NYC part II

Things I like about NYC:

• Family history
• People watching opportunities
• Public Transit and ability to walk places
• Shopping opportunities!

Things I don't like about NYC:

• Crowds and Traffic
• Homeless population (it makes me sad)
• Pollution
• People not saying hi or being polite

New York City, center of the universe...

I've been in NYC for 3 days now visiting my brother, who has an internship here.  Got in on Friday, we grabbed dinner in the Lower East side near where A is living, and then headed up to his friend's place on the Upper West Side for a party.  It was hot, felt like 120, and there was only one air conditioner in the entire apartment.  So we hung out in front of it, naturally.  Then Saturday we went down to the financial district, grabbed brunch at the Pearl St. Diner, and went to the South Street Seaport Museum.  Got to see FDR's collection of ship models, which made me appreciate the model we have at home so much more.  Also got to see the Peking, one of the last sail cargo ships and a pretty view of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Then the shopping adventure started as A needed some new dress shirts for work.  Found 2 at Brooks Brothers (Sale! and it was across from the WTC site) then headed up to Macy's where we got him Sperry's (he wanted them, I swear I was not a preppy influence, it's his frat brothers!) and 2 more shirts.  I got 2 shirts on sale (which made me happy because I didn't know they were on sale until I got to the register) and then we headed back to his apt.  After dropping off our stuff and showering, we headed to meet L, our cousin for dinner at Momofuku, a fantastic Asian restaurant.  We had a 4 course tasting menu (we split one for all three of us) plus pork buns (omg delicious) and ginger scallion noodles (omg also delicious!).  So yummy and we got to catch up with L.  We then headed up to her place to let out Holly, her new dog, and went to a jazz bar around the corner.  Drinks were ridiculously expensive, but I only needed one to cover my drink minimum and they had a great band.  A and I then headed back down around 1am, watched an episode of Community and passed out.  Sunday we got up late, made bacon and eggs, watched more episodes of Community and then went up to the Yankee's game.  We made it through 5 innings and it was really cool because whenever A Rod went to bat there were a million camera lights flashing (he was trying to hit his 600th home run).  A nice red storm (red on the weather map) rolled in and we left because I figured they would call the game eventually and didn't want to get stuck trying to get to the subway.  Cool experience tho and we were up in the nose-bleed section of their really nice new stadium.  Headed back here, watched some Community, went grocery shopping, ate dinner, watched more Community and went to bed.  We've watched 16 episodes so far this weekend.  We might just be a little addicted. ;o)

Today I went to the NYC Public Library (5th and 42nd) and looked up where my mom's family lived in NYC in the social registers.  Found them and their houses and then went up and took pictures of 12/14 houses that used to belong to the fam.  It'll be really cool to show the family next time we see them, and I bet mom will be excited about the pics because she just wanted the addresses.  It was a good walk around and a nice scavenger hunt.  Came back down to the apartment to make some pasta salad and then head up to Bryant Park for the showing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  ;o) Can't wait!

540 final projects

Links to some of my final projects for Educ 540: Technology in Education

Our WebQuest: http://questgarden.com/106/30/4/100706082115/
My class Website: http://sites.google.com/site/worldhistory2website/
Our Video Project (in 2 parts): 
Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUzy-mLjgTE

Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G2GcdEVPbc

Enjoy!

Wisdom

“Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul. And to say that the season for studying philosophy has not yet come, or that it is past and gone, is like saying that the season for happiness is not yet or that it is now no more. Therefore, both old and young alike ought to seek wisdom, the former in order that, as age comes over him, he may be young in good things because of the grace of what has been, and the latter in order that, while he is young, he may at the same time be old, because he has no fear of the things which are to come. So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed towards attaining it." —Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus


4 Simple Rules to Live By:
* One -- It doesn't matter. Whatever it is that is keeping you from being with your family, your lover, your passion. It is not nearly as important as you think it is.
* Two -- Live within your means. Both with money, and with your own well being. If you cannot enjoy being with yourself, if you do not enjoy who you are, or hate yourself. Then how can anyone enjoy you? Or love you?
* Three -- Be the person you want to be. No one is perfect, and if you want to be a stronger, more willful person. Simply do it, make the decision to stand up when someone pushes you down. Make the decision to speak out when someone is trying to hurt another. Anytime you find yourself hating something in your life change it, which leads to the last one.
* Four -- Change what you cannot accept, and accept that which you cannot change. If something makes you unhappy (Job/Relationship/Friends/Location/Diet/Body Odor) change it. If you cannot change it for whatever reason, accept it until you can.

Daily Quote

Relationships unlock certain parts of who we are supposed to be. - Donald Miller

Trivia

Things I learned at Trivia tonight:

*The first moonwalk was today, July 20th 1969.
*Forever 21 is starting a line of maternity clothes that has been attacked by Planned Parenthood.
*Emmy Lou Harris was discovered in DC in 1971.
*Madame Toussaud actually lived in Versailles with Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI before moving to London
*6 presidents have been named James, 5 John and 3 George
*the Hope diamond is about 45 karats, which is equal to about 9,100 mg
*Happy Birthday was originally a song about morning

Nightmare

I keep having the same nightmare, and it's really been weighing heavily on me lately so I think that's a signal that I need to write about it and maybe it will go away.  It started after I scheduled my next doctors appointment for Aug 16th where we'll find out whether my body has been able to heal itself or whether there are more spots (cancerous or not) and I'll need to get more procedures.  The weird thing is that I don't usually remember my dreams unless they're trying to tell me something, which has happened in the past, and i usually don't figure it out until it's too late.  So last Thursday (the day of computer issues and subsequent meltdown) I woke up at 3am after dreaming that I had had the doctors appointment, they found more spots, did surgery, radiation treatment and told me half of my cervix was gone and I would never have kids. Needless to say I woke up crying, not just one or two little tears, but the wet your pillowcase and want to change it kind.  I had the same dream the other night, only a different doctor that I've never seen before. Same procedures, same turnout. I think my biggest fear has gone from failure to never being able to have kids.  Falling down stairs is still #3 then.  I'm trying to take better care of myself...do things that I enjoy, take yoga classes, be at peace. Trying, not succeeding well so far, but trying.

Slip inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13F_moDD7HI&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy!

Computer Glitches

On Tuesday I worked for about 1.5 hours creating part of our video project, downloading clips off youtube, editing them and arranging them in imovie at the lab in Memorial.  I saved it to the thawspace, the area that does not get erased, so I thought everything would be set when I got there this morning.  Gabe and I filmed our little clips yesterday, which we were going to add in today.  Got to class, tried to open up our project, and what do you know, it was blank.  There were no clips in it.  I stewed all class, trying to figure out what happened to it, and then after class learned that I had only saved the project into thawspace, not the events.  The maker of imovie9 had decided to separate them when saving.  Jerk.  So I recreated it which took about an hour, saved the events into thawspace and when I was done checked and the project was in thawspace too, last updated at 12:54. Thought I was ok.  Restarted the computer, opened up thawspace, and the project was still there as were the events.  Double clicked on the project to open it, and once again, it opened up blank. I have no idea what happened to it.  I also couldn't get the film we made yesterday loaded onto the computer, so I had to go to the ETMC, finally figured out how to open them and couldn't look at imovie again to restart the whole project.  Came home and had a meltdown. Now I'm making brownies, hoping that will help.  I hate computers.  I hate JMU's stupid lab security bullshit of restarting computers. I hate Thawspace. and I hate imovie.

What makes YOU happy?

  

Just out of a relationship?  Take some time to take a look at what really makes YOU happy.


Patti Stanger just tweeted this, and I think it's pretty important.  So I'll be thinking today and updating this later tonight with some thoughts.

daily quote

  

"Someday your prince charming will come. Mine just took a wrong turn, got lost & is too stubborn to ask for directions."

Dutch National Anthem

Wilhelmus van Nassouwe
ben ik van Duitsen bloed
den vaderland getrouwe
blijf ik tot in den dood.
Een Prinse van Oranje
ben ik, vrij onverveerd,
den Koning van Hispanje
heb ik altijd geëerd.

Mijn schild ende betrouwen
zijt Gij, o God mijn Heer,
op U zo wil ik bouwen,
verlaat mij nimmermeer.
Dat ik doch vroom mag blijven,
uw dienaar t'aller stond,
de tirannie verdrijven
die mij mijn hert doorwondt.

William of Nassau am I, of Germanic descent; 
True to the fatherland I remain until death. 
Prince of Orange am I, free and fearless. 
To the King of Spain I have always given honour. 

You, my God and Lord, are my shield, on You I rely. 
On You I will build; never leave me, 
So that I may remain pious, your servant at all moments, 
Dispelling the tyranny that wounds my heart. 

Only You

My love

Your love

Has opened up a world I’ve never known

All hope

Was found

A place I never dreamed I would go

Feels like only yesterday I had locked my heart away

Safe behind a castle of stone

Sure I’d always be alone

Only you know how

To hear me through the silence

You reach a part of me that no one else can see

Forever true there’s only me and only you

Only me and you

In your face I trust

With you beside me I am standing strong

One truth 

Two hearts

You took my life and made it beautiful

So you dared to let me shine

Even walk a step behind

Willingly you give yourself to me

Knowing who I was born to be

Only you know how

To hear me through the silence

You reach a part of me that no one else can see

Forever true there’s only me 

And only you

Only me and you

Only you know how

To hear me through the silence

You reach a part of me that no one else can see

Forever true there’s only me 

And only you

Only me and you

~Sinéad O'Connor, Love theme from Young Victoria

daily quote

  

"It's like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way" ~E. L. Doctorow

Summer Reading

A blog post highlighted 10 books to read before heading into the real world.  They are:

1. The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
2. Classic Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals by Rachael Ray (really? i mean food is important, but really?)
3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (love this book!)
4. Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers by Walter Hoving
5. Getting From College to Career by Lindsay Pollack
6. How To Be A Hepburn in a Hilton World: The Art of Living with Style, Class, and Grace by Jordan Christy (want to read)
7. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny by Suze Orman (meh, i can skip this one)
8. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom (great book, should read it again!)
9. Oh! The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
and they asked for reader comments to get #10.
So my #10 would be a Malcolm Gladwell book, either Blink or the Tipping Point or What the Dog Saw, all good quality books.

My list of books to read keeps getting longer and longer, and the stack beside my bed keeps getting larger and larger.   And it probably doesn't help that I read 3-4 books at the same time.

But thinking about Three Cups of Tea made me think about how many philanthropies there are in the world that I want to support (and some which I do suppport) such as 1. Doctors Without Borders, 2. Partners in Health, 3. American Cancer Society, 4. St. Jude, 5. Theta Foundation, 6. JMU, 7. ODK, 8. KDP, 9. the local NPR station, 10. JMU ATEP, 11. Greg Mortensen's foundation, 12. Congo Leadership Initiative (run by my brother's little) and there are more!  Are there really a hundred foundations that all support similar things?  Would problems actually get solved if the multitude of foundations worked together better? Or would that make things worse?

Happenings

Wow, lots to update on...

I found a blog called snippet and ink which is actually all about weddings, and i'm not planning on getting married anytime soon, but i'm attending a ton of weddings right now which makes it a current topic running through my brain.  The blog has these inspiration boards, and so far my favorite is #463: Robin's egg blue.  So pretty!  It's funny how some of the inspiration boards remind me of certain people, like #459 Squeeze and Kiss is oranges and yellows and made me think of my roomie J.

I'm going to save this now because I'm headed to see the Soloist with my irish dance friends, but I'll finish later!

I'm back, the movie was great and it was great to see Sarah Lynn before she moves to Ottawa.  And of course I didn't finish looking at the inspiration boards...only 300 more to go.  Some of my favorites are: Garden of Joy with hedge green and raspberry punch, ideas of a formal English garden; Navy & Yellow for a whimsical modern glam (altho I'm not really modern, we could make it whimsical preppy glam ;o); French country chic in French blue and butter yellow; and Licorice & Lemon Drops with black, yellow and white, just to name a few.  I really like the preppy themes (most have j.crew items on them somewhere) and the whimsical themes.  I also like classic, elegant and romantic ones.

Last weekend I headed to VA Beach for my friend Lauren's wedding.  The first wedding from ATEP 09 which is kind of crazy.  Mini is getting married as well, but it's no surprise that non of us were invited.  At least LP invited a few, even if not all were able to make it.  It was a beautiful ceremony in their home Catholic Church, which was more round than the traditional rectangle, but it really worked.  LP looked beautiful!  Then the reception was held at the VA Beach hotel on the waterfront (bay side).  There was dinner, a pause in activities at 9 for the fireworks, the whole reason LP wanted to get married on the 4th of July, then more dancing and fun.  I was staying with my friend Megan, and because we had an hour drive and had to get up early the next morning we left at 10.  It was a great time!  I loved the bridesmaid's dresses (lime green and from Ann Taylor) and the flowers were pretty blue hydrangeas.  LP looked so happy!  I hope to see her sometime this fall.

This week has been a whirlwind of driving back on Monday, stopping in Charlottesville for some shopping, class on tuesday followed by driving to Richmond with J to see Michael Bublé (FANTASTIC CONCERT!), getting back at 1am, dealing with roommate drama, classes, more roommate drama and one class finally ending. Phew. I'm tired after just writing all that, much less doing all of it.

Sweet Dreams.

wij winnen!!!

wij winnen!!!  wij slaan Brazilië!!!  didn't play so well in the first half, letting a quick first goal for Brazil, but then we didn't let them score again and scored 2 great goals.  on to the semifinals!!!!  Hup Oranje!!!!

My First Movie!

My first movie with iMovie from my technology class is now on youtube!  Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLYowNVU5ho 


Enjoy!