Holiday lurve

let's discuss how excited I am for the Holidays this year!!!! I am generallt excited every year, but last year I was under some stress and although I didnt enjoy time with famiyl; and friends, there were soem clouds overhead......this year I feel free from it...and although there are days where I am upset and stressed I realize how lucky I am to have so much goodness in my life, in all forms. the love that surrounds me is bountiful and when times get tough I sit back and breathe it in. Ok enough mush and gush......let's discuss the Holidays thus far!!!!

Best story so far..... My Mom is on one of her many Holiday calls to a cousin-type relative who informs her on the passing of another relative...my Mom calls me up right away to tell me not to mail out this relatives Christmas card (obviously) ....instead she sends a sympathy card and Mass card to his daughter.....WELLLLLLLL my Mom gets a call from his daughter who informs that he is, in fact, very alive! When my Mom told me this I cracked up....she felt terrible of course.....but a misunderstanding in that people in this family all have the same friggin names makes things get a little confusing!!! Well I thought this was just hilarious. Merry Christmas! Congrats you're not dead after all!! Well it was nice news to hear.

My big change for the start of 2009 has been my hair. back to my roots . literally. well actually darker and me likey.

I am excited to go to Rockefeller Center tonight . I love going every year. It just makes Christmas...well Christmas. :)

Awkward?

So last night at the first Holiday dinner of the year I once again was reaffirmed in believing that waiters reading specials at Italian restaurants is such an awkward moment.....Am I wrong?

home is where the hair is

please tell me why there was a woman dying her hair in the women's locker room at the gym this morning. it confused me immensely because I just don't think that is something you do at the gym. Am I wrong?

FYI I think I am starting an "Am I wrong?" section in my blog....because so many times I ask myself that question when faced with such quandaries regarding the actions of others

thank you.

As Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I wanted to make a list of all the things I am thankful for...in no particular order, basically.

• my Mom. my rock. my basis of all goodness in my life.
• my Mom's cooking. true story.
• my family. they are the source of love and laughter in my life.
• my nephews who teach me more about life and about myself than anyone else could.
• Greg. my soul mate. the most unselfish person I know. honestly. and the person I can see myself sharing a denture cup with.
• Romeo. for cuddling with me when I need the world to go away.
• waking up each and every day.
• my thighs, which I normally complain about, but today I embrace as a strong feature which allow me to walk, run, dance, and boogie all through the night.
• my job. at this point having a job is something anyone should be thankful for.
• my past. it made me who I am today.
• good friends. old friends.
• Dominick. no words can explain the friendship we have. so don't attempt it.
• Kimbercakes. my sounding board. Melissa mamasita. a true angel on this earth.
• new friends.
• friends lost. they have taught me valuable lessons.
• my extensive shoe collection.
• the sun on any day.

AND A LOT MORE :) but that's all i want to write for now.

Prop 8. Take some action. Now. Please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVUecPhQPqY

important day!!

I have been really busy and have not had time to write down my thoughts ,feelings, daily humor happenings.....BUT!!!!!! Today I must just write abouthow important it is to VOTE! PLEASE! Educate yourself on the issues & candidates! I will bnevertell you who tovote for or try to convince youwho should be elected but I implore you tojust go vote! It is our given right and it is extremely important!!!!!

A funny election 2008 story.....my 6 year old nephew Brandon participated in pseudo-elections in school and so we asked him who he voted for....he promptly stated Obama! And so I asked him why? because of course I want to hear this brilliant and humorous child's reasoning.....he said it's simply because McCain is to old and this is when Brandon started tellnig a speech as Joghn McCain, and a few lines into it he starts drooling and throws himself on the ground as though he died, because according to hm that is what will happen to McCain. That my friends, is why I LOVE MY FAMILY.

new (old) kids

so last night i went to see "NKOTB" at MSG....let's discuss!! It was absolutely the loudest, most energetic, and funnest concert I have ever been to.....and considering I have been to approximately 40 concerts in my life....that's a big compliment....It was just down right FUN. They played new songs and they played a lot of their old stuff which was just fun to sing along to....and of course wave your arms to.....HANGIN' TOUGH

It was an overall good night, with lots of laughs especially watching Greg sing along to the songs and doing the infamous moves.....hahahahaha

Maybe my most favorite shirt last night . a pregnant woman who wrote on her shirt "New Kid on the Block" with an arrow pointing to her belly bulge......wow i feel so old because their main demographic is now 25-32...aka getting married, having kids, etc......that is a scary thought. I am going to sleep with my NKOTB dolls tonight to feel young again.

honestly?!

there is a trainer at my gym who claims to be a former Rockette......ok here's the thing though, she is not the trainer that you look at and go "wow, i want her body" NOPE. NEGATIVE. NON-AFFIRMATIVE. NEIN. Now I am not trying to be mean, but this woman isn't the nicest person, i.e. She had her stuff all over the bench in front of her locker.....of course the locker I chose that morning was right next to the one she decided to just move her house into.....and she would not move over, she didn't move any of her stuff....just sat there reviewing her binder of crap.....really though. that's just rude. So I do not believe she is former Rockette.....mainly because she says it in every conversation I hear her having....you could tell her "I'm thirsty" and she would respond "Well, when I was a Rockette, we were provided wit hall the water we could drink" Meanwhile, her body is not fantastic and I am only making judgment because as a trainer and a supposed former Rockette you should look good. And she, my friends, does not. And her personality only makes it worse. how sad. but i do enjoy her tales of her fantasy former life.

A powerful release ala typing

so the other night i had a dream that i woke up and all my teeth were falling out......obviously i woke up and brushed my teeth for about 13 minutes....then Kim researched and found that these dreams tend to signify some of the following : anxiety, fear of transition, and fear of being lied to....all of which i am really experiencing. i have hit a rough spot in the road....when i go out i am anxious. i am not me. i feel terrible because i know people notice and i hate that. i am not THAT person....but i guess we all get there at points and i am currently there...but i am working on bringing myself out of it. no more tears. just building myself up. making my heart, soul, and mind more open and clear .....and not letting others affect ME. p.s. these feelings really are not brought on by a specific person or specific action....this truly deals with me and only me, and in some sense i am more okay with knowing it only involves changes within me.....because i can control me. . just had to release that negativity from my brain. thanks

busy bee?

When I was asked on Friday what plans i had in store for the long weekend my answer was "NOTHING, and I am looking forward to it" Well Friday night I spent some qt with Greg and it was much needed!!! But that's where "nothing" ended.....Saturday I enjoyed a trip ala blue bay diner with Greg and Dom....where food and laughs were enjoyed -as always....I then hit the gym for a surprise weekend visit and that helped boost me up because I did need a boost....Saturday night Joanna decided to celebrate her birthday - yay - and I had a lot fun....once again laughs, friends, and food....my favorite combination, oh along with some pinot grigio which always helps me to laugh :)

On Sunday I spent the day with Greg and was then had a last minute opportunity to go see Madonna at MSG....so Dominick and I busted a move to get dressed and go.....I am huge Madonna fan....always have been....even if I don't always agree with her words, I completely agree with her music and we rocked out.....She played all of her new stuff AS WELL AS a lot of the songs that made my generation know her so well....including Vogue to the 4 minutes beat and Borderline with an electric guitar...She also played Into the Groove while flashing artwork by Keith Haring in the background.....fyi google this artist 00 he is awesome and has a good message :) Overall, a great night, listening to great music, with my great friend !!!!

On Monday, Kim, Dom and I ventured into the city to do some shopping and then to go up to up to Greg's studio to visit him on air.....we get into the studio and there are 4 Penthouse Pets being interviewed....So if you ever wonder why Greg always proclaims "I LOVE MY JOB"....that is clearly why.....hahahaha.....it was a fun night ans we went for drinks after with some Sirius folk....and we ended the night wit ha trip to Lombardi's downtown....ummm yummm.

I also want to bring to attention the story of Matthew Shepard....PLEASE look in into the story if his life and his tragic end....He was a close friend of Romaine Patterson, the host of the show Greg is an associate producer on .....Hate still exists and it saddens me in all forms and this story has hits home for me and it should really hit home for all as HATE is never acceptable and discrimination in all forms is tragic! If you have HBO please watch The Laramie Project...rent it...buy it....just watch it!

ALSO, on another note regarding equality, if you know people who live in California please have them research Prop 8.....i wish I could vote no to this proposition but only CA residents can...so please make them aware! thanks.

I have lots of new fun gym stories and promise to catch up on them :)

i explored my 2% German roots

so i did not blog for a few days...mainly because I was busy relaxing this weekend :) kind of an oxy-moron but not so much....it takes planning for me to actually relax!!!

Well, Sunday I actually headed into the city with my two favorite boys where we went to an Oktoberfest fair which turned out to be anything but that and instead we got to look at about 32 tables of "pashmina" scarves, $5 Victoria's secret bras, and a mud mask vendor where they guy proceeded to tell us as we walked by "give me a minute and i will give you the best service ever"....clearly I cracked up liek a 9 year old school boy at this statement......well since we all were looking forward to beer and sausage we headed to Liederhosen on Grove Street downtown and enjoyed some delish German food and more importantly had a couple of pitchers of Spaten....YUMMM....and if you know anything you know le Dom and I do not handle the beer so much...Greg on the other hand can drink beer like it's water, lol.....SOOO clearly we needed to walk around after to walk of the beer??!!!? I absolutely love Sunday afternoons in the fall in Manhattan!! :)

yesterday I felt like I was dying, I had the worst migraine ever and my eyes were literally tearing from the pain.....but by last night post a meal from the mamadukes i felt like a new person!! :) so here I am at work today - despite having a cold sore - blah - and no i an to a dirty hooker pirate i am fighting a cold - namely a cold which Greg had for the past 5 days - I feel good today, lots of positive energy around me :)

PS I need brown riding boots. Any suggestions? Grazie. PPS. I want to plan a January getaway.

laughter

so it feels like it is officially autumn and this excites me. i loveeeee fall weather . i love jeans with long sleeve shirts. i love boots. i love sweats. i love lots. AND this year I have decided to celebrate my 5% German Heritage and attend Oktoberfest in NYC....maybe next year I will go to Germany for such events....oooh good idea!!! I like how I tell myself when I have a good idea - it encourages me. lol.

Soooo randomly I decided to start looking through texts on my phone...although I say my mom keeps too many things and doesn't like throwing things out, I realize I do this with the following things : cards. old credit card statements. and texts. odd. sooo as i read through texts from the past 8 months (i would have had them from last august had my lovely piece of crap treo not crash), i laughed a LOT, smiled a LOT, and even got a little blah from reading them.....a lot has changed this year....A LOT!!! Don't get me wrong a lot has changed for the better, not only for myself but for those around me.....but a lot has also happened that has hurt me.....but I will not focus on that, I am going to focus on the litany of texts that literally crack me up.....mainly those from the ones I hold closest to my heart when they are under the influence of alcohol....and then i read the ones i have sent when I am, as you would say, imbibing. ahhh good times. apparently i like to make up my own words and add lots of extra letters to words when I text while I am "enjoying my night out".

PS SO EXCITED!! for the Blackberry Storm which I am on a waiting list for. I hope I don't break it in 30 seconds of possessing it.

west coast

I realized I need to go to Cali this Spring....I want to go to LA and San Diego. I want to drive up the west coast. I want to share this with fun people. let me know. fo' rizzle. I also want my hair to be grown out right now.... I cannot stand it. it needs to get to my shoulders by November. i need to be able to wear fun has this winter without looking like a little lad....excellent. Let's discuss un-ending need to want to help others. I think I need a career change? Or maybe just start volunteering? Any ideas? Please suggest - grazie. I am scattered in thought today, obviously.

restful weekend

i had a good weekend....despite the absence of vodka....oh wait we met up briefly last night...all kidding aside, i had a great weekend because I kept it low-key, caught up on personal stuff, caught up with friends, and spent some much needed Q-T with the boy....I also got to spend time with my nephews - a time I value so much because they are awesome - they are kind-hearted, funny, genuine, and they fill my heart with lots of love and can ALWAYS make me smile, and more importantly I love making them giggle!!! On a more reminiscent note I am just finding it very funny - well not hahaha funny - but maybe just weird - how you can go from extremely close to people and within a shore amount of time you are like strangers how know nothing of what is going on the other's life....this saddens me, yet I know life brings us to exactly where we are supposed to be. right?

sangria.

some people discuss "creative juices" ...as in I need something to stimulate my creative juices......well I have decided sangria is my creative juice. literally. it makes me laugh and more importantly it makes me make others laugh, as depicted in the picture to the right...yes that is a lampshade that we found on the street...Myself, Lilia, Kim, and Alison - all graduates of the fine institution known as THE Mary Louis Academy decided to get some dinner and drinks (obviously) at Pio Pio....I have known Lilia since I was 4 - we went elementary school together...and Kim and Alison I both met at TMLA...they are a year ahead of us...well the food was delish, the Sangria - AMAZING...and the laughs were non-stop at dinner.....as we walked back the car the Sangria I guess flowed throughout our body and caused us to rummage through garbage along the sidewalk....where aforementioned lampshade was found, along with a coffee table, broken mirror, and a boombox.....I was official named Miss Yackson Heights 2008....it was a great night with great girls, and LOTS of laughs.... And to end the evening I went to a Ciao! party for Chris, Greg's co-worker at Sirius - whom i adore...he makes me laugh!! I clearly love people who make laugh. (P.S. I did actually make it to the gym this morning but it was empty and therefore I do not have any fun stories....and right now I am to tired to go into a past story) . I am excited to wear my Ferragamo rain boots tonight. They are the reason I LOVE rainy days. :) xxoo

work out. (i love that show btw)

So this morning at the gym (side note: i will be discussing my journey along the fantastic fitness journey i have embarked on since last April periodically) i ran into this woman who I used to see when i first started going to the gym (a gym which shall remain nameless mainly because I have so many wondrous tales from said gym and wish to not be sued)....well anyway, when I sued to see this woman we would smile, nod, say hello, etc....when you see people everyday you give a friendly gesture - well at least I do - many do not - especially the skinny bitch who decided to cocoa butter her 90lb body in the sauna - or the lady who slams her body into the walls of the sauna while massaging her body and sticking her ass in my face - true effin story.....once again, I digress....anyway the woman I saw this morning gives me a big smile and acknowledges that we haven't seen her in a long time...She then proceeds to say how much awe she is in as to how much weight I have lost....it felt really good to hear it, I have to tell you.....Well this woman USED to have the biggest badunka-dunk - I am not being mean just stating a fact....well let me tell you this woman looked fantastic and i had to tell her....She was beaming from ear to ear and it felt good to see that because I know that feeling..... My attempts to lose weight have been tough and I have worked hard to get where I am at....throughout the past year I learned that not only did I want to lose weight, I wanted to become healthier....Well the latter of those two has not been so successful. I abuse my body with many different vices AKA vodka, and believe that by working out 4-5 times a week I negate the effects of alcohol and other vices I impose on my body. Laugh. Disagree. I don't care. This bitch has cardio-ed her life out in the past year and I feel damn good about it. This is where i have to give a shout-out to three people who have helped me immensely with enhancing my love/hate (more love than hate believe it or not) relationship with the gym : 1. Greg- he has been there to support me and encourage me, despite his "I love you no matter what" creed: 2: Kim aka Kimberdoodle - my gym partner....she shares my desire to have a hot body and has been there to laugh with me at the gym as we observe the daily whackos (more stories to come - I PROMISE): and lastly 3. Dominick....he has been there to encourage me to work out, even on Saturdays when we decide to go together or to go to a class at night (more stories from the night crew), he has helped me to learn about good food/bad food - although I cannot give up ANY food that i LOVE - i just cut back...sometimes...lol.... I really have to say without the support of these 3 people and my family (namely my brother Michael who tells me that I am a skinny bitch - fyi I AM NOT...well a bitch, sometimes, skinny I will never be)....I would not have been able to feel better about myself. Ok here's one of my first gym tales: Yoga class at 8pm....about 15 people in the class, I position myself on my mat in the back of room directly behind mesh shorts boy....he looks straight to me - average looking - t-shirt, long mesh shorts...nothing fabulous, if you know what I am saying....well we are doing that pose where you get on all fours and lift one leg straight back and the opposite arm directly straight in front of you - the instructor then tells us to focus on a point in front of us to keep balance - so I look straight ahead - right at Mr. Mesh Shorts where I then notice that a pair of underwear was not in his outfit decision-making plan for this fine evening . Why?????????????????? I don't get it. Unless he was hoping that it would attract whoever he was trying to attract. gag. I vomited in my mouth that night, but I also laughed a lot. When I read about using balls at the gym to help me gain core strength that was not what I expected.

A beginning of a blogger

So kids I have decided to start blogging....why? who knows? well, actually, I have 2 human inspirational bloggers - one who I know very well....Ms. Melissa Trentadue - I have been reading her blog from the start and enjoy it...It helps me keep up with her when our lives don't allow us to see each other as much as we like.....The other person is Jenn Lancaster....an author who I have never met personally but whose books I LOVEEEEEEE LOOOVEEEEE reading. The biotch is funny and I laugh out loud at her books. Sooooo I have decided to start writing things down....basically anything and everything.....funny, happy, sad, serious, whatever. If it strikes my fancy (who says that anymore ?!) I will write it down. If you read it, great!! If not, I won't ever know....so really it doesn't matter...lol. yay for Dawn moving into the 21st Century 8 years later.