Old Habits WON'T Die!!!

Today, I was really out of it. I procrastinated to the very last minute. The day started with a 6:33AM call from my foster brother asking a question. That threw me off. I briefly dozed off, the went online to get the information he asked for. And as you know me, once on the computer, I become comatose. A couple of hours later, I got off the computer and...went back to sleep. I was then awaken by my foster father who wanted to point out the problems with airplanes crashing. And maybe I should cancel my trip to the west coast.

Since I was up again, I stayed up. I had laundry to do, and shopping as well. I finally made it downtown to finish some last minute shopping. I wanted a DVD case for my player. I also wanted a carrying case for my DVDs. I also bought a blanket and pillow. I was told that those are no longer provided by the airlines. Actually, the blanket is really for the bus rides coming up in the coming weeks. I can deal with a chilly airplane cabin for a few hours, but I really didn't want to be unprepared for the very long bus rides.

Aside from shopping, I also wanted to go to a cyber cafe to print out my airline e-ticket. Didn't I buy a printer a few months ago. Yes, April 2nd. It is still sitting on the floor unopened. Once school finished, I didn't bother setting up the printer since I knew I wouldn't be using it during the summer. Anyway, I thought I would be useful to go to the internet cafe and just print out what I wanted. Problem? With about 25 computers, they had them hooked up to a regular personal printer that wasn't working. So, after printing in e-ticket, nothing else would print. About 10min. was wasted with different staff trying to figure out the problem. They offered me a 15 minute credit for my next visit.

I arrived home about 11PM, and started packing. I was actually very impressed with the very neat job I did packing. Originally, my plan was to check one bag, carry on another (smaller) bag, and also have my backpack with me. Once I finished, I checked the airline website and discovered a liquid limitation. Liquid containers are supposed to be under 3oz in size and fit into a quart size transparent Ziploc bag. So, I had to dig through my bag a repack the second bag. Then, I tried to do an online check-in of my baggage. I discovered that there was a loose battery requirements, more digging and repacking. Then, yep, another requirement, baggage weight and length restrictions. After repacking again, I gave up and submit my online check-in. I have to pay an extra $40 dollars for my baggage check($15 for the first bag, $25 for the second bag. If I had a third, the fee would have jumped to $125). Problem? I still had my backpack and other items that are considered carry-on items, but wouldn't fit in my backpack. Finally, I decided that I would just repack my things yet again. Now, my backpack is packed in my smaller carry-on bag. Problem? Refunds have to be addressed at the airport. Needless to say, I'm not in a very good mood. I still haven't shaved or showered, nor clean some of the trash from my apartment. I don't want to leave dirty dishes or food trash in my apartment for the vermin to multiple in the dark silence for the time I'm away.

I stopped to vent on my blog, now that I'm feeling a bit better, I will try getting those things done. Bye for now. If everything goes well, the next time I post here it will be from the west coast.


Post Date - Friday, July 17, 2009 3:54AM

Candy Wipes

Not much to write about. I slept most of the day away. I just got up about 30 minutes ago.

Below is a link to a video for a product called Candy Wipes, they are disposable clothes in a very convenient travel size. This is one of the items I'll be adding to my travel supply list. I think they will come in very handy while I'm on the road.

So, have I tried them? Yes, it actually works. It has the look and feel of a disposable washcloth. The strength appears to be that of a Handy Wipe towel.

CANDY WIPES

Post Date - Tuesday, July 14, 2009 5:21PM

Big and Tall

Today I went to a local mall. First stop was the movie theater to see of anything was playing. I was in luck, Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs was showing within 5 minutes. The movie was cute, I enjoyed it. I also liked the theater being only about 1/4 full.

After the movie, I did a quick price check on portable DVD players. Then, to my surprise, the restaurant Panda Express was back!!! Well, the name was changed to China Max, but everything seemed the same. Same workers. Same food. The only change seemed to be a more of a fast-foodish look with the display menus.

After lunch, I went clothes shopping at JCPenny. After about 45 minutes of trying to find something I could wear, I was about to call it quits with a pair of shorts and a single shirt. Then, on the way out I discovered their "Big and Tall" section. I've never needed this section before. Oh, for those of you who don't know me....I'm not tall. After my vacation, I'm really going to have to start exercising. I left about $98 poorer. The damages:

1 belt
2 shorts
2 short-sleeved shirts
2 Tee-shirts
I was going to buy my underclothing here, but came to my senses. I knew Target would be much cheaper.

Next stop was Target. I finished with a $267.65 hole in my pocket. My list:

1 pack of undershirts
2 pack of underclothes
1 pack of socks
1 Sony DVD portable player
1 3Yr. service plan for DVD player
5 DVDs
- Epic Movie
- Disaster Movie
- Eragon
- Spiderman 3
- Jumper

Back home, I ordered Chinese takeout for dinner (Beef with Broccoli). Now, I'm about to call it a night.

Oh, the Amazon company called me to tell me that the man purse would not be available until the end of July, so I had them cancel the order. I might go shopping downtown on Wednesday for a new backpack. As for my sneakers, I don't think they stink, so I'll be keeping them a bit longer.


Post Date - Monday, July 13, 2009 11:36PM

Travel Prep.

Today was suppose to be my get away from the computer and do anything else. Well, I started to fall into my "locked in the seat mode", but eventually, I was able to get up. Today was also final day for rent payment, so I had to get up. After showering and dressing I was out about 4PM. From the rent office, I walked to the bank to deposit my tax refund and a check ($80) from jury duty. It has been about a year since I did jury duty. I never got around to cashing the check. As for my tax refund will disappear in a short time. (1), I spent my rent money with this upcoming trip. (2), There are a few more things I want to buy. I'm thinking about buying a portable DVD player. I'm not really a movie person, but it might come in handy while I'm traveling. My (approx.)traveling time is as follows(including layover time[in total]):

Plane
6 hours

Bus
Destination #1(16 hours[Layover -2hrs,15min])
Destination #2(34 hours[Layover -5hrs,20min])
Destination #3(15 hours[Layover -1hrs,30min])

As you can see, I'll have a lot of sitting time.

You know, since I planned this trip, I've never looked at the numbers. I'm still very excited about this trip, but looking at the above numbers are making me just a bit nervous. Looking at the numbers makes this seem a bit like a trial of endurance. Considering how much extended time I've spent in front of this computer (yesterday was 12 hours and the day before was about 10 hours), I should be okay. Oh, that reminds me. I was also thinking about getting a Netbook (a mini laptop). If I had a Netbook, I could breeze through the bus rides. The cheapest is about $300(not including taxes and extras).

Anyway, I've looked a couple of DVD players, I'll see next week.

I got sidetracked. My originally blog entry was suppose to included my observations of bad parenting of three different parents in the check cashing place I went to pay my ConEd & telephone bills. I'll just say it was a headshaker. The only thought that that kept replaying in my mind was that these kids would someday be "the personalities" in my classroom with the parents telling me how they don't know how their kids turned out the way they did.

Since I sat in front of my computer for the last couple of days for more than 10 hours each day, I did some walking. I also went grocery shopping. When I returned home, to my surprised, I cooked dinner. I haven't cooked in several months. Yep, several months. When? Probably the last time I posted a photo of my dinner here on this blog. So for the regular readers of this blog, the last time you remember seeing a dinner photo on this blog was the last time I rattled pots and pans in my kitchen. As I was cooking, I told myself that I wouldn't clean the dishes until tomorrow. Imagine my surprise when I washed the dishes and put the extra food away right after eating. I had pasta with a meat sauce. I added ground turkey meat with the jar of pasta sauce. After dinner, I downloaded more songs to my MP3 player. Did I mention in a previous blog of buying two new Napster music cards. Each card allows me to download 60 songs to my MP3 player. Well, I just finished one of the cards. Now, I have about 120 songs on my MP3 player. As I'm writing this blog, I am listening to my Napster online playlist.

You know, this blog was suppose to be about my Go Card & guidebook, but I completely forgot about them. Oh well, it's too late now. I'll just post a picture of the pair. Now, that I have them, I will be able to better plan my LA adventure...I hope.


Post Date - Saturday, July 11, 2009 12:40AM

On second thought, since this blog entry isn't about the ...skip it. I'll just post another picture from the internet. (12:45AM)

Los Angeles

Instead of going to bed early. I started doing more online surfing for the first leg of my summer trip - Los Angeles.

If I had more time, I would have done a more thorough search, but I got lazy. I had already visited the LA metro trip planning website, and the Los Angeles tourism website, so walking around LA, wouldn't be that big of a deal. But, then I found out about the "LA Go Card", it is a pass that allows the bearer access to various attractions. I didn't really crunch the numbers the way I should, but I think it was a good investment.
1. it will help guide my exploration of LA.
2. it will make my first LA trip more enjoyable.

At first, my plan was just to do the walking exploration of LA. Before I found the Go Card, I had already made a list of the LA areas accessible by mass transit. In other words, seeing LA on the cheap. However, wanting to take a couple of tours, and visit Universal Studios, the GO Card seemed like a good investment. If I had a few weeks available in LA, then I would have more time to explore LA on the cheap using public transportation.

I'll be in LA for about 6 days (2 half days [arrival day and departure day] and 4 full days). I purchased the 3 day Go Card(about $183 including $15 express delivery and a 47 page guidebook and map of the LA area).

Preliminary Itinerary:
Universal Studios
Movie Stars Homes Tours
NBC Television Studio
CBS Studio City Tour
Wax Museum
Santa Monica
Downtown "Little Tokyo" LA Metro Adventure*
Long Beach Metro Adventure*
Hollywood Metro Adventure*
* The Metro Adventures are those adventures that were provided from the Metro website accessible by taking the LA public transportation with day passes.

Once my guidebook and (more importantly)LA map, I will try to finalize my LA trip itinerary.

After LA, I'll take a bus to Salt Lake City. I will be meeting Max one of the other bloggers who frequently leaves comments on my blog. Oh, and Paperback is another blogger I'll be meeting in Salt Lake City. Max's offer to show me around Salt Lake City (Utah) was the orginal reason for my trip west. I added LA when I found out the plane ticket to LA would cost the same as one to Salt Lake City.

Next, my preliminary itinerary for Salt Lake City...Then, one more stop before I return home to NYC.


Post Date - Wednesday, July 8, 2009 12:53AM

Man Purse or Murse

A slow day of surfing and sleeping. So far, that tornado through Kansas has been delayed. Not much to write about. Last night I went shopping online for my upcoming trip west. I was looking for a backpack, but I got hung up on the many, many choices available. I'll be gone about 3 weeks, so my over night duffle bag won't be enough. I'll be traveling to the west coast on a plane. I'll be returning NYC by bus. This will really be my first trip (inside the US) outside of this east coast area. At this point, Washington DC has been the farthest I've traveled from NYC. How should I pack for 3 weeks, I'm not sure. I'm learning as I go along.

Anyway, in terms of packing, my plan was to pack a semi-large duffle bag as checked bag, and a backpack as a carry on bag. However, when I finished searching Amazon.com, the bill came to about $350 before taxes and shipping. No, I didn't spend that amount. I realized I would have to delete some items. Normally, I'm a backpack person. It is very difficult for me to leave my apartment empty-handed. For awhile I've been wanting a stylish mini pack that didn't look like a man purse. I also didn't want a fanny pack. I have enough junk in my truck, I don't need attention drawn to it. I really don't want a man purse. I like the messenger bags, but too big. I needed something big enough to carry a paperback book, tickets, maps, mini umbrella, camera, my wallet, etc...

I may have finally found the answer to my murse problem. It looks cool (to me). It is not too big. And it doesn't look like a purse. I will cut and paste a photo from Amazon.com. Now, my problem is having the mini pack arrive in time. According to the Amazon site, the delivery date will be very close. I also purchased a luggage cart. I was tempted to buy nice duffle bag with wheels, but having to travel by bus and being responsible for the moving of my luggage with layovers, I wanted ease of travel. With the luggage cart that is foldable. I can unfold it and put my luggage on it. When I don't need it, it folds up and will fit (or I will certainly make it fit) in my large checked bag.

Well, I better go. If I go to bed early, maybe I can bring on that tornado mentioned in a previous blog. One of the things I want is to return from my vacation to a clean apartment.


Post Date - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 10:07PM

This morning, my legs were still bothering me from the walking that I did yesterday, so I decided to not do anything. I spent most of the day surfing, and watching daytime TV. I watched the court programs (Judge Judy and the others).

I also surfed. I spent about a half an hour trying to find the nearest train station to the Professional Developement class that starts next week. 30 credit hours starting at 8am. To get to the school in Queens, I will have to leave about 6am. Luckily the class is only for one week (8am to 3pm), I should be able to manage. The class is supposed to teach basic computer applications for the classroom teacher. A class I really need to take. Anyway, I tried to use the Google and then the Yahoo maps to try to find the nearest train station, but the maps were a bit too sophisticated for me and my computer. Everytime a map loaded, my computer would freeze, or the program kept saying that the school address could not be recognized. Finally, I just settled for the MTA's travel planner website.

http://tripplanner.mta.info/

The MTA's travel planner was much, much easier to use. Starting location, and end location. You can choose arrival time or departure time to help you with your planning.

I also did a bit more shopping with Amazon.com. I also explored the zipcar website:

www.zipcar.com

I found an article in the Monday, July 9, 2007 Daily News newspaper. So what is "zipcar"? A company that lets you rent a car by the hour. All this time, I've struggled without a car. You pay a $50 dollar membership fee, and they charge about $8 to $10 per hour to rent a car. It would be great to have a car for those weekly errands like shopping, or going to the mall or movies. Unfortunately for me, the nearest company lot is 6 stations away on the Metro-North Hudson Line. I sent the company an e-mail asking for a location closer to me. If I could get a location to me I would be very happy.

Finally, as I mentioned above, I spent the entire day doing almost nothing. I almost avoided rowing today. But at the last minute(10:00pm) I decided to row eventhough I really did not feel like it. This time around, I only burned 105 calories, but I am very happy that I did exercise. Hopefully, I will be able to stick with the exercise routine.

Wt. = 198.2lbs. / BMI = 29.5% / CalB. = 105

Post Date - Wednesday, July 11, 2007 2:01am