A Mini Milestone

Today I reached last stage (Stage 12) from the book "Run Your Butt Off.  I ran for a full 30 minutes without stopping.  Even though I went to bed late -- I had to finish up my students' report cards.  Last Sunday, I took some photos of the park I where I do my morning run.  It is nice to feel like I have the whole park to myself...oh and with the deer.  Yep, that deer has been returning for the last few days.  Yes, I managed to get a photo of that deer also.

Today was also the last full day of school.  Tomorrow is a half-day.  It will be THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for the 2010/2011 school year here in NYC.

Well, I'm going to end this entry now, I want to go to bed to have the strength to get up early.

I'm back...sort of.

Quick entry.  After going hog wild a for a few days last weekend, I'm back to trying to get in shape.  I had stopped my morning jogging for about three days last weekend, but I returned last Tuesday.  Currently, I'm at Stage 11 following the "Run Your Butt Off!" plan.  Today I ran for 14 minutes, walked for 1 minute, then I repeated again.  The run was okay, so much so that I ran an extra three minutes.  If the weather cooperates, I will reach Stage 12 on Monday.  Stage 12 is running for a full 30 minutes without a walk break.  Although it is taking some getting used to dragging myself out of bed, I do look forward to the morning run.  And now that summer vacation is almost here, I really do need to keep up the morning run routine.  My new plan is going to try to build up to running for an hour each day this summer.  I really can't afford to return to my lazy sleep away the summer routine.  Oh, and I also need to get a handle on my eating habit.  Without the liquid diet, I'm slowing gaining back the pounds I lost.  I'm now up to 222lbs.  Right now however, my focus is on finishing up the school year.  Next week is the last week of school. 

I better go.  I need to get ready for bed soon so that I have to strength to get up for my morning run.

Wicked

Yesterday was my second Broadway show.  I almost missed it.  I was returning to my "eat/sleep away the weekend" mode.  I wasn't in the mood to see the show.  But since I already had my ticket and I was the one who had planned the social networking event, I decided to go anyway.  Once again, no one signed up, so I was going solo. 

I arrived with a minute to spare.  I paid for an obstructed view, so my ticket was a bit cheaper than others.  The view wasn't  that bad.

Anyway, at 2hrs and 45minutes (almost three hours), I thought the show was very nice.  I'm not really a musical kind of guy, but I thought it was a nice show.  I enjoyed "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" more.  For someone like me, I need a hook to enjoy a musical (for the "Desert" it was the songs).  For "Wicked", I enjoyed the retelling of a familar story most know so well.  Now, I want to read the book.  After doing a Google search, I just discovered that there are about 40 stories of Oz adventures.  From Wikipedia, I learned that the original author wrote about 15 of the first part of the series.  Another author wrote the next 15 books in the series.  And various other authors wrote the remaining books in the series.  I had no idea this book was a series or a cash cow.  I did a quick search  on Amazon.com to see if they had a complete collection of the series.  Yes, they did.  However, the bound books are a collection minus the illustrations.  I think I would like to have the series -- only the first part written by the original author.  I'm not interested in the cash cow continuation.  I'll have to try reading the original book I bought a few months ago.  I was bored by it then.  However, I'll see if I can get into the book again.  If I can enjoy the first book, then I think this would be a good series to get on an electronic reader.  I'm still holding out for an e-reader.   The Stephen King book "The Dome" is also on my to read list.  However, I don't want to get an e-reader until I finish reading  the paperback books I already have.  And yet, I keep buying more books.  It will be quite awhile before I get an e-reader, unless I buy one on an impulse.

Anyway, I was entertained by the show.  And I was lucky enough to have a seat right by the exit with the bathroom.  With my second Broadway show, I'm learning that it pays to leave quickly to reach the bathroom, or you will have to wait on a long line (although not nearly as long as the women's line).

After "Wicked", I walked to 42nd street to see "X-men: First Class". I enjoyed the movie, despite the rowdy crowd in the theater.  It has been a long time since I've been in a theater where people talk loudly during the movie, and making loud comments during the movie.  As for the movie itself.  I thought all of the characters were well casted.  If you can get past the "creative license" the movie takes with the origins, then I think most sci-fi fans will enjoy the movie.  It isn't a great movie, but I think it is an enjoyable one.

After the movie I stopped at Midtown Comics Shop to use the 25% coupon that was in the free daily paper.  My last stop of the evening was dinner at Tick Tock Diner on 34th Street.  I had their BBQ bacon burger with waffle fries, soda, and pie with ice cream for dessert.  I won't even count the calories for that meal.  Since I haven't exercised this weekend, and I've been eating nothing healthy for the last three days,

I guess you could say that (in a way), I've been Wicked.  

I asssumed that picture taking wouldn't be allowed, so I didn't bother to take my camera.  the only photo I took was during intermission when others were taking out their cell phones. I took a photo of the stage screen.  The logo attached to this entry was taken from the internet.  My photo is the small one. 

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back...

Quick update.  Once again the title says it all.  Thursday morning started off rainy, but I didn't let that stop me.  I rode my stationary bike to keep up my daily morning exercising routine.  Unfortunately, I've had a couple of setbacks in the dieting department.  The day before,  I had a spaghetti dinner with a 5 piece chicken tender appetizer (with BBQ dipping sauce).  Friday evening I went to a retirement party for a couple of colleagues who will be retiring this year.  I ordered a baby back ribs and chicken combo plate (with a large piece of chocolate cake).  After returning home, I fell asleep on the couch and now I'm up at 2am.  Old habits die hard.  So far I haven't missed a morning of exercising since I started at the beginning of this month.  I'm about to head off to bed, and see if I have the strength to run in the morning.  If I do the run, I want to move up to a modification of Stage 9 (walk for 3 minutes/run for 12 minutes and repeat).  If I can keep up with the running routine, I should be able to run for a solid 30 minutes by next weekend.

 Later on today, I will be attending a social networking event that I planned.  The event is to see the Broadway show "Wicked" and see "X-men: First Class" afterwards.  Unfortunately, no one signed up, so I will be seeing the shows alone.

Quick Update

Quick update.  Yesterday, I didn't do too well with my calorie consumption.  I did better, but still over my maximum daily goal.  Yesterday I had a total of 1,790cal.

Today was a bit better.  I told myself that I had to stop eating with my old habits of trying to fill up the belly.  Results?

7am - 200cal. Quaker Instant Grits
11am - 70cal. V8
12pm - 200cal. Campbell's low sodium Chicken Noodle Soup
7pm - 730cal. Healthy Choice Steamer (Spicy Chicken), Minute Rice(cup), & Stonyfield smoothie.
----------------
Total = 1,100 calories

I am also still sticking with the running.  I am currently at the 9 minute run / 3 minute walk (repeated 3x).  Oh, and today, I saw a young deer walk onto the sport's field as I did my running.  It keep an eye on me as I ran around the perimeter of the field, but it didn't run away. 

Now, I'm going to head to bed. 

Summer vacation is almost here.  Yippee!!!

The attached photo was taken off of the internet.  However the deer I saw was very similar. 

The End

This blog entry will be short.  The title says it all.  I knew it.  Once I had the taste of food, the liquid diet was history.  Today, I decided to end the liquid diet.  I was dying for something hot, greasy, and fattening.  KFC was calling. Once the idea popped into my head, I couldn't get it out.  For dinner, I had a KFC dinner, and needless to say, I went over my daily calorie limit.  Below are the damages:

1, 440cal. - 2pc. chicken dinner (leg and thigh with a biscut)
570cal. - mashed potatoes with gravy (less than1cup)
640cal. - Cole Slaw (also about less than a cup)
80cal. - Green Beans
250cal. - Soda (about 16oz.)
300cal. - Welch's Grape Juice (about 16oz. [I was still thirsty])
-----------
Dinner came to about 3,280cal. alone

Today I also had an imitation (store brand) Ensure and a V8
250cal. ShopRite Energy Drink (8oz.)
70cal. - V8 (11.5oz.)
-----------

Total Calories consumed today (assuming I don't eat or drink anymore tonight) is
3,600cal.

So, what is the next step now?

The liquid diet is dead for now.  I will still stick with "being on a diet".  My goal now is to count calories and grams of sugar.  I will try to stick with the calorie numbers I've been working with while one the liquid diet.  And barring any injuries, I will of course continue with the morning running.

Relapse

I lost about 14lbs.  I've been keeping up with the running, I'm now at Stage 6 (walking for 3 minutes, running for 7 minutes, repeating 2x).  As for the liquid diet, I was doing okay until today,  for some reason I couldn't take the liquid anymore.  I had a bit of an eating binge.  For dinner, I had 2 Healthy Choice Dinners, and one Stonyfield smoothie.  In total, I ate about 1,000 today.  I'm a bit disappointed, but not too upset, since I managed to stay within my target daily calorie intake goal.  Hopefully, I will be able to get back on track for the liquid diet.  My plan was to finish this Friday.

Quick Update

Quick update.  For those that are interested, I am still on my diet/exercise routine.  To keep with the new schedule, I haven't been going online.  In the past, a quick online visit would usually throw off my motivation, and a quick visit turns into several hours later.  Even now, I should have just prepped for bedtime. 

Quick Summaries:

I'm not doing my run/walk in the neighborhood park.  I walk/run around the two baseball fields.  My body has been adjusting to the walk/run a bit too quickly.  By the second day, I start to lose focus and motivation.  Now, instead of stickly with the book's pacing of one stage per week, I'm going to move up the stages every two or three days.  Tomorrow, I'm going to go to stage 4 (30 minutes of 3 minute walk, 3 minute run [or what I've been calling the "turtle trot"])

On an impulse, I visited one of the old social networking sites and replied to a profile that I've replied to before.  Much to my surprise, he responded.  It turns out the guy lives in the very next block.  We walked around downtown for a couple of hours, we had a lot in common.  It would have been cool to have someone in the neighborhood who shared similar interests.  Unfortunately, we had different ideas about friendship.  After my refusal to see friendship the way he did, I think he lost interest. After first planning to do another walk around, the epal ended the last text message with "have a great day".

My new black backpack arrived within about 3 days.  There was a bit of a mixup at the post office, but I finally have it.  The bag looks nice, however, I am a bit put off by the number of buckles and clips on it.  I'll try it out and see how it is.

Well, I better go.  I should have been in bed, but I thought I should do a quick entry letting the two or three people who read this blog know that I am still in the game so to speak.  I started my liquid diet on June 1st, and I still have managed to stick with it.  The problem?  Even though I am staying withing the suggested calorie intake of 1,784 calories per day, I don't seem to be losing weight.  The morning walk/run really isn't burning many calories (probably due to my body needing to adjust to the running.  I am going to try to use my stationary bike starting tomorrow in the evenings.  Once I'm able to do a consistant cardio workout for 30 minutes or more, I think I'll start to see the results.

Day 2

Day 2 of my diet and exercise program.  I did my exercise (walking and running) in the neighborhood park.  Bed time now...so I can be able to get up about 4:45am.

Day 1

After a bit of a restless night, I was able to get up and start the running program.  Stage 2 (walk for 4 minutes and run for 1 minute, then repeat four more times).  I started about 5AM and finished about 30 minutes later.  I'm glad I started at Stage 2, I don't think I would have had the strength to do Stage 3 (walk for 3 minutes and run for 2 minutes).  Basically, I ran up and down the residential block I live on.  There is a small park very near me, but unfortunately, it is on the side of a mountain, so the whole park is basically built on a slope.

After the walk/run, I decide to relax by soaking in the bathtub.  With a full day to go, I didn't want to stiffen up.  After the bath, I was moving slow, but I wasn't in any pain.

I also started my new liquid diet today.  My goal is to use the liquid diet to break old eating habits.  After the two weeks is over, I'm hoping I'll be able to retrain myself to better portion controls.  In total today, I drank about 1,140calories today.

It is getting late.  I need to end this entry now, so I can get to bed to repeat the workout for day two.

The Night Before....

This will have to be brief. Well....

Tomorrow is June 1st. I am suppose to start a new exercising and dieting routine. Today, I picked up my order from the post office from Amazon.com. See the attached photo to get a sneak peak at my new exercise routine....

Yep, that's right. I'll be trying to run. Also,....

My plan is to do it in the morning before work. Too many times, I've had false starts with waiting until the end of the day. However, I'm always too tired. Actually, the main reason for doing the running in the morning is to minimize the embarrassment of running at 230lbs. Hopefully, I'll have the strength to get out of bed early to follow the program. AND...Be able to arrive to work early.

Basically, the running plan is a 12 step program that combines running with walking. By the end of 12 weeks, a participant should be able to run for 30 minutes. Stage 1 is walking for 30 minutes. Since I don't have any problem with walking long distances for an hour or two, I'm skipping Stage 1. I would like to skip Stage 2 (Walk for 4 minutes, Run for 1 minute. And repeat for four more times), but I don't want to over do it. So, I'll be starting with Stage 2.

The little red pad in the photo will be the notebook I'll use to help me keep track of the food and exercising so that I can put it onto the diet website mentioned in the previous blog entry.  I'm not really good at counting calories, but I will try.  The site computed that I will have to stay within about 1,780 calories per day if I want to reach my targeted goal of losing 60lbs by December 27, 2011. 

I gotta go.  I also need to be in bed by 10PM.  Changing my bad sleep habits is also a goal I'll need to work on.

Another Little Black Bag

I just purchased yet another little black bag.  In this case, it is a back pack(pronounced "Molly").  I've tried the messenger bag, but I want to go back to the backpack.  After a bit of internet searching, I purchased this pack from Amazon.com.  It should arrive in about 2 weeks. 

It has been a while since my last posting.  And not much new.  Oh, I do plan to start another exercise/diet plan.  My appologies to those who received a strange email from a dieting website.  When I registered (on an impulse), I added about 5 names and email addresses of those who I thought might be interested in the site/friending me as I went through the plan.  I was planning to send another email to explain the diet site, but being the procrastinator, I never did. I thought it would be similar to Blogger, but now I think it is more like Facebook.  With Blogger anyone can follow your blog entries, however with Facebook, you have to register to have access.  No need to register, I'll keep updating my progress on this blogging page.

At this point, I could go into the new diet/exercise routine I'm planning to start on June 1st, but having done the "New Plan" thing for quite some time now, I'm going to just fill in the details as I go through them.  I hope.  However, I will mention that I also recently purchased a metronome.  I've wanted one for years and I've finally purchased one.  Why?  In the past, I've been so easily distracted that I often lose focus with reps and pacing.  Whether I was rowing, running, or on my stationary bike, I would often find myself barely keeping up a steady pace.  Usually, programs will say to maintain a certain heartrate, but more often than not once I'm into a physical routine, my mind starts wandering and I barely seem to be doing much of any sweating.  I'm hoping the metronome will help me keep a consistant pace while I'm exercising.  It also has an earphone jack, so I won't disturb others.
I just did a quick YouTube search -- not really expecting to see the metronone.  Imagine my surprise when the exact metronome I purchased had a video clip.  So of course I have to attach it.

Military Pen Pal - Update

Quick entry.  Today was the last day of my spring break, so what did I do?  What I always do.  I waited until today to do 6 loads of wash at the laundromat.  I went shopping for items to send my military pen pal in Afghanistan.  Of course I went way over budget.  I ended up spending about $300.  My original plan was to send off a large box of snacks, food, and activities.  But considering how much I spent, I'm now going to ration out the items so that I'll be able to ship a care package each month for several months.  While I was shopping I was thinking about what the soldier might want.  But Red Bull, did a really need to buy that.  Since I waited until the last minute, I won't be able to send off a box until the weekend.  I settled for writing an introduction letter.  I'll put it in the mailbox tomorrow on my way to work.

I'm back...from nowhere.

I think the title says it all.  I wasn't in the blogging mood, so I stopped for a while.  What did you miss?  Well, minus work related topics, incidents, etc... nothing was missed.  In fact, you could have reread any of the previous posts (substituting the date for the current date) and you would have a fairly accurate summary of the past 4 months.  The only real  change is my waistline.  I'm now about 230lbs.

So, what else is new?

I just made another impulse purchase on Amazon.com.  Once they have your credit card info, some of us are just one click away from the poor house.  Latest purchase?  The Total Home Gym 1800.  I watched an infomercial that I've seen in on form or another.  I got online to see how much it cost, and one click later, I'll have my machine in about a week.  So what happened to the expensive clothes rack (exercise bike)?  It has been collecting dust as a...a clothes rack.

Other new information?  I adopted a soldier.  Another impulse.  Bored at the computer, having failed with the online pen pal request both near and far, I decided to try another route.  I would try find a pen pal with a soldier.  The other option was prison, but well,...I'm not that desperate.  Anyway once I had the idea, I thought it would be no problem to find a program that would match civilians stateside with soldiers overseas.  Well, nothing seems easy after committing to an idea.  After searching various sites that just didn't seem right, I found one that I thought was exactly what what I was looking for.  Well, being the slow person I am, it took me a while to register, a while to figure out how to enter the site, but I managed.  I just assumed that the fee they were asking and the difficulty was to protect the soldiers.  Only after registering (making my payment) did I guess that it was a dating site, I'm guessing to match soldiers with civilians.  No one was interested in being pen pals.  Oh, except for the 3 different women who posted seeking long-term relationship on their profile.  Although two of the responders seem to have faded away, one woman seems to be a bit too eager to provide that she is only looking for a friend.  Although she seems very nice -- I do wish her the best of luck with find a pen pal that will make her happy.  Just from the few emails we've exchanged, I can tell we have ZERO similarities.  I'll just leave it at that.

Well, I tried again, but this time I think I might have found the correct type of site.  This one was fairly easy to register and has a fairly easy requirement.  I only have to send one letter once a month to the soldier that I've been assigned to.  There was another nice site, but it required one letter per week.  I like the idea of sending a letter per week, but I'm too much of a procrastinator, and I would rather not make that kind of commitment.

Yesterday, I was approved for the program.  I received my soldier's information.  Considering they didn't ask much during the registration, I'm guessing my soldier was just a random pick from a list.  So, what information did I receive?  The soldier's name, age, rank, location, start and end dates of deployment, and the soldier's needs and wants list.  Wow, kind of like a prison.  Sorry about that.

Below is a cut and paste of the soldiers information:

> Rank:
> Branch: Army
> age: 28
> birthdate:
> dateDeployment:
> ReturnDate:
> Mail Stop Date: Jan. 1, 2012
> location:
> Hobbies: general
> needs: Batteries "AA" foot/body powder body wash razors baby wipes Q-tips sun block chap stick with spf
> wishes: sweets electic razor word puzzle books DVD's Beef Jerky books chips

Seems like very reasonable requests from a soldier on the front line.  I left out the specific information about the soldier.  Oh and no, I am not a war person, far, far, faar from it, but this seems like an easy way to show support for those men and women overseas.

Anyway, I wrote a quick letter yesterday just so I don't fall into the procrastinator's pit.  Once I commit to something, then I tend to be dependable and reliable.  Tomorrow, I'll head out and try to pick up as much of things listed as I can.  I will also add in a few second-hand items I have -- I hope he doesn't mind the second hand items.

As you readers of my blog already know, I can waste money like there is no tomorrow. But if this program is legit -- to save myself the embarrassment in case it isn't, I left out the program's information. If it turns out to work okay, then I'll provide more information.

Oh, I just received an email saying that my registration is completely approved (I had difficult also with this site).

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!