Has it been a whole week since my last post?!? I meant to do some posting earlier, but it was a good, productive work week and I put in over two hours of paid overtime. That is always a nice perk. Let's see ... on to some news:

Back on Sunday, April 6th, I did volunteer work for the 18th annual MS Walk. This is my 10th year in either participating in the walk or doing volunteer work. Sunday dawned a cool, windy, but sunny day. I dressed in layers, put on gloves and my sneakers, then headed to Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Got there, via two subways, at exactly 12 noon to find the tables had already been set up by other volunteers. So I helped with putting the rest of the free goodies on the tables for when the walkers come thru. Cadman Plaza, in Brooklyn Heights, marks the second rest stop along the 12 mile route and there are a total of three. Some of the volunteers I'd worked with in past years and their a fun bunch. Some of the free goodies we handed out to the walkers were oranges, bottled water & fruit juices, cookies, chips, raisins and sports bars. After the last walker came thru we proceeded to pack everything up in the waiting van while noshing on free Subway sandwiches. Us volunteers also received free MS Walk t-shirts and whatever leftover goodies we could carry home with us. I had a little satchel of oranges, cookies, sports bars and bottled water. Yeah! Overall it was a good day.

Today I went up to Yonkers Ferret Shelter to do my usual volunteer work. Which I always enjoy ... love those furkids. It was good seeing Joanne again and when I came in she was in the process of feeding baby squirrels. [four weeks old] They are soooo cute. While there two of new, young female shelter ferrets tried to bite me. I'm like ... what the hell did I do wrong. Joanne assured me I didn't do anything wrong, its just that those two came into shelter as known "biters". Tho, she says, they are getting better over time and with socializing. One of the older furkids I had to give a bath, as he was abit stinky. Joanne also informed me that dear Bouncy Bear may be adopted this coming week. I'll miss the little critter with his playful, perky personality. [The weather was delightful today. After all that cool, windy rainy crap we got a warm, sunny, blue sky day. Lovely!]

As you know, I've been talking about war and politics for last month or so. Well, this is still a free country and I'll continue to sprout my views on these topics. The latest are not my thoughts, but by others and I wanted to share some tidbits with you all. In the April 4th edition of THE RECORD-REVIEW the Reverend Doctor Bill Weisenbach [First Presbyterian Church of Katonah] wrote an article in the "guest column" of this newspaper. The title of the article was "Let Us Not Disparage Those Who Disagree". Here is one of his comments:

"Protest is healthy, not scary. Remember, our nation is the result of protest. And where do you think the word 'Protestant' comes from! In the last month we have heard commentators argue that protest against the war is wrong, during the war and even after the war. Not so ... Protest is our heritage and a mark of freedom."

Amen reverend amen!!

Recently, I received an email from a friend [merci beaucoup Josee] of mine in Ottawa, Canada. It was an article from the "Ottawa Express" [independent newspaper] by James Sinclair called "Winning the War of Words". I wanted to share some tidbits from it with you all.

"With another war in Iraq comes a new campaign to win our hearts and minds. And as in any propaganda campaign, semantics are crucial. Decoding and understanding the terminology used by the military and the media can be a daunting task. To assist you, FRONTLINE spoke to some propaganda experts to define the new war lexicon. COALITION FORCES ... The good guys, right? This term, 'creates consensus where one does not exist,' says Jonathan Rose, a professor of political science at Queen's University. Many of the 40 or so countries that form the supposed coalition were brought onside by the expectation of U.S. aid, adds Randal Marlin [Carleton University]. Buying legitimacy must be the next best thing to going through the legalities of the UN. 'Coalition' sounds better than 'unilateral'. OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM ... Straight-up doublespeak. Along the same lines as 'Operation Just Cause,' these phrases are used as slogans by the media to promote the war, says Rose. This particular phrase implies that the US war is to liberate Iraq, same as the last Gulf War was all about liberating Kuwait. Whats not said, however, is that Iraqis will not be liberated from a US-imposed future, says Marlin. 'Its a matter of trading slavery for domination by the US,' he says. That's of course for Iraqis who survive the war."

Okay ... enough politics from this lady for one day. As I've said in the past ... if you wish to read my thoughts and/or comments on Gulf War ... great ... if not ... thats okay too. I won't be offended. One has the right to freedom of speech, thought and action.

Press Release Statement from Pearl Jam
Thursday April 3, 2003 @ 8:00 pm ET

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- There were close to 12,000 people at the April 1st Denver show. It's possible two dozen left during encore but it was not noticeable amongst the 11,976 who were loudly applauding and enjoying the evening's music. It just made a better headline to report otherwise. [You'll note the writer doesn't mention this in his review of the show from the day prior. See "Pearl Jam Show Will Make a Great CD" by Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News. And it is little more than a mention in any of the show reviews.] Dissension is nothing we shy away from -- it should just be reported about more accurately. Ed's talk from the stage centered on the importance of freedom of speech and the importance of supporting our soldiers, as well as an expression of sadness over the public being made to feel as though the two sentiments can't occur simultaneously.

[Just me expressing my democratic right to freedom of speech, thought and action. The tidbit below is from "Vote to Impeach Bush" website. If you disagree, then don't read on, but if you do, then read on and take action.]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to the outpouring of support from founding supporters of the VoteToImpeach movement, the first full page ad of the impeachment campaign was placed in the New York Times on March 19 - Bush's ultimatum day - in the front section of the paper, page A23.

The political impact of the New York Times was far-reaching. The circulation of the New York Times extends all over the country and all over the world. In turn, the response of people across the country to the ad was magnificent. The office was flooded with thousands of letters from people who filled out a VoteToImpeach ballot. Tens of thousands more immediately went on line and voted to impeach Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft for their criminal conduct in waging a war of aggression against the people of Iraq, wantonly sacrificing the lives of U.S. servicemen and women, and for the assault on our civil rights and civil liberties at home.

The VoteToImpeach newspaper ad campaign is expanding.

With your help, we are now seeking to place the full page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle in the next week. If you can, please help this to happen by making an online donation at http://www.votetoimpeach.org/donate.htm

Also check out this website for intelligent, progressive, balanced views on current and/or world events:

http://www.thenation.com/

Damn … has it been almost two weeks since my last entry?!? Geez! Naughty me!

Well, lets see if I can correct that today. Okay … where to begin. Hum. . . . . . .

First of all … back on March 22nd, I went to the Protest March, which started in Times Square and headed down Broadway to Washington Square Park. It was a gorgeous day out and felt very Spring-like. Got off the subway at Rockefeller Center and walked over from there. Got all the way to Broadway and 42nd Street was stopped there at intersection by a wall of cops. The protesters were on the other side of intersection, surrounded by barricades and heading down Broadway. At that moment, it all seemed frustrating, so I started talking to a chap standing there with a blue flag [world on it] on a poll. It was rather pretty.

We were there for about 15 minutes or so observing the action around us. Times Square, even without a protest march, is still a busy area on Saturdays. At one point I notice three teens [with small protest banners], their mother and an elderly chap in a wheel chair asking the cops how to get to march. Cops were sending people down to 6th Avenue. Way too far. So this group left and I nonchalantly kept them under observation. Next thing I know, there across the street and thru a small opening in barricades to the march. So I said to the chap I was talking to … roll up your flag cause we’re moving into action. Walked about a 100 yards or so down towards 6th Avenue, crossed the street while traffic was stopped at light, strolled down opposite sidewalk and casually thru the small opening in barricade. Voila!

At this point I turned to my companion and rather belatedly introduced myself. His name is Michael, about my age and works in film/music industry. At this point it’s about 12:20pm. So roughly over the next two hours Michael and I hung out at the march. What a turnout of people! It was awesome! Along the way, we talked to lots of different people, general observations, read the many banners/signs, buy buttons/pins and took some photos. Plus Michael and I talked between us on many different topics. I found myself really liking this man and quite frankly was attracted to him. Before parting ways I asked Michael for his phone number, which he gladly gave me and he asked me for mine. At about 2:15pm we’d gotten as far as 36th Street & Broadway, when I had to leave and make my way to Grand Central Station.

At GCS I had some sushi for a late lunch and purchased my train ticket to Yonkers. Caught the 2:53pm to Yonkers where Aliza and her daughter Briana picked me up. From there we went to Joanne’s home [ferret shelter] … as we’d been invited [amongst others] to celebrate her 60th b-day. We got there at about 3:30pm and Joanne was already there. So much for the surprise, yah know. Despite that it was a fun party and I met some really cool people. Joanne’s daughter Liz and a friend [Maggie] organized it all. Did a good job! At the party one could have soda or wine; naturally I chose the latter, plus nibbled on some taste food and later on some yummy desserts. A few days before I whipped up some homemade cookies and brought those with me for the festivities. While socializing I also went into the shelter to visit the furkids, play with some and fill up their water bottles. There all such darlings and most were busy snoozing. Finally, sometime around 6pm, Joanne sat down in the living room to open all her presents. She received lots of lovely items. I purchased a small, charming book called “Pets Letters to God”. Around 7pm Aliza took her daughter to her fathers and came back to Joanne’s place. We hung out until 8:30pm or so, when I noticed the time and said I had a train to catch. Missed the 8:49pm train to NYC, so I hung out at Aliza’s place for a while before catching the 9:49pm train. While at her place I played with her two adorable furkids … Vanilla and Chocolate. One is an albino and the other a dark sable. Got home that evening a little after 11pm. Overall it was a terrific day!

On Monday, March 24th, I received a phone call from Michael, the chap I’d met on Saturday. What a delightful surprise! We talked for about 15 minutes and he asked me out for dinner/drinks on Thursday. Naturally I said yes. We also exchanged email addresses and said he’d try to call me in a day or so. On Wednesday we connected again by phone and finalized plans for following evening. On March 27th I met him at the Starbucks, which is next door to my building, at 5:20pm. From there we had a great evening … drinks at Mercantile Grill, sushi dinner at Taste Of Tokyo and ending the evening at Delmonico’s Grill for tea/coffee and dessert. The whole time talking about many things and getting cozy. Got home at 11pm. I really like this man and hope to see more of him. Stay tuned........

Well folks, that is about it, for now. I think I’ve prattled on long enough, yah know. More news next time. . . . .

The website listed below is regarding a petition to impeach Bush. If you feel strongly about all the issues going on at this time and want to lend your support, then check out the URL Make it known that as a law-abiding American you are displeased with the Bush Administration.

http://www.votetoimpeach.org/

Happy St Patty’s Day! Erin Go Braugh!

OMG! The first day of spring is just around the corner. And we’ve been feeling some of its glory within the last week or so. Good thing too, cause its been a long, harsh winter and the warmth of the sunshine is a soothing balm. The first signs of spring hit us here in NYC last weekend, March 8th & 9th. It put me in the mood to do some Spring Cleaning. Did all sorts of stuff from cleaning windows to washing bed comforters [blankets]. It was an energizing experience. This past weekend was also very nice outside and felt damn good to walk about in it.

Speaking of this past weekend … I went to the annual Triple Pier Antique Show yesterday. It’s located on the Westside of midtown Manhattan [piers 88 thru 92]. Huge display’s of antique items to look upon or purchase. Everything from books, linens, toys, furniture, clothing, jewelry and so on. Every year I noticed at least one item that seems to be HOT. Well, this time around its ladies handbags from the 1940s up to 1970s. All types of styles, sizes, and materials … you name it. I did not purchase anything this year [though was tempted] … as I’m trying to keep a watchful eye on my wallet.

Yesterday evening I participated in a Candlelight Vigil for peace in my neighborhood park. It was held from 6pm to 8pm and many people brought their children too. The total of peaceful protestors against an upcoming war with Iraq numbered about 50. I met several interesting folk [i.e.: Don, Barbara, Jennifer, Tom, etc] and had stimulating conversations on current world topics. Most people agreed that it feels like we’re heading towards a George Orwell society. And that’s not good. Check out these web sites on how you too can become involved.

http://www.moveon.org/

http://www.unitedforpeach.org/

http://www.internationalanswer.org/

NO BLOOD FOR OIL!!

Have several things to chat about today and will do it in segments.

First segment ... check out this cool FM radio station called WBAI [99.5]. Especially on Monday nights ["Homefries"] from 9pm to 11pm, tho the rest of the week is cool too.

Second Segment ... The Yahoo Group I belong to called "inrockwetrust" is looking for new Pearl Jam fans to join. Swing on by and check out a fun, interesting group of Pearl Jam fans. [If your picked as MOTM you'll receive free goodies from the groups founders.] We chat about everything from our fav band, books, movies, music, current world events and even the weather. Its a blast! Here is the URL:

http://www.groups.yahoo.com

You can also access via a link on my Duchess website:

http://dreamwater.net/duchess38/

Third Segment ... If you live near Missoula, MT then check out this college radio station [KBGA]. Hum ... so you don't live near Montana, well then you can check out this cool radio station's website at:

http://www.kbga.org

Especially a great program on every morning from 8am to 11am EST. [Hosted by a cool e-pal of mine] This Monday, March 10th, they'll be playing music associated with Jeff Ament [Pearl Jam] ... since its his 40th b-day. WooHoo!

Fourth Segment ... Did volunteer work at the Yonkers ferret shelter this past saturday and as always, an awesome experience. Did all the usual duties and I never think of them as chores. Being around the furkids is always an interesting, fun, soothing theraputic experience. Since my last visit in early February, several furkids had come into the shelter and then promptly got adopted. Many of my favorites [ie: Oliver, Sweet Pea, Big Willy, Emily & Spats] are still there and just as adorable as always. During my tea break with Joanne ... she gave me a lovely one-year anniversary gift. So sweet and thoughtful of her. Oh my gosh ... has a year gone by already?!?

What a flurry of phone activity early Friday evening in obtaining Pearl Jam tix. [These were "pre-sale" tix & passwords were obtained via Krock, as well as other sources.] They'll be starting their North American tour in early April, then a break in May, followed by more gigs in June and ending the tour at Madison Square Garden in early July. Going to my first gig in two months up in Albany, NY and then the two MSG shows. Yahoo! I'm so excited! Many thanks to those who helped me with tix ... hugs and lots of my homemade rumballs to Michelle [MT], Josee [Ottawa] and dear Michelle [my brothers main squeeze]. Also ... thanks to Erica in TX and Kerensa at 10 Club. You ladies totally rock! It'll be Pearl Jam party time, in July, when a whole group of us converge here in NYC. Natually I'll be reporting all the details here in my journal.

Lets see ... any other news ... well ... the usual stuff going on ... such as sessions with my personal trainer, work, shopping, chiropractor visits, etc, etc. This coming saturday I'll be heading up to Yonkers to do my volunteer work at ferret shelter. Looking forward to seeing the furkids again.

Yeah, I know, this is a short entry. I'm trying to focus, but its damn difficult when one is hungry. Just noticed the time and no wonder I'm itching for food. Its past 1pm! Okay ... I'm outta here ... time to purchase some grub. Later....................Peace!

Oh My Gosh! Got a day off from work yesterday due to the blizzard that whipped thru our area and dumped 20 inches of snow. WooHoo!

Called my office voicemail late Sunday night and they said office would be closed on Monday. Hurray!! I woke up anyway at 6am on Monday, looked out the window and it was fiercely wicked outside. Checked my office voicemail again ... nothing ... sweet. Went back to my warm bed and slept until 8am. Got up and called my parents to see how their doing. All is okay and Dad heard back from the doctor about his colon test [ie: to see if he had cancer] and he's in the clear. This is a huge relief ... not only to Dad, but rest of family too. Mom had to go in later that morning to her foot doctor for surgery. Removal of a small, non-cancerous tumor under her big toe nail. Yeah, I know, yucksville. Their news made me feel better, as I was quite anxious for the results. If it was your parents, you'd be too.

Anyhow ... after chatting briefly with them I threw on layers of clothes et al and went outside for about 5 to 10 minutes. Yah know ... to see what it all looked like while the blizzard raged on. Well, let me tell you, it was bitterly cold ... 5 foot high snowdrifts and fierce winds. Mon dieu! Not much activity going on ... just a few people shoveling their areas or idiots trying to drive their SUVs thru a foot of snow. Geez!

Back indoors I took off all those layers and warmed up with a cup of herbal tea, plus homemade pancakes. Yum! Did lots of puttering around the apartment throughout the day, phone calls with friends, cooking, emails, reading, painting, listen to music, take out garbage, emergency run to grocery store and chatting with my neighbors. Called my friend Sarah in Toronto, but she wasn't home, so I left a message with her brother. Looking thru my address book I came across Pat C's name. We've known each other since 1981, when we hung out at BARNUM. [Broadway show starring Jim Dale.] Those were fun days. Pat and I email or snail mail each other, but haven't spoken on the phone in ages. Got her number via information and called her. We had a great conversation on a number of topics. Finally crawled off to bed around 11pm and had to deal with a slow commute to work this morning. I hope it improves before I head out of here in 1/2 hour. Off to the gym to work off some steam doing some intense cardio. Today I called Josee in Quebec to chat about Pearl Jam and other topics. Plus I received a parcel from Andrea with Pearl Jam goodies. Yahoo!!

Gotta jet ... time to do travel plans for one of my bosses. Peace on Earth!

Oh my god! Amazing experience yesterday!

I participated in my first Peace Rally ever! Yeah, I know, starting abit late at my age. But ... yah know ... what the hell! You don't have to be young or in college to participate in a protest or rally. No way! If you feel very strongly about something, well then, go out and participate or volunteer with a particular organization. There were all ages there yesterday. Folks with their children, as well as people on up thru their 60s. All race's and religions too. Had a interesting conversation [while waiting on line for bathroom in Mexican restaurant] with a small group of Buddists [co-ed]. Also met up with a really nice couple [David & Carolyn] from MA [about 60 years of age] who basically took me under their wing. They met at a protest during Nixon's 1972 inauguration and been involved in events ever since then. Mostly conversed with Carolyn and her personality is so infectious, bubbly and sincere. I orginally started out on 3rd Avenue and 52nd Street at 11:45am. Already there was a huge gathering and we were walking uptown. At 3rd Avenue near 56th or 57th Street the cops pulled back the barricades to let us cross to 2nd Avenue. While walking down the residental street students were chanting "who owns the street" and the response from all was "we do". Then we headed up 2nd Avenue and stopped at 63rd Street. We refused to budge until finally the cops opened up the barricades and we marched down towards 1st Avenue. It was amazing and the spirit of it all was very high, despite it being bitterly cold. Down the avenue, near 58th Street, we viewed a huge video screen, which was displaying the speakers at 50th & 1st Avenue platform. Some gals near us had huge boomboxes atop their heads. From the boomboxes a radio station was broadcasting it all live. [The speeches were all very inspiring.] There was OVER 200,000 people on 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues within a 20 block stretch. All I can say is WOW!!!!!!! Give peace a chance and dump Bush's government. Eat some duct tape you goddamn twisted cowboy!!

Check out ... http://www.unitedforpeace.org/

[Say NO to an America bent on destruction of the UN. And YES to an America committed to work with international institutions, appointed to improving them to the betterment of the world and the achievement of peace. Say NO to war with Iraq, with or without UN blessings. Say YES to containment, negotiation and disarmament.]

First of all ... remember that fella [Michael] I mentioned in last post ... forget about him. Never heard from him after he asked me for my phone number. Well, yah know, its his loss not mine. Men are always saying us gals are fickle and I'm inclined to think its the other way around. Anyhow ... enough on that dead-end topic.

Had an interesting, as well as amusing encounter Saturday evening. Was heading home from Manhattan around 7pm Saturday night ... when only 100 yards from my apartment building I ran into my upstairs neighbor [John]. He was walking towards me on the sidewalk after chatting with another neighbor. I could tell he'd had a few drinks, but seemed to be in a jovial mood. He was! I said "Hi John, how the hell are you dude"? He was like "hey hey, whats up"? I told him I was heading home to make some dinner and get out of the cold. John asked me what kind of dinner and I said a nice tossed salad. Well, that didn't sit to well with him. And proceeded to tell me that his live-in lady love and her granddaughter [Ashley is 8] were ordering Chinese food. He didn't want any of that and was going to get some Italian food. Before I knew what was happening, he took my arm and led me in opposite direction towards a nice Italian place. I tried to protest [ie: lack of funds, etc] ... but he wouldn't hear it and said "I'm treating you to dinner, since we've been good neighbors all these years". 17 to be exact. We had a fun time [totally platonic], many laughs, gossip, bitch about neighbors or world news and ate some decent food. We strolled back to our apartment building and respective apartments around 9:30pm. John is a character with a good heart and has always been a good neighbor to me.

Recently ran into one of my gym pals who was excited about an upcoming Peace Rally at the UN this Saturday. I'm very much against a war with Iraq and dislike Bush. Whom I think is a narrow-minded, stupid, smug, arrogant little shithead. I've been wanting to become more involved with protests and rallies for some time now, due to this Afghan and Iraq situation. Allyn [gym pal] will be calling me Friday night with all the particulars. Don't know what to expect, but I'm jumping in feet first.

Another couple of busy weeks at work, as well as a few social commitments et al, have kept me from making entries into my journal. Well, at least the weather isn't as bitterly cold as it has been. Wicked weather back in January ... burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Have some free time and will convey a quick summary of latest events. Just recently started corresponding with a new fella and he sounds great. We haven't met yet, but from our few email exchanges, well folks, he sounds marvelous and I like his photo too. :-)

My friend Anni had a sweet, healthy, little baby girl [Rachel] on Tuesday, January 28th. She called me a few days after the event to briefly chat. Anni sounds happy, says the baby is sooo cute, her hubby a proud Papa and she's looking forward to going home. My co-worker [Lyra] is still out of office on short-term disability and we hope she'll be back in office on Feb 17th. She is due to have her baby in early March.

The office situation is abit improved from when I last made an entry on Jan 19th. That overly demanding, pain in the ass executive now has a different secretary and at a different location. Amen!

About 1 1/2 weeks ago I learned that Pearl Jam tix would be available via the 10 Club. These are special tix for fans and are usually situated within the first 10 rows at gigs. Yeah baby ... right there ... up close and personal. We members have to send separate money orders and state which gigs/dates we want. At first I was soooo excited about this news and calling PJ friends [emailing too]. Then the bad news ... I'd forgotten to renew my membership with the club back in October 2002. Oh my god! I was so upset about that and in tears. Made phone calls, sent emails and things seem to be resolved. So many wonderful, supportive friends who listened to my rants and helped me to work things out. I am so looking forward to meeting Josee and Michelle in July. Their coming to NYC to visit me and go to two PJ shows. I'll also get to meet up with Cynthia, Andrea, Erica and hopefully Sarah. Pearl Jam's first gig on their "Riot Act" tour begins this Saturday in Australia, then goes to Japan, followed by a break and then doing an extensive USA tour. WooHoo!

This past Saturday, February 1st, I went up to Yonkers and the ferret shelter. Always a joy getting to see the furkids. Several had been adopted since my last visit and Joanne mentioned at least four orphans coming in this week. Also got to see my new friend Aliza and her daughter Briana. They didn't have little Vanilla with them, as they'd just come from religious school & temple. While at the shelter they did adopt another ferret, as a cagemate for Vanilla, and christened this fella Chocolate.

At 6:30pm I have a session with my personal trainer and again on Thursday evening.

Yeah, yeah, its a short entry and I do apologize. Just noticed the time and need to wrap things up before I split. Peace!

Why is it ... when dealing with "dating services" like Yahoo Personals or Match.com ... guys will write to you for abit and then disappear. [I guess if a gal doesn't ask them out or start talking about sex, they lose interest. Geez!] Or, they'll give you their number and say "call me ... now". I'll give them my number and say a lady never calls a gent the "first time". Then I never hear from them ever again. Or they claim they called and I know damn well they didn't. Sigh! Dating standards have really soured over the years. Yah know. I feel if a chap is really interested in you then he'll make that first phone call and treat a lady with respect. Right?!? I mean, the chap wrote to me first, so he must be interested. Seems like there are lot of chaps out there who don't want to persue a gal and rather she do all the work. Well folks, that is not right. The few times I have persued a chap in the past [years ago] they turn around and treat me like crap. Now your probably thinking its the younger fella's who are behaving in this fashion. Yes and no! I'm talking about men my own age or five years older! Sad ... very sad. Sorry for the rant ... but I'm PMSing and needed to get this little angst off my chest. Okay ... I feel somewhat better now. Did I mention its bitterly cold outside and the wind just rips right through yah. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

As I sit here sipping a Caramel Apple Cider drink from Starbucks and reflect on the last two hectic weeks at work, as well as personal commitments. I'm thankful that I work for a corporation these days that really cares and supports its employees. Their not spitting out empty phrases ... they back up what they say with truth and action. Last time I made an entry things were fine and motoring along smoothly. On January 7th the other secretary in my office fell on ice while coming into work that morning. Your wondering ... is this a major concern. Yes ... it is when that secretary is 7 months preggers. In the early afternoon she left the office to rush to the hospital, as the labor process started to kick in. Not good. Doctors managed to stop that and the gals been on bed rest ever since then. So, in the meantime, I've been taking care of her executives. You would think this wouldn't be a problem and your right. Except that one of the executives is a f--king pain in the ass! Good thing he doesn't work in this office much and is on the road alot. Cause if he was I'd have chucked him out our 25th floor windows some time ago. Need I say more? I didn't think so. On the 10th there was a 2 hour meeting I had to attend regarding major office structural et al changes that will take place March thru May. While on the subject of work ... the big and unpleasant news happened on the morning of the 15th. I came into work and two of my co-workers are sitting in reception area with upset looks on their faces. Plus the doors are wide open and I hear all sorts of noices coming from our large conference room area. This does not bode well. What happened is that the "private executive" bathroom on the floor above us clogged up during the evening before from someones "large load". Basically the water from the toilet ran down threw airducts et al for 9 hours and really made a HUGE watery mess on five floors. Since we're right under the f--ker, we got the most water dumped on half of our office. Not a pretty sight. Especially with it running into our expensive datacenter. The cleanup and repair work went on thru yesterday. The combined two weeks I clocked in about 5 to 6 hours of "paid" overtime. Okay ... enough work talk and on to more interesting, fun stuff.

On January 11th I visited my good friend Katherine in CT. I took her out to lunch, we exchanged Xmas gifts, catch up on news and did some shopping. Her daughters were out and about, so I left their Xmas gifts under the Xmas tree in their livingroom. Had a fun chat with Katherine's brother Al. On the 12th I joined a friend in going to see "Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets". Its really good and the visuals are wonderful. Kenneth Brannagh is perfect as Gilderoy Lockhart. On the 7th and 9th I had sessions with my Personal Trainers. On the 16th I picked up two cool books regarding LOTRs The Two Towers. One is the "official movie guide" and the other is on "the making of the trilogy". Great shots and lots of neat information. Speaking of movies and such ... I read on Yahoo News that book five of the Harry Potter series is due out on June 21st. Its called "The Order of the Phoenix". Excellent! And lastly ... yesterday I went to an ex co-worker/acquaintance baby shower in Brooklyn. Had a very nice time, ate some free food and socialized. Those of you who live in the Northeast know its absolutely freezing outside. You bet winter is here and nothing like the last two mild ones we've had. This is the real thing!

I'd love to chat somemore ... need to work on answering some emails. Remember to keep rocking in the free world and get somebody to beat the crap out of that war-hungry f--ker in the White House. Ciao baby!

Hey All and a Happy New Year!

Had a really good weekend and did some cool stuff. On saturday I went up to do volunteer work at the Yonkers Ferret Shelter. At the train station in Yonkers I met up with a new aquaintance [Aliza] ... whom I've been chatting with thru one of the Yahoo Groups I belong too. Then we switched to emails. Anyhow, she adopted one of the furkids from the shelter [for her daughters b-day] I volunteer at and mentioned it online. Thats how we got to chatting via email. When Aliza showed up at the station she had her daughter Briana with her, plus little Vanilla peeking his head out of her shoulder satchel. Jumped into her car ... chatting the whole time ... drove to shelter. Aliza, Briana and Vanilla came in with me. It'd been two months since I'd been at shelter and it was good seeing Joanne and her pets. We talked for abit on a few topics before heading into the shelter area. Stayed in shelter area for 10 minutes while Aliza chat with Joanne about ferrets and I played with a few. The main group was out and about, scampering here and there just sniffing everything. Joanne mentioned that during December only one ferret was adopted and four were taken in. At 1:30pm Aliza left with her daughter and furkid. She's a cool, fun, interesting gal. We'll catch up on talk via email. I then got to work on my duties ... which included cleaning/filling up waterbottles, brushing furkids and cleaning their ears. Throughout all this I socialized with them, gave them belated Xmas gifts, as well as yummy treats. They were a happy bunch. This time Oliver, Emily and Big Willy were following me around. Their so sweet. Had a nice tea break with Joanne and gave her a large tin of my homemade cookies as a gift. Back in the shelter we put one group of fuzzies into their cages and took out next group. I brushed their fur and cleaned their little ears. While that group was playing I washed the floors, changed the poopy papers and cleaned out litterboxes. Then Joanne and I put that group away, as well as give them extra treats. Then it was time for me to change into clean clothes and head back to the train station. All in all ... a most enjoyable visit.

On Sunday I went with a friend to the cinema and enjoyed viewing LOTRs "The Two Towers". Saw the first LOTRs film [Fellowship of the Ring] a year ago and greatly enjoyed it. [Rewatched the film while on vacation in Cape May.] Even tho the films are 3 hours long, you don't mind or notice it due to it being so well directed and acted. The Tolkien trilogy is wonderful and I re-read it back in October/November. First time I read "The Hobbit" and LOTRs was back in the mid-1980s. These films are directed by Peter Jackson and he's assembled a brilliant cast to flesh out [well, not in Gollums case] the characters of Middle-Earth. Most of the filming takes place in New Zealand and what gorgeous scenery it is. Breathtaking! The special effects and fantastic computerized work are top notch. Some of my fav characters in the plots of "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Two Towers" are ... Aragorn, Faramir, Gandalf, Shadowfax [yes, the horse], Treebeard, Boromir, Elrond, Merry, Pippin, Gimli and Legolas. Yes, I know, I didn't mention Frodo. Oh well ... sorry about that ... he's not one of my fav Trilogy characters. Anyhow ... lots of amazing scenes in the second film ... especially the battle segments and Ents. Awesome! I highly recommend renting the first film in video or DVD format and then quickly go out to see the second film. You won't be disappointed, not at all.

The following tidbit regarding "ebay" was written by one of my co-workers [Rob Roberge]. I wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy!

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I can't wait to get off this plane, run to a cab, and get to the hotel so I can log into ebay and see if my most recent bid is a winner. They say the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. Well, with over 100 transactions under my belt and a collection of "stuff" that I can't even remember why I thought I needed most of it, I admit I may have an issue. But I have bought some things I needed (like these Bose QuietComfort headphones that prevent you from hearing the snores of the person seated next to you). Luckily, I've got some great deals and haven't run across any fakes or fraud. This I contribute to my rules. I'll share my rules with you, but with the understanding that I cannot be held legally responsible should you also become an ebay addict.

Rule No. 1 - Never bid or buy an item from a person that does not have at least 10 positive feedback points. Avoid them if they have any negative feedback at all. You should also read the feedback (you can learn a lot about the quality of their merchandise and shipping habits).

Rule No. 2 - Set a maximum amount you are willing to spend for an item (this should be something less than your annual salary) and NEVER EVER bid more than that amount. Sounds easy, but during the heat of battle you will be tempted to bid more just to win!

Rule No. 3 - Never bid on an item from a seller that will not accept online payments (Bidpay.com, Paypal.com, etc.). These online services go through a verification process and you can be reasonably sure of the seller's name and address. If they don't want to use one these payment services they most likely have something to hide or they don't know how to use a computer and you should avoid them in either case.

Rule No. 4 - Learn the art of "sniping". When you can "snipe" an item with a last second bid, you have mastered the surprise attack and will be victorious on more than your fair share of auctions. A really good sniper uses probing bids to discover the actual high bid of their competition but this is a topic for the advanced ebayer and not covered in my introductory course. Just understand that by placing your final bid at the very last possible moment, you prevent them from retaliating with a counter bid -- there is no "going once... going twice... sold" on ebay. When the auction clock has expired, it's over and the high bidder wins.

With our busy schedules, finding the time to shop in a real store can be tough. Online purchasing can really help, it can be fun, and best of all, you don't have to talk to a salesperson. But you do have to be careful of scams and the less than honest individuals who want your hard earned money. Well, I need to go surf and try to find a 12 step program to cure me of this addiction. Good luck and happy bidding!

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!