Why so Quiet?

I've been caught up in a "new" activity that I've been devoting a tremendous amount of time to. It has even gotten in the way of my crocheting/knitting time. If I could only get rid of work and the amount of time I spend online (I need to cut that down; it's getting in the way), then I would have all the time in the world to do both activities. The reason I'm choosing today to tell you about it is because it's been exactly a month since I started.

I was really sad and angry on September 11th. I tend to do several things when I feel this way. I either stay in bed, eat, or work out. Usually when anger is involved, I try to get rid of it as fast as possible. I don't like that feeling to linger around. The best way to release the anger is by working out. I started exercising again!!

This time around, I wanted to remain quiet about it. I'm always telling you how I'm going to workout and never do it. I'm tired of letting you down and most importantly, myself. I decided that I would start working out and once it's become a routine (which usually takes about 4 to 5 weeks), I would let you in on it. So, it's been 5 weeks and I'm feeling great! I've already lost 2 inches around my waist and don't get winded when I'm running up the stairs.

Not only have I started working out, but I've also started jogging. This is a huge step for me because I've never been able to jog. I've always been very active, but jogging just kicks my butt. I'm jogging/walking instead of hitting the gym. There's this beautiful parkway by where I live that is lined with green. People bring their kids and dogs here. Many people also jog around the area. It leads to the Botanical Gardens and if you make a left, you end up in the Bronx River Parkway Reservation. I've been taking my time enjoying the greenery. I'm loving jogging. Although, I think I might have overdone it on Monday, I've been feeling great. I'm taking it slowly so that I don't mess up my knees.

There are several reasons why I started jogging. First off, I think I might have gain a few pounds. My clothes are fitting tighter. I definitely need to take care of that. Secondly, jogging is something I've always been bad at. I need to condition my body to running. It is a great exercise to get into and it makes your legs look great. Thirdly, I'm tired of going to the gym. I love being outdoors. It inspires me to stay out longer. To be honest, exercising outside is very spiritual for me. I feel that everything around me is rooting me on. It's a great feeling. Last, but not least, I want to become fit for hiking. What better way to do it than to task my body by jogging? Hiking requires that your entire body be fit. Jogging takes care of that, especially the legs. I want my legs to be able to handle going up and down the mountains without burning. The last time I went hiking, my legs burned so much when I was going down the cliff that I want to make sure the burn lessens.

I'm going on a long hike in 11 days that I want to be prepared for. This hike will be about 8 miles long and take about 5 hours. There's a very steep ascent in the trail that I want to be prepared for. Jogging should prepare me for it. I'm sure I'll do fine, but I don't want to be the one that has to stop and turn around because my body can't take it anymore. I have six more jogs until the day of the hike. With the hours I have at work, I'm only able to jog 4 days a week. I might have to wake up early this Friday and Saturday and jog before my doubles at work. Six jogs might not be enough, but then again, I don't want to over do it.

Now that my secret is out, I want to keep you updated on my workouts. I think it will be a great inspiration for those that are contemplating on working out or are already working out but need moral support. Exercising is very important to me. Your body was meant to be worked out. It is extremely beneficial for all of us to workout. Obesity is a major problem in the United States and we need to do something about it. One thing is for sure, we need to move our asses!

Hiking!!

Hiking is the word of the day! Dan and I went to the Palisades Interstate Park and did the "Peanut Leap Cascade" hike. This guided tour was a first for us and definitely won't be a last. It was great! We had such a wonderful time. The weather could not have cooperated with us anymore than it did. It was sunny all through our hike. Once we finished, the day became cloudy.

This hike we took was a first in a few years. With how much I love hiking, I can't believe I let it go this long. Anyway, not only was it the first in a long time, but it was the hardest hike we've ever done. We've usually gone to Lake Tiorati Beach, which is located in Harriman State Park (right next to Bear Mountain). For the Hispanic/Latino readers, this place is better known as el parque de los siete lagos. Translation: the park of the seven lakes. There's plenty of hiking in this park, but the hikes that we've taken have been relatively easy. I've never had to worry about falling off the cliff or anything in that nature.

Not this hike!! In the description of the hike in the calendar of events, it states that there are several steep sections. When I read that, I took it pretty serious. Well, they weren't wrong about the steepness. Not only was it steep, but the sections that were steep were also right at the edge of the cliff. Let me clear things up. We hiked on the cliffs of the Hudson River. The purpose of the hike was to descend the cliff to the shoreline, which I believe is about 550 feet. So pretty much the entire time, we at the edge of the cliff. One wrong step and bye-bye.



By the time we reached the third steep section, my legs were burning so much that I worried about my legs giving in. Luckily it didn't because there were several elderly people (some in there 80s) hiking and I would have been incredibly embarrassed. When we reached the shoreline we hung out for a little bit and listened to our guide tell us the history of where we were. It was so much fun!





On our way back through the trail, we did have to go up the last steep section because we didn't have much of a choice. Now, I always prefer to go up the mountain. It's easier than going down. Let me tell you something, my heart was pounding. My legs were sore to begin with and now I had to climb. I was huffing and puffing. At one point I turned around to looked at Dan and his face was bright red. The group was pretty much quiet, except for the breathing. What a workout!

Once we got to leveled ground, we followed a different trail back to the top. We eneded up on the old 9W (that's a road that leads you through the Hudson River Valley) and walked the rest of the mile to the end of our hike. I recommend to anyone that is interested in hiking to try this out. The guided tours are great and you learn plenty of the local history. The only drawback of the tour is that you kind of have to keep up with group. So if you're interested in taking pictures, you should either do it alone or return on your own time. Missing what our guide was saying wasn't an option for us. He was great.



Check out the hiking shoes I got for my birthday:

Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, I got together with friends and coworkers to celebrate my birthday. We had a great time hanging out and enjoying some cocktails. I have to give it up to Dan's coworkers. Most of them showed up to help me celebrate! Thank you so much guys! Here is the damaging evidence:











As you could see, we had a blast. We stayed out late, which is a first for me in awhile. I'm not use to that anymore. I can't hang like I use to. I actually managed not to get anywhere near drunk or buzzed for that matter. I know, it's difficult to understand, but I didn't want to be hungover the next day. The last time I went out, I was so hungover that it ruined the next day for me. This time around I sipped on some wine (did one shot that Dan got me) and relaxed the rest of the evening. It went exactly how I wanted it to. The next morning--no hangover. I had a great time. Thanks to all those that showed up!

Since You're Wondering...

The GRE went alright. For one thing it wasn't as bad as I had envisioned, but it was still pretty difficult. I did horrible in the math section. I didn't have time to complete it. Math has always been an arduous subject for me. Oh well, it's over with. Now, I have to finish applying to school. Hopefully, once January rolls around, I'll be enrolled in school.

I can't wait for that to happen. I'm a huge nerd and love being in school. I guess I feel that way because I am accomplishing something. When I'm out of school, I don't feel as if much is going on. If I had the money, I'd be getting degrees for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Once I'm back in school, I plan to go fast and furious, which means I'll be taking a lot of courses at once. I want to get my Master's degree as quickly as possible. Having a Master's is my ticket out of my current profession. Isn't it sad that nowadays having a Bachelor's is like having a high school diploma? I remember when I was a kid having a Bachelor's was a huge deal. Forget about having a Master's! You were some smart cookie. Now, I know people who have Master's and are still waiting tables because they make more money this way than if they were working in their profession. Hopefully, that won't be the case with me.

Little Hiking but....

Man did we have a great time! We didn't hike, but we actually did some mountaineering. It was such a gorgeous day yesterday. The day was crisp and cool, but warm enough that a jacket wasn't always needed. I love being in nature. We went to Bear Mountain State Park, which is a place I hold dear to my heart. My parents would always take my sister and I there when we were kids. We always had so much fun. The park, as you could imagine, is breathtaking and enormous. There is so much to do there.

We ended up on Perkins Drive, which is a long winding road that leads you to a tower. Once you're up by the tower, you see a whole range of mountains. The view is spectacular. I absolutely loved it. All the worries in the world just vanish from your mind when you see how perfect this world really is.



If I could live near a mountain, I would be extremely happy. My ultimate dream would be to buy a home in an area like that. The fresh, crisp mountain air calms me in such a way that is hard for me to explain. I would be able to hike in my own backyard! Someday, it will happen. Until it does, I'll keep going back and take tons of pictures.



Here's me being silly:

Guess What Today Is?

MY BIRTHDAY!! My profile shows the updated age. So, you all could look because I'm not admitting how old I am. After I take my four hour GRE, I'm meeting Dan for some cocktails. Today, I won't be making the drinks, they'll be making it for me. I'm sure I'm not the only one that does this, but I celebrate my birthday for about a week. Sometimes, the celebrations last longer. It depends on the birthday and my mood.

This time around, I started celebrating last night. I got a little pizza party and a yummy Cold Stone Creamery Coffehouse Crunch ice cream cake with my favorite next door neighbors. Tomorrow, I'm suppose to go hiking with Dan (it all depends if he could take off). Saturday, is the real celebration. I'm going out for drinks with my friends. Sunday will be a recovery day. I'm not sure how I'll be when I wake up. Hopefully, I won't be so hungover that I'm out for the day. Anyway, got to go!

Vitamins

When the directions on the vitamin bottle say take with food, make sure you eat before you take the vitamin. Wow! I took my vitamin and immediately began eating my breakfast. I would say about ten minutes later, I was overlwhelmed by nausea. The nausea was so strong that I got up and ran to the bathroom. I had barely made it in when I started vomiting. I didn't even have time to lift up the seat. Thankfully, the cover was already open, which is a good thing because I wouldn't have been able to open it. Needless to say, I had a lot of cleaning up to do. This sucks!

Now, should I take my vitamin again? I'm not sure. Technically, I have nothing in my stomach, not even coffee. I think I'll steer clear from it today. I don't want to get sick again. Yuck.

September

I love September. It's my favorite month of the year. I become completely engrossed in the cooler temperatures that comes along with this wonderful month. I love the scent of autumn in the air, which has such a calming effect on me. This is the time of year that I tend to start working out, planning for the holidays, waiting for my birthday (I love my birthday), and become very savings conscious. I don't know what it is, but that is what September does for me.

September also makes me very sad. I hate it. I hate that now I also have to remember what happened five years ago. September was such a beautiful month for me, but on this day I curse how gorgeous this month could be with the bright blue skies and cooler crisp air. It is so perfect outside today like it was on that dreadful day and it makes me so sad. I can't wait for this day to end.

Desertrae

I was going to do it earlier, but I was busy writing my entrance essay for one of the schools I'm applying to. Desertrae blossomed! Here you are anonymous!



Isn't her flower beautiful? When her other buds blossom, I'll make sure to post more pictures.

Sunday was Great!

The Sun made its presence to the North East (at least NY/NJ area). Although Dan and I got a late start to our day (we were out late the night before), we made the most of this gorgeous day. For starters, I need to show you what I was looking at through my window.



Very different view from the other day? As you all know, I love autumn. Yesterday was a perfect autumn day. We headed out to Jersey, got some gas (this time we spent $36 instead of $45), and went to the Palisades Interstate Park. This park brings memories to me from when my sister and I were little kids. My parents would take us to "el parque abajo del George Washington Bridge." The park was known to us as the park under the GWB.

I guess I was too little to realize how big this park actually is. It goes all the way into New York. Not only is it huge, but it has 30 miles worth of hiking trails! I'm such a dork. I grew up around the area and never knew any of this. What a loser! Now that we've know all of this information, we're going to frequent this place very often.

Since I asked Dan for hiking boots/sneakers for my birthday, I'll be set to hike all the trails in the area. In fact, we made a date to return Oct. 1st because there is a guided hiking tour. You don't understand, I love hiking! I haven't done it in such a long time. We did walk a trail that was about a mile long that stretched along the river. We had such a great time. I regret not bringing the camera along. There would have been a lot of nice pictures.

I was checking out their calendar of events and there are hiking tours pretty much every weekend. There's even a Halloween tour! If you're interested, check this place out. There's plenty to do.

Things of Interest this Morning

I woke up, yet again, to a crummy day. The clouds are so thick and plenty that you see them rapidly moving across the sky. It seems that today we're suppose to get the worst of this weather with remnants of Ernesto. We're expecting torrential downpours. I expect many people are changing their plans for this holiday weekend.

Here's a snapshot of the sky:



Do you see those dark mean clouds? Ughhhh.

On a better note, Desertrae is about to blossom! Unfortunately, there hasn't been any sunlight for her, but it doesn't seem to stop her!



Doesn't she look wonderful?

For All the Bad Tips in the World....

This one makes up for it. Kienow, a bartender at Applebees got a $10,000 tip! Good for her! For all you cheapos out there that don't tip well (15%-20%), take a look at this article. Hopefully, it will teach you a lesson on genorosity. For those that tip well, read this article anyway. You know you're always appreciated. Thanks to you, we pay our bills.

I Know I Asked for Autumn, but

Man, does it have to keep on raining? I don't mind it when it rains. Crappy weather is always a good reason to stay home and snuggle in bed. The problem is how often do you get to stay home when it doesn't stop raining? Not that often! The gray skies are getting to me. I'm not sure if it's a combination of being tired, working way too many hours, and the rain, but I cannot stop sleeping. Last night, I went to bed at 9:45 and woke up at 9:30. Since I have brown velvet curtains in my bedroom, it's dark in there no matter what. I could sleep in for hours.

The only break in the rain forcasted is tomorrow. I took a peak at the 10-day forcast and it will continue raining all into next week. What a drag! Let it be nice and cool with some sun!!! I'm going to need to start making some sweaters for myself if this keeps up. What truly sucks about this weather is that it's cool outside, but inside my apartment is warm. It's so muggy inside that at night we need to put on the ac or we'll sweat to death. To top it all off, there's no breeze coming in. Yuck!

Take a look at what I've been seeing for the last few days out of my window:



I took this picture yesterday morning. Not much has changed since then. See the gloomy sky? Doesn't it make you want to sleep?

I'm Happy Today!

You wanna know why? Because I have off today!! I did a six day work week, which is not a big deal unless five of those shifts are doubles. By Friday, I didn't know what to do with myself. I was so tired. No matter how much coffee or Emergen-C I drank, I couldn't keep up. Even though I probably didn't make any money yesterday, I was so happy that no one was coming in. I vegetated and drank cappucinos all day long.

To show how happy I am, I have pictures of all of my plants. My plants are very special to me. Let me give you a back story. When I was a little girl, I would always get my mom a plant for Mother's Day. The school use to bring tons of plants in and we would get to choose one or two for our moms. I was always very excited about it. Unfortunately, the plant didn't last long. I tried taking care of it, but my thumbs were brown. Years after, Dan got me a beautiful orchid plant for Valentine's Day. It died. I was so sad.

My thumbs turned green when we moved to Florida. Some of you might say that it is easy to grow plants in Florida because of the climate, but what you don't realize is that it's sometimes extremely hot. That type of hot can easily burn the plants. Through my mother-in-law, I learned when was the appropriate time to water them, how much, where to trim, and etc. I had so much fun taking care of the plants that I've now transferred my knowledge to NY.

I have a few plants that I love very much! I watch over them constantly and I even named them. I'll start off with my lucky bamboo plant. He was given to me by my husband's aunt as a house warming gift. His name is Mr. Bamboo.



The next picture is of Luna. She is a grafted moon cactus. I think her colors are wonderful.



The next plant was given to me by one of my coworkers, Judith. She and I would always end up talking about plants. One day she told me about a spider plant she wanted to give me. She was waiting for it not to be cold outside so that it wouldn't go into shock. Once it was nice out, she brought it over and I named her Spiderella.
She has grown tremendously since I got her.



The next plant is of a desert rose. My mother-in-law had a beautiful one when I lived in Florida. I loved that plant so much. It is just gorgeous. This past Mother's Day, the hubby and I decided to stop by Lowes to buy some plants for his two aunts. To my amazement, they had a few desert roses. One of the workers told me that they had gotten the shipment the day before and they were selling like crazy. I bought three. I named her Desertrae.



The last two plants are very special to me. It's some type of sedum and this plant came with me from Florida. Unfortunately, she lost all of her petals from the car ride back to NY. I kept wondering if she would ever grow, which she did. One day while grabbing the pot, I dropped it. I didn't break the pot, but her huge petals fell off. I started crying. How could I do this? I'm so clumsy at times that it infuriates me.

A light bulb flashed in my head and I decided to plant the petals. I read online that it could be done. I figured there was nothing to loose. Guess what? It worked! Not only is this plant growing, but the original sprouted petals everywhere. Now I have two of them. The original is called Rosalita and the other one is called Petalina.

This is Rosalita:



This is Petalina:



I'm heading out to the mall today, which I was thinking of getting a new plant. I want my apartment to be green!! Besides, it's nice to take care of plants. I find it therapeutic.

PS: Here's a better picture of Petalina that I took:

Bye, Bye Church Lady!

After taking a literal interpretation of the bible, the Rev. Timothy LaBouf let go Mary Lambert from her position as a Sunday school teacher that she's held for fifty-four years. The interpretation is that a woman could perform any job outside of the church. She is not allowed to teach men and must remain silent.

Right! I can't believe ridiculous stuff like this still happens in 2006! The woman taught there for fifty-four years! Give me a break. I really hope something good comes out of this.

Here's the AP article: Church Lady

Castro and Adidas??

Even though I still think he's dead (my own conspiracy theory--everyone has one), there's a pic of him after his surgery. Here's a link to the article that you must click on: Castro

Mr. Castro is sporting an Adidas running suit! I'm glad he thinks capitalism is bad and rejects it at its fullest. Someone who hates capitalism so much and has veered his country away from it for the past 47 years sure doesn't mind sporting a company who thrives on capitalism. What a joke!

One Step Closer

I officially signed up for my Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Not only did I sign up, but the earliest date available was my birthday. Happy Birthday to me. I'm giving myself a four hour exam. I've done worse on my birthday. At least, this one is for my future. I also have the application packet for graduate school on my desktop. Little by little, I'm getting closer to entering grad school! Now, I just have to get accepted....

I'm Glad I don't Drive Anymore

It's been three weeks since I've filled up my gas tank and boy was I glad about it. I have a four cylinder car and spent $45 (I used regular)! That's just insane. Imagine I was still filling up my tank every week plus the tolls? I'm glad I'm working in Manhattan. The good thing is that I won't be filling up the tank for another few weeks. I have nowhere to go for the next month. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to afford having a car. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.

Hot is an Understatement

Wow. That's all I could say about this heat wave. I know I lived in Miami for two years, but damn I can't take it. The thought of having to take the subway today is very daunting. I am trying to do my part in avoiding a blackout. I actually have the windows opened right now (it's already 84 degrees and it's 9:15am!). I'm keeping the ac at 76 degrees. Con Ed wants it at 78, but man, it's too damn hot.

Even poor Louie is feeling the effects of the heat wave. He's been laying on his pillow, which is strategically placed in front of the ac. Yesterday, he did not move from there until Dan and I were having dinner (my little fatso).



Yesterday evening, the water pressure in the building dropped. The super explained to us that normally the water pressure from outside is at 60 (whatever that means). What was coming into our building was only 25. He was pumping it at 75 to compensate. The people that live on the sixth floor didn't have any water. The pressure came back, but the same will probably happen today. Ughhh.

Cuba Libre?

Almost! We can't get excited yet, but that possibility is more attainable than ever. I hadn't heard the news until this morning. My jaw dropped! Personally, I think Fidel Castro has been dead for awhile. It's just another conspiracy theory of mine. We'll see how history unfolds. Right before I jumped into the shower, I thought about renewing my passport and traveling to Cuba in the near future. Going to Cuba has always been a desire of mine, but I never thought of it as a possibility. My father has never returned since he left in 1971. If he hasn't gone and won't go until Castro is gone, then I can't either.

This thought that came to me today was liberating! I'll be able to see my family, where my father grew up, where my grandparents were buried, and everything else I missed out on. I'm sure things will be chaotic once he dies. Raul Castro won't be in control for long. He's not popular with the people that support the revolution. It's only a matter of time.