This month I traveled from Philadelphia to Raleigh on Southwest Airlines. I didn’t know there’s a train going to the airport (I’ve lots to learn about this city where there’s so much to do and friendly people everywhere ready to give advice), and since my flight was an early Sunday morning one, I decided to flag a taxi. And so a wonderful, witty person slipped into my life for 15 minutes by way of a taxi. He had radiant, happy eyes, a big smile, and was very unlike the last taxi driver who relished talking about the crime in Philadelphia. When just that month you’ve moved to Philadelphia you don’t want to hear about the crime. Yes, you know it exists, but no need to be in a taxi with a driver obsessed with the topic. This last taxi driver from Africa was entirely different. His story was of being misdiagnosed when he went to a doctor, and spending one agonizing week alone worrying about his wife and two young children, before realizing that maybe he should go for a second opinion. A really good idea as the second doctor said nothing was wrong with him. The funny part of the story was what went on inside his head during the week he thought he was dying. He was laughing out loud funny, and that’s the way I got out of the taxi – lol.
Chocoholics Unite!
This is the time of year the call of chocolate is too strong to resist! Why o why do I not have the power to resist chocolate and sweets in general. I think it could be hormonal… seems to be getting worse over the years.
Dark, milk,white, cakes, cookies, ice cream — I will take it all.. and I love it all. I need some type of repellent to these things — evil, evil, sweets… oh the downfall of all my working out and trying to stay in shape are my addiction to sweets. Give me Godiva, lindt, Haagen-Daaz, or Herseys.
I have just been told go to the 8th floor of the saks fifth avenue www.saks.com in NYC (the original) and get the expensive chocolate… make sure to go alone so not to have to share the expensive chocolate..
So I am here to say, my name is Alicia and I am a chocoholic. I need help!
Motherhood for Me
Motherhood for me has been such an interesting journey and my son is only 18 months old as of yesterday Nov. 25th. I knew it would change me and change my life but I didn’t know it would add so many layers to my life.
Before Sebastian was born I thought I already had a full life. It was like a part of me awoke after he was born and they told me I had a baby boy in the hospital. I guess that part of me was always there but I just didn’t realize it or know it until Sebastian arrived.
For this reason alone I am so happy we decided to embark in the world of neverending worry, love, and concern, and hopes for our child and hopefully future children. That part of parenting is so mind boggling. All the worrying and hopes and concern you feel for your child it is just nuts. You worry if they are sleeping enough or eating enough or not enough. You worry if they are developing at a fast enough pace or if you should or shouldn’t be giving them certain foods. It is just neverending… I mean there is a whole book section on how to properly raise your child. Unfortunately there are differing opinions on how to raise your child and do things. That topic is a whole other blog in itself which I am sure I will get there one of these days.
Ok back to motherhood and how much I absolutely love it. The best part is the first time you see your baby in the morning. It is truly like Christmas every day when you see him for the first time.
I just can look at him for hours and think how spectacular he is and how cute and funny he is. I mean what a sense of humor our child has. He really just cracks me up.
I love thinking of all the wonderful experiences we are going to share all through the years of him growing up. It really is exciting. I can’t wait! I do have to remember to not wish today away.
For the days are long but the years are fast when raising children – such a true statement.
The one thing I love about my son is how sweet and comforting he is to me. He truly has saved me from myself in a way. He puts so much perspective in my life – keeps me grounded. I can’t say enough great things about being a mom.
When I hear my friends are expecting I am so excited for them to experience the most amazing joy in life… giving life. What a true gift it is, the best one I could have ever hoped or asked life to give me.
Just as Oprah www.oprah.com says, “This I know is true” I know being a mother is the most amazing job and experience this life has to offer and I am blessed to have it.
My First Post on this thing called a Blog
What is the meaning of blog anyways… ok this is my first post and I feel like I need to write something life altering. We have just finished a wonderful Thanksgiving in NC. I definitely ate way too much — need to look for redemption. I am hoping burn off the extra calories at my spin classes this week.
I think I definitely have an obsessive personality. I tend to get very addictive. I have definitely developed an addiction to spinning classes at O2 Fitness. That is a smaller gym in Raleigh, NC www.o2fitnessclubs.com I think what makes the classes fun are the other people in the class with you and the instructor. I definitely have my favorite teachers – Chrissy & Brandon are awesome. I love Casey’s music and Hadara is great too on Tues. Ok, back to my obsessive (addictive) personality. I even went as far as to buy special cycling shoes that actually lock you on to the bike. When I went to the Biking store www.trekraleigh.com the sales guy asked me what type of bike I had and I said that I didn’t. So I am the nutty customer that buys shoes for a bike that doesn’t go anywhere. I am sure since I started classes this past January, I have probably biked at least 1000 miles or more. I mean when I go out of town I miss class and get stressed if I have to miss class. With that being said I am not going this evening since it is the last night my mother in law is going to be in town and we are spending time together. I am thinking I will feel guilty but I am thinking that it will be ok…. At least my spinning addiction has gotten me back into shape since the baby. That process is in a whole other blog post.
At least to my benefit this addictive behavior does not include drinking or drugs or smoking. Ironic it tends to be good things for me.
This past weekend I discovered you can play Boggle online with other people…. totally addictive. You definitely must try… if you think you are a good Boggler, think again, once you go to the site www.weboggle.shackworks.com you will see how crazy good these people are. You can also sign in with interesting usernames. Some people are political with their names and others are just down right funny… one that I remember to be funny was “Dumpling Running Man”. I challenge you to try the site out. Beware though… I was stuck playing until 3 am Thanksgiving day evening because I was on a mission to be #1… still not there yet. I feel this draw to play when I get near a computer… It is amazing that I am actually on a computer and doing something else.
Ok so there are two examples of my crazy addictive behavior. I am curious if anyone else shares my afflictions. – Alicia
still on the move
We’re in Philly, and Pauline can’t wait to get her car away from the tow dolly, and put an end to that experience. We learned a valuable lesson, you can’t master backing up with a tow dolly attached to a truck in one day. And we needed a big space for sweeping turns. From Beacon, NY to Philly, Pa, I felt for her every stretch of the way. I wouldn’t want to drive under those circumstances.
Pauline is so eager to rid her car of the tow dolly that she just about tackles most of the unloading except for the hefty mattress, even though I hired cracker-jack men to do the lifting and moving, she doesn’t seem to notice them; she’s like a woman possessed. And so the unloading was accomplished in record time.
The movers were nice enough to lead us to the Philly U-Haul office as we followed them with the truck and tow dolly through the streets of Philly – not an easy drive either. Ha! There was no need to rush because, well, it took the employees 30 minutes to figure out how to extricate the car from the tow dolly. That done we brought the truck across the street for inspection and got the clean bill of health for the truck which allowed us to stand in line (for 90 minutes) to finalize things.
We had lots of company waiting in line. One person was at the counter. It seems the manager had upped and quit at some time during the afternoon. Saint Bill, as Pauline called him, was doing his best to keep up, but the line was getting longer and it wasn’t moving very fast. Just as we got to the counter a long over-due employee arrived to help Saint Bill. I got to hand it to him, he never wavered, maintained the same nice demeanor, and did his job under stressful circumstances. Stressful because there were some angry people – screamers – who gave him an earful. Whew!
We went back to my place to think about where to have dinner. We’d not eaten since early morning. It turned out that finding a good place to dine was the easy part of the day. Let the fun begin.
And so be it!
about moving
Philadelphia is a welcoming city. And moving there last week was a fun, harrowing and hilarious experience. Toshi, my son-in-law, took an early morning train from Manhattan to a town along the Hudson River to pick up a U-Haul truck and help with the move. He said it was a great ride along the River. I had a few good people helping me. Actually, good isn’t an adequate word, they were clever and came with a sense of humor – much needed qualities when moving without professionals. Professionals couldn’t be used on this trip as there were stops to be made and dates to work around.
Someone who swore up and down that he’d be around to help load never showed. Somehow deep down I sensed that would happen. However, I think it’s good to trust. And, happily, it was for the best because, Toshi, being who he is – always resourceful – found a big, well-muscled fellow working in a nearby shop who was more than eager to help out and make some money. He and Toshi gave it their all and the truck was set to go with everything loaded in it in no time at all. Good call Toshi.
On we rode to the Catskills for additional furnishings, and to meet my cousin Pauline who came from NH to drive a U-Haul to Philly. She’s a brave one. There she waited at the town’s U-Haul office for a tow dolly for her car, while at the country house Toshi and the former country store owner wrestled with a beautiful hefty bed trying to load it onto the U-Haul truck. The former country store owner has a name, but he continues to be called, when he’s not within earshot, the former country store owner. All right! The bed is secured and we’re off to meet Pauline. There’s no phone signal at the country house, and we’ve no way of knowing that Pauline has called three times as she sat watching the friendly, new owners of the U-Haul company trying to get their computer in operation. After they’d entered all of her information, their computer went down. By the time we arrived, they were asking anyone in sight for help in restoring it. There was nothing to do but wait since we needed the tow dolly, and it wasn’t forthcoming until the problem with the computer was solved.
In the meantime, we learned a lot about happenings in Puerto Rico and the Colombia drug cartel from people wandering in and out of the office. And we learned that four months ago someone exchanged the hustle and bustle of owning a restaurant in Manhattan for the ease and enjoyment of owning a restaurant in this little town. Word of mouth (the best kind of advertisement) is sending customers his way. So off we went across the street to the word-of-mouth place. Toshi had heard the reviews and was already there for a quick bite before going off in another direction having somehow materialized a ride for that appointment. It’s amazing how things get accomplished out of sheer necessity. There are always possibilities one never imagines until necessity chimes in.
When we returned to the U-Haul office, the two friendly, new owners were under their large desk still working on their computer. From our end it looked as if they were getting nowhere fast. Only thing to remember about this situation is that it won’t last forever. Nothing ever does. Right?
celtic tiger starring michael flatley
Have you seen CELTIC TIGER starring Michael Flatley “shot on location in Budapest”? Do you want to be energized and wonderfully entertained? Then you must get the DVD. Seriously! Michael Flatley has brought this art form to a very high level. And all of the dancers are fantastic. I don’t know if you can find anyone more enthusiastic about what he does – maybe as enthusiastic, but not more. And it’s contagious. Go and get the DVD. If you aren’t completely engrossed by it – well, I don’t know what to say. Wait, there’s more. Don’t forget to watch the film TIGER FEET accompanying the DVD. That, too, is really entertaining. www.michaelflatley.com
our amazing world
The one thing about life that’s so amazing, among many other things, is that, at any one time, millions upon millions of people are simultaneously living entirely different lives. For instance, the World Series and the fires in California occurred within the same time frame which meant that in one area people were playing ball, and ecstatic fans were happily screaming for their team of choice, while in California some people were living their worst nightmare. That never ceases to boggle my mind. Then there’s the twenty-three year old happy and creative computer geek who has become a multi billionaire and another twenty-three year old feels life is about drudgery and poverty. At the same time, there’s a war being fought, and in another part of the world, the only thing people are thinking about is getting a great tan. It’s fascinating. It’s mysterious. Or is it? Imagine being able to change our own experiences for others by being willing to step away from our comfort zone with trust, confidence and focus, and into the world of exploration and experimentation, with the idea of mastering the way we want to live our life while enjoying and respecting it and never hurting it. Imagine.
strangers
Last night I locked myself out of my apartment building. I came back from having dinner with a friend, put my things on a chair, and picked up a bag to place outside for the garbage collection. The interesting part came when I looked in the little Japanese purse I use as a key holder and found only one key – the one to my apartment. Where was the key to the outside door? I looked on the ground. No key. Then I looked at the buzzers and pressed all of them. No answer. I pressed again, for a longer time. Still no answer. I approached the only people on the street. They were nice. One person made a few calls on her cell phone. No Answer. I thanked them and left. It was a nippy night and I was dressed the way people dress when going out for only a few minutes. With arms huddled against my body for warmth I walked to a restaurant to ask for a phone book. My landlady’s number wasn’t listed. A locksmith would make an easy $100 tonight it seemed. When these things happen, one gets a glimpse into a homeless person’s world. Just a glimpse mind you, but the feeling is there. You’re cold, you have no money, no phone, and strangers look very comfortable in their own setting, and it’s strangers you have to depend on.
I wanted to press all those buzzers one more time before calling a locksmith, and so I started walking back to my apartment building. I had to be quick because the restaurants would be all closed soon. Only one person was on the street and he was ahead of me. Something told me to step up my pace. He thought I was stalking him because he kept looking sideways as we all do when we’re not feeling quite secure. I had a feeling about him. And feelings are important. Sure enough he stopped in front of my building. Then I recognized him as painting there only a few weeks ago. “Hello.” I said. ” You’re the painter. Right?” He smiled and said, “Yes.” Very good I thought. I told him my story and asked, “Do you have a key?” Answered prayers! “Yes.” he said. “I don’t have it with me though. I came to put the garbage out and someone’s picking me up.” He said he’d return with the key. We waited 10 minutes. His ride came and I waited another 20 minutes huddled against a store’s doorway for his return.
I realize this is trivial compared to what’s going on in California. However, the hour that I spent on the street at night trying to get strangers to help me, gave me a very, very slight idea of the feelings going through people who’ve been stripped of all possessions and are now dependant on others. We can’t ever underestimate the importance of strangers in our lives. I bet that if we thought about it, strangers have been there for us more times than we realize.
Here’s to all those strangers. Thank you.
those ny yankees
I still don’t understand what’s happening with the Yankees. What I do understand is that things get complicated when there’s money, power and egos at stake. Joe Torre was making 7.5 million a year for managing a baseball team – the Yankees. Fine, if that’s what they want to pay him. Then last Thursday, because the Yankees haven’t won the World Series in 7 years he got a decrease in salary, and “was offered a one-year $5 million contract with $3 million in incentives, including an $8 million vesting option in 2009 if the Yankees reached the World Series.” and “. . . he still would be baseball’s highest-paid manager. . . .” – USA Today
And someone said Joe Torre was “too passive,” and “even pros like the Yankees need an occasional pat on the back or kick in the butt,” wrote Al Neuharth. And some friends of his “pleaded” for him to be able to continue on with the Yankees. Hmm! Two things about this: What’s the problem, dear Joe Torre? You’d still be making mucho moola. And isn’t the $207 million the Yankees are collectively making the “pat on the back or kick in the butt”? I know at this time in our society being able to discipline oneself, to prove you’re worth the big bucks being earned, might be asking for a lot, But, hey, Yankees, give it a try, you’re playing in the big leagues, put on your big boy pants and get thee to the World Series.
Michael’s not going to like this post. He’s been a die-hard fan since the age of 5! Still, maybe he’s become a little disenchanted. Maybe he’s not the only one. www.yankees.com