Laptop Tray

My laptop tray arrived.  I took a couple of photos and then cut and pasted them together.

And it is also a paperweight...

Imitation ipad Update.

I ended up turning on the device last night.  I was pleased that it worked.  I looked more closely at the directions and was not pleased.  The fonts are waaay too tiny. A large portion of the diagrams and the text are written in Chinese.  The text is LOADED with grammatical errors.  Either the text was sent through an automatic free online translation program, or the directions were translated by someone who hasn't quite mastered the English language yet.  First time, I've ever had a manual be virtually useless.  It doesn't so much gives steps as it tells you what the device can do.  The touch screen is nice and very responsive.  I was disappointed that the accessories didn't seem to work.  I thought if I couldn't get onto the internet with the device, I could just transfer programs through the USB cord.  Nope.  I thought I could use the adapter for the micro SD card so I could use my memory card reader.  Nope.  The adapter is too big.  It does fit in the reader, but it pushes the lock tab into the locked position, so nothing can be added.  I'll have to wait until I can take it somewhere there is wifi connection.  Right now, it is just a fancy paperweight. 

I've Got Steam!!!

Today I stayed in waiting for the apartment maintenance work to arrive.  I had a leak in my living room radiator that was leaking out about a pint of water per day over the Christmas holiday weekend.  I was a bit worried that after I made the report, the leaking stopped, but the guy arrived and recognized the leak and fixed it fairly quickly.  I also reported the leak under the kitchen sink, also appears fixed.  So far, the living room radiator seems to be giving off much better heat then it has in a long time.  Now, I just hear the steady sound of steam rather than the clank, clank sound of pipes rattling.

Oh, and my imitation ipad arrived this evening.  Not what I was expecting.  Apparently, there are several imitation brands.  I didn't get the one I signed for.  The one I got looks more like the ipad.  The one I ordered had the imitation logo on the front.  I was happy with that.  Unfortunately, my Apad arrived with an inspection label with the message, "Do not return to place of purchase after Seal is Broken".  Problem? The seal was broken!  That's a warning, but then I knew it was a roll of the dice when I ordered the imitation ipad.  The reviews were 50/50 positive/negative.  So how does it work?  I have no idea.  The directions state that the Apad should be charged for 10 hours before its initial use (and 10 hours for the second use, and 5 hours of charging time afterwards).  I'm guessing (or hoping?!?) that some of the negative comments might have come from those individuals not following the directions (or even bothering to read the directions).  Any other comments?  It is possible that this "toy" might be too advance for someone of my limited intelligence.  The directions were giving me a headache.  Oh, and this imitation might be a touch screen meaning no stylus needed.  However, I'll keep the stylus.  Once the newness wears off, I'll probably want to use the stylus to keep the finger prints off.  Well, I think that's about it.  I'll see how it works tomorrow.  This blog entry will be revised at some later date.

Santa was very good this year, but...

Santa was very good this year, but I'll be paying for it next year.  Today, I should have been cleaning up my apartment, but once again I went out for a walk after I finally dragged myself out of bed. 

I went to buy myself a recliner.  For the longest time, I've logged more hours in a very uncomfortable computer chair.  I also have a futon, which I've been  treating as a couch, but it really isn't.  Besides, my futon is usually covered with books and papers.  In other words, I don't own a comfortable chair.  Other than my bed (which is a bit cheap anyway), I don't really own a piece of solid furniture.  Nearly everything I own is cheap and disposable.  I was raised on shopping at discount stores.  I think I paid about $700 for my complete bedroom set (2 dressers, headboard, 2 night tables).  It's cheap(by NYC standards), but since I'm very easy on my things, they usually hold up surprisingly well.  Well, not my clothes, I tend to wear clothes until they disintegrate).

Anyway, I finally decided to treat myself to a recliner.  I brought a rocker recliner at a local discount furniture store.  The total cost (including taxes, and delivery fee) for the recliner was $346.63.  See the attached photo.  I couldn't find the exact style online, but the photo is pretty close.  I ordered charcoal/black.  It should arrive in 7 ~ 10 days.  I'd wanted to go to the discount furniture place -- I wouldn't even call it a store.  It was more of a store front.  They have a few pieces of furniture, but mostly, you order from catalogs they have from a couple of companies.  They call the warehouse and ship it to you.  Since I was please with my bedroom set, I wanted to buy a recliner from them as well.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any recliners.  The salesperson told me that she didn't know when they would have anymore in stock.  So, I went down the block to another discount furniture store that recently relocated there, and would you believe, there was a recliner sitting right at the front door. 

Oh, and I also bought an imitation ipad.  At first I wanted a Kindle, but then the ipad came out.  I thought (to myself) why limit myself to just an e-reader.  Then, I had my heart set on getting an ipad, but my finances made that a long-shot.  I had to settle on an imitation ipad.  It has a capacitive response system.  I had no idea what that meant until I did a Google search and I found my answer on Wikipedia  -- Yes, I know, Wikipedia isn't a reliable source for research, but I can't help it.  Anyway, Capacitive means that you have to use a stylus pen, object, or your finger nail.  The ipad uses a touch screen technology (meaning you can manipulate with the touch of your finger).  I'm getting sidetracked. 

Back to my Apad.  The online reviews were pretty 50/50 with the positive and negative comments.  I brought the imitation with the idea that a nice guy won't get screwed with  a piece of junk.  Well, if you've read this blog for any period of time, you know that's not necessarily true.  We'll see.

Oh, while I'm at it, I might as well complete my Christmas list.  I also bought a laptop tray, a pair of Dockers, DVDs (300, Meet the Spartans, and Superman/Batman: Apocalyse) and accessories for my Apad.

Happy Holiday!

Happy holiday to all.  Hopefully, Santa was generous to you all.  I know he was here in NYC.  I spent about $300 on gifts of others.  What did I get?  Two ties from one of my students.  Yep, that's it.  Luckily, Christmas is suppose to be more than the gifts.  They say it is better to give than to receive.  I certainly hope that's true.  If Christmas was just about the gifts, I would be royally pissed.  Oh by the way, I actually like the ties.

Since I knew I wasn't getting much, I decided to treat myself to a couple of gifts.  I had planned to spend $600 from a Christmas Club account I had.  Unfortunately, I accidentally spent that money on bills.  Feeling the need to treat myself, I did a bit of online shopping.  My things didn't arrive on Christmas, but that didn't bother me.  So, what did Santa bring me? 

Stay tuned....

What Were They Thinking?

Just a quick blog entry.  Just a couple of quick observations under the title of "What Were They Thinking?"

* In the middle of a blizzard this woman stops me to ask if the bus stops at the bus stop I was walking past.  I told her that I know for sure that the bus she wanted stops a block back or a block ahead, but I wasn't sure about the stop we were standing at.  I also told her that a good indication is that if the number of the bus isn't on the bus sign then it probably doesn't stop there.  She told me that she didn't want to walk back a city block and didn't walk to walk a city block ahead.  I keep walking.

* Out of the store, a couple of teenagers walked out.  One of them decided to walk into the middle of a main boulevard to dance and lay down making snow angels.

* A procrastinator who knew that a snowstorm was coming kept putting off going to the grocery storm until the storm actual starts.  Since he had no food, he had no choice but to finally go.

Happy Holiday!

Tron: Legacy 3D

The movie wasn't great, it wasn't good, it wasn't bad, it was just nice.  Many people might call it a bad movie.  After a start time of about 35 minutes late, the movie started with a written notice: "This movie was orginally created in 2D.  There are parts that are in 3D.  Keep the 3D glasses on throughout the movie.  I didn't.  I just wanted to see how much of it was in 3D....not much.  I'm not including the parts that really didn't need to be in 3D.  As for the content, that is where the movie will lose a lot of points from the viewing audience.  In my opinion, there were too many plot holes, too many plot points that seem to have just been added-on at the last minute.  And a couple of plot strands seemed to have been left hanging (or not developed).  The saving points were Jeff Bridges, and the special effects.  After the movie, I took a couple of photos of the theater exterior and the city block.  I'll post those photos later.

Funny!!!

Joemomma, the Evil Little Kid - The most amazing home videos are here

NYC - Police Museum

This past Thanksgiving really wasn't worth the time to write about it, so I will skip it.

On Saturday, I organized an social networking event.  This time it was a trip to the NYC Police Museum.  To my surprise, someone actually showed up, it was a 56 year old divorce father.  The meeting spot was going to be in the lobby of the museum.  However, we ended up meeting on the train platform at 42nd street.  I was amazed.  We actually rode into NYC on the same Metro-North train.  I was in the fourth car, he was in the second.  After arriving in Grand Central Station, I stopped at the bathroom, and then went to catch the #4 subway for downtown.  42nd street was crowded as usual.  I always go to the front of the train or the back to avoid the crowds.  Anyway, while I was standing on the platform, the was able to spot me from the description I had given him.  It was a good thing we didn't meet in the museum because it was a pretty small museum (despite having three floors).

The museum cost was $8 dollars.  I thought it was interesting.  Basically, the third floor was for a 9/11 exhibition along with a Hall of Heroes (officers who lost their lives in the line of duty since 1845), the second floor was an exhibition on artist work related to 9/11 and other police activities, the first floor had a very small kids zone and an exhibition on the evolution of the NYC police force.

Although we took about 90 minutes to see everything, if you don't stop to read every caption and display, you can finish easily within an hour. I will post some photos at another time.  After the museum, epal was ready to go home, but I wasn't.  I went to the movie to see "Megamind in 3D".  After the movie, I went to T.G.I.Friday's restaurant near Union Square Park.  I was surprised at the prices.   My chicken and shrimp pasta dinner cost $25.05 for a fairly small portion.  I was finished eating in about 6 minutes.  I would have had dessert, but they only had brownie with this or that, or cheesecake.  I walked from 14th Street to 42nd Street before taking the train back home.

Quick Entry

Since I lost my Christmas fund, I was a bit depressed.  My goal was to treat myself to something nice for Christmas.  I just discovered a couple of imitation ipads.  If they work as reviewed, then I'll be satisfied with an imitation for now.

The Hobbit

Not much to write about.  I finished reading the prelude to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, "The Hobbit".  I really enjoyed the story.  I thought the story was very well written.  I'm looking forward to the planned movie.

Other than the Hobbit, there isn't much to write about.  I lose my student teacher in about 3 weeks.  Wow, I'm going to miss having that extra support in the classroom.  I think she will make a nice teacher.  She was reliable, eager, and personable.  She will be missed.

One of my blog readers Jeff made a comment on his blog about doing a 3 week improvement plan.  I liked the idea, so once again, I will  try to jump-start my "get it together" goals with a 3-week time limit.  According to Jeff, some bad habits need about 3 weeks to be broken.  I believe that's what he said.  Well, I'll see.

Quick Entry

Yes, I'm still alive.  I'm going to try to keep this short.  It was a toss-up, I could jump on my stationary bike for 20 minutes, or do some planning.  Quick summary of random things:

* Parent /Teacher Conferences were last week here in NYC.  I stressed out about it, but in the end, everything worked out well.

* Veteran's Day, I went to the movie to see "Waiting for Superman".  It was interesting.  I also saw the owl movie Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

* This past Saturday, an epal had invited me to one of his men's group meeting.  Knowing what it's like to have a group with little or no interest, I said that I would attend.....
....IT WAS BRUTAL!!!!

The guys were really very nice.  I honestly hope the guy's group is a success, I thought it was a nice idea, and all of the guys were very nice.  Everyone there really seemed into the group, and more than a couple of times the guys seemed eager for information about the next group.  So if everything was so nice, what was the problem?  It was probably me.

I felt like a fish in a fishbowl without any water.  My epal told me the workshop would start at 11am.  I ended up arriving at 10:30am.  While waiting for the workshop to start, I over heard a conversation that the meeting would start at 12noon, but told the guys 11am because they knew some of the guys would be late.  The group starts about 12:30pm with a prayer.  And discussion about cortesy (from a religious) prespective.  The conversation was also geared towards talking about why guys aren't corteous and to share how each of us must have been in a situation where not being corteous almost caused a fight. 

At this point I knew I was in the wrong group (not including the conversation of failed states, and man controling  the weather).

Then for the next hour or so, various guys would stroll in.  One guy brought his teenage daughter.  I was a bit annoyed that I rushed to be on time, and most of the others, were just casual about arriving late.  Not a single person apologized for being late.

The main focus of the workshop was men's relationship with their fathers.  Again, the guys really seemed to be into this group.  As someone raised in foster care, I really didn't have anything to contribute to the discussion.  I sat through various "confessions" and "complaints" of father neglect and incompetance.  I was sooo bored.  Two hours waiting for the meeting to start, then another two hours of listening to others conversations and monologs.  At about 2:30pm, the group coordinator called for a break while we waited for lunch to arrive.  That was my cue, I thank my epal for inviting me.  I thanked the coordinator for organizing the group.  I then left.  I don't know what my $10 was spent on (in terms of lunch), nor did I care, I just wanted out of that place so bad. 

It wasn't a bad group, nor were the guys anything less than polite.  Unfortunately, I just didn't think the group was for me.  I do like the idea, but I really couldn't relate to the guys, the topic, or the attitudes(one guy kept referring to his wife as wifie).

Quick Entry

This has to be a quick entry.

* A couple of weeks ago I participated in a social networking event "Pumpkin Carving in the Park".  The organizer of that event changed it to carving in his backyard.  It was a nice event.  My pumpkin lasted only a day before it started to decay.  The guy said that we had to scoop out as much of the insides until the light could be shown through the shell.  With that and the fact that I cut out large shapes caused my pumpkin to start to decay fast.

* Yesterday, I met an online epal in person.  He suggested Manhattan, I suggested the comic book shop I've mentioned in the past on this blog.  That worked out great.  The epals plan was park or museum.  Problem, the guy was very late.  I didn't realize how late because I was really into the comics, so I wasn't watching the time.  About 1:53pm I received the first text message asking if I was still at the shop and that he was around the corner.  The meeting time was 1pm.  After a few minutes of wandering around the shop, the guy didn't buy anything, or seemed very interested in the books.  He knew the place(and a bit about comics), but he didn't seem to really be interested in comics.

We had lunch at Chipotle Mexican Grill.  Nice guy but seemed to be a bit of a "conversationalist".  At times, it seemed difficult to get a word.  Asking my opinion seemed to be an afterthought.  A good 5 minutes would past of him giving his opinion about something before he would ask for my opinion.  After lunch, we walked southward (I don't know why).  The conversation was nice, but nothing of substance.  Then, he takes a call on his cell phone.  For a good 7 or 8 minutes, I'm walking with a complete strange as he is laughing and talking on his cell phone.  Along the walk, I stop from time to time to look at the small electronic stores along the way.  At one point the guy is about 10 ~ 15 away before he notices that I stopped.  In the course of our walk, the conversation turns to B&N Nook (their e-readers).  E-pal is a big fan of Nook more than Amazon's Kindle.  During the conversation on why the nook is better, we come across a Barnes and Nobles.

After a stop at the classics section (he wanted to show me a classic that (as a teacher he thought I would know).  It wasn't there.  And after a bit of wandering, I spotted the sci-fi/fantasy section -- I made a bee-line for the section.  After hearing about how wonderful the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was from epal, I purchased the paperback set ($29 with my membership discount).  After B&N, we continue walking southward (I still don't know why).  However again, epal is on his phone laughing and talking.  I was annoyed!  We continued to walk with epal on the phone and me walking along in silence.  I slowed up walking hoping epal would get the hint...he kept talking.  I finally stopped walking, epal also stopped, but...he continued talking.  I sat down on the sidewalk...and yes, he still kept talking on his cell phone.  I was on that cold concrete sidewalk for a good 3 or 4 minutes.  Only when I dramatically looked at my watch did epal tell the person he had to go.  After a bit more walking, we went our separate ways. 

The guy really was a nice guy, but I don't think we really had much in common.

Missing Money

Today on my way to the supermarket, I made a quick trip to the bank.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had spent my Christmas Club money.  Yep, not keeping up with my finances has cost me yet again.  I do remember last month at the last minute taking money out of my credit union account to cover some bills (not thinking at the time why I had a couple of extra hundred dollars in my savings).   At the time, I just thought, "Oh, I haven't made a withdrawal in several weeks, so that would explain the extra money".   I knew months before it would happen that the money would just "disappear" when it was rolled over automatically from my Christmas Club account to my savings account.  I think I mentioned this happening in a previous blog entry.  That money was suppose to be my "guilt-free spend on me" money.

Well, being a bit annoyed, I think I will withdraw the Christmas Club amount ($600) from my regular checking account before that money disappears as well.  I have half a mind to stash it under my mattress until Christmas time.  No, it isn't the safest place to keep money, but considering my lack of financial skills, the bank isn't much better.  I'll see.

Well, that didn't last long.

I think the title says it all.

Quick Entry

Quick Entry.  Really nothing to blog about.  Same bad habits carried over from week to week.  This three-day weekend was no different.  However, I'm feeling a bit pleased with myself for finally making a greater effort to stick with my "To Do" List.  I accomplished 7 out of 13 things that I had written down.  If I get off this computer, I could do another 2(possibly 3) items on my list.

Sometimes you do things (or plan to do things) a hundred times and it just doesn't click, but then one day it does.  I'm going to try using one of my extra pocket "anecdotal" notebooks as a daily "To Do" List.  I'm going to try to keep a daily "To Do" List.  Hopefully, if I can fill up one of the mini books with a bunch of lists, I won't need to be such a procrastinator in the future. 

This week(at home), I'm going to try cleaning one thing in my apartment.  And at work, I'm going to try to put 2 or 3 "items" on my list for completion by 5PM.  I'm hoping that if I can feel like I accomplished something, then I will be able to leave work at a normal hour.

Well, I better go and see if I can check off another 2 items on my "To Do" list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE - I was only able to check one more thing off my list (homework sheet).  Unfortunately, my computer is a liability.  After answering a couple of emails, and planning a social networking event, I don't have time to do anything else from my list.  The real test will come tomorrow.  Hopefully, I will be able to stick with my new goal.

Shopping

Today, I was suppose to go to a birthday party.  However, my foster sister had another BBQ at her home.  Since there have been several people sick, I went to the BBQ.  I also decided to stop by the teacher's store to pick up a number line.  Well, the store was still out of stock, however, that didn't stop me from spending.  In the end, I spent about $204 on teaching materials.  After the BBQ, I went to the mall to do some "Back-to-School clothes shopping (leaving about $350 poorer).

First Day

Well, First Day has come and gone.  Just a few random thoughts before calling it a day.
On the last day of teacher prep day(the day before the students arrive [about 2:55pm]) a group of (three) student teachers came to my classroom (in the midst of me trying to get my room together).  They came to introduce themselves and let me know that one of them would be working with me.  I was already stressed out trying to get my room ready, not have my lesson plans, so that wasn't good news.  I called my principal to beg out of "the help".  Luckily, she saw the positive of having the extra help.  After the first day, I realize it might be a good idea to have the extra help.

Oh, luckily, my class size has shrunk just a bit.  Now, my register is 27 students.  Yes, it is still a big class, but (for me) 28 is the magic number between large and doable and overcrowded and stress inducing just thinking about the number.  AND, having the student teacher for half the school year will be nice (I think).  I've had college students who had course-work to do.  It has been a toss-up (some are better than others).  This one seems to be very eager.  She was pleasant and professional.  On the first day, she arrived at 7:30am ready to help. 

The first day I was stressed for the usual reasons, but mainly starting the new year with new students.  The day before, I was at the school until about 9PM trying to get the classroom ready.  The first day went very smoothly (even for my lack of preparation).  Due to the holidays that were coming the following day, about 1/3 of my students didn't show up.  Here in NYC, the following two days are holidays, so no school.  When the day finished I wanted to spend one hour for classroom prep work, and one hour for paperwork, but I was soo tired, I didn't really do much of anything of substance.  However with that said, I was very happy that I resisted the old habit of loading up my shopping cart with teaching materials with the promise of spending part of the weekend planning.  This time, I took only a couple of books and materials (just enough to plan for the coming week).  No as of this moment, I haven't touched that bag.  I pretty much slept away yesterday and  today. 

Diet and Exercising
At the moment, the plan is to start on Monday.  My bike is still in the middle of the living room (unused).  I also need to clean my apartment, it is started to get dirty again.  Luckily, not even close to the way it was, but if I don't start with a cleaning routine, it is going to get that bad again.

Infinite Crisis - A Novel

I almost forgot.  I finished reading Infinite Crisis - A Novel.  The book took a long time to get started, but once it did I enjoyed reading it.

Quick Entry

More shopping.  I went to the teacher's store near me.  I needed a classroom number line.  Well, I picked the wrong time to go.  I was expecting the place to be very crowded, but it wasn't.  However, the placed was fairly picked clean.  I made a list of things that I wanted to get, but several of the items were out of stock.  Unfortunately, that didn't stop me from spending money I don't really have.  I ended up spending another $225.  I really need to get a handle on my classroom spending.

Exercise
So now that my exercise bike is up, what's the plan?  Starting tomorrow, or Tuesday, I will return to my (modified) liquid diet until October 31st.  Right now, I'm only looking at short-term.  Anything longer will seem to unrealistic.  Actually, my original plan was to do the liquid diet during this summer, but we know how that turned out.  Well anyway, the thinking is that if I can stick with the diet and (stationary) bike riding for the 8 weeks, I will be motivated to do another 8 weeks.  If I stick with some kind of workout routine until January, I'll join the Y.....yet again.

Finally!!!

I finally put together the exercise bike I bought back on July 16, 2010.  I'm going to try the (modified) liquid diet (along with some exercising on my bike and rowing machine). 

Problem?  My back is bothering me a bit.  This past week along with trying to get my classroom together, one of the APs at my school asked me (and another male teacher) to help another teacher with moving some things.  On Thursday, it was moving 10 ~12 large plastic bins of science materials upstairs to another room.  On Friday, it was helping a new teacher move 75 classroom chairs from the rented U-haul parked across the street to the third floor (no elevator).  The new teacher said that the chairs were given to her if she was willing to move them.  She said her plan was to just use 16 of the chairs and donate the rest to our school.  She must be a new teacher if she thinks she will ever have a class with only 16 students in it.  I didn't say anything, but I was thinking it.  Not to mention the chairs stored....never mind.

Anyway, my back was feeling okay today.  I didn't even pretend that I would do anything.  I slept the day away.  I was feeling okay, but the discomfort returned when I moved the box containing the exercise bike (disassembled) from the hallway to the living room.  I'll have to be careful.  I'm already exhausted with one more "setup day" to go.  This year there is no weekend to buffer the setup days from the first day the students arrive.  On Tuesday, I'm going to have to make sure I don't do any heavy lifting.

Well, I gotta go.  Tomorrow, I will have to return to the teacher's store to make a couple of purchases.  I forgot I threw away my old classroom number line.

Preparation - Day 5

Somehow my blog entries for my preparation days don't seem to add up, but I'm too tired to care.

Today was the last day for unofficial preparation.  And I'm still not done.  This coming Tuesday is the official day teachers have to report to school.  So, this year will be starting like all of the others; I'll be playing catch-up.  The AP at my school informed me (as a group of us were leaving the building) that there will be a 3 hour PD (professional development) on Tuesday.  Therefore, half my day will be gone.  The very next day the students will be arriving.  The following two days school will be closed.  On the one hand I'm happy, but on the other I'll be playing catch-up.  I will try to use the following week to stay afterschool and do the planning that I thought I would have started before the students arrived.  It would have been so cool to to start school with my entire year mapped out.

Preparation - Day 3

This will be short.  Today was more cleaning.  I arrived about 11AM to start cleaning and reorganizing the main storage closet in my classroom.  I was (once again) bothered by the idea of just putting things back, and hopefully getting around to cleaning and organizing at another time.  I know that if I don't do the cleaning and organizing now, it won't get done.  So although I'm somewhat annoyed that those around me are all ready set up, and my room still looks like I arrived yesterday, I'm pleased with myself for cleaning out my closets and cabinets.  I think I've done all the cleaning I need to do.  Tomorrow, I will try to get to my room by 8AM (something I haven't been able to do for the last three days), and do as much setting up as I can.

Preparation - Day 3

More of the same.  Oh, and I received my class list....

if everyone shows up....

I'll have....




32 Students!!!

Preparation - Day 2

Today wasn't as successful as yesterday.  I woke up stiff and tired.  I had to drag myself out of bed.  Today I really wasn't in the mood for unpacking.  I was hoping to be finished today, but no such luck.  I'm going to try an earlier bedtime tonight (and breakfast tomorrow).  Hopefully, I can get the burst of energy I had on Day 1.  So, I'm going to end this entry now.  Bye for now.

Preparation - Day 1

I'll have to keep this short.  I want to be in bed by 11PM.  So, how did I do with my "To Do" List?  Not very good.  In hindsight, I wasn't realistic.  In the past, the last minute rush usually involved me returning the following day (and in some instances, that day is a Saturday).  So although, I didn't do too well with my list, I'm pleased with what I accomplished:

Day 1 - Results:
I managed to arrived at 7:40AM; I was unpacking by 8AM. 

1. Unpack all necessary boxes (about 18 of them) - I unpacked about half.
2. Arrange classroom furniture - 90% Completed
3. Set up classroom library - 90% ompleted
4. Set up (and fill up) the brand new shelving units - Set Up Completed, shelving 40% Completed
5. Set up classroom computers - Not Done
6. Change bulletin board paper - Not Done

Well, that was Day 1.  I returned home about 6:30PM.  I then had to do my laundry.  I also made sure to soak in the tub for about a half an hour.  I didn't want to wake up tomorrow morning stiff and too tired to be at school by 8AM.

Well, I'm going to try calling it a night early (for me), so that I can have another productive day.  I should be  able to finish  the unpacking and classroom setup tomorrow.  That would give me three days for planning(long-term), and one day for prep work(short-term).

Vacation Ends

My vacation is over.  Today, my plan was to see a movie "Dinner for Smucks" and visit my foster father.  However, doing the visiting first put the kibosh on the movie.  By the time I finished "visiting", it was time to return home.

On my way home, I decided to once and for all try the Shopping Center I see while I'm riding on the Metro-North train.  Since I don't have a car, I'm limited by my shopping choices.  Weill with A Target, Home Depot, and a BJ's within my travel route, I now have some more options.  Especially BJ's.  BJ's is a bulk food and supply store. 

Well, I better go.  Tomorrow is the first (unofficial) day of work.  Here in NYC, teachers are required to report back to schools on the day before the students do(this year it is September 7th.  Most teachers will probably returned two or three days before.  I like having the whole week to slowly adjust to work hours.  Also, I really need more time to get organized.  Each year I've failed with getting organized and spend the reminder of the school year stressing out.  I'm hoping the that this will be the end of my losing streak.    My goals for this year are actually the exact same goals as last year.  Since I failed so miserable with my goals, there is no need to change them. 

So, will this year be any different?  Only time will tell.  The first real test (I suppose) will come tomorrow.  Each year, I've always managed to find something to distract me from unpacking until this last minute.  Even though I'm usually the first teacher back, I'm usually the last one finished. 

This year (tomorrow), unpacking will be the first thing on my To Do List.  If this year is going to be different, I will have mostly finished my Day 1 Goals:

Day 1 "To Do" List*
1. Unpack all necessary boxes (about 18 of them)
2. Arrange classroom furniture
3. Set up classroom library
4. Set up (and fill up) the brand new shelving units
5. Set up classroom computers
6. Change bulletin board paper
*In the past, this has been my Day 5 To Do List.  I've been able to get most of it done in Day 5, so I should be able to get it done on Day 1.  I hope.

If I can get most (or all) of the above list completed, this would be a good indication that my year just might be different from all of the others. 

My next posting will let you know if I succeeded.

To Be Continued...

Back to School Shopping (Part 1)

Well, my vacation is just about over.   As usual, I didn't do anything I had planned to do during my time off.  A part of me is looking forward to returning to work....a part.  : )

Today I finally got around to cleaning my living room floor.   I finally swept, washed, and waxed the middle part of the floor.  Now, I just have to do the hallway floor.  I also have to put up the new shower curtains, then my apartment is as clean as it is going to get until next summer.  I am happy that I will be starting the school year with a (relatively) clean apartment. 

I was just transferring the photo of my back to school shopping trip purchases when I came across photos of my apartment taken July 5, 2010 (the start of this summer).  If I get around to it, I might do a before and after series for the different rooms of my apartment.  Now that it's clean, I don't mind.  Hopefully, I'll never let it get that bad again.  I hope.

Anyway, I went shopping for some back to school materials.  Usually, I go to a store in Brooklyn, but I discovered that a larger store is located near me.  It turns out the travel time to the teacher supply store near me is about an hour one-way on public transportation (not including waiting time).  The store in Brooklyn is about 2 hours one-way on the subway.

So, was I able to show some self-control with shopping?  A little.....very little.  I ended up spending $380.07 on teaching materials, classroom supplies, and bulletin board decorations. 

I settled on attaching a photo of the books I purchased at the teacher's store.  I'll save the "messy room" photos for another time.

Slide Show - Rye Playland Amusement Park

DMV

I felt much, much better today.  For one of the few times this summer (or any summer), I was up and out of bed before 7AM.  I needed to get some cold medicine.  Although I was feeling better, I didn't want to push my luck.  I also decided to order a pancake breakfast from a local diner.

After a quick (unplanned) nap, I decided to go find out about the $509 bill my HMO sent me. I wanted to go in person.  My thinking was that I get better results if I handle paperwork in person.  Well, I was wrong.  I was quickly (but politely) informed that they "don't deal will insurance claims...".  I had to call a 888 service number.  I never got around to it, I'll do it tomorrow.

On my way back home, my plan was to stop at a local downtown store to buy a floor lamp.  Since I was downtown, on an impulse, I decided to finally get my driver's license updated.  I've lived in my current apartment for about 4 years, and I've never gotten my license changed.  I was planning to just pick up a mail-in application.  However, the lady was very nice (and polite),  I decided to get it over with.  The waiting time was not bad (about 15 minutes).  Unfortunately, my life wouldn't be mine if there wasn't confusion.

When I completed the application, I filled in the "Change Location for Voting Registration" section.  The guy ripped that part off without looking at it.  I wasn't thinking about it at the moment.  However, when I received my temporary license ($18) it stated that I had elected to not register to vote.  I went back to the guy and showed him the mistake.  I had filled in the bottom part of the form for relocation of where I wanted to vote.  He told me that I didn't need to worry about it.  I just needed to go to Customer Service Desk and ask for a mail-in form.  So I go to Customer Service (a different lady this time). 

Me: Mr. J told me I could just pick up a mail-in form for voter registration.

NL: (New Lady) Who told you that?  You have to wait in line.

Me: Mr. J. (as I pointed across the room).

NL: You can't skip the line. Tell him to just cancel the license and issue a new one.

Me: (back to Mr. J.) The lady told me to tell you that I can't get a form.  You have to cancel this license and issue me a new one.

Mr. J: (Shouting to NL). "NL, just give the guy the mail-in form it's right there on the left."

NL: (Shouting to Mr. J.) "He can't skip the line (gesturing to the long line of people waiting).  Just cancel the license and make the correction".

Mr. J. :(Sucks his teeth).  Just a minute, I'll get you one.  He doesn't go to NL, but to another area to look for the form.  He can't find it, so he goes to ask another lady for the form (she sends him to another area).

I get the form.  On my way out I see that it asks for me to fill in the same information I just filled in on the other form plus I had to write the correct address for my voting district (which I didn't know).  Yep, I had to go back to Mr. J to ask.  After that, I decided to fill out the form and mail it off then and there.  I was just so annoyed at the lack of service for my $18, I knew I probably wouldn't do it once I left the DMV.

From the DMV, I went to buy my new floor lamp and headed for home.  At home, I worked on the right side of my living room.    I moved the furniture along the right wall so that I could wash and wax  that side of the floor.  Tomorrow, I will move the furniture back.  I'm going to put everything back the way it was except for the bookcase.  I'm going to reposition the bookcase so that I can get another one in that corner.  Anyway, the perimeter has been washed and waxed leaving only the middle of the living room floor to be washed and waxed.  The last area to clean will be the hallway.  My apartment will be finished.

Oh, I also stopped by the post office to pick up my School House of Rock DVD.

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I got the cartoon from the internet.  It just seemed to fit.

Easy Entry

This will be short and easy.  Today, I was too sick to do much of anything but sleep.  I got up about noon, and was too tired to fix oatmeal, so I had a cup of milk and ate two $.50 cakes.  I spent most of the day in bed.  I was going to go out for some cold medicine, but I was too tired.  I just had a bowl of Campbell's (low sodium) chicken noodle soup.  I'm now boiling some hot water for oatmeal.  I don't know what I had, but my appetite is returning.  And my nose is no longer dripping like a runaway faucet.  I still have a splitting headache.  Tomorrow, I will go to get some medicine.

Almost Doesn't Cut It

This shouldn't take long.  I started cleaning my living room(he furniture movie kind of cleaning).  I think it has been about 3 years since I last cleaned my living room.  There was so much dust that I started getting an allergic reaction....And I only got to 1/3 of the living room.  I had to wash down the baseboards.  I washed then waxed the 1/3 of the living room floor.  I used twisty ties to organize the various computer cords.   The layout of the living room will stay basically the same, but I did relocate the lights.  Hopefully I'll be in a cleaning mood tomorrow.  I will need to do the other half of the living room.  I also need to wash my blankets (yep, they are still out).  I've just been moving my blankets from room to room.   Once I finish with the living room, the hallway will be the last area to clean.  After I clean the bathtub, my apartment will be officially clean...for the moment.  If I follow through with the above plan, it will be the first time in years that my whole apartment will be clean at the same time.  I will also try to put my exercise bike together as well as unpack that printer I bought way back in April of 2008(and never opened).

I almost forgot.  I play the Mega Millions Lotto.  Below are two sets of numbers.  The one on top are the numbers I had, the numbers on the bottom were the winning numbers.  If the numbers I had were the correct numbers, I would have won $10,000.


My Numbers - 03, 14, 28, 44, 48...34
The Winnings- 04, 13, 29, 20, 48...36

Bus Ride

Today I scheduled another social networking event for my group. And, as usual, none of the members signed up to attend. So this was a solo excursion. The event was to Rye Playland Amusement Park. Although I went alone, it was a nice trip. Not great or exciting to go to an amusement park alone, but it was still nice to get out of my apartment.

What was the most eventful thing about the excursion?

The hour and 10 minute bus ride there.

This young mother and her son(3 years old approx.) and her friend (with her son [5 or 6 years old approx.]). The kids' behavior and attitudes were atrocious (the 3 year old much more so). The 3yr. old threw an open bag of Doritos in my direction. Yes, the bag hit me (spilling Doritos onto the bus floor). The mother yelled, pinched, and pulled the 3 year old, but he just ignored her. After about 3~4 minutes, the kid finally bends down to pick up the Doritos. The three year old picks up a single chip, and then he picks up the bag. After putting the single chip in the bag, the other young lady snatches the bag. They were speaking in Spanish, but from the body language, I'm guessing she didn't want the dirty clip in the bag. After debating what to do, she balls up the bag...and goes back to the loud conversation the two young ladies were having. The Doritos were left on the floor. The boys went on being loud, and too playful for a city bus. However,...the ladies conversation continued. After about 10 minutes, the mother of the older boy puts a plastic container (about the size of a five pound bag of sugar), filled with cookies and a variety of candy. The kid played with the junk food, picked at the junk food, and of course, he ate the junk food. And then when he finished, he decided to lay across two seats (shoes on[of course]) to rest. About 15 minutes later, the older boy is playfully taunting the little boy, who was from time to time screaming for his mother (who is sitting right next to the two boys). However, the "adult conversation" wasn't interrupted. The ladies kept on talking, and the kid kept on screaming. That is...until the 3yr. old decided to throw a plastic shovel at the 6yr. old (again in my direction). The mother of the 3yr old snatches the shovel, and slaps the boys hand. The boy's reaction?

He snatches the shovel back and stares at his mother. The mother mumbles something ....and continues her conversation with her friend. Yep, the boy kept the shovel.

Near the end of the bus ride, both ladies now have their sons in their arms smothering them with kisses and baby talk.

True Story(with details left out). The only thing that kept flashing through my mind was that I would eventually have both boys in my classroom (metaphorically speaking).

Social Networking Event

Today I went to another social networking event. This one was on how to make friends. This was an interesting experience. I'm glad I joined. There were a couple of minor glitches, but considering the cost(free), I thought the event was well-worth it. I enjoyed myself for the experience and I'm looking forward to the next event. I did feel like most spoke to me because they had too, but the experience was a positive one. I got out of my apartment and made the attempt to make friends. No, I didn't make any new friends, but I still enjoyed the experience. I would have liked to have met everyone in the group. Next time, I think a speed round type activity (before or at the end) would be useful for those of us who lack the confidence or experience going up to strangers. I LOVED THE LOCATION!!! The location was in a penthouse apartment that can be rented out for local groups. After the event, I did a bit of walking by myself. I went to the Waverly Diner for dinner. Yes, I'm still on the "I'll start my diet soon" routine. I had a burger with an order of onion rings. For dessert, I had a doubled scoop of vanilla ice cream with a walnut and chocolate syrup topping. I also had a slice of warm cherry pie. After stopping off at Forbidden Planet Comic Shop, I headed for home.

** Oh, after I returned home, I checked my mail and would you believe that there was a bill from my healthcare provider for $509.00. That has to be a mistake. I have HIP health insurance with a 0% copayment. I'll have to call up tomorrow. I hope this is a mistake.

Quick Entry

Today I received a call from my AP. I ordered a few items that I'm hoping will help me get organized this year($475). She suggested that I come to move my boxes from the office to my room. It wasn't until I arrived that I realized that the 4-draw file cabinet wasn't among the boxes. My AP told me that she would ask the delivery person to deliver the file cabinet to my room. The four boxes were easy to move, but a 4-draw file cabinet wouldn't be easy to move by myself up to the second floor. So what did I buy? I bought a couple of shelving units, a storage cabinet, and a file cabinet.

Bill Paying Day

Not much to write here. I woke up tired, so I didn't do any cleaning today. I finally got up and out to pay some bills. Most importantly, I submitted my rent renewal lease. My rent will now be $1,090.00 per month. I signed for a two-year lease. I'm really going to try to put some money aside each month so that I'll have enough money to move when my lease is up. I really like where I live, but I don't like paying so much money for rent. Hopefully, I will be able to save some money each pay period for the next couple of years.

Cleaning - Part 1

Today, I finally got around to doing a some serious cleaning of my apartment(furniture moving, wall washing type of cleaning). I tackled my bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The last room to clean will be the living room and the hallway. Once the living room is done, I will be able to put my exercise bike together.

Yep, that's the blog for today.

Salem's Lot

Well, today was a bust. I wanted to clean my apartment so that I can unpack the exercise bike and resume my (modified) liquid diet. Unfortunately, I didn't do much today. I finished reading the last one-third of the Stephen King book "Salem's Lot". It was long, it gave a lot of details that bored me. It also took a very long time to get started. The strange thing is that the book wasn't in any way shape or form scary. It was interesting, and it did hold my attention. However, a part of me wonders if I would have finished reading the book if I wasn't on vacation. Instead of a roller coaster ride that "The Da Vinci Code" seemed to me. Although the "Lot" book was written nicely. I got the impression of it being more of a slow drag that started and stopped along the way. Now (before I invest in "Under the Dome"), I want to read "Misery". I'll read that book when school resumes. I want to see if I can get through it when I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. That's another book that is suppose to be scary, and the movie definitely leaves that impression.

Anyway,now that I've finished the book, I'm going to watch the 1979 movie on YouTube. There was also a 2004 movie, but my online search has told me that main parts have been changed.

My next summer read will be the novelization of the DC comic series "Infinite Crisis".

Post Date - Monday, August 9, 2010 6:00PM

Brunch & Another Black Bag

Today, I went to a brunch organized by another social networking group. The brunch started at 11:30AM. It was nice. However, the organizer wants to charge $20 for membership to the group. One of the assistant organizers (who doesn't want the group to charge a fee) invited me. Although they were a nice group, I don't want to pay $20 to join a group, that I might not participate in very often. Besides, I have 3 groups of my own.

After the brunch, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I walked around the area a bit. On an impulse, I bought yet another little black bag(see attached photo). I liked it because it it small and has several small pockets. Right now, my messenger bag doesn't have a pocket for my cell phone, so it is kept in the main section, but when it rings, I have to stop, dig, and search for the phone. Doctor Oz mentioned on his TV show that men shouldn't kept their cell phones on their waist to limit the radiation. That's only a minor reason for me, mainly I don't feel comfortable with it out. I worry about it getting stolen, but mainly I worry about losing it.

After walking around 14th street, I decided to walk down to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal at the tip of Manhattan Island (about 3 miles according to Google Maps). I took the bus back uptown.

Post Date - Sunday, August 8, 2010 10:26PM

Doctor's Visit

Today it was time for my yearly medical check-up. I tried to schedule it during the summer. I also try to schedule it for as early as possible since I can't eat anything the morning of the check-up. I had my appointment for 10AM, and by 12noon, I was finished. Results:

* The results of the groin complaint yielded nothing. The test showed no damaged or any warning signs. My doctor suggested that it must have been a pulled muscle.

* I'm being put back on water pills to try lowering my blood pressure. It was also suggested that I start taking one aspirin per day to lower my BP. I'm still on the border. My BP was about 122/80.

* I gained about 5lbs. since my last visit (3 weeks ago). I was doing okay with the liquid diet, but after my doctor said to modify my liquid diet, I quit the liquid diet, but I've been lazy about resuming. Each week, I've been "going to start soon".

After the medical checkup, I went to visit my foster father. After the visit, I decided to go for a bus ride downtown. Since my air-conditioner isn't hooked up(it has been sitting in my closet unused for the past 3 years), and I didn't feel like sitting under a fan. I decided to take a ride on the city bus. Since I got on the bus near the beginning of the route, I was able to get a good seat. The air-condition was at a good temperature(not too cold). From about 125th street to 23rd street(the bus went out of service for some reason), it took about an hour due to traffic. But since my goal was just to sit in the air-conditioning, I didn't mind the pace. I was reading Stephen King's "Salem's Lot".

Salem's Lot.
Now, I'm about half-way through the book. The writing seems nice. I like the way he describes the characters and the settings. He gives a lot of details to help the reader create mental pictures. So why is this book so boring? At the halfway mark, the idea of vampires is only now just being suggested. Only suggested! There has been about 3 or 4 "disappearances" in the story, but nothing tied to vampires. Also, there are waay too many characters for someone like me to keep track off. I can handle a story with 5 or 6 characters in a single location. But, I don't have the mental capacity to keep track of an entire town, an entire cast of characters (past and present). King switches from present to past and back again, without any clues. It's after reading two or three pages that I have to stop and guess if this is past or present. Every time a character appears, I spend too much time guess (and searching previous pages) to find out who is this character. It's not a bad book. I just don't think it is for me. Strange though, it still seems to be holding my interest. I think reading this book during the summer was a good idea. I probably would have stopped reading it if I was doing my regular commuter reading.**

** I did take a sneak peak at a couple of clips from the 1979 movie on YouTube. I love YouTube!!! I resisted reading the summary on Wikipedia. I have a bad habit of jumping to the back of a book and reading the last chapter, or reading the summary on Wikipedia. And of course, losing interest after I know how it ends. I now know who the boy is traveling with the main character (mentioned briefly at the beginning of the book, then not mentioned [directly] again...at least not to the halfway point). I also know how the "love story" aspect will probably end. It is strange that a horror book that (to me) isn't scary; it is somewhat boring(to me), it seems way over my head in terms of readability, and knowing key parts of the story (from YouTube), hasn't caused me to want to stop reading the book. Strange.

It is also strange that I still want to read King's "Under the Dome". I've already decided to use my Christmas Club money to buy myself an upgraded cell phone with a touch screen. I'm also thinking about getting an E-Reader. I've had a Christmas Club account for the past couple of years, but each year the funds are automatically rolled over into my regular account and just seems to disappear. This year (October 1st), I either go Christmas shopping for myself early, or I withdraw the funds so it doesn't disappear. For those of you who might be wondering, why is he thinking of himself for Christmas presents? Because, I've always been more of a giver on Christmas, and my "returns" are usually much, much less than the amount I've spent on others. The exchange doesn't bother me too much (it is the season for giving). However, now that I'm getting older, I think it is time that I added myself to my own Christmas List. Last year, I spend about $300 on gifts. Last year, I don't remember, but I think I received $60(cash) and a cover for a weekly (or monthly) planner I didn't have. I did eventually buy a planner for the cover, but I haven't used it once. The year before, I think I got $100 (cash) and a thermo-shirt. This year, I want I gift that I will like, use, and remember.

Oh, and I need to put that exercise bike together. Yep, it is still sitting by the door (unopened).

Post Date - Friday, August 6, 2010 3:08PM

Dental Visit

Today I had a dental appointment. I wasn't too pleased with the experience. Although I haven't had an appointment in about 5 years, I've never had an experience that was painful or uncomfortable....until now. I chose this dentist because I received a postcard a couple of years ago (yep, I still had it after two years.) I also liked the location of the practice (a nice office complex near my home).

Anyway, the visit started off nicely. I had to stand in a room with a lead bib under a machine that rotated around my head. That was cool. Then, I was escorted to the back room to the more familiar dental room. After the dental assistant had me prepped and ready for another x-ray???(including the lead bib). She informs me that the dentist wouldn't be able to start until I paid the $125 for the appointment. So yes, I had to get up and have the lead bib removed so that I could pay. Then everything was put back on. I do have insurance, but not all the paperwork is filled out, so I decided to pay now and be reimbursed later.

The cleaning.
In the past, I remember a white straw-like vacuum being hooked to the corner of my mouth while the dentist did the cleaning. Today, the dental assistant had a silver hose what looked like a dime in diameter (holding the silver part with both hands with the tubing coming from over her shoulder. It looked like she had dragged in a household vacuum slung over her shoulder. Question? Has dental surgery really progressed in the past five years where a simple hooked-typed vacuum is replaced by the need for a human being doing nothing but hold a vacuum? The problem? She wasn't really doing a good job. Occasionally she would dab the vac, but most of the time, she just stood there holding the vacuum. The saliva bubbled up and out of my mouth but she just stood there holding the vacuum in place. The dentist? He was digging and scrapping with the drill like a carpenter digging for termites. I guess basically, I felt he didn't have nice bedside manners. It seemed like my mouth was just a thing he was working on. I've never had that experience before. I felt the dentist was being too heavy-handed. Shouldn't the dentist have let the drill do the work? I don't think force was required to remove plaque or tartar, when you have a drill.

When the dentist finished, he told me that my wisdom tooth might need to come out because "food was collecting back there." He also told me that I have serious abrasions on several teeth. I told him it was due to me brushing my teeth too hard. Every dentist I've ever been too were the ones to tell me that. I was alway told to brush with less force. What did this dentist say?

"Do you want me to bond them? That looks serious. It could get worse. I'll charge you $50 per tooth. I normally charge $75 per tooth".

I said no thank you, maybe next time. When I got to the receptionist, she told me she didn't have change and could I go to the store a few doors down to get change". When I returned, she was finished typing a letter for me. Yep a letter. When I arrived I had mentioned that since I didn't have insurance at the moment, I would need a receipt so that I could put in a request at a later time. Well, what I got was a receipt on one of the slip from the cheap receipt booklets you can find at some $.99 shops. I know because I bought a receipt booklet from a 99 shop a few years ago. Anyway, I was given the none descript receipt along with the letter stating that I had received dental services. A business card was enclosed in the letter "just in case you have to send in more proof". The receptionist asked if I wanted to make an appointment for my next visit, but I said no, I had the check my schedule. I will make another appointment in 6 months, but I will try another dentist.

After the dental visit, I should have returned home and cleaned my apartment, but here in New York, the weather report was predicting another HOT day. I felt the heat waiting at the bus stop, so after stopping off at the post office (the property owner of the apartment I live in sent the new lease by certified mail). Anyway, after the post office, on an impulse, I decided to go to the mall to beat the heat. This time, I went to a mall I hadn't been to before. I went to the Galleria in White Plains. The plan was to walk around (in the air conditioning), and maybe see a movie.

The first thing I liked was that the bus ride was only an hour. The other malls mentioned here take about 2 hours (usually two trains, or a train and a bus) when factoring wait times. The second thing I liked was that it had China Max (formally Panda Express).

Unfortunately, this location is more "Americanized". There was a lot more grease in the food than the other locations. Even the green beans which were practically raw, still were dripping in grease. This meal didn't taste as good as the others. Also, I discovered that this mall didn't have a movie theater. The movie theater was actually located in another mall. I say another mall because
1. the place had a different name
2. it was located about two city blocks away with no connecting tunnel or bridge.

From a shoppers point of view, this is a great shopping place. I think all of the big names are in this area. I also think there are actually three (yes, three different malls) right near each other. There is also a transit hub nearby, so it is a nice place. I should have been wowed by the sight of the three malls. But, when it is over 90-something degrees, and one purposely goes out of his way to get out of the heat, one does not want to walk two blocks in blistering heat to hop from one mall to another. Well, that's just first impression disappointment. Instead of getting love at first sight, I'll have to learn to love this location.

I didn't event get a chance to explore. I get caught up in Barnes and Nobles (first in the hobby section, then in the teacher's section). I was really trying to not spend money I don't have, but in the end, I caved. So, some of my bills will be late again this month. Although I am please that I did put some things back.

Instead of listing the items, I'll just attach a photo.

After B&N, I wandered around Target Store. I did eventually find the movie theater. I was going to see Cats and Dogs, but I liked their movie prices. In Manhattan, I would pay $18 for 3D, but at this Mall (City Center), the price was $12 for a matinee(the price of 2D in Manhattan).



Post Date - Thursday, August 5, 2010 12:43AM

Lazy Summary

I've been in my lazy summer mode. I'll try to recollect the past couple of days:

Monday
After sleeping most of the morning away. I decided to go for a walk downtown. I took the Metro-North express train into Grand Central Station (42nd. Street). I walked to 14th Street and Union Square. I went to see the movie "Despicable Me". Although I paid for the ticket, I did use points on my movie card to order a small popcorn($6) and a small box of candy($3). Yep, those two items combined would have cost $9.00. A single hot dog would have cost $6. Normally, I don't buy food at the theater.

Back to the movie. I really liked that movie. It was very entertaining. I liked how they threw in the occasional adult humor. Adults were laughing just as much as the kids.

After the movie, I walked back to 42nd Street, and went to visit my foster father.

**I forgot to mention the drunks who rode the trains. The subway had a single drunk who talked to himself and other passsengers, and cursed God. Asking passengers if they wanted to fight him. Finally, he decided that he didn't want the train to move, so he stood between the doors so that the train doors wouldn't close. Finally, the guy got off the train expecting to be arrested, because he told the the train conductor (who came to see why the guy wouldn't move), "You're gonna arrest me". The good news was the train went express to make up for lost time. From the subway, I got on the Metro-North train, and....I got on the train that had a group of drunk guys coming from a baseball game. One guy kept getting up to check what station he was at. Another guy kept going on about how he was going to fight the conductor if he (the conductor) asked for a ticket. Both guys were very loud.
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Tuesday
Another lazy morning. Today I have a social networking event that I planned. Only one person signed up for the panel discussion at the Museum of the City of New York. The panel discussion was nice. Not great, but nice. It lasted about 2 hours. One of the panelist seem to have some interesting stories to share, but it was difficult to hear him. Near the end, the audience had to remind the guy to speak up. Overall, the event was okay. At 2 hours, I was expecting something a bit more substantial. It seemed to just be a presentation of a group of individuals who seemed to be sharing a bit of past recollections. Although the stories were nice, there wasn't much substance to them. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures.

Slideshow - Maritime Aquarium

Below is a slideshow of the photos I took at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk Connecticut.

Maritime Aquarium

Hello All. I'm tired. I didn't finish the captions for the new photos, so I'll have to do the slideshow another time. To save time, I'm going to cut and paste the my review of the event.

I forgot to mention that this isn't the NYC aquarium but the one in Norwalk, CT.

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A whole day isn't needed to see the aquarium, but with all of the exhibits (except for the very small African Penguins) in an airconditioned facility, it was a very nice experience. I didn't feel like I had to rush to "see as much as I could". It was nice stooling through the aquarium. The Metro-North ($24) ticket covered the admission into the aquarium(included the Classic IMAX show but not the 3D ride). I paid for the 3D ride, it was nice, but not worth $5.50. I was surprise at the $11 ticket price for the Shrek IMAX movie. All in all, it was a nice experience. The train ride at 47 minutes each way was also nice. I wouldn't mind going back again next summer. However (having seen everything), it won't be an all-day event. The NYC aquarium can be done in 30 minutes. This aquarium can be done in about 2~3 hours.

A Movie and Bookstore

Today, I joined a social networking group event to see "Salt". I enjoyed both the movie and the company of the group members who attended. I thought the plot, pacing, and acting were all done very nicely. The ending of the movie does leave open the possibility of a sequel, a series, or a character franchise. After the movie, three of us went to a nearby restaurant "Chipotle Mexican Grill". I thought the restaurant was a nice selection, it was able to accommodate the vegans and the non-vegans (like myself). After lunch, each person went their separate way.

I went to Barnes & Nobles. Although I have a stack of unread books at home, I still decided to buy something. As I was brousing the sci-fi/fantasy section, I continued into the horror section. Normally, I'm really not a horror fan. However, for some strange reason, I want to read Stephen King's latest book, "Under the Dome". I read a couple of chapters just to see if the book would hold my attention. Much to my surprise, the chapters I read did hold my attention -- Yes, I know the book has 1088 pages. A part of me was worried that I would lose interest in the book and not finish reading it. Also, a part of me didn't want to carry around that heavy book. In a moment of strength (I rarely have to resist an impulse buy), I decided to hold off on buying the book. I decided to buy another (smaller) King book with the idea that if I could finished the smaller Stephen King book, then I would buy the much larger "Dome" book. After lingering in the King section for awhile, I narrowed down the selection between "Misery" and "Salem's Lot". I settled on "Salem's Lot". I also purchased "Infinite Crisis - A Novel" by Greg Cox. They took a 5 or 6 issue comic book series about Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and made a novel out of it(404 pages). Interesting.

Post Date - Sunday, July 25, 2010 12:44AM

Preview

Not much to write about. For the last couple of days, I've been trying to tackle the cluster of papers, receipts, and other clutter that I've lived in, on, and over for the last couple of years. I also need to clean up my living room so that I can unpack my exercise bike and start exercising.

The attached photos are a couple of "Previews". The first photo is my computer area/dining area, finally cleared off. I've had papers, and clutter covering these surfaces for at least a couple of years. Yesterday was the first day in at least two years that I've eaten at that table. The other photo is the exercise bike. Hopefully, I will finally be able to clean my living room. Once my living room is cleaned the other rooms will be easy to clean.

Finished!!!

Another lazy day. Today was my FedEx wait day. I was waiting for my stationary exercise box. While I was waiting, I spent the day watching various court shows on TV. Is it me, or are the signals for the converter box getting worst. Sorry, I got sidetrack.

My new bike arrived about 4:30PM EST. Some assembly required. While waiting for my bike, I also FINALLY started to do some cleaning of my dirty apartment. I also finished the jigsaw puzzle "Comic Relief - The Great Escape". Yep, it was much easier on a flat surface. However, I would've had more difficulty if I didn't have the picture on the box to help.


Post Date - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 11:59PM