New Years Eve

Hard to believe its almost 2010! Time sure did fly by! I was remarking to Jack the other day that when you hit your 30s you really do see how quickly time speeds up. I didn't feel it in my 20s because I hadn't even a decade under my belt being an adult. I wonder will I feel time goes quicker in my 40s than I do now? Or will it always feel this way as an adult?

On a different note, am having a grand time visiting my family as usual. I am so blessed not only with a terrific family and boyfriend but many good friends in my life.

So for the past few days I've been thinking about resolutions and whether or not I plan to make any? Because really, don't we make them all the time as it is? We resolve not to have a 2nd slice of pie or grudgingly clean up messes in our homes. We make ourselves get up early to go to work and face the cold and sometimes rainy mornings. Its our constant general never-ending quest to keep up with the on-going personal self improvements. I don't wait for the end of the year to do these things as it seems to me we're doing them everyday regardless. Or as some like to say irregardless *snickers*

For my new years eve, Jack and I plan to spend it with Baba, David, Bobby and Nancy who unfortunately has to work that night and will not be with us to ring in the new years itself. I totally respect that because it was last minute plans on my behalf and I've worked many holidays and birthdays in my life. The good news is, we will get to hang tmw and hit the thrift stores for search of good bargains. Afterwards we will join the rest for pizza and chocolate cream pie *just 1 slice each...er if my will-power doesn't fail me because damn it, its chocolate cream pie* plus to watch the movie Galaxy Quest. It will be fun. I just didn't feel like going out to a bar or a party. My family is plenty of fun. The next day we will visit Robbie's family and then I will go over to Mom's the rest of New Years day.

I am also glad to be done with my students grades about 90% done. It would've been 100% but dumb me, I grabbed the wrong grade sheets, fudge-a-duck and now Jack and I have to return 2 days earlier for me to tally the grades for the last class by the 4th of January. That's fine too, there's plenty of things left to do around the apt anyways.

Earlier tonight as one of Baba's Hanukkah gifts, we watched Pan's Labrynth. If you haven't seen this movie, kick yourself for me and then go out buy/rent a copy and sit your butt down to watch it! Or make it your 2010 new years resolution!

Jack's 1st

Attempt at cooking a whole chicken.
Not bad right?
And damn it was tasty!

Merry Xmas!

This is how I know

Computers and the internet as well text msgs are ruining people's ability to spell correctly.
For example I came across these spellling mistakes...

Road the subway
To mean, deaf culture..
Overcome their dissability
You use constrative (contrastive) pronouns
Harding of hearing
Deaf word (world)
Authe (author)
Many similaritys
In the beggining
To bikes (to for 2)

And today in an email to Jack from an ebay seller, he wrote I will "refound" your $$. Ha ha, the $$ was lost but now its been re-founded again. I know I know REFUND but im gonna play with Refound for a while :] granted I've had my share of spelling mistakes or substituting words for worlds ;}

In other exciting news, yesterday was my last class of '09! I was so glad to be done.
Still have a mountain high pile of paperwork to sort through but my
mind is on VACATION! Tonight I gotta do it, no more excuses or put-offs!

I am very excited that while this spring ill be teaching nights (exactly what I didn't want) that next fall that won't be the case! That's because as an ADDer, I find my attention span/energy level are higher during the day than at night. Especially if I work at media prior to teaching. See I love working as a media tech bc there's little thinking involved in the tasks and its a physical job where im on my feet going from various classrooms setting up or breaking down technical equipment. In
addition to weekly software updates and teaching faculty members on how to use the
equipment its a very easy job. Meanwhile teaching im on my feet a good 3 hours straight, performing (really its true, teachers are often former actors) because you are the entertainer/informer (teacher) to your audience (students) and it takes a lot out of you! Or it does for me especially if I've
already worked at media prior to teaching which I did last year and didn't like it. This year teaching
in the mornings primarily and then going to work at media services is a better fit for me.
So I was told next school year '10-'11 ill be able to teach mornings again at 1 school. Now if I can get the other school to give me mornings ill be set! Whee!

For the holidays, Jack and I will stay here for xmas. Last Saturday during the snow storm, we
decorated the apt window w/white lights and Santa on a sled. We took a short walk but
Jack was too cold! As you can see by the picture. I was laughing at him the whole
time, just laughing and laughing at his
obvious discomfort (even when he later put a hat and gloves on) and still for my sake
he came out to enjoy the windy snow storm! I don't think I've laugh that hard in so long!
We made hot chocolate and watched the movie "Elf" with Will Ferrell. Fun movie and
got us in the spirit of the holidays! After xmas we will head down to PA for the remainder
of winter break. I wanted to do all the paperwork prior to our visit and to organize the apt to put stuff in storage.

Holiday Shopping

After work last night I headed downtown to
Barnes and Nobles to use a coupon for 25%
off 1 item, w00t! Its so nice to see discounts
and coupon be in vogue! And the thrill of
saving $$$ no matter how small is an
awesome feeling. I have always loved
pinching pennies! Brought my nephews
and Baba's Hanukkah gifts, have 1 more
to buy for Mom. Jack is already taken care
of so only my aunts/uncles to do. At BN
they had a small table for gift wrapping
that was being sponsored by "Kids Corner"
raising $$ for children with cancer so ofc
I had them wrap my gifts and donated $5.
The boys were so cute and fought over who
would wrap what?

Only 1 more day of work next week, whee!
This weekend I must grade final exams for
3 classes out of 4. No way do I want to go to
PA with that hanging over my head. Im gonna
play it smart this year. Last year I spent New
Years grading, ugh!

Not much new, Jack will start school in Jan, Pah!
His spirits have improved tremendously with
doing things to prepare to go back to school.
I am VERY proud of him.

Tmw I will terp for Jewish services and then
Martin and I will attend a xmas Deaf bingo.
Last week at Deaf bingo I won $20 and
another $15 as a door prize! Not bad cuz
I spent $10 on admissions and $10 on raffles
so I gained $15. But I don't mind bc I had so
much fun with Szymanski and the others.

The Biggest Loser

Trainer Jillian is one tough cookie but
I loved what she told one contestant.
"Feel the fear. Move pass it. Do it ANYWAYS!"
Is that inspiring or what?

My new mantra

"A person can't change what he doesn't acknowledge"

Happy Days Are Here Again

Saw the doc and got meds that actually
worked! Feeling so much better. Being
sick is always depressing. The semester
is drawing to a close in only a few more
weeks and then I can have some ME time
for a change.

Baba brought me the best winter boots,
my very own pair of UGGs! They are soooo
comfortable and I can't wait for it to snow
to have an excuse to wear them again!
Plus we picked up some beautiful tops and
dress pants, w00t! I feel very spoiled and
made it clear this was my Hannukah gifts.

Jack got to work on his car too which always
makes him happy. Every little upgrade, tweak
and tinkering leaves him very satisfied. I can
relate, because I feel the same way when I
edit my movies. I realize recently that's why
I've been depressed, I haven't done anything
lately to bring me happiness and that does!
I've already committed myself to bring home
the IMac over xmas break and finish PAWS
once and for all! And then ill only have SDI
part II & III to finish. Thought I post some
quotes below to help me stay on target!

"Filmmaking is a chance to live many lives"
-Robert Altman

"Never treat your audience as customers,
Always as partners."
-Jimmy Stewarts

"The cinema is not a slice of life but a
piece of cake"
-Alfred Hitchcock

"Above all, a director has to be a good captain"
-Charles Heston

"The picture is in your head, in your
imagination, everything"
-Fredrico Fellini

"One of the great things about being a
director as a life choice is that it can
never be mastered. Every story is its
own expedition, with its own set of
challenges"
-Ron Howard

"Movies are art and the spirit of the
movie depends on its creator"
-Lloyd Kaufman

"A good director is not sure of when
he gets to the set what he's going to do?"
-Elia Kazan

"A lot of times you get credit for stuff
in your movies you didn't intend to be there"
-Spike Lee

"Don't be told something is impossible.
There's always a way!"
-Robert Rodriguez

"Editing is the process. The shooting is
pleasant work. The editing makes the
movie, so I spend all my life in editing"
-Gary Marshall
And he's absolutely right, shooting the
film is the fun part, editing is hard
work, time consuming and maddening at times!

Overwhelmed

Lately I have been feeling very overwhelmed with life in general. And I have been chronically sick with UTI/Kidney infections it has left me wondering if I will ever be back to "normal" again. The good news is I am seeing a specialist tmw and maybe that doctor can shed some light onto what's wrong with my plumbing???

And I just feel like what do I have to look forward to? Now that I've completed my masters there is nothing new on my horizon. Nothing to work for, nothing to accomplish other than paying bills and waiting for time to pass. Jack has made it clear to me he doesn't want children and that depresses me too. Not that I want them now or anytime soon or maybe never but to think its definite makes me wonder should I even bother to ever get married? I believe marriage is good if you plan a family but if you aren't having one, is it worth getting married? And besides he knows until the ASL issue is resolved we will never get married. Another area that makes me sigh a million times a day.

Yeah I guess you can tell I am feeling a little sorry for myself these days. I am feeling like a burden to everyone, be it Jack, my family and even feel like I am not doing the best I could be at my jobs. I feel so worn out and so tired. There are tears always nearby, ready to sprout. All of my money goes to bills and I havent even been able to save up for next summer when I am not teaching which I vow I will DO with my next paycheck, is to open a separate checking account and start saving.

I don't think I have been this depressed in quite some time. I am reverting to be anti-social again which is a major sign of depression in me. When I find it a strain to talk that is not good. I have also been reading up a lot on ADD and how it affects relationships. I find a lot of what Ive read to be pretty true in some ways, not in all. Anyways for anyone who is reading this, do not be concern because I am aware of this and will deal with it accordingly. This is how I deal with things. 1st I admit there is something wrong and then I do something about it. That's where I am at now, trying to figure out what to do?

Whew!

Thanksgiving hasn't been cancelled, just
postponed till tmw. See my Aunt Miriam
fell again and SHATTERED her hip bone!
Poor Baba, very worried about her sister
and there was NO way she could enjoy
Thanksgiving till we knew her sister had
survived the surgery, which we just found
out now she did. Thank God, the universe or
whoever/whatever you pray to for her surviving!
Indeed we have much to be thankful for!
Now the next few weeks will still be precarious
because there's a high risk of infection with
the elderly and especially with surgery as
intensive as a hip replacement.
But tmw we eat!

Let it snow!

Rumor has it it will snow on Thanksgiving!
Oh how I hope it does. Sure I realize for
those who have to drive in it, not fun! But
us pedestrians, its a winter wonderland.

Im riding the train to PA to start my
Thanksgiving break and it could not have
come sooner! I am ready for the semester
to be over. Its not that I don't enjoy teaching,
I do but working 3 jobs at 4 locations can
wear out a girl like me.

Had a blast last Saturday at Deaf bingo
with Szymanski. She won $25! Lucky b-itch!
Everyone there thought I was hearing and
an ASL student, hmph! Just because a deafie
chooses to dress nice doesn't make them
hearing. Although even when I dress down I
still get that despite using ASL and making
an effort not to mouth as I sign, I still get
the "you hearing?" greetings. Ah, I just have
to accept my fate, ill never be "deaf enough"
to deafies and "hearing enough" to hearies..

Things that make you go hmm...

Steve Tyler's response to the past few days
of media fueled rumors was
"Joe Perry, you are a man of many
colors. But I, muthaf*cker, am the rainbow!"
I love Aerosmith. Basically the rumor was
that Steven Tyler quit the band. Yeah right.
What makes me even prouder still is Tyler
did it here in NYC. See, we're still the best city on earth!

Had a wonderful time

At the MICA fundraiser! Won a cool LED
flashlight that doesn't require batteries,
just you have to wind it for a minute. Jack
will like it, a new toy! Plus several red bulls
to take home and a free movie "Sideways"
which I have never seen before.
Jade I got to admit inspires me to be more
active in the rights and wrongs of the
world. I am so looking forward to working
with her and the others too sometime this
Jan/Feb. Saw Nutter too (and Baba, he
says hello!) and Alexa is as beautiful
as ever. Found out she moved pretty
close to where I live so perhaps we
will meet up for a game of skipbo
or two? Dani was her cool ass self
and so was Steve. I saw pretty much
everyone who I consider to be on Jade's
team which makes me feel good and
right at home!

Go Yankees, er Phillies, er...

Damn!

What's a PA girl living in NYC to do? Who do I
root for?!

In other news, life is sort of blah but that's
because my sinuses are acting up due to the
dry heated air, argh!

And for some reason one of the dryers at the
nearby laundry mat is eating/destroying Jack's
and my clothes! His 1 cool tee with Homer
Simpson has rips all along the shoulder
collar area and my blouse today, a large rip
that I am glad I caught before leaving the apt!
Lucky for me that blouse was only a few bucks
from a local thrift store! So beware of the
"angry dryer!" trolling in Harlem....

Is Bon Jovi's home state (NJ)

on my horizon? Lately its been a lot of
stress between Jack and I and where we live.
You see for those of you who don't live in
NYC (and by that I mean the concrete jungle
of Manhattan- not the outer boroughs like
Queens) your renting options are limited
to shoe-box apt sizes! Yes tis is true, to
live in the greatest city on earth you have
to literally poop hundred dollar bills in
order to rent a place that has SPACE! Ideally,
if you don't have money to burn, your options
are pretty much limited to crime-laced areas.
And before the economy collapsed these
ares were manageable but now they are not
:(
Jack is EXTREMELY unhappy with where we
live! And while it doesn't bother me like it
does him, it takes a toll on US. Because he's
so unhappy, it spills over to me and makes
me unhappy. His sense of security and
ability to relax is shot. His car has been
repeatedly damaged by thugs and if you don't
know Jack, then you aren't aware that his car
IS the other woman in his life. Some man have
sports, others have their guitars but him, its
his car that is his pride and joy! Plus he gets
crowded very easily and our apt does not
provide us with much storage space or room
to stretch out. So for the past few months we've
been fighting a lot and its not US, its the living
arrangement that's making Jack batty and then
he devils me and ka-boom, a fight has occurred.
Mind you we have fights about other things too
but I am really starting to see how bad its
affecting him especially yesterday because we
were in PA and most of the visit went well
until yesterday. Why? Because in the back of
his mind he was dreading returning to NYC, to
our little cramped apt, to the thugs who call
each other n*ggers, to the stress of having to
check on his car every hour, to the yelling &
screaming that happens all night and so on and on...
Jack as a born and raised NYer is fed up with
the city and the outrageous prices that he is
considering our neighbor state, NJ! Boy, was I
surprised because for years now he stated he
rather shoot himself in the foot than to live in
NJ. Me on the other hand was always open to
NJ, basically because that's where a lot of
good music comes from ;} such as one of my
favorites Bon Jovi! Plus working at a college
in NJ has made me appreciate this state even
more. And they have a ton of trains that go
to and from NYC and to Philly! Now Jack has
given NJ some real consideration and the
rental prices are a lot better than the city
we may just move there. We have to save up
for a few months so hopefully by the end of
Feb we can do it, move and put down the
deposit etc etc...nothing is written in stone
at press time.
Would I miss living in the city? You bet! But
what's even better is Jack would finally have
some much deserve peace and perhaps go
back to his relax, laid back self that he was
when he came back from NC. I couldn't
believe how easy-going he was last July but
it all disappeared quickly in the past few
months much to my disappointment. So
would I give up the city for Jack? Yes, if it
meant he would be happier, thereby we
could be happier and I won't complain
about having more than 1 closet and SPACE
to do projects like puzzles etc etc. We may
even be able to get a 2 bedroom apt too for
guests and to create a little office for me
to do my lesson plans and edit my movies.
Besides living in Nj wouldn't mean I never be
in NYC, that's just not possible, I still teach
and work in the city so my city "fix" would
be met. Plus many of my friends are here
and I would still attend weekly Deaf events!
Basically the trade off of not living in the city
would be good all around. But most
importantly, I would get the easy-going,
laid back Jack back and that would be a
wonderful gift to receive because I have
seen this side of him and I miss it tremendously.

In other news I am PROUD to report I lost
10lbs! Yep, I did it all through
weight-watchers point system. It WORKS!
Sure its just a simple way to count calories
but I don't care, WW is a haven for those of
us who LOVE food. And the bottom line is,
not giving up the food you love but eating
in moderation. This past week & weekend
though, it was hard to do just that. Between
the 4 small Halloween parties I had with
my classes and the Greek Bazar, I am sure
I put on a lb or two but its nothing I can't
lose in the next few weeks. Even this
morning when I put on my pants, they are
as loose as ever! These are the same pants
I brought 5 weeks ago from JCPenny, size
10s. My size 8 fits me like a charm I realized
last week or so. Its good to still be in control
of my body weight.

Seeing the family this past weekend and
Paula too really lifted my spirits after
losing my hearing aid last week. I am still
a little upset about it, but there is NOTHING
I can do. The good news is my new hearing
aid has 4 years worth of insurance on it, so
this sucker is covered! In the meanwhile I
was provided with a loaner hearing aid that
doesn't work as well and I have no earmold,
so I use these small cylinder ear plugs that
are NOT comfortable to wear but it does
the job. The audiologist couldn't do an
earmold impression because apparently
I have too much earwax (but I think it has
to do with my psoriasis, I have a touch of it
on my scalp, ears and forehead) it runs in
my family and I suspect its not waxs but
dead skin buildup. Meanwhile I must see
the doctor to get it treated before I can
get a new earmold...life sure is FUN!

This weekend tho will be FUN because of
MICA Fashion Runway fundraiser on
Thursday night after work. Friday is NYC
DPHH. And Saturday is Szymanski's bday
get-together! All good things to look forward to!

1 mundane choice

Can wreck havoc on one's life...
Argh I made a bad mistake yesterday
morning and no matter how bad I feel
I cannot go back into time and make it
right again.

On my way to teach class yesterday
morning it was raining very hard. So
I decided to put my hearing aid away
in my purse to keep it dry from the rain.
A little later I went to put it on and it was
GONE.
A $2000 hearing aid GONE. I am devasted.
I panicked and it happened right at the
beginning of class too. My students were
so sweet and even called a few places I
had stopped by to check and see if anyone
turned it in? Nada. I went back to the 1
place I had breakfast and pawed through
the garbage bins, nothing! I retraced my
steps all the way past Macys to Penn
Station, no hearing aid. I went into 20
stores asking the managers if anyone turned
it in, nothing. I am beside myself with my
own inability to take care of such an
expensive item.

Sure these things happen but they happen
to me yearly it seems and I am tired of
being a money pit! All my life I lost
keys, dental retainers, drivers license,
sidekicks, scarves, sunglasses, umbrellas,
gloves, and hats.

I spent the whole day replaying yesterday
morning events trying to figure out how it
happened? How could it be GONE?

And talk about shitty timing, I am leaving
for PA tonight for a nice long weekend of
what should've been easy communication
with my family will now be a lipreading
marathon with the exception of Baba's
signing, Mom's fingerspelling and Nancy's
few signs I am SOL. And its embarrassing
to come off as such a f*ckup to everyone.

Jack's new mantra is hearing aid Insurance!
Do that and we'll be ok. But I don't feel ok,
And I probably will leave the new future
hearing aid in PA with Baba so I use it when
I see them. Jack doesn't like it but right now
I am tired of 1 sided communication where
I do all the listening and talking. Where is
my 1/2 being met? My ASL? My ASL isn't
less than English. I love Jack but I am DEAF
and perhaps its better to be a Deaf militant
at home (I won't go that far...) but how else
can I get him to understand I am DEAF?

So I am feeling pretty low for the past 24
hours. Both Mom & Baba wrote and told
me not to be so hard on myself but I am.
I hate this part of myself and yeah having
ADD makes things harder but its not an
excuse and I won't use it as one.

Some spare change

Well I've reached a place where I now actually
have $$$. Not a lot granted but some spare
change here and there. It feels good to finally
earn a decent living!

As for my recent posting I did what I said and
stood my ground in an issue that was several
years old. I think I got it resolved to my
satisfaction level, only time will tell. The
only hint I will give is this; ASL.... and er
*coughs coughs, Jack, coughs*...if you
know me than you'll be able to figure it
out. If you don't, tough noggins! As kids
like to say, "mind your own beeswax!"

I am still on my diet but not doing as good
as before. Last weekend I sort of let go but
in my defense aunt flo is coming and that
always amps my appetite. But yes I can
now pretty much fit into my size 8s! Whee!
It took I guess 6-7 weeks or so. Now I
hafta maintain which is gonna be hard to
do this weekend when I am in MD for
Karen's wedding! The bachelorette party
will have pizza and then of course the next
day will be the wedding and the reception
as well as a cookout that night *mouth
waters*...I LOVE cookouts, baked beans,
grilled meats, potato salads, pickles,
corn on the cobs...yum but damn too!
Why oh why does food taste so good?!

Baba was such a sweetheart recently
and had my grad school diploma framed.
It sure looks spifty. On top of that, she sent
back the acer laptop with Jack for me to use
for lesson plans and believe me I will!
Baba is too good to me, my life would
be terribly empty without her in it. Not
because of the things she buys (and
spoils me with) but because she
along with Mom are always by my side,
even from afar. I emailed Baba the other
day and wrote, "no matter how old I get,
I will never be old enough to not have
you in my life! So stick around, will ya!"
She wrote back and assured me her
health is great and she even has some
of her energy back. Partly because she
is setting aside a few days a week where
she doesn't make ANY plans, those days
are for her ONLY. To rest and do what
SHE WANTS and she should!

My classes this week went by so quickly
and here I am getting ready to teach 1
more time tonight. This morning it was
awesome seeing my ASL level 1 students
having conversations! I mean at the beginning
of Sept they couldn't even fingerspell! Now
they talk about what they like to eat, where
to eat, about school and hobbies too! Fun
and extremely rewarding!

Lastly hip hip hooray for the government
finally is easing up on the marijuana
medical laws. As NY congressman
Hinchey said "Common sense won over
ideological stubbornness as our
nation's law enforcement agency
formally adopted a new and well-
balanced policy on medical marijuana
use." Amen! As someone who is
allergic to pain meds such as the
coveted codeine and vicodin this
is good news! I have always wondered
what I do when I am older and have
certain aches or conditions what my
options will be? Now I know my future
holds more choices that reflect
modern age, not the medieval times
where the "Devil made me do it!"

Standing my ground

Sometimes life forces you to make choices
that are not always popular but the right
one for YOU.

So in the spirit of Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker's song "I won't back
down"

Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down

No ill stand my ground, won't be turned around
And ill keep this world from dragging me down
Gonna stand my ground
...and I won't back down

Chorus:
(I won't back down)
Hey baby, there aint no easy way out
(And I won't back down)
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down

Well I know what's right, I got just 1 life
In a world that keeps on pushing me down
But ill stand my ground
...and I won't back down

Chorus 2xs

End of song

Honestly the line "well I know what's right. I got just 1 life" sums up
things perfectly!

Rain rain

Go away!
Come again another day...

Yikes, swine flu...

Well it seems plausible I had the swine flu
all last week. It started on a Monday, I had
nausea for a week straight and diarrhea on
and off along with aches and being tired. I
just thought it was from something I ate. And
I was also surprised too because I never get
nausea or diarrhea ever!

It seems that it is Jack's turn because near
the end of last week he started to
experience nausea too and this week has a
dry cough and achy, tired. Lucky for him I
don't think he had the diarrhea like I did!

Oh well, that's swine flu for you!

Mayoral debate

Last night, much to my disappointment
NY1 did NOT closed caption the live
Mayoral debate between Bloomberg and
Thompson :(

I spent 1 hour "watching" it with Jack and
having him summarize what they said every
few minutes. NOT fun! I even got dizzy
from trying. What little I did gather from the
debate is us NYers are caught between a
rock and a hard place. And I blame Bloomberg
because he has left us with the choice.
To violate the term limits that he feels he
doesn't need to follow like the rest of us
or get stuck with Thompson who comes
across as wishy washy and unprofessional.
Even his "political" gestures were forced
and unnatural. And the water rates?! Hello
us NYers are RENTERS and do not pay for
water. What the heck was Thompson thinking?
Bloomberg played it so cool as if Thompson
was just an annoying fly whizzing around
Bloomberg harmlessly. Thompson came
across more like an awkward teenager who
was speaking in the public for the 1st time
than a hardcore debater.

So after last's nights debate who would get
my vote? Well it would have to be Bloomberg
for several reasons. Thompson wants to fire
all the commissioners! Bloomberg pointed
out that they are doing a phenomenal job,
why mess with something that isn't broken?
Thompson wants to expand the projects and
section 8. Bloomberg opposes and advocates
the "work advantage" program that helps
people when they help themselves (ie finding
work before receiving handouts). There was
also the fact that Bloomberg changed how
the police dept is run. Instead of having an
equal number of police officers in every
neighborhood, he goes by what
neighborhoods have the highest crime
rates and commits higher concentration
of police officers in those areas
compared to other. Thompson seems
to want to go back to the 90s which
didn't work! Bloomberg also mentioned his
police force consists largely on minorities
from various neighborhoods because who
better to patrol them, than their own
residents? Another thing I really liked
about Bloomberg was no matter what
was said, his answers always reverted
back to "I will do whatever it takes to
make NYC a better city, be it switching
political parties etc., etc.." Basically his
answers reflected his love and dedication to
this city. Bloomberg also said "we survived
9/11 and came back stronger. We will
survive this [economy] and come back
stronger and better than ever. That our
city will bounce (economically) back
quicker than any other city in the U.S..

Having said all this what I don't like
about Bloomberg is the whole I don't have to
play by the same rules as everyone else and
respect the term limits. I have unlimited funds
to destroy my opponents reputation. And the
crazy talk a few months ago that Bloomberg
proposed that cross-city buses be free! Come
on, you've got to be kidding me. The MTA
while at times has let us all down here and
there, they need every penny they can get.
Besides free cross town buses would only
create more problems that contribute to any-
thing. More homeless people would ride it,
and don't get me started on the confusions
the tourist would have grasping the already
"complex" NYC public transportation system.

There will be a 2nd mayoral debate in 2 weeks
on the 27th. I will be contacting NY1 to request
they not leave out their Deaf NYers and to
PLEASE provide CC! If they want Deaf people
to vote, they can't leave us out.

3rd time a charm?

Well we didnt get the place on the east side, my income level didn't qualify
:( Both Jack and I are dissapointed but in some ways relieved because while the location was GREAT. The apt was tiny! I had some concerns my queen size bed wouldn't fit the bedroom. Lesson learn, do not apply for an apt when you're not 100% sure and totally in love with it. We've now wasted almost $200 in application fees *grr* today Jack stumbled on an ad for Williamsburg in Brooklyn, a 2 bedroom that from the photo looks great. He will call and make an appt for this Saturday evening and we will go and look at the apt. This time we will take the application with us and decide on Sunday whether we want to apply or not. Its very close to Manhattan and near the L train which would be great for me. If we decide not to pursue this apt, we will wait till Jan/Feb to start looking again. We can't afford to keep applying and wasting $$. No sireee.

This week has been pretty good, one thing tho Ive noticed is everyone seems TIRED. The bad economy is taking a toll on everyone. There is more hostility in the air and sense of hopelessness that I've only experience as a child during the Reagan years and the recession and even then it wasn't as visible. I know the whole country is suffering but its not visible or as apparent as it is in the bigger cities. Each day I walk out my door to see beggars and crazies talking to themselves and stores closing all over the place. I see it in people's eyes both despair and apathy, a real shame in my opinion. And I feel it when I am teaching too. The other night I told Jack is it me this year not being a good teacher or what? And he simply replied, its the economy, not YOU! Even my happy-go lucky co-worker Will is blah. The past 2 weeks when I ask him how he's doing he says I'm hanging in there, working and doing what I gotta do to live...wow from Will thats unusual.

This weekend I am terping for my friend Martin part of the Sukkot services. I enjoy this very much because no where else do I get to enjoy my Jewish identity with deafies like I do here. Don't get me wrong my Uncle David's and Baba's temple is wonderful and I enjoy spending Passover there (I will not be missing this year, I missed last year and really regretted it).

Next weekend I will be in PA, Pah! I miss my family a lot, and thank my lucky stars they are mine. I plan to take Mom to Red Lobster for lunch as a belated bday present. I must also txt msg Paula to let her know I will be in town too, perhaps we can go out and play some pool? see see? I plan to go back again the 1st weekend of Nov for the Greek Bazar. Mom says she may go too and I am a little worried because its VERY crowded there but if we all go early enough we should be ok? I will see if Nancy with David and Bobby are going again this year and coordinate our attendance together. And when I go, I am NOT counting points on the day of the Greek Bazar, its been 5 weeks on the WW diet and I can almost fit back into my size 8! Me is the Happy!

Keeping my fingers crossed...

Tmw night, Jack and I have an appt to look at an apt on the east side. He went to see it last night and loves it! Reason why is the layout is an actual apt layout meaning the rooms are separated into their own components rather than just 2 rooms with the living room being the kitchen, dinning and living area along with a bedroom. Rather this apt actually separates the kitchen from the living room and all of the rooms are BIG! The only drawback is NO dishwasher but you know what, we've decided we will just buy one when money permits later this winter if we get the apt?

What's even better is the fact it is only $70 a month more than what we pay now but the neighborhood is a MILLION times better than where are are currently. A ton of restaurants and shops nearby. We drove around last night to scope out the neighborhood and we both are in LOVE! Tmw night we will turn in the application along with the application fee and a deposit to hold the apt, yay! I feel very confident we will be approved but I don't want to get too ahead of myself and will not be able to relax until I know for SURE its ours?!

In other news, I finally signed up for basic health insurance at my new teaching job. It will be approximately $132 a month which is quite reasonable and now when I get sick I don't have to run home to PA anymore but I just might anyways because Mom and Baba always take such good care of me. I'd have to find out if the doctor back in my hometown take my insurance or not? The insurance will become effective by Oct 15th!

A lot of new and exciting things are coming my way, it sure makes up for the hard summer when I was struggling so much financially. I am also staying true to my diet and this Saturday will mark 4 weeks since Ive started.

On Saturday evening I will get to see Joe Joy! I havent seen him in forever! We will have dinner and then attend NYC DPHH. Life is good.

Chocolate chip scones

are not low-calorie snacks...I brought one this morning along with some peppermint tea thinking scones would be relatively low in calories, ha ha, they're not. I used 10 pts on that scone (I only have 24-25 pts a day on weight watchers) and I am not too happy about that. Lesson learned, just because YOU think something is low calorie, doesn't mean it is. Its better to check beforehand if you're not sure. I mean there was no reason for me to think a scone would be low calories other than the fact I never eat scones. And I assumed because I dont eat it hardly ever it must be low calories. I know, doesn't make sense. But granted it was tasty and I snacked on it all day.

Well I think I am PAH seeing some results with my diet. For example today when I put on my work pants (size 10) they were not tight like before. I can actually relax and not suck in my gut in order to move around in them. Major improvement compared to the beginning of the month. What's even more is aunt flo is in town and I am bloated big time so I bet my pants would feel even loser in a week when my period ends, see see.

I did last Saturday night relasped on my diet to chocolate candy bars (they were the small ones used to give out on Halloween) but dangerous because you trick yourself into thinking, gee these are small, a few won't hurt. Yeah right.

Losing weight this time is a very slow process. I am not used to this because in my 20s I could just diet for like a week or 2 and viola, skinny again. Not this time, every lb is a major battle and I am still at war 3 1/2 weeks later.

In other news, the apt Jack and I wanted on Roosevelt Island didn't pan out much to our disappointment. We are now searching the east side to see what bargains we can get? Jack is desperate to get out of the neighborhood we live in now. The crime is increasing, noise level and loitering too. He is fed up with where we live and the people who live there. And while it doesn't bother me the way it does him, it doesn't make his suffering any less valid. I know how it feels to be "stuck" in a situation in which you have limited control over. I want to see Jack happier in which would in turn make US happier too.

Work is good, my lesson plans are coming along. Graded students videos yesterday, still need to post grades today or by this weekend. As I joked to my co-worker, I don't have to hurry to return grades back to my students. They have deadlines, not me ;P

Today I went to JCPenny which just opened on 33rd st and 6th ave. They have a great set up and I was able to find 2 work pants, 4 nice tops and a dress all for under $140! I am happy because I really didn't have enough work clothes because of my weight gain. The pants I picked out look smashing and yes they are size 10s. I am okay with that, because they fit and look good. It was nice to be able to buy clothes in a retail establishment, most of the time I buy only thrift clothes but today I wanted brand new threads. Sometimes that's just what you gotta do, splurge.

Hearing aid hazards

Ugh, I got conked good in my right ear
by the sliding train door, ugh! And it
hurt because my hearing aid was in and
got slammed into my ear canal. Owieeee!

Courteousy of Lexington School for the Deaf

Moving on up....

Er rather down...to the east side! We're
finally got a piece of the pie. (Humming
the Jefferson theme song). Well it looks
like Jack and I are headed downtown or
to Roosevelt Island. Our apt is no longer
viable for us to live in. Apparently
someone moved in or our landlord has
stop tending the apt building that we
have many new roommates. Call em Bob,
Will or Mike but they're roaches! Yes
COCK-roaches! 1-2 inches in length and
JUST DIGUSTING! It all started two nites ago
when I was relaxing and watching some tv
when I saw something stir out of the
corner of my eye. A f*cking FLYING cockroach.
Ohmigod, I was banging on the livingroom
wall, yelling "Jack! Jack! Jack! Come HERE!"
I wasn't gonna let that fooker out of my
line of sight for fear we never find it again :(
Immediately he got the most hazardous bug
spray that we own and sprayed away. Ugh
yesterday at work he bombed the whole apt
and reported via gmail messenger that at
least 6 more COCKroaches crawled to their
deaths along with like 20 mini ones. Oh my
god I can't begin to tell you how creeped out
we are. We have NEVER had a problem like
this before. We keep our apt CLEAN. Dishes
are washed regularly, trash taken out daily,
etc, etc..there's just no way they came from us!

What's worst and it gets worst, Jack
decided last night before we went
to bed to wash the blankets and
we changed the bed sheets to clean ones
from an unopen package that I brought
last summer. So because I have to leave the
apt at 6am, I went to bed and Jack stayed up
to do the wash. Around 2am, he finally
came to bed and I vaguely remember him
putting the comforter on me and snuggling
next to me. When the next instant he had
leapt and I mean physically jumped 3 feet
into the air, sprung over me (the bed is
against the wall and I was sleeping on the
outter edge) and yanked me awake. In my
slumber I tried to gather myself in an up-
right position and Jack had turned on the
lights pointing to the bed, frantic and I
groggily tried to focus on his lips to read
what he was trying to say. Apparently there
was a roach in bed with us! And sure
enough that little fooker ambled out.
*shudders* Jack got the mini dustbuster
and sucked that fooker right up.
He then ordered me to sleep in the LR on
the newly washed couch cover while
he tore the bedroom apart spraying and
gathered almost every piece of clothing we
own, clean or dirty to put in his car and
tonight we will go to the laundry mat to
wash clothes! Finally around 3am the
bedroom was declared "safe" again. We
both turned on EVERY light we have in
the apt to keep those shitters away from
us! Jack will be re-bombing the apt again.
I don't think I can ever cook there again!
I don't think I can get rid of the heebie-
jeebies and the need to check every
little itch I feel for those fookers. This is
so gross but I asked Jack how did he know
there was one in the bed? And he replied
(if your gross factor is low, do not read)
He felt it on his head! Oh man does that
mean that disgusting creature was in bed
with me?!

I told Jack last night NONE of our furniture
(Its not like we have a lot) will come with
us except the new bed! And that bed will
have to be bombed like 5xs before it gets
moved to wherever we move to! Our goal
is to move out of our dump of an apt by
Nov 1st. We just can't live like this.

Right now Jack is my hero! He's the one
dealing with this while I am working 3
jobs at 4 different campuses. Lets
hope todays round of bombs does the
trick?!

NY MTA can byte me...

*snarls* this transportation giant, known as
the MTA has a disgruntled consumer now!
1st the metro-north last week to Dobbs Ferry
was inaccurately posted on the MTA website
about the time it left 125th station causing me
to miss my 2nd night of classes for my new job.
Now this morning the NJ transit cancelled my
741am train causing me to miss my 1st
class! (I teach 2 classes back to back there).
Grr by the time I arrive on the
next train there will only be 15 mins left!
The good news is I won't miss my 2nd class....

Argh I've had a LOT of bad luck this fall with
my classes. 1st I missed the VERY 1st day of
classes in NJ due to scheduling error with the
dept. Then last week I missed my class in
Dobbs Ferry bc the website put down the
wrong time. And now today the train broke
down due to mechanical problems...it makes
me feel like a lousy teacher. That im not
reliable which isn't at all like me! As long
as I am NOT dying I always work, ALWAYS!

Well at least I was able to get a "letter of
delay" issued by the Nj transit to give to
my boss... I don't want any ramifications
because of this f*ck-up.

In other news, its been 2 weeks now since
I've started dieting. Jack says he's notice
I've lost a little weight but it doesn't feel
like it to me. But nonetheless I am
determined to keep trying. I really don't want
to buy all new work clothes. I don't care if
I look "healthy" and blah blah blah. Im vain
and it means a lot to me to stay a size 8 a
little longer...

This weekend I was a lazy bum, just slept a
lot due to another UTI :( figured a lot of rest
and fluids is the ONLY way to go. I sure
hope the UTI/Kidney infections do not be-
come a chronic problem. And I totally missed
out on Rosh Hashannah (sp?)! Which I was
suppose to terp for my friend Martin but
between him spraining his ankle and my
UTI I had to cancel.

I do however have something to look forward
to later this week which is my friend Karen
will be in town visiting, yay! She recently
got married and will have her wedding next
month (they got married I believe in city hall
or somewhere like that suddenly last month)
but want the formal wedding in Oct. Plus she's
preggars! I can't wait to see if she's showing
yet? I am so happy for her bc less than a year
ago she was miserable and depressed. Its
amazing to see how much her life has changed
in the past 6 months!

Anyhoo not much else is new. Just settling
into a routine of working my butt off and
being with Jack :}

"A balance diet is a cookie in each hand"

So its been almost a week and a half since I started my diet. So far so good. I only went over my WW points 2xs but not enough to actually gain any weight so I am still pleased with my progress. Ironically last night I had some junk food and it actually didn't feel good. My body has been enjoying a lot more fruits, veggies and unprocessed food and I can feel the difference! Do I look any different? Nope, I keep meaning to weigh myself so I can keep track but I keep forgetting because I have to use my Wii fitboard to do so.

My life has really picked up. Working 3 jobs at 4 different campuses is actually pretty cool. For someone like me with ADD, I sure won't get bored! Originally I was dreading teaching an almost 3 hour class but today it went by so quickly that I didn't mind. I actually wonder if by the end of the semester I would prefer a 3 hour class 1x a week or 1.5 hour classes 2xs a week? I am just so ready to make some money and pay bills!

Last weekend Jack and I used my free movie tickets (I won them last spring in a raffle) for AMC movie theater chain. We opted to see District 9, it was kind of depressing but still a good story. A character Wilkus (the actor could easily play a young version of Hitler) starts off as a weakling geek type and unravels into an unlikely hero. Basically the story is a million plus aliens arrive to Earth with no where to go so they end up in a ghetto camp in South Africa. The humans end up resenting the Aliens, calling them "Prawns" because they look like bottom feeders. And these aliens for some reason LOVE cat food!!! So the South African government decides to relocate these aliens elsewhere and thats when trouble begins for Wilkus. I don't want to give away the story but if you ever wondered how we hew-mans would react to alien presence in a realistic way, this is the movie for you! I am keeping my fingers crossed for a District 10 sequel!

What's even funnier is Jack posted a copy of this on our apartment window so when people walk by, they gawk at it. Jack hates our neighborhood and basically him posting it is an inside joke about what he thinks of the people around us. I am sure some folks think we favor animals over hew-mans which in a way I do. I mean whenever I donate to charity or causes/organization I ALWAYS focus on animals and the environment, not the hew-mans. I figured the hew-mans have one another but who will speak up for those who can't speak for themselves such as animals and plant life?

Waistline out of control

Well Jack and I are just done with our poor
eating habits. Sure some of its not our fault.
Limited nearby healthy restaurants, stress,
etc., etc.. But we are now in diet mode which
= bitchy mode! On Saturday, Sunday I felt like
I was starving! Whenever I 1st start a diet, I
can't stop thinking about food. Its this insatiable
cravings to EAT. Not because im actually
hungry but because I love to eat, I love food,
I love the taste, texture, smells...yesterday
was a lot better, I wasn't as hungry and I
think my body knows to buckle up and deal
with this diet!

No im not horribly overweight, I've got about
15lbs to loose to fit back into my size 8
comfortably and to feel better about myself
all around. Being a size 10 is not a crime but
I feel like its a slippery slope to a size 12.

So I've gone back to weight watchers. The
point system is the ONLY way for me. Sure
its just limiting your calorie intakes but
somehow POINTS the word psychologically
is more motivating then the word CALORIES!

I also like how more and more restaurants &
fast food joints are posting their calorie
contents. Like today im at Penn Station
McDonalds for a diet coke and 1 hashbrown
which is 150 calories or 3 points. My daily
goal is 20-25 pts. So far I've hit 25 for the
past 2 days. Thank goodness for carrots,
sliced cheese and yogurt as well as pop
corn. If I didn't already have a list of "diet"
snacks I really be struggling. And bananas
have been a huge hit with both me and Jack.

Bottom line is this extra weight has to go!
As Jack mentioned to me, its better we get
it under control now before the holiday hits!

BFF from Childhood!

Here's me and Paula. We've been friends
since we were 12 years old. I remember
she befriended me 1st. I couldn't under-
stand why she was following me around!
But im glad she did!
I remember she would make me call all
these boys she had crushes on. And they
fled from her but ironically by the time
we graduated from HS, they were falling
all over themselves to date her! Or she
would dress me up in certain clothes so
that when we went out, people thought
we were sisters! Especially when
I also wore glasses :] I got my 1st apt
w/her at age 19. Boy we fought so much!
You see we're as opposite as can be.
She's a morning person, me a night owl
She's an extrovert, im more introverted
She's a republican, me a democrat
She's a hardcore Christian, Im a reform Jew
She's a small town girl, Im a big city chick
She can sprout conspiracy theories, I can
sprout psychology/science based facts
She loves dogs, I prefer cats.
Despite it all, we're still great pals!
So Paula, thank you for an awesome
23 years of friendship. Im looking
forward to the next 23 years!
Love
Me

Drinking Quotes at Toy Soldier Bar

"The problem with some people
is that when they aren't drunk,
they're sober"
-Yeats

"There's no absolutes in life
-only Vodka"
-Mick Jaggar

"Once during the Prohibition,
I was forced to live for days
on nothing but food and water."
-W.C. Fields

"One tequila, two tequila
three tequila, floor"
-George Carlin

Lean-to Mania!

Imagination knows no age limits

GBSD Photo Series II

GBSD Part I Photo Series