauze strips and send them into the labor negotiation room.

Yep, that should do it. That should work off my anger and frustration with all the parties involved.

Posted by: Michele at 12:52 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 I'm sorry to hear of your trip to ER. I trust someone is caring for your son and the drugs haven't caused you to forget about him? Also, when you are done there, could you save the extra drugs for me? I need that happy place for a little while.

Posted by: _Jon at December 16, 2005 01:10 AM (/R7YK)

2 Ouch my friend! Glad the drugs are good, sorry as all get-out that you are there. As for the board, consider the other method of neutering which is just a rubber band done very tight at the top of the sack. Cuts off the blood flow, and eventually what is below just falls off... Good luck and yell if you need to vent!

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at December 16, 2005 06:03 AM (5cMH5)

3 I hope you find out what sent you there. Stay well!

Posted by: vw bug at December 16, 2005 06:52 AM (SCN6v)

4 .. dang... get well soon, girl.. and just let me know if you want Brad to land at Laguardia or JFK...

Posted by: Eric at December 16, 2005 07:49 AM (r5XsL)

5 ACK! I hope you are doing better from your ER trip. I always hated going there. I hope they catch your cubicle thief as well. I can't believe someone would do something like that in a company.

Posted by: Contagion at December 16, 2005 07:37 PM (Q5WxB)

6 Voodoo doll for you :-) http://threeclicks.com/voodoo/v2.htm

Posted by: Harvey at December 18, 2005 09:54 PM (ubhj8)

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IÂ’ve been reading so much my left eye has been twitching now for the better part of an hour.

I went out for lunch, and to my surprise guys started winking right back at me.
One in particular, this sweet 70 year old, short, bald guy, followed me from the street into the elevator and once the doors closed he turned to face me and smiled a big ol’ toothless gum filled grin and said to me, “Hello beautiful… whatcha got cooking?”

Grinning at such spunk and just as the elevator door opened onto my floor I said, “I’ve got nothin!” As I stepped out he quickly replied with a twinkle in his eye: “well how’s about you come over to my place and share some of my nice soft warm gritz?” At hearing this even the security guard was smiling.

I stopped for a moment to think about what would be the best face-saving reply I could give him…. “Thanks for the offer, but I just had lunch. But try me again tomorrow and I just might be hungry enough for those gritz you’re talking about.” He straightened up, smiled an even bigger grin as he went back down and out of the building. As for me, I just made a mental note – order lunch in the next time I have an eye twitch.

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1 LOL! My right eye twitches when I'm over stressed. I'll have to keep this tip in mind.

Posted by: Bou at September 28, 2005 09:49 PM (5JHEt)

2 nudge, nudge, wink, wink. heh heh heh

Posted by: mr. helpful at September 28, 2005 09:54 PM (U28kD)

3 Definitely something to keep in mind! But I bet you made his day!

Posted by: That 1 Guy at September 29, 2005 02:26 AM (ezTdP)

4 .. see?... everyone loves a babe in glasses...

Posted by: Eric at September 29, 2005 09:45 AM (uHA2j)

5 LOL! Very quick!

Posted by: vw bug at September 30, 2005 10:36 AM (J3xJ9)

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Treo blogging as I walk around the block several times to clear my head and take a break. ItÂ’s been Hell Week in NYC. Over 40 dignitaries (Presidents, Prime Ministers, etc.) from all over the world have descended on the big apple all at once for the opening plenary session of the UN. This event has turned the city into avenues of parking lots and long security lines everywhere. It is truly a logistical and security nightmare.

The worst part of this has been me (who hates crowds) having to be out there n all that mess to attend meetings. Yesterday my appointments lasted until 8:15pm when I finally dragged my weary bones home.

There has been one singular highlight to my week. That is aside from the daily smiles, hugs, and happy conversation IÂ’ve shared with my son every evening as I pick him up (IÂ’ve made a point to do that and to have dinner with him each night). Well, the singular highlight of my week was finally meeting my second family blogger. Can anyone guess who it is? No? Then read on McDuffÂ’s.

It was a fun and enjoyable time finally meeting up with a blogger whoÂ’s writing I admire, and getting to know his charming wife, who he lovingly and humorously writes about at times. Unfortunately, somehow the time and their stories (which I donÂ’t have permission to divulge here right now) went by too fast. The time was just too short and unfortunately my day was too crammed (much like this city) to be able to meet up with them again this week.

That’s the truly sad part of living in this city. You meet someone you’d like to spend more time getting to know and well, there’s not enough time in the day let alone in the week. I truly felt bad about that, as I would’ve loved to have taken them around my fair city for a tour as only a native can. In a week the pace is frenzied like this, where security in the “Frozen Zone” and elsewhere makes it a nightmare for travel, it’s good to have a guide which knows all the shortcuts around town.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that in spite of the crowds and traffic they're enjoying the sites and are having a great time. Next, they visit New Jersey, although why in the world they would choose to do that is still a mystery. That is like going from Buckingham Palace to ???? Well, there is no comparison. This last comment is aimed directly at Jim of Parkway Rest Stop! Yes I intend to further inflame the NJ/NY rivalry here at this site! And he best not retaliate because I know IÂ’ll win.

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This has been the reason I and some of my coworkers have been so sick for the past few days. At times it feels like I'm being disemboweled from inside of my body. Anyway, thanks NYC for being the cause of my ailment:

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While on one side of town, the annual Gay Pride Parade was taking place, where marchers and supporters were either scantily clad and/or inappropriately (un)dressed, providing some very strange visuals (which forced me to cover my young sonÂ’s eyes as we exited the train station), on the other side of town Billy Graham was in town on what might be his last evangelical crusade.

The funniest part was seeing the stunned/jaw dropping look on tourist's faces as we emerged from the subway. They looked like deer caught in headlights. Oh to have been privy to their thoughts! Anyway, my amusement was short lived as I had to leave quickly because there were a lot of things that I really didn't want to have to explain to my 5 year old. BTW, did you get the title pun?

Events that I'm looking forward to starting this week:
The official start of my new job. It should be fun as the order for my separation from my old unit to the new one was not put through by the Temp from Hell, which means I'll have no voice mail access for 24-48hrs and my computer profile will not be on the new server, which means that I'll probably get close to 200 emails I'll have to delete, OH JOY!

My son's graduation. Ah yes, he's a big boy now as he moves on to 1st grade. Will I choke up and cry, or will I manage to take some good pics for next weeks Karnival of Kids w/out sobbing. I'll report back to you on Wed as to how it went.

People begin the mass exodus for the 4th of July weekend, leaving us seasoned New Yorkers to bask and have fun in a city that is virtually empty and easy to walk/drive through, shop and eat in restaurants with ease and leisure. In short, for two weeks I'll get a seat for my 40 min commute to and from work.

The salad bar at work will increase from the same 7 choices (lettuce, tomoatoes, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, Salmon and Chicken) to 15 items. Woohoo! a vegetarian's delight! Interesting how they never have onions even though I love them!

Finally it's the start of casual Friday's AND of me being able to go home early on Fridays, per my new dept.'s policy. That will be dearly treasured ME time! I have a choice of 3 places to go to for that time... gym, movies, and/or bookstore.

My first web hosting event - Karnival of Kids! I am so looking forward to this. I'm going to rest up my hands over the next few days, especially after having finished inputting over 100 contacts and events in my Treo these last 2 days. This means that commenting and posting will be light this week, as I deal with all these new, wonderful and exciting responsibilities. But look out, because now that I can surf on my Treo650, I'll be reading, commenting and posting like a demon starting next week. Ahhhh, I'm in technological heaven... more about this later.

Hope your Sunday was cooler and more fun than mine!

Posted by: Michele at 11:51 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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I've just heard on the radio it's bear and tourist season in NY. One of the things that invariably happens if you have a big apt in NYC, is that you get to play host to a number of out of town guests (friends of family or of other friends). I have always loved playing host to my guests, and they in turn have always returned, which tells me they've had a good time in the first place. I've made some strong friendships that way. It's how I've been able to travel the world and visit places like Asia, Europe, Canada/Mexico and South America. Over the years, I've hosted and played tour guide to people from 17 different countries and 23 states and loved every second of it; after all none of them were New Yorkers.

The only time I have regretted playing host was to a former roommate's high school friend, who was originally from California. I haven't much cared for Californians since then. This group recently emailed me announcing their impending visit to NY and letting me know they'd like to stay with me. No, they didn't ask. How sweet of them to be so friendly! [NOT] After only a split second thought of how I was going to say no I simply hit the reply key and let my fingers take over. The result? A strangely amusing email that should do the trick w/these airheads. Anyone venture to guess if this email will work?
more...

Posted by: Michele at 11:31 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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