OMG!! The last five days have been quite interesting. Not only with Xmas, but other happenings too. Mon dieu!

Hope everyone had a nice Xmas and spent it with family and friends. New Years is just a few days down the road and then its 2003. What a year ... huh?!? Before I go into all my talk about the "happenings", let me relate what friends, co-workers, family and ole Santa brought me for Xmas. Lots of lovely goodies ... several boxes of assorted chocolates/truffles, bookmarker, magazine, CD holder, keychain, Avon 4 in 1 Companion, toiletries, wine, ferret note pad, CD [Queens of the Stone Age], more scented toiletries, lip balm, sweatshirt, soap, Xmas ornament, book on Teddy Roosevelt, bubble bath, muffin mix, candles, Ansel Adams calendar, basket of edible goodies, power cordless screwdriver and another calendar. Today I'm sending out "thank you" cards and returning phone calls.

Okay ... now on to the "happenings" of the holiday season. Last week wasn't that busy at the office, with the exception of a caterered meeting [free food] on 19th and the companies main holiday party on 18th. As to that later one ... for the most part it was okay. I went with my boss Ed to the party at Copacabana and we only knew a handful of people [literally]. Most of the crowded seemed to be between the ages of 21 and 27. [Guys were talking sports/money and the gals were into primping/ gossiping.] I only knew about 5 people and same with Ed. It was an open bar and the buffet tables were loaded with good food. Quite frankly the disco music was way too loud and reminded me of being at a rock concert, only I'm not grooving to the band. Ed and I only stayed two hours. I went home and he went on to a different party.

Left NYC on Sunday, December 22nd, and head upstate NY for the Xmas holiday. My aunts hubby picked me up at bus terminal and brought me to my parents home. That afternoon Mom and I went shopping, then visited her friend Barbara in a very nice nursing home [was once a posh mansion]. Dinner at home and taking care of Dad, who is still recovering from his hospital ordeal earlier in the month. He's doing better, tho not quite 100% and was regaling me with his hospital stories.

Monday morning we woke up to learn that my Aunt and her hubby had to take my Uncle Bob to emergency. Hum ... doesn't this sound like shades of Thanksgiving weekend all over again. Anyhow ... he's more stubborn than my father when it comes to doctors and hospitals. Apparently blood was gushing from his nose and down inside his throat. While all this suspense was going on I had to drive my father [with Mom] to a doctors appointment, as well as the hospital for X-rays to his left elbow. Fun ... huh ... still with me. Good! We came back to learn from Nick [aunts hubby] that my uncle came home [stubborn man] with his nose packed to stop bleeding, but it didn't stop, so they took him back to hospital. He's been there since then and had to have surgery on inner nose region that Monday night. Hopefully the surgery worked okay and he'll be released on Saturday. Updates on all this next week. Yeah, I know, I can tell your just as excited about it all as I am. Sorry about the sarcasm ... he is my fathers brother ... tho Bob and I never ever got along. A good friend of mine has nicknamed my uncle the "pole" and it fits him to a T. Inbetween all this I'm helping Mom out in the house with assorted chores, painting picture frames, cooking, watching cable tv, phone calls, etc.

On Tuesday, Xmas Eve, I'm up early to get my hair colored and trimmed by my hairdresser in town. Afterwards do errands before heading home to pick up Mom. Dad didn't feel like joining Mom and I in going to my brothers in Schenectady for Xmas Eve luncheon. Mom and I had a very nice visit down at Duane & Michelle's. Hadn't seen Michelle [she's working out at a gym 3 times a week] in a long time and I last saw Duane at Thanksgiving. We had a yummy meal of tossed green salad and Michelle's homemade Macaroni & Cheese. Then we exchanged and opened gifts, plus I took photos. We left their place shortly after 3pm, cause Mom didn't want to be out after dark and its a 70 minute drive. Back home we settled in for the evening, heard Nicks report on my Uncles situation, had a lite dinner and opened our gifts. Instead of opening the gifts Xmas morning we did them evening before ... cause I was leaving early to head back to NYC. Or so I thought.

On Xmas morning we're up early and I whipped up a yummy breakfast of pumpkin pancakes and fried eggs. The weather report said snow was on the way, but nothing was happening at that time of the morning. Plus no other alerts on the local news stations. Nick stops by around 9:30am to pick me up and we head off to Albany Bus Terminal. At this point I'm figuring on jumping on the 11:30am back to NYC. One thing I learned on ride down to Albany with Nick is that he likes Pearl Jam. So I played the Milan 2000 bootleg CD. Yeah! Should of known something wasn't right when we pulled into the bus terminal, but he was in a hurry and I wanted to get on a bus. Nick dropped me off and I walked into a pretty desolate bus terminal. Only one other passenger was sitting in there and a few employees were manning certain posts. Learned that ALL the damn buses were cancelled as of 10am [I got there at 10:30am] until further notice due to the snowstorm. Mind you it hadn't started to snow in Albany, but I guess it was kicking up a mess down south and west of us. Naturally I'm abit annoyed by this "news" and quickly phoned Mom. Asked her to phone Nick on his cell phone and come back for me. I phoned her 10 minutes later ... Nick doesn't have his cell phone with him. Great! Geez! Instead, Mom called a friend of the family [Steve] and he'd come and get me. So I waited until shortly after 12 noon when Steve picked me up and drove me back north. Arrived at the family homestead after 1pm and ate lunch with my parents. Then made phone calls to let my co-workers know I wouldn't be at office tomorrow. Taking an unexpected personal day. Rest of day was spent watching cable tv, playing in the snow [blizzard blew in at 2pm & left after 10pm], continually shovelling the porch/walkway, nibbling on snacks, drinking wine, working on pastels and chatting on the phone.

Next day dawned with about 18+ inches of snow outside, sunny skies and cold temps. Shovelled the porch, walkway, cleaned off Dads car and started it up. Didn't take long for it to warm up. Took Mom to the store for a few groceries. Called the bus terminal several times for updates and schedules. The buses are running ... hurray! Nick and my Aunt Nan picked me up shortly before 12 noon and drove me to Albany, where I got on a very crowded bus leaving for NYC at 2pm. Arrived at Port Authority about 4:45pm and waited 45 minutes on line in getting a taxi to go to my apartment. Ahhhhhhhhhh ... NYC!

Overall it was an interesting holiday, with many little happenings that add up into bigger ones. Until next time......................

Damn ... In yesterdays entry I forgot to mention news on Pearl Jam et al. Thats not like me to go forgetting anything to do with my current, fav band. About two weeks ago I called up PJ e-pal Sarah in Canada. It had been awhile since we last chat and we had fun talking about PJ and other topics. [Sarah, don't worry girl, I'm sure you'll do just fine in regards to finals.] Within the last 2 to 3 days I've chatted with several other PJ e-pals on the phone. That awesome dude Sean [Toronto] called me on Friday at work and left an amusing voicemail. I phoned him back on Monday [from work] and talked/laughed about several topics. That evening I phoned Erica [how's Maggie] down in Texas to hear all about her recent visit to Seattle and seeing PJ at Key Arena on December 8th. Lucky girl!! She had a great time, took pix and went with her very hip Mom. They both enjoyed the gig very much. Today I received an unexpected ... such a delightful surprise ... phone call from Melissa [Missouri]. Last time I saw her was when she visited NYC back in August with her friend Jodie. Since then she's moved from Missouri to Eureka Springs, AR. [Happy Belated B-day!] Both Sean and Melissa I know thru the Yahoo Group IRWT. And Sarah and Erica I know thru Synergy BBS. Their all really groovy, kind, fun, generous people. We're all excited about Pearl Jam's upcoming "Riot Act" tour for Spring 2003. Yeah baby! Keep on rocking in the free world!

Good lord, has it been two weeks since my last entry? Yeah, I know, naughty me. I meant to write up a short bit this past Friday. Then one thing led to another here at work and before I knew it, 5pm rolled around and it was time to go home. A thousand and one apologies for my absence.

Damn ... can you believe it ... Xmas Eve will be here in a week and then a week later its New Years Eve! Geez! The year flew by so quickly. The good news is I finished my holiday gift shopping this past Saturday and wrapped everything last night. All my Xmas cards have been mailed, as well as gift parcels to friends here and abroad. Amen! Speaking of gifts ... I've been baking away these last few weekends making cookies and quick breads. This week I'm distributing my "goodie baskets" to co-workers, bosses, friends, personal trainers, etc. Today I received two nice gifts [ie: Guylian truffles & toiletries from Bath & Body Works] from one of my bosses [partner here at E&Y].

This past friday, December 13th, my father finally came home from the hospital. He's doing better, but still has a long ways to go in recovering from major colon surgery. A nurse comes to my parents home twice a day to clean, re-dress the incision and sometimes help Dad take a shower. He's on a special protein diet right now to help in the healing process. Once that is 100% okay he'll then be on a different diet to keep his colon healthy. This means no more beer, mixed nuts or fried foods. From now on he needs to consume more veggies, fruits and water. Dad's not happy about it, but the doctor laid down the rules to him in big, bold letters. Basically he needs to follow the "rules" or be dead. For now he's taking it easy at home ... this includes sleeping, watching cable tv, some socializing, healthy eating and reading newspapers. Mom is doing her best in coping with the whole situation. I'll be heading upstate NY this coming sunday and stay thru Xmas day. I'm sure I'll be busy helping them out around the house, as well as enjoying being away from the city.

Oops! Damn ... just saw the time. Must finish up work before heading to the gym and a one-hour, workout session with Personal Trainer. Happy Holidays!! Ho Ho Ho!!

Well folks, sit back for a spell, as this will be a long entry. Several things are going on or have happened.

Hope everyone had a nice, safe, fun Thanksgiving holiday and started their Christmas shopping.

I spent the long holiday weekend with my family in upstate NY [near VT border]. Weather was cold with some snow on the ground. Seven of us sat down for turkey dinner with all the trimmings at 5:30pm. I usually don't eat much ... partook of sweet potatoes, stringbeans, roll and a little bit of turkey. Everyone else piled their plates high with food, plus a few of us were drinking a nice, fruity white wine. Most of the time I don't say much or act like a silly thing. Alot of my relatives don't seem to take me seriously and are always critical. Even when I'm straight-forward or serious, they'll still find something to joke about or critize. You bet its frustrating, annoying and my feelings do get hurt. With close friends I'll express my deep thoughts/reflections, but with a portion of my relatives, no way. Why set myself up just to be chopped down without a thought or care. Anyhow ... enough of that ... on Friday Mom, Dad, my brother and I went to Saratoga Springs and the huge Wilton Mall to do shopping. Damn! Was it ever crowded! Mom and I were saying to each other that last year, at this time, the Mall was practically empty. Many people stayed away from the Malls day after Turkey Day cause they were afraid terrorists would strike. Not this year! Mon dieu! Friday evening the relatives came over again for leftover turkey dinner and the usual bullshit. Saturday I got my hair done [ie: colored & trimmed]. That afternoon Mom and I went shopping over in Manchester & Bennington [VT]. Saturday evening my fathers health wasn't so good, but he refused to go to hospital. Stubborn man! Sunday morning was a different matter and he was worse. My uncle took him and my Mom over to Bennington Hospital. He's been there since then and yesterday had 1/3 of his colon surgically removed. Doctors are keeping him there until Friday. So thats my holiday weekend in a nutshell.

Came back to NYC Sunday afternoon, went grocery shopping and started putting up my Xmas decor that night. Finished the decorating and putting up the tree last night. So many lights, garland and pretty ornaments. The apartment is looking very colorful and festive. This coming weekend [Dec 7th & 8th] I start my holiday cookie baking. Every year I make about 8 to 10 different kind of cookies and brownies. Set up Xmas goodie containers with an assortment to give to friends, family and co-workers. Speaking of work, its been a nice steady stream of activity since yesterday morning. Some meeting cancellations, new travel plans and such for my bosses.

Did I mention its terribly COLD and WINDY outside. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Lets see ... remember me briefly mentioning that chap from the midwest? Well, I haven't heard a peep from him in a week. He's either not interested, out of town on business or away on vacation. Oh well.................

I'm sure there are other bits of news to relate, but can't seem to recall it to mind. If it comes to mind I'll just tag on another entry. Gotta jet for now....................

Hiya ... I'm back! Just remembered that the pipes under Mom's kitchen sink decided to give us troubles on Turkey Day. After the meal Mom and I are cleaning up the table and notice the wet carpet under sink. Not a good sign! All underside was soaked with water. Had to clean it out and then my aunts hubby tried to fix it. Dad's terrible at fixing plumbing and would just bitch the whole time. So my aunts hubby had the honor. Got it to a point were Mom and I could do dishes, but it still needs to be taken care of by a professional. Also, over the weekend, watched some cable tv. Which was a treat for me, since my telly died back in May. So I caught up on a few movies and Foodtv Network. Love to watch Emeril! Oh, one last thing, with Dads help early Saturday [or was it Friday - anyhow] we put the white Xmas lights along the roof and porch of the house. Looks very nice. Okay ... I think I'm done babbling this time. Remember to keep rocking in the free world!

Not much to report since my last entry. Been busy baking cookies and candies for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Looking forward to getting out of the city for a few days and breath some clean fresh upstate NY air. Last week at work was a nice, steady flow of duties or projects. This week will most likely be quiet, as many folk take vacation time to be with their families, those with children et al. Can you believe a month from today will be Christmas Day. The end of the year sure do sneak up quickly on one. Damn! Other brief news and it will be brief. Jorge is totally out of the picture and has been for 1 1/2 weeks. Good riddence to that snobby asshole! I should of heeded the warning signs of emails and conversation [mostly one-sided ... his] during our October dinner date regarding his recent divorce. The man still has issues & much anger regarding his ex-wife and seems to catagorize ladies in conjunction with her. There were other things that annoyed me regarding him, but I will not waste my breath relating it here in this journal. Time to move onward. Lately I've been corresponding with an interesting, fun, fascinating, good looking chap who lives in the midwest. He's into Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Monty Python. Yeah! On that note ... time for this gal to get her ass back to work. Remember to keep rocking in the free world!

Well folks ... another week has gone by and I've been very busy at the office. Meetings, coordinating conference calls, making travel plans, etc. There is an all day meeting going on today in our large conference room. Had to set up for this at 8am ... as well as set up the breakfast buffet at 8:30am. At least I get free breakfast ... yeah! Then there were troubles with the projector and I took care of that and then at 11:30am I set out the lunch buffet. You guessed it ... free lunch for me too. Partook of a tasty pasta salad with spinach and sundried tomatoes. Very good! Rest of work week should be relatively quiet, but things can change at last minute. It has in the past.

This past Saturday I travelled up to Yonkers. Yep, its volunteer time again at the ferret shelter. Got to see my darling, sweet, musk smelling furkids again. Several had been adopted since my last visit, two new ones are there and the little fella that was very sick died two weeks ago. The wee thing had stomach cancer and was only five years old. Sigh! As always did my usual duties around the shelter, as well as chat with Joanne during tea break. Can't wait to go back!

Nope, didn't fall off the face of the earth or even the island of Manhattan. Its been abit quiet lately ... tho I did watch the NYC Marathon on November 3rd. The race goes right through my neighborhood in Brooklyn and its fun cheering on the runners. It was abit cold and windy that day ... these people are running with barely shorts and t-shirts on. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I've been taking some classes within my company [E&Y - free] to improve my skills as a valuable employee. Its interesting, fun, informative and gets me out of the office for a few hours. A nice way to relief some boredom. Boredom you say? YES! August and September were such busy months here ... then it was mostly quiet and dull during October and now November is picking up. Amen!

Oh happy day! Pearl Jam is in NYC! Their taping at the David Lettermen show tomorrow at Ed Sullivan Theater. Most likely doing songs from their new album called RIOT ACT, which is soooo good. If anyone is interested ... check out "Late Night with Lettermen" on November 14th & 15th starting at 11:35pm on CBS. Yeah!

This past weekend I went down to DC/VA to visit my friend Nancie. She lives in a nice community not far from Fairfax, VA. Children are at college and hubby was down in Florida for a long weekend visit. I think he was at a function dealing with guitars. Anyhow ... took friday off from work as a vacation day. Left NYC on Amtrak at 9:35am and arrived into DCs Union Station at 1pm. Weather was very nice that day ... sunny and warm. Headed to her house so that I could unpack, drink some tea, relax and catch up on gossip. At 5pm we went to get one-hour massages by physical therapist that Nancie knows. What a wonderful experience! I highly recommend it to everyone. Stick with licensed professionals and not those cheap ass, sleazy joints. Afterwards we went out to dinner and had sushi. Yummers! Before heading back to her house we did some grocery shopping at a huge store called GIANTS. Back at her house we put on our swimsuits and utilized the jaccuzzi/hottub next to the house back porch. Soooooooo relaxing! The next day we headed out just after 10am for abit of scenic sightseeing. Drove west thru Virginia to such towns as Warrenton, Manassas [checked out the civil war battlefield & museum], Sperryville, Luray and finally Shenandoah National Park. Along the way we checked out a cemetery, road food stands, church bake/craft sale, emporium and lots of pretty scenery. Finished off the evening with dinner out [Nancie's son Sam joined us] at a good Afghan restaurant. My first time trying that type of food and I loved it. I stuck with vegetarian dishes. Delicious! And the waiters were soooooo cute! Afterwards we dropped Sam off and then went shopping at a local Mall. Back at Nancies house we again put on swimsuits and jumped into the jaccuzzi/hottub. Wonderful! On sunday my sinus/allergies are really bothering me big time, but the medicine I took helped out abit. Most annoying! On Sunday, before heading back to NYC on Amtrak, we went to a craft sale at a local Jewish temple and then toured a plantation [ie: Sully]. I really enjoyed that latter one. Followed that with lunch out at a place called BOB EVANS. And then more shopping at another Mall before Nancie dropped me off at Union Station in DC. Got home after 9pm sunday evening and my allergies cleared right up. Very strange! Next year I'd love to check out and tour more civil war battlefields and plantations. Totally fascinating!

Well, thats all for now. Later.....................

Hey All! Hope everyone had a fun, but safe Halloween. I'm kind of glad its over, cause I definitely had my fill of candy corn. Oh dear ... I think I'm due for another cleaning at the dentist. Usually do that AFTER Halloween. :-)

This afternoon I spent my time [leisurely] at the crowded Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue. There were two exhibits I wanted to view ... famed photographer Richard Avedon's Portraits and 18th/19th Century American Drawings & Watercolors. Both were very enjoyable, tho the latter one wasn't that crowded. In regards to Avedon, his work is wonderful, but I prefer his fashion photography from the 1940s thru 1970s. Before arriving at the museum, I stopped to chat with an artist who was selling his watercolor paintings. I was impressed with his work and we had a fascinating conversation. His name is Georgi Dimov, painting for 20 years and check out his web site ... www.dimovart.com. Since Monday, October 28th, been listening to lots of new Pearl Jam CDs I received in the mail from e-pals. [Rock on Seany!] Even tho their new album isn't due out in stores until November 12th, a sweet darling e-pal in Finland sent me a burned CD she received from a friend. Thank you so much Jeanie ... I'm grooving to it. One of my fav songs on the album ["Riot Act"] is called "You Are". I LOVE IT!!

I know this is short, but I just wanted to touch base with everyone out there in Internet Land. Remember to keep rocking in the free world!

Awesome! Excellent! WooHoo! Received some cool CDs from a few Pearl Jam e-pals via postal delivery. I'm so looking forward to going home tonight and listening to lots of Pearl Jam live. This group is totally groovy! I love them! They'll be touring next year ... starting with Australia in February, then Japan and finally [after a brief break] through the USA. Now that I'm a member of the Ten Club [since October 2000] I'll be able to get some good seats/tickets. Also in the mail today I received the clothes I'd ordered via Newport News. I soooooo needed new jeans, leggings and pants. I know this entry is short, but I just wanted to express my joy on these topics. Yeah!

Lets see ... what has been going on since my last entry. Had a one hour session with my personal trainer on the 22nd. Mostly worked on legs, butt and stomach ... added in some cardio too. Always a pleasure seeing Jamie and he highly recommended that I see the film "Bowling for Columbine". He's always filling me in on films he has seen. On the 24th, after work on upper westside of Manhattan, I met up with my PJ e-pal Andrea. We went to the Cafe section in Barnes & Noble to chat for a few hours about Pearl Jam, work and men. We both adore Jeff Ament of PJ and looking forward to hearing their new album [Riot Act]. Its due out on November 12th and they'll be appearing on Letterman November 14th/15th. Yeah! I believe it was the evening of the 25th, that I heard on the radio that Irish actor Richard Harris passed away. Very upsetting news ... as he's a wonderful actor and making a comeback in his career. His last two films were the Harry Potter series playing Professor Dumbledour. He was perfect for the part and it'll be hard to replace him when they start working on third in the series. Yesterday I joined Debbie and a co-worker of her's [Holly] in a delightful Halloween tour at Greenwood Cemetery [Brooklyn]. It started at 12:30pm and ended around 3:30pm. It was lots of fun, interesting and the weather was decent. Mostly cloudy, tho the sun did pop out several times. We even got to check out catacombs. Debbie and I had been on a different tour there two years ago. Plus we'd visited the cemetery with my friend Larry in his car. The landscaping is wonderful, so many pretty trees, ponds, birds, squirrels, etc. I believe there are over 400 acres of land and over 600,000 dead buried. Pick a lovely spring or autumn day ... take the R subway to 25th Street stop and walk up the hill to the entrance. Admittance to the cemetery is free and its worth the effort to stroll around. The further into the cemetery you walk the more it feels like being in Vermont and not Brooklyn. Well, it does to me. Thats about it for this entry. More next Monday ... on November 2nd I'm off to the ferret shelter to do my volunteer work and on the 3rd is the NYC Marathon. This huge event passes thru my Brooklyn neighborhood. Its fun to watch and cheer on the runners. On that note............time to sign off...............remember to keep rocking in the free world!!

Yesterday was a cheerful, fun, productive day. Delightfully sunny, warm Autumn weather with few clouds and a light breeze. Left my apartment at 9:30am and took subway into Manhattan, more specifically down to South Street Seaport. Sunday was the annual MS Bike Tour and I was participating as a volunteer. Arrived shortly after 10am and went to volunteer check-in. They assigned me to handing out the goodie bags to incoming bikers, but I soon tired of that and wanted to do something really productive. So I inquired around with a few MS Event Marshalls and they sent me to help with food production. Worked on a assembly line in putting together many grilled chicken sandwiches for the hungry bikers. With special gloves on my hands I started out stuffing the grilled chicken into the rolls. Then was shifted to a different part of the line to put Ranch 1 special sauce on the sandwiches. Several assembly lines were going at once and this chore lasted two hours. Several thousand bikers, volunteers, etc needed to be fed. Afterwards I was delegated to man several tables with food [ie: donuts, chips, apples, yogurt & water] and see that the bikers were well provided with free goodies. This part I enjoy too, as I get to chat with other volunteers, as well as the bikers. In the background we could hear a live band playing music and occasionally observe what was going on at other stations or booths. Everyone was in a good mood. After the grilled sandwich assembly line I was able to drink some bottled water, plus nosh on a donut and frozen fruit ice cream. Before leaving the area at 4 pm, I too grabbed a goodie bag and filled it with some free food. From there I walked south to where my office is located to utilize the computer [ie: answer emails & surf the net]. Got home after 6pm, nibbed on a sandwich and read LOTRs rest of the evening.

Good Heavens! Another week has gone by and I forgot to update. Actually, I haven't forgotten, just been busy with work and other activities.

This past Thursday, October 17th, I celebrated my birthday. Nope ... sorry ... ain't tellin you my age. Go ahead ... figure it out. Huuummmmm. . . .their saying. . . .what could it be as they scratch their noggins. I'm not ashamed of my age and don't feel old. Its a state of mind thingy ... 100% ... tho at times my body will try to tell me otherwise. Dammit! Anyhow, my b-day started out terrible and then got better. Work that morning sucked, but after a few wonderful emails from Jorge and then a fun dinner out with friends at a good Vietnamese place in Chinatown, it ended on a nice vibe.

Today I received a few more emails from Jorge and our friendship is blossoming. Its best to let a friendship with a man run its own course and not rush ones fences. If its meant to mature into a loving relationship, then so be it. All I can say right now, is that I really like this man and I'm attracted to him in many ways.

Last Sunday I was up in CT visiting my good friend Katherine. I took her out to brunch at IHOP and we noshed on yummy pumpkin pancakes. [Afterwards we went to a delightful Art & Craft Show in our old hometown.] During brunch Katherine filled me in on all the latest "goings on" in her life. It breaks my heart to see and hear how much she's suffered over the last few years due to her ex-husband and DCF. Not only has Katherine suffered so much, but her daughters too. Not going into details, as it would take too long [plus upset me in the process] and not advisable with all the court procedures going on. Where is that damn light at the end of the tunnel? Sigh!!!

When I hear people say ... "oh woe is me, I cannot afford petrol for my lovely boat" ... I'm like you've got to be f--king kidding me. Get out of my face asshole! Thats not suffering, thats just being a whiny spoiled brat. Try walking in someone elses shoes and then your own "situations" don't seem so bad.

Okay ... so I vented a wee bit.

Let me end this journal entry on a good note. Stopped by a tag sale earlier this afternoon and purchased four hardcover books for $10. Hum ... a $2.25 per book. Sweet deal! The books I purchased are:

"Nicholas II ... The Last of the Tsars" by Marc Ferro
"The Celts" by Gerhard Herm
"Victoria - The Young Queen" by Monica Charlot
"Castles" by Molly Moynahan

At the moment I'm reading part three of LOTR called "The Return of the King". Great trilogy by JRR Tolkien and I recommend it to all. Also, this past week, I saw the trailers for two films and they both look fantastic. The first one was "Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets" ... the second one was "LOTR - The Two Towers". There due in theaters November and December. Can't wait!

Okay ... enough chatter for one day ... time to sign off. Take care ....... Joy, Love & Peace!

Okay folks ... this entry is going to be quick, to the point and then I have to get my butt back to work. Yesterday I had a meeting with my companies Administrative Manager regarding my annual review and raise. I received many high praise during the review, tho some things need improvement [naturally]. But overall I'm looked upon as an asset in the downtown office. For the first time, in a very long time, I'm being treated with respect at a job and that feels damn good. As for my raise in salary ... well its better than the 2.5% raise of last year. This year its 4.25%! And, if the company does very well next year, I could receive 5%. Plus, every September, E&Y employee's receive a bonus [it is taxed] from the Success Sharing program. You have to be with the company for 12 months to qualify. Was happy to see that bonus in my September 30th paycheck and put it to good usage. Well, thats it for now and back to work. Ciao!

Greetings to All!

I know we need the rain, but overcast, wet days in NYC are abit depressing. You guessed it, today is one of them. Plus this weather messes up my sinus. Oh well ... can't win for losin.

Anyhow ... interesting news ... went out last evening on a dinner date with a new chap. Jorge is from South America, recently divorced, a successful business man, charming and about five years older than I. We met via Yahoo Personals, exchanged several emails and a phone call or two before going on a date. We arranged to met at 6:30pm outside a very chic French bistro [La Goulue] on Madison Avenue and 65th Street. Many of the restaurants on Madison Avenue [upper eastside of Manhattan] are very nice, good food/service, as well as abit pricey. A gal with my salary really cannot afford to frequent them, but maybe once or twice a year for special occasions. The Maitre'd escorted us to a cozy little corner table with views outside the open windows, a few other tables and front entrance activities. It was still early in the evening and the bistro was only half full. Jorge has excellent manners, intelligent, considerate and as I said before ... charming. That jerk I had lunch with in August cannot compare.

We ordered wine [I had white & Jorge had red] and listened to what our waiter had to say about the days "specials". The selections sounded very agreeable, but we still wanted to check out the menu. While looking it over we engaged in delightful conversation on numerous topics and it stayed like that throughout evening. For our appetizer I picked a delicious mixed green salad with truffle dressing and Jorge had a fois gras. Our main meal consisted of lobster/crab cakes on veggies [me] and a roasted pheasant with spinach/mushrooms [Jorge]. We shared a yummy dessert of French apple tart with lemon sorbet.

All the while we were eating and conversing the restaurant was filling up with customers. Let me tell you ... these people have that "rich/snobby" look stamped all over them. Even Jorge said that most of them are big ass snobs. Most of the men [obviously of successful business dealings] wore expensive looking suits with confidence. But it was the women that surprised me the most. Most of them ranged in age from 30 to early 60s. All of them wearing expensive clothing, jewelry, elegant hair-do's and tons of makeup. Many of the older women you could tell had one or several facelifts. Two older women sitting two tables away from us [with two older men] were a sight to see. I was like ... OH MY GOD! Freaky! It was like looking at an older, female version of Michael Jackson. I'm sorry all, but that dude is freaky looking these days with his thin white face, makeup and breathless Marilyn Monroe voice. I even brought to Jorge's attention the one elderly dame with dark hair-do. Jorge glanced and then laughed. He said, thats not her hair, she's wearing a hat. I looked again and we both laughed. During that last half hour at the restaurant I felt frigid glances from several of the women. It was very strange. Even tho my manners et al were just like theirs or even better, I felt abit like a country bumpkin. Afterwards we strolled around the neighborhood talking. At 9:45pm Jorge drove me to Citicorp on East 51st Street so that I could catch the subway home. He's a charming, delightful chap and I wouldn't mind seeing him again. Stay tuned........................

Greetings Everyone!

Had a nice, long, busy, fun day yesterday [October 5th]. The weather held up nicely and was abit on the warm side, but got windy as the evening progressed.

Around 10am I had my weekly chiropractor visit in my neighborhood. Got the usual heat treatment/therapy ... which always feels so good. Followed by the adjustment [I refer to it as "snap, crackle, pop"] of my back and neck. I'm good to go for another week. Yeah!

Got back to my apartment in time to grab my things [backpack] for the day/evening outting. Heading into Manhattan and specifically Grand Central Station to catch the 12:20pm train to Yonkers. Its been two months since I saw the wee furkids at the Ferret Shelter and I missed them. Caught the train with 15 minutes to spare ... whew! Pleasant ride up and I worked on my crocheting [ie: winter scarf]. Got to Joanne's house [she runs the shelter out of her home] shortly after 1pm and we talked about on a number of topics. While I'm changing out of my sandals into socks/sneakers [ferrets love to nip at peoples toes - so its best to keep well covered] I was visited by Joannes numerous cats and of course her lovable dog Poopy. Then it was time to go into the shelter area and attend to my duties. Since my last visit in August, Joanne informed me that five furkids were adopted and four new ones taken onboard. Soon as the ferrets got scent of me ... they ran over to inspect me. Several of my favs are still there like Sweet Pea, Spats, Emily, Bouncy and Oliver. Speaking of SweetPea and Spats, those two were following me around alot during the first hour. I'd pick them up to cuddle and they'd try to get comfy. Oliver loves my sneakers ... plays with them, sniffs, lays across them if I'm standing still or tries to nip at the leather. He's a character and only 1 year old. Did my usual duties ... clean & fill up water bottles, brush the ferrets, clean their ears, clean up poopy accidents, socialize with them, break up fights, wash the floors, give them a few treats, etc. One of the furkids was showing signs of weak hind quarters and I discussed this with Joanne. After my sitdown lemonade/cookie break with Joanne in the kitchen, we put the youngsters back in their cages and then took out the geriatic group. That group seemed to be doing okay, except for one, he was just lying on a step near door looking lethargic. He was also trying to cough up a furball, but nothing was happening. Joanne said Laxatone usually works pretty good, but he wouldn't touch it. Nor would he touch water, Feratone, chicken flavor baby food or a raisin. Nothing! Not good ... so Joanne whipped up a small mixture of "duck soup". This is a mixture of several things that are good for ailing ferrets. She had to make him eat some using a dropper, plus a shot of medication. Afterwards, as I was working on something else, I'd check up on the wee thing and he seemed to perk up abit. With my duties finished I used the bathroom to change into fresh clothes and clean up abit. Joanne took me to catch the 5:30pm train back to NYC.

Back in the city I jumped on the subway at Grand Central Station and headed to Brooklyn. Was invited to attend a birthday BBQ at my gym. One of the trainer/owners of the gym was celebrating his 31st b-day. Lots of people were there when I finally arrived just before 7pm. Ate some good BBQ food, potato salad, nibbled on yummy desserts and drank abit of wine. It was lots of fun and talked with many cool, interesting people. The backyard area behind the gym was were the action was happening. Music was rocking over the speakers and the Yankees game on two tellys. Well, well ... the mighty [they think they are] Yankees lost out [hee hee] to the CA Angels and won't be going to the World Series. I wouldn't mind seeing Minnesota Twins in the series. Anyhow ... it was a fun evening that capped off a good day ... loved it!! Got home around 11pm feeling abit drunk and tired.

On that note ... time for this gal to sign off until her next entry. Take care all ... remember to keep rocking in the "free" world!

Yes, I know, another entry into my online journal and so close to the last one. I'm sure there is someone out there who's saying ... "surely you jest". Nope, not this time. Let us not dally to long on minor fibbles and swing into the real news.

I live on a relatively quiet Brooklyn street. Not much goes on from day to day and that suits me just fine. This morning, however, was a different story. At about 5:15am I was jogged out of a deep sleep by my upstairs neighbors frantically walking back and forth in their apartment. Sounded like cattle on a stampede. I tried to block it out and go to sleep again, as I had another 45 minutes. But it persisted and then I heard, as well as saw [window open] flashing lights outside my livingroom window. I'm like ... what now ... damn firetrucks. Next thing I know its 5:30am and my landladys grandson John is banging on my door. He's yelling for everyone to evacuate the building. I live in a three floor, six apartment, building and I'm on first floor. Thats when I smelled smoke drifting into my livingroom window. I was like ... what the f--k?!?

Well folks, this gal sleeps in the buff, so I just grabbed some gym clothes [ie: long grey sweatshirt & black leggings] to throw on. [Did I mention that I forgot to put on sneakers or sandals? Anyhow.........] Picked up my wallet and keys ... closed and locked my door. Hey, I live in NYC, don't want anyone breaking in to rob me. So I run out of our building and see my landladys daughter Colleen on the sidewalk. Find out the fire is in the basement of her building, which is right next door to my building. We get to talking and try to comfort each other, all the while I'm combing my hair with fingers. Must of been nerves, as well as trying to look halfway decent. Two firetrucks are already there and entered Colleens building. A sigh of relief thru the crowd upon hearing that everyone [ie: residents] is out of all three buildings. My building was evacuated, as was Colleens and her mothers [my landlady]. I talk with several of my neighbors and watch the scene unfold before me. More firetrucks show up, an ambulance and two cop cars. So much for a quiet residental street in Brooklyn.

The firemen do their job in the building [ie: breaking windows & hosing everything down] and on the roof tops. We see greyish/white smoke coming out of the roof of Colleen's building, as well as her mothers. At one point this chap from down the street starts chatting with me. [Not a bad lookin chap and pretty decent. Until his Mum drags his butt home.] I've seen him around the 'hood ... but usually don't pay much mind. I guess you could say I live in that 'hood, but not really apart of the community. I feel more attune with my gyms neighborhood. Yeah, I know, I'm abit odd. Then the firemen go into MY building and I'm thinking ... "oh s--t don't break down my door". But they didn't ... instead went into the apartments next to Colleen's building. Whew!

It was cool out this morning about 58 degrees and no wind. Amen! Finally the firemen finished their work and it appeared that one of them hurt his ankle. He was helped to the waiting ambulance for treatment. One of my neighbors [John lives on top floor of our building] found out that we could go back into our building. I was very thankful for this and needed to get ready for work. Noticed by the clock that it was 6:30am. I checked my emails, had breakfast, called Mom, showered, dressed and left for work at 8:20am. Before heading into the office I called to leave a message on my bosses voicemail. Explained the situation and said I'd be in around 9am. And there you have it!

Time to sign off ... take care of some office things before heading out to get a manicure/pedicure. Ciao!

Since my last entry I finally finished the book I'd brought with me on vacation. I've since started to read "Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring" and then dig into "The Two Towers" before the movie comes out in December. Yeah! In November the second Harry Potter films will be released and I can't wait.

Anyhow, back to the book I enjoyed reading while on vacation in Cape May. First of all, I highly recommend it to everyone. Its called "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. I'd never heard of this writer before and one of my E&Y co-workers recommended it to me. Thanks Lisa! Last year, while on vacation in Cape May, I read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris and I highly recommend that one too.

Let me quote the back cover of Bryson's book and you all can take it from there. You won't be disappointed!

""Back in America after 20 years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes and to a write with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. For a start, there is the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz. A buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Depsite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. A WALK IN THE WOODS is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful, but fragile trail, and he tells its fascinating history. He makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, comedy and a celebration.""

The Boston Globe said ... "A Walk in the Woods is an almost perfect travel book" and I agree with them 100%.

Gotta jet ... must swing on over to my webpage and update that too. Remember to keep rocking in the free world!

I usually don't like being pressured into doing something, but recently had no choice. I belong to a fun Yahoo Group called IRWT and its all about Pearl Jam. Well, for the "Song of the Month" the monitor of the site said we had to come up with a Pearl Jam song and change the words. I'm not really creative when it comes to this sort of thing and I kept putting it off. Yeah, I know, I'm such a procrastinator. Finally, last evening I snapped abit and said "alright, I'll give it a shot". Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The PJ song I chose was "Nothing As It Seems" ... originally penned by PJs Jeff Ament [my fav band member, followed closely by Mike McCready]. Here are some of Jeff's lyrics followed by my version. Don't laugh ... never said I had any talent in this area. Oh well ... what the hell ... right.

*****************************************************************
Don't feel like home. He's a little out.
And all these words elope. It's nothing like your poem.
Putting in. Inputting in. Don't feel like methadone.
A scratching voice all alone it's nothing like your baritone.

It's nothing as it seems. The little that he needs. It's home.
The little that he sees. Is nothing he concedes. It's home.
******************************************************************

Hasn't felt like home, we're been thrown about.
The spirits have all elope, no regard for prayer.
Seeping in and in, where is that methadone.
The voice scratches all alone, no regard for tone.

It's not quite as it seems, little sanity we need, its gone.
Bits of light we perceive, nothing to concede, its gone.
******************************************************************

Later all.........................

Greetings All From Sunny Cape May, NJ!!

I've been down here since Sunday, September 15th, enjoying myself and even getting abit sunburnt. Later on today I head back to NYC and then work on Monday morning. Hope all went well while I was gone. Will find out soon enough...............

This entry won't be too long, as I'm using the computer/Internet at Cape May Library and we're only allotted 1/2 hour time frames per day. So I handle my emails on Hotmail and Yahoo, swing over to my fav Yahoo Group [IRWT] to chat and then if I have time [Ha!] surf the Net.

My vacation started out abit wet on Sunday afternoon and into Monday morning. The weather during the rest of the days has been sunny, breezy and usually around 75 to 80 degrees. Love it! Took a few tours, visited a neat museum exhibit on teapots, hit the shops, ride a rental bike, paint, sketch, take pix, brisk walks on Promenade, eat some good food, drink wine and of course, get sunburnt. Whats a visit to a pretty Victorian seaside town without getting a little sunburnt. Right? Thank you lord for the local pharmacy where I picked up aloe vera gel. Amen! I'm staying at a terrific B&B called Twin Gables on Columbia Avenue. Charming place, prices are decent [$110 to $130] in the off season, hospitality is wonderful and the breakfast[s] are delicious. I've been coming here every year since 1998 and I recommend it to all. Not only visiting Cape May, but staying at Twin Gables, which is run by Harry & Regina. They also have a lovable 3-year old golden retriever named Brandy. He's precious! While staying at B&Bs one gets to meet other interesting guests and engage in fun or stimulating conversations. Never a dull moment!

Can't chat too long, as its time to hit the shops and purchase some gifts. Oh yes ... Cape May has lots of neat shops and restaurants too. Plus all that Victorian architecture ... delightful! Yeah, I know, this is a short entry, but will write more soon. Peace!

Okay ... okay ... I know ... another whole week [seven days] has gone by with no updates to journal. Sigh! I've been soooooo busy with work, getting things ready for my upcoming vacation [Cape May, NJ] and observing [in my own fashion] the one-year anniversary for 9/11. What I'll be talking about in this entry ... is just that ... 9/11/01.

Those of you who know me very well are aware that my office is roughly seven blocks southeast of South Tower [WTC]. We're on Broad Street and only a stones throw from NY Stock Exchange. Yeah ... we're close to "ground zero". From our 25th floor windows we could only see the South Tower and the North Tower was hidden behind it.

That day started out just like any other for me. I had to be at the office by 8:15am to let in the caterer. As there was an all-day meeting being held in our large conference room ... the breakfast buffet needed to be ready by 8:30am. People started arriving for the meeting between 8:30am and 8:55am. A few made comments that they'd heard talk of a "bomb" going off at WTC. At the time we thought nothing of it. Don't think we're heartless, cause we're not, I guess New Yorkers are immune to some things, but not all.

Sometime around 9am we heard a huge explosion and then our building shook. I kid you not! Felt like a mini earthquake. We all jumped up from what we'd been doing and raced to the windows. Looking out the northern end of our floor and upward we couldn't believe our eyes. A huge, gaping hole in the south tower with smoke, debris and fire coming out of it. Debris was flying everywhere ... even around our building. Bits of papers, fax sheets, reports, etc. Unbelieveable!! I went back to my desk and called my Mom right away. Once I got her on the phone I said I was okay, but to turn on the telly to find out whats going on. She related to me that it was two commercial airlines and not a bomb. We talked for abit and I said I'd call her later for an update. Then everyone went back to work. Yep, you heard me, back to work and the meeting. I made other phone calls, especially to my friend and ex co-worker Anni, her office is across the street from South Tower. At 9:15am her office was evacuating and I prayed she'd get away from the scene okay.

My boss, Ron G, showed up at office five minutes before South Tower collapsed. Said the action out on the streets was like insane and out of a movie. Unreal, but not, yah know? Before Ron showed up, four of my co-workers made it back. Amen! They'd been in south tower at a meeting on 80th floor when plane hit north tower. They'd gotten down the stairs to 30th floor when second plane hit their tower. I was so happy to see them back at office. Gave them bottles of water and the first aid kit. When the south tower collapsed it sounded like another explosion and our building shook again! We ran to the northside windows and couldn't believe what we saw. We were all freaking out at that point. Even tho our windows were closed, we could still hear the screams of people on the street below as they ran in terror. The clouds of grey, black and brown smoke/ash were moving with force over buildings and down streets. Next thing we know our whole building is covered in the stuff. It got dark and you couldn't see out at all. My poor nerves were really jumping at this point. Then the building manager came over the PA system and told everyone to go down to the lowest level for shelter. Which we did ... after making a few quick calls ... one of which was to Mom. I went down the elevator with Ron and two other co-workers [Joe & Igor]. We stayed downstairs in a kind of fallout shelter until 11:45am. Some people were able to get their laptops running and access to the Internet. Slowly we were getting bits of info on what the hell was going on that morning and it wasn't a pretty picture. I mostly hung out with Ron, Joe and Igor or checked out news on peoples laptops. We were finally allowed back up to our offices, but management told us that if we left the building, they wouldn't let us back in. Yeah, like we want to stick around here. NOT!

Ron told the three of us to collect our things, make a few phone calls and then we'd hoof it out at 12 noon. I called Mom to tell her I was okay and about to head home. She sounded very upset over the phone and I couldn't blame her. She said the news and film footage on the telly was horrible. Mom had to take half a valium just to calm her nerves. Before we left the office, which was deserted except for us four, we grabbed bottles of water and small damp towels. We headed out the back of the building where we were met by perimedics handing out surgical masks. Amen! What a sight to meet our eyes out on those streets. It was like being in a city after a war. Everything was covered in that nasty soot, debris everywhere, abandoned cars & stores, as well as people like us walking east. Away from the disaster and horror. Unfortunately I was wearing clogs that day on my feet and boy did my feet/legs suffer. To this day I still suffer occasionally from shin splints. Ron and Joe walked ahead of Igor and I. Sometimes we talked, but mostly we looked around in disbelief. It was like a mass exodus! By the time we got to the Brooklyn Bridge it was closed off to pedestrians. So we walked past and further north to next one, which was Manhattan Bridge. By the time we reached that bridge the air was clear and we took off the surgical masks. As we crossed the bridge we looked back south ... it seemed so surreal ... like it was a Spielberg film and the credits would roll any minute now. But it wasn't a film, it was all too real and frightening. One thing I was thankful for ... it was a nice, sunny day. I didn't give a damn if I got sunburnt or not. When we reached Brooklyn our first priority was bathrooms and then subways. At the subways [only in Brooklyn, Queens & Bronx were running not in Manhattan] I said goodbye to my co-workers and we all wished each other a safe journey to our respective homes. Ron, Igor and I live in Brooklyn, but poor Joe had to get back to the New Jersey shore. He stayed at Ron's place that night and got transport the next day. As for me ... it took two subways for me to get back to Greenpoint.

Arrived into my neighborhood at 3pm and walked to my friend Larry's place. Wasn't sure if my phone or telly would be working, but somehow knew Larrys would be. I called Mom from Larry's place while watching the events of the day unfolding on the telly. Couldn't believe what I was seeing, so upsetting and I kept on saying "OH MY GOD". On top of all that I was exhausted emotionally and physically. Once I got to my apartment I found that I could use my computer, phone and only got Channel 2 on the telly. I returned phone calls to family and friends who were concerned. Plus returned emails to many wonderful e-pals who were also concerned about me. I thank you all for your kindness and thoughtfulness. Made me feel soooo good and blessed. Didn't know work was closed the next day, but I still trekked into our midtown office. While there I made phone calls and found out that Anni was alright but had suffered a bad asthma attack. From there I went to get a manicure and then had lunch with Debbie in Brooklyn. Yep, the subways were running once again in Manhattan. On thursday I went back to E&Ys midtown office to help out, sort of like doing temp work. Then my Administrative Manager gave me Friday off as "excused leave" and the following week I enjoyed my vacation time down in Cape May, NJ. By the time I came back to work the downtown area was open [relatively speaking] and it was business as usual at E&Y.

Overall I thought I was fine, but for several months following 9/11, I suffered from strange dreams and nightmares, plus bouts of depression. One heard many different stories from friends, co-workers and still to this day. Just last week I heard the story from a co-worker [she usually worked out of midtown office] how she managed to get down to her apartment on John Street that terrible day. What an ordeal! Her apartment, two blocks from WTC towers, was practically destroyed. On the day of the one-year anniversary I took a vacation day from work, as did many staff in our downtown office. Since May my telly died, so I listened to the ceremonies on the radio [1010 WINS]. And like last year, I went and got a manicure. I think the professionals would call it ... getting on with life. Its not easy, but with every day we do better and better. Tho the war with terrorism isn't over yet and probably never will be. Anyhow ... its late and I'm still here at the office. Time to check out and go buy my bus tix to Cape May at Port Authority, then go home to relax. God bless ... Peace!

Good heavens, has it been a week since I last logged onto this web site to do an update?!?!?!? Well ... the Labor Day holiday weekend got in the way and I didn't get back to NYC until Tuesday evening. On top of that work has been very busy these past three days. OMG! Working thru lunch and eating my food quickly at desk inbetween projects and/or in-house meetings. Plus setting up meetings for my bosses, dealing with their travel arrangements, office duties, new employees, etc. The good thing is I got free lunch three days in a row. Whenever there is a lunch meeting at my office there is always leftover food. Usually green salad, pasta, bagels, sandwiches, fruit and bottled water. The caterers we use make this one wrap sandwich that I just love. Its got avocado, cucumber, sunflower seeds and sprouts. Delicious! Next week in-house lunch meetings on Monday and Friday. Yeah baby ... free food! Anyhow, enough about work and its almost 5pm. Quitting time!

Labor Day holiday weekend ... Left NYC early Saturday morning via Trailways bus out of Port Authority. Usually an uneventful ride that takes about 2 1/2 hours to get to Albany, NY. From there Dad picks me up and we drive 50 minutes north to the homestead. Weather was abit better upstate then it was in NYC. Not as much rain, but still abit overcast with occasional sunshine peeking through. Dad let me borrow the car Saturday and Sunday while he worked at the golf course in Greenwich, NY. Yeah baby ... wheels! Mom and I went shopping over to Vermont, as well as hit a few garage/tag sales. Sunday morning I took her out to brunch [celebrate her 65th b-day] at the local hotel that does a very nice spread. Monday Dad got the car, so Mom and I hung out around the house. I watched a music video on the Seattle Grunge scene called HYPE!, as well as the Harry Potter film. I did some watercolor painting [plus pastels] and watched US Open tennis on the telly. Overall a nice, relaxing weekend. My neck and back are doing much better. At my Wednesday evening chiropractor visit my doctor gave me the green light in going back to the gym. Go slowly and gradually work up to level I was at before. Mentioned the news to my personal trainers and have an appointment with one on September 21st.

Would love to chat more ... but one of my bosses is requesting some last minute stuff. Damn!

Later....................Peace!

Whattsup?!?!?

Again I must apologize for the long delay, but work was again busy/hectic this week and finally slowing down today. Time to catch up ... amen!

Here is the buzz on my neck and back. The neck is improving and I don't need to wear that white neck collar anymore. Kind of a bummer ... as I was being offered seats on crowded subways whenever I wore it. Plus, cars would halt at intersections to let me cross and fella's would hold open doors for me. Whoa! I now only have to see the chiropractor once a week, as opposed to three times a week. Only thing is that my chiropractor still hasn't given me the green light about training at gym, just do cardio. Oh well....................

From previous entries in this journal you might recall me talking about Steven [NJ]. Well folks, I told him in an email on Monday [26th] that we just wouldn't suit and to please give me his address so that I could mail back that video/CD. That morning, in a short email, he's telling me to rewatch the video to check out slow motion section. I was like ... is this jerk pulling my leg or what. I told him like three or four times [since 15th] that I DO NOT have a telly at home and can only use office facilities on the weekends. So when I told him we didn't suit in email, I also mentioned ... "ARE YOU DENSE". You are not listening to me, never have, yada yada. He writes back that he's not dense, but was anxious I view tape again [Duh! Legend in his own mind!] ... gave me address ... said he wasn't interested in me as I wasn't his type. Then he follows it up with "I hope you know what you want out of life ... good luck". I wrote back saying ... "A word of advice, when you date a lady listen to her". I also mentioned "I do know what I want in life and its not you!" Basically he's a rude, inconsiderate, competitive person who is looking for a doormat type of woman. This gal is no doormat chick!!!!

On a brighter note ... I got to meet up with two gals from IRWT Yahoo Group, which I've belonged to since January. Melissa and Jodie had been doing the "driving vacation tour" around parts of the US to visit other members of IRWT. Before hooking up with me they'd visited Seany in Toronto and they left NYC last evening. Next stop ... Michigan to visit Kim. Anyhow ... we chatted on the phone Tuesday evening and then got together for lunch on Wednesday, August 28th, at my office. Their both fun, interesting, cool gals in their early 30s. Melissa brought her digital camera and we did pix scene. Naturally we talked about Pearl Jam, the concerts we went too, how we got hooked on the band and gossip about IRWT. [Meeting them and having a good laugh really broke up a stressful work day for me.] Melissa brought me some goodies that Seany gave her in Toronto. One was a video on the Seattle grunge scene called HYPE! and the other was a CD bootleg of Pearl Jam gig in Italy [1993]. I'll be watching the video up to my parents place when I visit them for the Labor Day holiday weekend. The CD totally rocks! Melissa, Jodie and I also talked about NYC stuff, men and the 9/11 disaster.

Gotta jet for now ... just seen the time and I have to haul my butt to post office to mail bills. Have a happy, safe Labor Day holiday weekend. Remember to keep rocking in the free world! Peace!

Buenos Dios Mi Amigo's!

Mucho apologies for the long delay. Once again it was a busy work week ... plus I was feeling abit out of it from the chiropractor treatments. The neck and back are slowly improving, plus I can go for longer periods without wearing the white neck brace/collar. As for working out at the gym ... most of that is "on hold" until the chiropractor gives me the green light. In the meantime, he says I can do cardio and stretches. The cardio usually includes power walking on the treadmill and a session on the stationary bike. I'd get abit depressed if I couldn't do any gym work, so the cardio suffices for now.

Back on August 15th, when I had my lunch date with Steven, he lent me a video and cd. The CD is by a group called the "Mighty Bosstones". I'd never heard of them before and Steven's really into them. I finally got around to listening to it on the 18th. Its not too bad ... has some cool basslines & sax grooves ... but overall not my cup of java. [Steven's expressed his dislike of Pearl Jam and he ain't earning no brownie points with comments like that.] Steven wants to do lunch again this coming week and receive his items back. I'd rather mail them to him and be done with it. On reflection he just doesn't do it for me. He's an okay kind of guy, but I'm not attracted to him. Last time he called me at work, he nagged me about watching the video [ie: skydiving] and I told him [3rd time] my telly broke. Only way I can watch it is if I borrow office facilities. Can only do that on weekends when no one is around. Its like ... hey buddy ... I'm talking here but your not listening to me! Anyhow ... enough about that ... the video was kick ass cool. [Watched it today at office.] One of Steven's passions is skydiving and something I've been wanting to try for many years. I've done parasailing several times up to Lake George and I love it. Skydiving is a different kettle of fish, yah know. Well, he had someone video tape his first experience in skydiving. Now unless you have lots of training you cannot go solo. Newbies skydive in tandem with a pro. Well folks, I was mostly watching the "pro" who was Steven's tandem dude. Oh my god!!!! He was so f--king cute!!!! Sigh! Watched video twice to visually enjoy the skydiving experience [totally rocks] and look at that pro. At end of video it gave out info of the skydiving place [http://www.skysthelimit.net] in New Jersey. You better believe I wrote it down and someday I'll go skydiving [ie: spring 2003]. Naturally with a cute pro who'll be my tandem dude. Yeah!

Well folks, I've babbled on long enough. Time to sign off and go make dinner. Keep rocking in the free world ... Peace!!!

Greetings & Salutations!

I know I said I'd be more regular with this online journal ... but last week was sooooo busy at the office with meetings, projects, etc. On top of that I had a few commitments, then my lower back started acting up and its fine now. Then on Thursday morning I woke up and left side of my neck was in pain. Could barely move my head ... more on that shortly ... followed by Thursday at lunch time I had my first date with a chap since end of December. Hum ... what shall I talk about first ... date or neck situation?

I'll bore you all with the date scenerio. Met the chap [Steven - age 48 & works for Mayor of NYC Office] via Yahoo Personnals the week of August 5th. We corresponded for awhile before exchanging work numbers on August 12th. On my Personnal ad I state my preference for chaps in their 30s, but their responses are more like "lets have fun" instead of wanting to date and settle into a steady relationship. Then it goes to the other spectrum, where I get reponses from chaps in their 50/60s who only want a fling or are looking for step-mom material. Dating in NYC is not a picnic, not by a long shot. So I was like lets give Steven a try [he's been divorced for several years]. Our first phone call lasted 20 minutes and he did most of the talking about Wall Street matters [ie: stock market, etc]. He later apologized for hogging the phone line and said he was nervous. He finally asked me out for a lunch date, which we scheduled for August 15th, in my neck of the work woods. The day arrives and its hot outside so I wear a nice dress. Steven meets me in my office building lobby looking very sweaty and slightly hunched over. I'm like ... "oh dear" ... then I mentally told myself to give the chap a chance. Yah know ... don't judge a book by its cover. So we walk up the street to THE VINE restaurant. Steven is walking like some old dude and to find out he's got sciatica [spelling?] troubles but refuses to get treatment. Geez! Duh! At lunch he talked alot, has poor table manners and was abit show-offy with paying the bill. The topics we talked about ... yes ... I interjected my thoughts into conversation whether he liked it or not ... were interesting. I'll give him one more date try and then decide. I'm not attracted to him, but he is an interesting person. Oh well.................stay tuned.

I'll be back shortly ... I'm soooo hungry and need to buy lunch. Will finish todays journal entry in half hour. :-)

Hey all ... I'm back and happily noshing on brown rice/avocado/squash/zucchini/feta cheese. Total yummers!

Now on to the neck/back situation, which developed last week. Actually this has been going on and off since my car accident in 1980. Thats when the neck and back troubles really developed. Thru most of the 1980s I'd visit the chiropractor for adjustments and treatment. After awhile it got to be too expensive and I couldn't cover the costs. Not all companies medical benefits cover chiropractor visits. So for 14 years I went without seeing the chiropractor. Back in May 1999 I somehow hurt my lower left back while picking up a glass of water at work. Yeah, I know, these things do happen to me. Sigh! I was out of commission for awhile and couldn't do my usual gym or trainer routine for almost a month. Most annoying. Well, the back got better, but it still bothers me now and then. Last week it bothered me for four days. Ugh! Then after that clears up I wake up Thursday morning and left side of my neck is wacked out. Somehow I get thru Thursday and Friday morning its worse. I'm thinking ... does E&Y insurance cover chiropractor. Yep, they do and there is even a chiropractor in my Brooklyn neighborhood under United Healthcare. Hurray! Made an appointment [only one available was at 4:15pm] and my bosses were very understanding about my leaving office early that day. Their like ... "get well & soon"! Dr Abott did a consultation, x-rays, exam and then treatment. OMG!!!!!!!! When he cracked my neck I thought I was going to pass out. It hurt so much. I started hyperventilating and crying. Finally got my composure, dressed, put on white neck brace, paid my bill, made another appointment and went home. Took some Advil and waited for the pain to subside before doing my own wet heat treatment. My friend Larry helped me with grocery shopping and I had to cancel my session with personal trainer on Saturday. No working out at the gym for awhile. Sigh! Second visit to chiropractor on Saturday afternoon resulted in more wonderful heat therapy, massage and back/neck cracking. Yes, it was painful a second time, tho not as bad as first time. Sad to report I cried that time too. I have a low thresh-hold to pain.

Rest of the weekend I relaxed, read, did laundry, wet heat therapy, got a manicure, listen to music, eat lots of fruit, sleep and make phone calls. Now its Monday and I'm back at work, but seeing the chiropractor for a third time at 6pm tonight. Stay turned for more news.................

Greetings Net Surfers!

The lovely break in mini heatwave blitz ended yesterday. Sigh! Its back to this damn hot and humid weather. I am so looking forward to the early days of Autumn, as well as Indian Summer of October. Yeah! That's my kind of weather! Received the Con Ed bill on Friday and my first thought was ... OUCH! I've got to get me a new, energy efficient air conditioner, but will wait until Winter when there on sale. Okay ... enough prattling on that and on to weekend happenings.

Friday started out as a not so good day at the office, but I won't go into that. Lets just say the "situation" caused by four jackass frat boy employees is being dealt with by upper management and its not in their favor. HA!!!!!!! In the afternoon I got permission to attend an exclusive, free E&Y function at the Museum of Natural History. Left office at 3:45pm and headed uptown on the subway to westside of Manhattan. Hadn't been to this particular museum since 1996 and wasn't sure where main entrance was. Finally found it ... went thru security ... up the stairs and entered the "Baseball As America" exhibit, which is being sponsored by E&Y. We employees were treated not only seeing the exhibit for free [general public wasn't allowed] ... but also got to enjoyed ballpark snacks with soda or water. The baseball exhibit [all items from Cooperstown museum] was wonderful and spent a delightful 1 1/2 hours viewing all the displays. Left around 6pm as the museum itself was closing for the day. Overall ... being an E&Y employee has been a good experience.

On Saturday I went up to Yonkers, NY to do my volunteer bit at the ferret rescue shelter. Was there from 1pm to 5pm working with Joanne and her granddaugther Toni. On this visit I learned how to clean ferret ears. Its a tricky business, as the wee ones don't like it. So you have to scuff them by the neck and then swab their little ears with Q-tips and a special cleaner. Since my last visit to shelter on July 13th, Joanne had adopted out a few furkids to good homes and taken in some new rescues. Whenever new ones come into the shelter turf, during play time, the regular furkids will bully the newbies to show who's boss of the area. I was breaking up many such turf tussles on Saturday. Whew! After awhile Joanne and I put the fuzzies back in their respective cages so I could wash the floors and put down fresh newspapers in poopy areas. Then it was time to take out the six geriatics for their play time. These poor wee ones are very old and have difficulty in getting around. Their usually very sweet and docile. I went to the last cage to take out an ancient female [over 10 years of age] and my hands met with a curled up, tiny, cold body. I called out for Joanne and she could tell by the sound of my voice that something was wrong. I said to her ... "she's very cold". Joanne told me to step aside and took out the poor dead ferret. It upset us both. [Don't worry, she doesn't throw them in trash, but takes them to be cremated.] Joanne instructed me to totally clean out the cage, put in new bedding, poopy tray, fresh food in dish and we'd put a different ferret in it. After all was completed and set to normal, Joanne took me to train station for trip back to NYC. Quite a day............

Greetings & Salutations All!

Two terrific Pearl Jam e-pals of mine [Erica & Sarah] also have online journals. There both really cool, funky web sites that reflect two groovy gals. [I've been corresponding (emails & phone) with Erica & Sarah since the Fall of 2000. Back when Pearl Jam was touring & they'll be touring again in 2003. Yeah!] Check out their "online journals" today:

http://mccready2.blogspot.com/

http://www.livejournal.com/users/solareyes

Who knows ... maybe our "online journals" will inspire others to join in and create their own. Seize the moment & rock on!

Good Morning NYC!!!!

That damn seven day heatwave broke up late Monday night. Amen! I woke up yesterday morning to a lovely, sunny, cooler day. Had lunch with Anni, an ex co-worker and it was lovely sitting out in a park noshing on sushi. Anni is about 3 1/2 months preggers and was telling me all about her latest "trials & food cravings".

I'm so looking forward to this coming Saturday, as I'll be heading up to Yonkers to do volunteer work at a Ferret Rescue Shelter. I've been interested in wee furkids for several years and I couldn't even begin to tell you how it came about. All I know is I love the little critters and they'd make good pets. Sadly I cannot own a pet ferret in NYC due to the nasty "ban" law [ie: ex-Mayor Rudy can be such a prick at times]. Also, my landlady does not allow tenants to have pets or children in our apartment building. I'm glad about the children part, as they can get very noisy & unruly, but regarding the pets was a bummer. In the meantime I was checking out ferret websites and even have a ferret calendar in my kitchen. From Barnes & Noble I purchased several books to read up on the fuzzies [ie: care, feeding, etc].

Last year during July 4th holiday weekend I was visiting my family in upstate NY. Mom and I went over to Saratoga Mall to do shopping and I checked out the pet shop. They had three little furkids and I got to play with one for 10 minutes! Well that experience got me even more hooked. Finally, in January of this year, I made more inquiries about doing volunteer work at ferret shelters near NYC. A nice lady from a New Jersey based ferret shelter told me about Joanne Dreeban who runs the Ferret Rescue Shelter in Yonkers, NY. Gave me her phone number, email address and the rest is history. My first visit to the shelter was in early February and I've been going once a month since then. It brings me such joy to be working and playing with the shelter furkids. My duties include ... cleaning poopy trays [ie: cages & floor], filling up water bottles, bathing/brushing ferrets, mopping the floors, socializing with ferrets, cleaning cages, etc, etc. I love it! There are several fuzzies that are favorites of mine ... such as ... Sweet Pea, Oliver, Emily, Spats, Bouncy Bear, Raisin Boy and Badger. That last ferret got adopted by a nice family a few months ago. Occasionally some ferrets do get adopted into good homes and then Joanne rescues more. At any given time there are about 20 to 30 ferrets at the shelter.

Some ferret web sites to check out:

http://www.gcfa.com
http://www.ferretnetwork.com/
http://www.metroferret.org/
http://ferretcompany.com"

Good Afternoon All!

Well its feeding time at the zoo and this lioness has some free time to update her journal. Rock on!

Had a good weekend [after that kick butt thunderstorm ripped thru NYC Friday evening] and got to see some really groovy things. First of all, the weather was a scorcher. Oh baby was it hot, hazy and oh so humid. On top of that I got my "monthly" two days early. For me the monthly and hot weather do not mix well. Enough said...........

On Saturday I headed up to southern CT to spend the day with my good friend Katherine. [We've been friends since our early elementary school days.] First we went out to lunch and had some yummy sushi [followed by girl talk]. Silly me didn't quite do the ordering correctly and we ended up with double California and Alaska rolls. Even so ... it was tasty. [One cannot do the "doggie bag" thang with sushi.] Went back to her house briefly before walking to the SoNo Art Festival. This is such a terrific festival in the older section of South Norwalk with booths displaying paintings, photography, jewelry, clothing, sculpture, etc. Plus there is free entertainment by bands, singers and dancers ... as well as the food stalls. Both Katherine and I have enjoyed going to this particular festival for a number of years. There is a similar one held in early to mid October in our old hometown of Pound Ridge, NY [Westchester County]. Like everyone else at the festival on Saturday, we sweated alot. I had water, ice cream and a banana/berry smoothie. Walked back to Katherine's house to chill abit, then hit a grocery store before dropping me off at Stamford train station. Soon as I got home around 9pm I immediately jumped into a cool shower to wash up. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... felt so good!

On Sunday I did chores around the apartment, worked out at the gym and then at 6pm met up with my friend Wendy in Manhattan. We had a nice dinner at Times Square Cafe, which is located at 234 West 42nd Street. Food [Pre-Fixe meal] was pretty decent and affordable, which is always a perk. This cafe is located [second & third floor] in the same building as the AMC25 movie theater complex. After dinner Wendy checked her email at a nearby Internet place. I've never seen so many computer stations in one spot and you pay $1 for the first 35 minutes. When done with that we walked back to AMC25 cinema to see the 9:15pm showing of "Star Wars - Attack of the Clones". The seating is stadium style and seats are nice/cushy. Sweet! My first time seeing the film, but in Wendy's case it must be her tenth or fifteenth time. I loved the movie! Yoda kicks butt and Ewen [Obi-Wan] is very dishy. The fighting, chasing and battle scenes were excellent. Wonderful visuals and even tho I loved the ensembles [outfits] that Senator Amadala wore the "love scene" were stilted and weak. I've loved the Star Wars films ever since I saw the first one in 1977.

Well folks, thats it for this entry. Oh, almost forgot, in the mail delivery on Friday I received the watercolor painting items I'd ordered two months ago. I've been dabbling in watercolor painting since June 2000 and its groovy. Recently I took up pastels and learning how to do that art media.

Must get back to work, as lunch hour is almost over. See you all soon in the land of Net............................

Good Morning All! Another hot, hazy, humid day in ole NYC! I do not like it when its so damn ugly outside. Waiting for subways to show up on the platforms is brutal. The weather report says tomorrow will be abit cooler. I hope so. . . . .geez!

Got some interesting stuff to share with you all. I've recently visited a cool web site on Kabalarian Philosophy. They take your birth name and tell something about yourself. Its sort of like astrology, zodiac or chinese horoscope. In my case [see below] it was weird ... cause what they had to say about me was 85% correct. Mon dieu!

Your first name of Charlene has given you a quick-minded, sensitive nature. It gives you a creative ability in art, music, singing, or fancywork and an appreciation for refined surroundings. Your sociable nature expresses affection, kindness, and thoughtfulness to the extent that it is difficult for you not to be affected by others and governed by your emotions, rather than by logic and reason. As you respond to love and encouragement from others, your romantic and dreamy nature can easily lead you into love affairs. Your desire for peace at any price can result in going out of your way to avoid arguments and confrontation or hurting the feelings of others. Also, budgeting can be a problem as you enjoy spending money and can easily ignore being practical.

Those of you who know me very well know that I love to read and that my interests are eclectic. Listed below are some groovy books that I've read over the last four months or so. Check it out!

E.M. Remarque ... All Quiet On The Western Front
Diane Johnson ... Lesser Lives
Charles Spencer ... The Spencers
Peter Mayle ... French Lessons
James Thurber ... Thurber Country
Richard Bach ... Air Ferrets Aloft
Kim Schilling ... Ferrets for Dummies
James Thurber ... Lanterns & Lances
S.H. Adams ... Alexander Woollcott "His Life & His World"
P.G. Bahn ... World Archaeology
Daniel Quinn ... Ishmael

That last book I highly recommend, as it totally blew me away. Big time! Its got me doing some serious thinking on many topics and looking at life [and the world] differently. At the moment, I'm currently reading "The First World War" by John Keegan. Fantastic!

Gotta jet..................Peace!

Oh My Gosh! I cannot believe I'm doing this ... an online journal. Whoa! One of those leaps into 21st Century Internet technology. Well folks ... I have Erica and Sarah [two totally cool gals who are into PJ] to thank for giving me a gentle shove in this direction. I'll try to be faithful to this endeavor and not leave many "wide gaps" between entries.

As I type this first entry I'm noshing on some yummy sushi in my comfortably, cool office in the Wall Street area of Manhattan. Baby its warm outside!

Hum ... what to say ... where shall I progress from here. I think a quick review of the work environment. Been working for E&Y since early 2001 and I love it. Great corporation and so far one of the best environments I've ever been involved in. When I first started working at E&Y I was hired as Office Coordinator/Manager for their small downtown office near Stock Exchange/Wall Street. [Duchess Note: Be patient all ... I'll throw in some fun stuff soon ... but first the ground work.] Occasionally I'd be asked to do secretarial duties for the small staff. Mostly the duties were to run the office, keep it stocked in supplies and organize the meetings. This year I'm still Office Coordinator/Manager ... but my secretarial duties have increased to aiding one partner and two senior managers. More challenging work and many changes, which is what I like. Those of you who are reading this "online journal" might be intrigued by my mention of Wall Street area. Yep ... E&Ys small office isn't far from "ground zero" of WTC and the events of 9/11. I'll relate my thoughts on that day in another journal entry. Since 1990 I've been with several companies [ie: WCP, KOLL & JER] of various size, staff, temperment, work, etc. Some of those company experiences were pretty good and others were like being in a never-ending nightmare. My goals for now include doing a great job with E&Y and then moving out of NYC in 2 to 3 years time. E&Y have offices throughout the USA, but I want to stay in the delightful northeast. Time will tell ... so stay tuned for updates.

Lets see ... should I talk abit about me? Hum ... well ... for now I'll just mention my interests and such. Here is the list: photography, reading, cooking, baking, music [more on this topic later], movies, museums, art, european history, theater, travel, antiques, flea markets, shopping, watercolor painting, pastels, working out at gym, ferrets [more on that later]. Oh geez theres more and my mind went blank. Fudge!

On that note ... time to get this "online journal" out to the Internet masses. Talley-ho! Gotta jet.........................