Genjer Leigh's Work/Life Balance

Verdict for the Triple Murder

2009-11-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have been on jury duty for about 6 weeks regarding the murders of Miguel Aquino, Dilcia Tejada and Elvis Hartley. As well as the attempted murder of Johanna Hartley. It was interesting to see first hand how such a court case is done. The murder scene photos are crazy. To hear what these people when through prior to being murdered was heartbreaking. Miguel suffered the worst - he was the one who was really beaten to a pulp, pistol whipped and choked prior to being shot in the head.

It was definitely an experience I'll never forget. We were able to convict Noel Bruno of 2nd degree felony murder for Dilcia and Elvis. For Miguel we were able to get 1st degree murder and attempted murder for Johanna. Noel will be spending the rest of his life in jail. It's just unfortunate there couldn't be a more severe punishment.

Commercial for Jazz's Taekwondo School

2009-09-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the school Jazzmin takes taekwondo and gumdo....

Enjoy...

Orientation for Jazzmin's New School

2009-09-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

I went to Jazzmin's school orientation today for Aspire Preparatory - it made me feel good about choosing the school. The school considers itself a college preparatory school and focuses on children excelling everyday not just sometimes. For example, there is a statewide required test called ELA. If you get a 2 you pass, 3 your above average and 4 is the highest score. If a student gets a 2 on their ELA they are enrolled in 'early bird' class to help them be able achieve a 3 next time they take the test. The vice-principal says when he speaks to the children individually he refers to them as doctor, council woman, your honor, etc. because he feels that it reminds them of what is expected of them which is to go to college and aim high.

I like that the offer breakfast before school, though I'll still give Jazzmin breakfast at home but Jazzmin will benefit from eating both at home and school. She only eats a little at a time but she's always up for the task of eating. So by the time she goes to school and they serve breakfast she'll be ready to eat again. I love that I don't have to pay for her school lunches anymore. Thank God. Unlike catholic school, there aren't extra fees here, there and everywhere.

They have uniforms but it's not as strict as the one at Jazzmin's school. Jazzmin can wear a skirt, shorts, pants or capris - as long as they're not jeans, sweatpants or track suit pants. The top is a white collared shirt - but that's as far as the limitation goes. And the great thing is she gets to wear sneakers to school - the color of those is not restricted.

They're remodeling the school yard - instead of having one big tar lott they're going to add greenery, a track, play areas w/equipment and "quiet areas" also. This definitely is a great improvement from her old school.

I feel hopeful that this school is going to be far better then her old school. The really seem to be reaching to better themselves as a school each year, whereas her old school wasn't remotely interested in improving themselves. Most of the teachers were sub-standard, kinda nutty and I had no confidence in their abilities as teachers. I also think it's very telling that a parent who used to be very involved in helping out Jazzmin's old school took his daughter out of the school. When it came time to put her in a middle school he chose catholic school but didn't choose to go back to Holy Rosary. I know it has nothing to do with price because Holy Rosary is on the low side as far as catholic school fees go.

The way they do their grading is certainly better then in Holy Rosary. In Holy Rosary if a student had an off day and didn't do well on 1 test, it doesn't matter if they did amazing in homework, classwork or other - 1 bad test grade severely brings down the whole quarter grade. I don't think homework and classwork should come to mean nothing at all because of one test.

Anyway - let's see what happens. I hope it's as good as it appears to be.
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Can pants shrink sitting in my closet?

2009-07-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

I don't understand it - I'm pretty close to completely over the effect of Ovarian Polycystic Syndrome on my abdomen. There is only a little bump above my belly button left and it should be gone in a month or so. I actually feel like I am thinner then I was before having this health issue. But still my regular pants are not fitting me and I don't understand it. I am even wearing a size medium underwear instead of large. So why aren't my pants fitting me? :( I don't get it. I'm tired of wearing thise 3 pairs of pants waiting for everything to be completely resolved. Even other people have remarked how slim I look now. So why didn't my pants get that memo? I guess I am going to buy at least 1-2 pairs of pants next time I get paid. It's just frustrating that I have to spend the money when I have perfectly good pants that should be fitting me. ::sighs::
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Here today, gone tomorrow

2009-07-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Jazzmin is coming back today from her trip to Disney World. She called me often while she was there - she wanted to call me everyday but her Grandmother didn't let her because she had just spoken to me the day before. But I did speak to her every other day. It seems to bother Jazzmin more this year then past years to be seperated from me. She really wanted to go to Florida and is looking forward to going to Aunt Vallerie's and Grandma Holloway's but still is a little sad to be without me. It's nice to be missed. ;)

Talking to her on the phone just underlines the fact she's turning into a young lady. The way she is able to carry on a conversation, express herself, etc. In away it's a little sad to see the little girl part of her drift away. But at the same time I'm looking forward to seeing the woman she becomes.

Tomorrow is her flight to Illinois - oh joy a nice long trip to the airport. Don't be jealous. I always feel ill at ease watching her go on that plane alone and am anxious until I her from Val that she's arrived safely. This is the part I like the least about her going away for the summer.
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Maduro

2009-07-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

I tried making maduro tonight (cooked yellow plantains), they came out good! I probably didn't use as much butter as others do but I didn't want it to be too greasy. But they are really sweet and yummy!

Trying new recipe, Pernil

2009-07-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have been trying out new recipes and today I am making pernil (aka pork shoulder) with a Puerto Rican recipe. But the pernil has to marinate overnight in the fridge so I have to wait until tomorrow to see if I was successful. My only concern with roasts and such is ensuring the meat in the middle is cooked too. Tomorrow I plan to also cook maduro (cooked yellow plantains) to go with the pernil to complete the Puerto Rican cuisine experience. Below is the pernil pre-fridge ready to start it's marinating process:

And here is the finished product. It was yummy, tender and juicy.

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Jazzmin's Mambo Recital

2009-06-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the 15 seconds I end up filming the wall - was trying to look for her on stage. She's the second one in from the left. She had to learn the last bit of the routine momens before going on stage because the teacher kept changing the routine. But all and all she did very good!

Ovarian Polycystic Syndrome

2009-06-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

I got all my additional blood and saliva test results back last week which were to rule out rare conditions, so we can be absolutely sure what I have is Ovarian Polycystic Syndrome (aka PCOS). So now we're 100% sure that it's PCOS and nothing else. My doctor called in a prescription late Friday afternoon so I couldn't pick it up on Friday, but it should be ready by now. I don't remember the name - all I can tell you is it starts with the letter "M" and has been in use for a long time, so a lot is known about the medicine. This should resolve all my symptoms and have the additoinal bonus of possible weight loss (Yay!). I'll be really glad if it actually does resolve all my symptoms. I also wonder if the PCOS might be having an effect on my asthma - after all hormones effect everything in your body. We'll see.

Now all I need is to find out the results of my follow up ultrasound. That should be interesting since the technician asked me if my intitial ultrasound was done at a professional facility. I wasn't aware there were bootleg radiology facilities. I thought they pretty much all were professional and full of certified people??? I'm wondering if this means she found something other then what the prior results did. Who knows. Should be interesting.
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End of the School Year

2009-06-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

One more week of school for Jazzmin. One more week of having to take a train to the school bus and the extra time going to her school to pick her up and then take two buses home. No more montly tuition and all the extra fees that come up throughout the year. Of course her afterschool program next year will be a little more, but I guess that's OK. I'm also saving up for my trip to Korea next year so most of my extra money will be going toward savings. I'm hoping to have all the money saved up by February, going to save what I can til then and then use my tax refund to make up the rest. After that I have to save up for spending money in Korea - I don't know if I'll ever go again so I want to be able to buy whatever I want while I'm there.

I'm still waiting to see what school Jazzmin is getting into next year. Somehow the application didn't get processed due to the way the private to public school transfer applications were handled. Thank God I had the direct dial and e-mail address of a specific person at the dept. of ed or it'd be a real headache. When I was looking into the prospect of public school I had the hardest time trying to get a live, human being on the phone. So I looked on the internet and found the guy in charge of the dept of ed in the Bronx and e-mailed him. He was prompt about responding and giving me the information I needed. So that's why now I already have a direct contact lined up. So anyway, I have to wait until the end of June and they will then know for sure which school Jazzmin is going to. The good thing is the school I was afraid of her being put into is already full so there is no way she's being placed there. She's definitely going to 1 of the 3 schools that are housed in that one building, which is close to after school.

Next year she's going to have afterschool at her taekwondo school, which is awesome. This way she'll be taking classes 5 days a week and will climb the ranks quickly. It's been hard for her to move up belts by only going once a week. Also she will be able to get out her extra energy - after school she always has extra energy to burn.

I am so happy that I won't have to deal with Holy Rosary anymore. They're a disorganized mess and that is not something I want to pay for. Not to mention the extra time out of my day bringing her to and from school. YEAH! No More Holy Rosary!!
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Update

2009-06-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am such a bad little blogger, aren't I? Tisk tisk on me for being so bad about updating. I am glad Jazzmin will be out of catholic school in two weeks. Oh to be free from their monthly tuition and their seemingly never ending fees! And also to be free of traveling back and forth to get her to school and back. That adds at least 1.5 hours to my commute time per day. Will also be nice having Jazzmin going go to her taekwondo school for her after school program so she can take more classes and move up the ranks more quickly.

I started back with my gumdo classes on Monday - it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I thought my asthma would be an issue since it still bothers me during everyday things. I'm only going to be doing Gumdo for this month and then next month is going to be crazy. For July and August I am going to be doing Jujitsu, Taekwondo and Gumdo - working out 6 days a week. The neverending great push for weight loss. The meds my endocranologist ends up giving me should help me in my quest for weight loss since having a hard time losing weight is one of the symptoms of what I have.

Really not looking forward to doing Jujitsu, I really don't like it. But it's a necessary evil. Most fights end up on the ground so you have to know how to get out of holds and put others into holds. But I really get beat up doing jujitsu - guaranteed black and blues, pain, etc. It doesn't help that I only have stronger adult males to practice with. Boo hoo for me. Get out the violins.

I chaperoned Jazzmin's school trip to the Bronx Zoo on Monday - I had 8 girls that I was in charge of, that's a lot of girls to keep my eyes on in a crowded place. When we got into one of the buildings that were really dark - these boys close to the girls' age were doing that whole trick of "accidently" bumping into girls with their hands up so they "accidentally" cop a feel of their girl parts. Needless to say I had to get them out of there quickly.

I don't know if I mentioned that my wages have been garnished since the end of February for a 20 year old student loan. This next paycheck is the last one they're taking money out of and then I'm a free woman! I can't wait! I am dying to buy more things of this website where you can buy authentic Korean food products (koamart.com), there are so many things I want to try. I can't wait! I already bought ingredients a while back go make korean bean paste stew and this spicy sauce made with korean hot pepper paste and dried hot pepper. Stuff is good!

Well, I guess that's it for now!

HILARIOUS ! Onion Network News on YouTube

2009-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hope you like it!

"The Grand Chef" had it's influence

2009-04-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

I've watched most of the Korean drama series, "The Grand Chef", and there is a lot of cooking in this series. The love of cooking and the different things you can do with food is very much highlighted. I defy anyone to watch this series at length and not want to get into the kitchen and whip up a meal. It also makes me want to try kimchi. lol

I was thinking about how little I cook, not because I don't know how but because when you make one dish it lasts several days. Then you're left eating the same thing over and over. If I had more mouths to feed then perhaps that wouldn't be the case. Also, it just seems so expensive to cook from scratch. And then I was thinking about the few dishes I know how to make - so it's kinda boring eating my food 'cause it's the same stuff I always make.

So I went on the internet and looked up different recipes and saved them in a word document. I then went to the supermarket and bought the ingredients for 3 differnet dishes. It came out to a lot of money - to be fare about $20 of the stuff had nothing to do with the 3 dishes and $10 was for things that I'll be able to use again in another recipe (olive oil, flour, etc.). One of the dishes I am making is American Chop Suey - only because it reminds me of mom. I remember her making that - it's not like it's the tastiest dish you ever had but it's good and it brings back memories. The other 2 dishes are scalloped potatos and pork chops with mushroom cream sauce. We'll see how that goes. I actually think mushrooms go better with beef - we'll see how it tastes with pork.
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High Price of Eating

2009-04-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of dealing with the issue of lunch at work. You can't have a decent, filling meal in the cafeteria for less then $6-$10. I think that's too much. On the other end of it I could bring lunch - but I don't want to eat food I make everyday. Or even most days. It's not like I don't think I cook well but I've had my food and after a while you want something different. Plus all the time you spend cooking it - after you've spent that time you're kind of over it and don't want to eat it. If that makes any sense.

What would be great is if I could have a smaller appetite - then it would take less to fill me up...

BoA's first English Single

2009-03-30T12:56:00.001-07:00

I love this video/song - it's by a popular Korean artist name Boa whose released albums in Korean, Japanese and Cantonese. She released her first English album this month - I really love her first single "Eat You Up"!!

Natasha Richardson's Death

2009-03-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

It seems so odd that she would die as a result of a seemingly minor fall. You see people take hits to the head in boxing, rugby, etc. over and over and live to tell the tale. How can one take a spill during ski instruction, get up feeling fine and then be brain dead hours later?

Something isn't right - either the spill was worse then reported or she had some pre-existing issue with her brain that maybe she wasn't aware of. There has to be other mitigating circumstances other then a spill on the bunny slope.

They're doing her autopsy today - will be interesting to see what they find. I feel so sorry for her family and loved ones - what a freak acident. Jazzmin told me this morning that she doesn't think it'd be a good idea for me to ever go skiing after hearing about this.

I Let the Bed Bug Bite

2009-03-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Jazzmin and I have been getting bug bites since this past summer. I couldn't figure out where they were coming from - I never saw anything on me chomping away. We've been suffering with very itchy bites - new ones appearing once a month.

I saw a promo for the late night news last week about bed bugs, though I didn't stay up to watch. I decided to check out online what bed bug bites look like to see if maybe that was what was plaguing Jazz and I. And wouldn't you know - the bites look EXACTLY like the ones Jazz and I had been getting. I read up about the bug bites and everything is the same as what we've experienced.

So I've ordred mattress and box spring covers that are supposed to bed bug proof your bed. The only other option would be to throw the mattress and box spring out - but I just bought them! Dont' want to do that. The good thing is, is I don't have a major infestation of them. If I did then we'd get bit more often.

I'm glad to finally know what has been going on so now I can fix the problem. Really hard to combat a problem when you don't know what the root of the problem is. Glad to see there is an end in sight.

Back to Blogging

2009-03-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

I know I have been bad about blogging for a while, I blame Mafia Wars - a game on Facebook and MySpace. Whenever I had a spare few minutes I'd play that instead of blogging. Shame on me... But I have deleted that program so hopefully I will be more consistant with the blogging.

Just to catch up, I think everybody knows about my belly swelling to the point I thought I was 4 months pregnant. Turns out it wasn't but I don't know what exactly happened because my ob/gyn didn't tell me (as he only communicated with me by leaving voicemail messages). All I know is that my tests are all normal. But my belly has started going down since I got my monthly a couple weeks ago.

I am having my wages garnished for the next couple of months due to an old student loan from about 20 years ago. But since I am not taking martial arts for a few months - the money I save there will compensate for the garnishment. So I guess it's not so bad. Though it's not a particularly great thing to go through.

Jazzmin will be going to public school next year. I've finally come to the conclusion that the education she gets at Holy Rosary is no better then public school. Additionally, I don't like most of the teachers at Holy Rosary and don't have confidence in their ability to teach effectively. Most seem a bit off between the ears. It took a while for me to decide that public school was just as good because Jazzmin did have some good teachers in the begining. I liked her kindergarten and 2nd grade teacher - Jazz and I had decided maybe it's that she gets a good teacher every other year. But then 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers have not impressed me or were just bad. I don't need to pay for crazy - I can get that in public school for free. I checked out the state testing of the public school in my area and they do moderately well in english and above average in math. So they're at least as good as Holy Rosary - maybe better.

I feel like a prisoner waiting to get out of jail when it comes to Jazzmin finishing this school year. I will be happy to not have to take a train to her bus stop anymore. We'll get to leave the apt. later in the morning as a result. When I come home her after school is at taekwondo - so it's a 5 min walk from home. Instead of taking 2 buses to get home with approx 20-30 min travel time. And by going to taekwondo 5 days a week she'll go up in the ranks faster then she has going once a week. Plus Jazzmin always has this extra energy to burn after school - so being in taekwondo will tire her out and I'll pick up a mellow version of my daughter.

And let's not forget the fiscal liberation as a result of Jazzmin being in public school. I plan to pay off all my bills while also saving money to go to Korea the summer of 2010. I will also put more money into my 401K. But all this has to wait until the end of June. Sigh.

OK, that's it for now - I'm all blogged out.

Se7en's Music Video Featuring Lil Kim

2009-03-11T06:37:00.001-07:00

This is the first English MV by a Korean artist named Se7en. He's wildly popular in Korea - winning about 9 Korean grammys to date. It's a really good song - I hope his album does well. Maybe if he succeeds some of the other great Korean artists can cross over (TaeYang, Big Bang).

Se7en Girls Music Video Ft. Lil Kim

Jazzmin's Basketball Playoffs.

2009-02-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

Saturday Jazzmin had her first "play off" game in basketball. Oddly enough - even though her team lost a majority of their games, they are the winningest team in their division.

It was a good game - even better is the fact that they won by 10 points. They were in the lead the entire game. The other team had issues getting the ball to their basket and when they did - the baskets didn't go in.

Her next playoff game is this Friday - thankfully it's not on a Saturday so she doesn't have to miss dance class again. Her grandmother will be taking her to the game on Friday, but I'll be sure to keep you updated on how her team is doing!

Michael Stuart - Younitenow

2009-02-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

Michael Stuart's tribute song to Barack Obama...

Jazzmin

2009-02-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

Jazzmin's last basketball game was this past Saturday. The defense was snoozing on her team and they lost as a result. Her Grandma Simon came to watch - we were surprised she came! Nice of her to come to the last game. It turns out they won enough games to make it to the playoffs. Who knows when that will be - hopefully I get the info. soon. Hard to believe they made it to the playoffs since they lost 80% of their games. Oh well.

Jazzmin started participating in gumdo and she's really enjoying it. She got her very own wooden sword (mukgum) last night while waiting for me to get out of class. She's very excited to use it this Saturday when she has her gumdo class.

I am going to be taking her out of her catholic school starting next year. I don't think that this school is giving her a better education then a moderately performing public school. In fact, the public schools might be a step up from what she has now. I don't have faith in most of the teachers as educators there - it seems like they're just there to collect a pay check. If the public school is comparable to her catholic school and it's problems - at least this way I won't be paying tuition every month for it. I went down to the dept. of ed. enrollment office today to get the ball rolling on this. At first the lady told me that Jazzmin had to be there to enroll. Then she went in to the office and spoke with somebody and I was told all I have to do was have Jazzmin's school fill out the form she gave me and drop it off. And I didn't have to have Jazzmin with me to drop it off. I like 2 of the schools available and the other 2.... not so much. Am really hoping I get the school I want. I will get a letter in the mail in May letting me know which school she got into. Either way - she's guaranteed to get into one of the schools. I had gone down to a charter school yesterday to apply - the school is excellent, but I don't know how I am going to be able to pick her up from there even if they have an after school program. Most places want you to pick kids up at 6-6:30pm and I wouldn't be able to get there until 7pm at the earliest. It's not near any train station - you have to take a bus. So I am not sure if she can go there, but I would like her to.

Well, that's it for now re: my Jazzmin update.
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Affect or Effect?

2009-01-28T14:18:00.000-08:00

Remember last year's science fair project where you guys were very vocal about how I should've put Effect instead of Affect on her triptych? Well this year I made sure to put Effect and not Affect but Jazzmin's TEACHER made her change it to Affect with an A.

I asked Jazzmin if she wanted me to write a note to the teacher letting her know that Jazz had it correct the first time, Jazz really doesn't want me to do that.

It doesn't matter so much anyway, she got above a 90 on the grade and was one of the 3 chosen to actually participate in the science fair. The teacher made everybody do a project for the science fair but only chose the best to participate.
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2009-01-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I became the victim of fraud for the first time in a long time (last time was in 1991 I think). My e-mail is connected to my cell phone so when I get an e-mail, I am notified. As I typically do, I checked the e-mail on my phone in the morning as I watched the morning news. I noticed I got 3 e-mails alerting me to 3 charges made via PayPal. The total of the 3 charges was approximately $550. I was stressing out - as you can imagine. I was able to change the password to my paypal account via my cell phone before I got into work.

When I got to work I checked my bank account and much to my surprise, the money hadn't been deducted from my account yet. Paypal's delayed processing of charges really worked in my favor. I called the vendor that was sent a payment and left several messages - but they are on west coast time so I had to wait to speak with them. Next I called paypal and they started an investigation. Then I called my bank - I had my bank card canceled and asked for a new one sent. As I took my bank card info off the paypal account I noticed that my bank account number was also linked to paypal. So I called the bank back and asked what I could do to safeguard myself from the charges going through and he suggested I freeze the account. The vendor finally called me back and was very cooperative about refunding the fraudulent charges. Phew. I decided to keep the freeze on my bank account until Monday - figuring the refund would be reflected in my paypal account by then and I'd be safe.

Thank God I kept my checking account frozen because on Monday the fraudulent charges were presented to my bank and declined. I was surprised because I thought I had taken steps on Friday that would've avoided the charges getting to that point. I know I'd have gotten the money back regardless but waiting for paypal to get the charges reversed is time I don't have.

I feel so fortunate that I caught these charges so quickly and was able to take action fast enough to avoid major issues. It's unfortunate that the criminal likely got away with the crime. He/she purchased online music so he/she already got the merchandise. I don't know how they'd even go about catching the person.
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Snuggies are Stupid

2009-01-14T12:54:00.001-08:00

That's right, I said it - I think Snuggies are stupid. It seems as though I am in the minority regarding this, when I start to mention my annoyance with it people's eyes light up as if they're anticipating I'm going to say something nice about it and they're eagerly awaiting to agree.

They look stupid and has anybody ever heard of a BATHROBE?? I guess what really bothers me about the snuggie is the commercials act like they solved this major problem. As if they created this new and major invention when all it is is a long, backward bathrobe. You don't have to wear a Snuggie and look like a strangely dressed monk in order to be warm. Like the Snuggie - a bathrobe doesn't fall off when you want to read, answer the phone or get up from your seat. Amazing how that works out, isn't it? Every time I see the commercial for these I just think it's ridiculous. Wear bathrobes people, BATHROBES!
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Flight Deck

2009-01-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Argyle Sweater

2009-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Argyle Sweater

2009-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hillary - Dad's twin

2009-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is a photo, courtesy of Vallerie's facebook profile, of Mom and Dad at Uncle Bruce's wedding. Could Hillary look ANYMORE like Dad? Wow! Practically twins.

Sign of Weightloss!

2009-01-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

I ordered a couple of stretch pants online - but was concerned as to whether they'd fit. I'm a size 10(ish) and these pants are the combo size of 8/10. But since they were stretch pants I thought I had a shot of fitting. I am happy to report that they FIT! Granted it'd be nice if I lost an inch around the mid-section, but oh well.

I am happy about this because I'm taking this as a sign of my weight loss progression. Hopefully I will soon lose even more weight! Really, if I could just lose my belly I'd be a happy girl - regardless of what clothing size that puts me in.
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Malcolm X

2009-01-06T13:38:00.001-08:00

I was speaking with another mother from Jazzmin's school about how the only thing they teach about the civil rights movement is Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. Ignoring all the other things that happened during that time and the people involved. It came up because for about the 4th time in their career at this school they have to write about MLK once again. Never learning anything new - just re-hashing the same facts they already knew about MLK.

Malcolm X is a hero of mine - probably the only person in history I look up to. Which is not to say I don't appreciate all the other great heroes in history - but he is the only person who evokes my sincere reaction of admiration. So today I bought a children's book for Jazzmin so she can read about Malcolm X, since I'm sure her school won't. Here is a video of Malcolm X below.

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Finding A Way Out of Debt

2009-01-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

An idea occurred to me over the holiday break re: how I can get myself out of debt. I've opted to take money out of my 401K, once I pay off my bills with that I will increase the amount taken out of my check going toward 401K. I will put an additional $100 a month in my 401K and with my company's matching program my job will also put an extra $100 a month in. So basically my job will be helping me pay myself back for the money I took out to pay my bills. Not only will doing this rid me of the hastle of paying bills every month but I won't be paying their APR rates.

With my bills paid off I will have a decent amount of money to live off of and there will be no temptation to charge on the cards I paid off. My desire to not have to pay a bunch of vendors ever payday far outweighs my potential desire to buy things. And now I am in a good place in my life where I have a decent amount of clothing that I actually like - so no temptation to clothes shop when I don't have the money available. I've got my apartment decordated and to the point where I really have to stop no matter what I want because then it's going to start to look 'over' decorated. So no temptation there - and those are my primary temptations.

There's an old SNL skit where the mother bought this new financial budgeting book that is one page long. All it says is - don't spend money you don't have. Everytime a family member wonders aloud whether to take a loan out for a boat or whatever they refer to the one page book, "don't spend money you don't have". OK, not the most funny skit you ever saw but it's extremely sound financial advice - advice I plan to take.

Most of miy debt was really incurred when I was broke and not necessarily because I couldn't resist the urge to shop. But having my bills all paid off - I won't be broke and thus, I won't need to go into debt and have to pay off credit/store cards again. In a way I feel guilty about withdrawing money from my 401k account but on the other hand I have also made plans to pay myself back. So as long as I stay on the plan of paying myself back it will be all good!
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Tae Yang sings "Don't Wanna Try" in ENGLISH

2008-12-29T11:13:00.001-08:00

Tae Yang sings "Don't Want Try" in english - he's very good.

R.I.P. Eartha Kitt

2008-12-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

I always admired and appreciated what a survivor she was and what a great spirit she had.

Videos of Atticus

2008-12-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

A Very Ramones Christmas

2008-12-22T10:42:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Ramones....

Officially Orange Belt in Gumdo

2008-12-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

I guess I am moving fast up the ranks in Gumdo - I suspect it's just the nature of the art that you get promoted to the next belt sooner then you would in Taekwondo. I messed up when doing the white belt form - it's super easy but I guess I wasn't thinking about what I was doing and just wanted to get it done. My mistake was stepping with my right foot first instead of left at one point. Not a major mistake.

my teacher's teacher (Master Estrada) was at the Gumdo promotion test as he has to be present at the promotion for it to be valid. So he was there along with a student who was a lower ranking black belt, she administered the testing. She used full phrases that we were not acquainted with so it made somethings confusing at first. But then we all got the gist. She didn't give me the full test as she did not test me on the second form of drawing technique and short form. I didn't realize this until after the next person had gone up, otherwise I'd have reminded her. I guess that's good for me - less I had to do.

One of the guys in my class had started taking classes a month before me, but he and I are the same belt. But when we line up by rank he insists on being ahead of me due to his month seniority. I always give him a hard time about it, which shames him into relinquishing the first spot - but I don't take it. I'm bringing this up because I thought it was a little amusing during testing that there were 3 orange belts (me, friend & 1 other) and a yellow belt testing. So the yellow belt could've sat at either end of the line and been at the correct position. But when the yellow belt sits on the end my friend is on he sends the yellow belt to the other end because he presumed he was to be first in line being that he had 1 month seniority.

At the end of the belt promotion test Master Estrada commented on what had transpired and he singled me out stating that I had greatly improved. Which is great coming from him.

The only bad part of the promotion test was that I was told to be there for 3:30pm since it was to start at 4pm. I had rushed from an appt. to get there on time and as it turns out not only did I not need to rush, but Gumdo didn't get to start testing until 6pm due to the fact that the kids in Taekwondo were testing before us. So Jazz and I had to wait a loooooong time.

At the end of the promotion, when it was time to go home, I said good-bye to Master Estrada and let him know that my daughter was going to start Gumdo soon and how eager she was. She is always doing different forms to show me what she knows and talks about how much she wants to take Gumdo. He asked where she was and I called her over. Without my promting she greeted him with the proper hand gestures and said "Haidong" - which is how how we're required to greet him. I was proud of her for doing that on her own.

Today Jazzmin is going to get surprised with the fact that she is going to get to start Gumdo in February, which is a Christmas present from me. She's not starting until February because she has basketball games every Saturday for the month of January. She is going to be SOOO excited. I am having the teacher call her into his office in such a manner that she thinks she's in trouble. Then he's going to present her with her wooden sword and inform her she'll be taking Gumdo soon.
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2008-12-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight we're going to be cutting bamboo tonight using a REAL sword in Gumdo. To date I have only used the wooden sword. On Monday I got to use the real sword for the first time when doing paper cutting. Seeing how the other guys use the sword I didn't expect it to be so heavy. It also didn't help that it was far too long for me. So it's awkward to hold due to it's weight, awkward to take out and put back 'cause it's too long and it has a functioning blade on it that could dismember. I didn't even do a good job cutting the paper with this extra sharp sword. I didn't cut it at all. If you don't swing it straight and put too much force it's not going to cut. So if I can't even cut paper with the sword - how am I going to cut bamboo.

And not only is it awkward to handle and my technique not up to par but these swords cost hundreds of dollars. In fact, the one he's going to have us use is $1,000. So what if I break it and have to pay for the repairs (break as in cause the blade to chip). This is all a bit overwhelming to me. I sent my teacher an e-mail asking to paper cut with the real sword again tonight and give the bamboo to my fellow classmates to use. But I also stated that if he still feels I should cut bamboo despite my concerns that I would. We'll see what happens.

I See Crazy People

2008-12-05T08:10:00.001-08:00

About a year ago the location of where I set at work was changed. I was on good terms with the assistant I was paired up with previously but it's not like we would chat or socialize too much. Once I got moved I was cordial saying 'hello' when I passed by but never stopped to chat with her. She's nice enough but we have nothing in common. I found out the other day that she has decided that because I don't stop and chat with her now, it means I don't like her. So it's either gossip and share my personal life or become and adversary. I don't get it - I never chatted or joked around with her when I sat near her so I don't know why, since I moved, this has come to mean I don't like her. People are strange.

I also found out the she and this other assistant have been talking negatively about me behind my back. This is all so childish. But the worst part is when people have stupid reasons for taking issue with somebody and then want to go to people in power to get you in trouble. I don't think there is really too much they can say about me - haven't heard of them trying to get me in trouble as of yet. Though I know they've done it to others.
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Slave to the Pump

2008-12-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today I had to breakdown and order a refill of my Symbicort. I've been feeling better and it's obvious that I will soon be fully recovered from the ill effects of asthma, so I didn't refill when I initially finished with my last inhaler. I was hoping to save myself the expensive added expense of buying more asthma medication. But I've noticed that the lack of Symbicort has adversely effected my performance in martial arts classes. If I didn't take those classes then I wouldn't need to order the inhaler because I am doing fine when not exerting myself. It seems I will have to be a 'slave to the pump' for a little longer. I will take it for another 2 months and stop taking it to test the waters again. Well, at least there's light at the end of the tunnel - at least the asthma will eventually be gone.
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Update on the Re-Design at My Job

2008-12-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

While I was initially really bothered by the change in my title and assignment at my job, I have come to terms with it. What makes it better is that the Partner I support is making a concerted effort to ensure that who I've been newly assigned to changes. He is trying to get my assignment to be filled with people that work closely with him. That way I still will be doing work for him even if I am no longer officialy his assistant.

I must admit I went into his e-mail inbox to see what he wrote and what kind of response he received (I can access his e-mails from my own laptop). And he didn't write a quick one liner - as he is prone to do. He wrote a paragraph about how much there is going on with the client he is global relationship partner for (I don't want to mention client on my blog) and the work would be too much of a strain to transfer to his new EA. He built me up to sound like such an asset, I realize that is partially to ensure he gets his way. But it still felt good that he would make effort.

They made changes but it wasn't exactly to his liking so he wrote another e-mail and detailing what he want changed. He said he said that if there are hurdles getting in the way of her effectively changing my assignment to his liking to let him know what the hurdles are and he'll see what he can do to get them out of the way. He also added that "as you can see I'm not going to give up". He's really making a concerted effort to keep me around - so I can still assist him.

It makes me feel good that he's making this kind of effort. I am also glad that while who I technically support and report to has changed it's basically going to be the same as it has been. I worked and interacted with these people already when I was my Partner's EA so it's really not going to be much different.
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Argyle Sweater Comic

2008-12-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

Sarranghey = I love you in Korean

2008-11-29T13:30:00.001-08:00

Sunset Glow w/english subtitles

Change in Title at My Job

2008-11-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

I just found out that they're making me a Team Assistant instead of Executive Assistant. The primary difference is I'll be working for Directors and Managers instead of Partners. All along they've been telling us the roles are compareable with just a different focus. But come to find out Team Assistant is a 3N rated jobe whereas an EA is a 4N. I guess in the end it doesn't really matter because it was explained to me that if I reach the salary cap for the 3N that they'll give a lump sum instead of a percentage raise.

They gave me this song and dance about how proactive I am with a strong skill set as well as the ability to multi-task and because I'm so compitent I'm bing "rewarded" with this lower rated title that they've been telling us for so long was compareable to Executive Assistant. Kind of hard to believe they think so highly of my skill set when they're giving me a 3N job down from the 4N level I had.

Another bad point is Directors and below give very little at Christmas time where as my Partner was good for $500 every Christmas.

On the upside I don't have to work for this annoying Director I have, on the down side I don't know any of the 15 people I've been given to support and could get somebody worse. 3-4 of the Directors I'll be supporting are female and female bosses aren't the greatest to have. It's just a fact that it's not uncommon for them to be inconsistant with expectations so you're always trying to guess what they want. And female bosses are less inclined to curb their tongue and they make snarky, rude remarks. Let's hope the females I'll be working for aren't like this.

Jazzmin's Basketball Game

2008-11-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

I finally was able to go to one of Jazzmin's basketball games this Sunday - which was her 3rd game ever. I was sure that Jazzmin's team was going to win because in warm ups the other team looked like a hot mess, while Jazzmin's team was well organized. But the other team ended up winning, part of the problem is that everybody is new on Jazz's team except for 2 people. So they're all still adjusting to playing on a basketball team for the first time. They lost 17-12.

I feel confident that they'll get better as the season progresses. I've posted a few photos (and a video) here but will e-mail family and friends with the rest of them.

I've got those no-good-redeployment-blueees! Oh Yeeeaah!

2008-11-18T07:44:00.001-08:00

We got the news at my job that next week they'll finally be telling us who we'll be working for and what title we'll be working under. If you are made to only work for Partners then you'll be an Executive Assistant and if you work for solely Directors and below then you're a Team Assistant. Oh sure, they say that one is no better then the other - but I can't help but believe that the salary cap for an EA (working for Partners) isn't a bit more then a TA. It's all about the $$$$ for me - that's why I go to work. I'm not believing the hype, EA is likely better and so an EA is what I want to stay. Plus it'll be nice to work for less people (right now I support 11 ppl), EAs will only be supporting 3-4 Partners.

I am optimistic that I'll get to stay an EA but still can't help but worry about being put as a TA. I also wonder if I'm going to support new people or the same people I always have. I don't want new people - what if they're jerks?

Oddly enough - when they hand down the news they're going to have 2 EA managers and a Partner from the company present. Are they expecting some mass show of emotion and perhaps somebody will go postal? I'm not quite sure why so many people need to be involved.

Well, wish me luck!

Big Bang "With You" (in english)

2008-11-14T10:22:00.001-08:00

The Obama Files

2008-11-14T06:13:00.001-08:00

Jazzmin's Annual Physical

2008-11-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

I had to have Jazz's annual physical done with a new doctor as her current doctor was booked until the end of December and she needed a paper signed for basketball the first week of November. This new doctor is at a different clinic all together as the old clinic won't allow my daughter to get a physical by a different doctor as long as her actual doctor was available (I guess they define available as being in the building - even though he's double booked with appts.). I asked the receptionist if she'd prefer the clinic lose my money by having me go to a doctor from a different clinic (as I explained the urgency of the visit) and she told me to go do what I have to do. So I did. Though I think the rule is stupid 'cause if a patent goes to a new doctor and switches to that new doctor as a result then they lose all future earnings. It would make better business sense to accommodate then risk losing the patient all together.

So anyway - I went to the new doctor this morning. Can't say as though I was impressed - Jazzmin did not speak of any problem breathing, despite being an active child, yet prescribed an emergency inhaler for her to have if she needs it. OK... Let's see - if she never spoke of having breathing problems then when would these times of needing the emergency inhaler happen? He's treating a non-existent problem. The reason he wrote the prescription was as a result of a breathing test they had her do. But if the test says she needs it and the patient doesn't have any breathing problems - wouldn't that be a cause to think that something is amiss with the test?

It's not as though her other pediatrician was so amazing, but... It's not exactly easy to find good doctors in the Bronx. If she had any real health problems I'd have to find a doctor in Manhattan - not that Manhattan is full of amazing doctors. You still find more "misses" then hits - but at least the hits are attainable.

But end result of her physical is she's fine and can play on the basketball team. Her first game is on Monday!
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YEAH! Obama won!

2008-11-05T11:19:00.001-08:00

Here's a LINK to his victory speech.

Here is Spike Lee's reaction to the election of Obama:

Jazzmin's Dad Court Date

2008-11-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

I spoke with Jazz's paternal grandmother yesterday and it seems as though Jazz's father has gone to court today. I imagine it's just a court date to officially enter in the charge, what sentence the prosecutor is going for and get the date his case will actually be heard. After that he'll likely be shipped off to a facility outside of the city to wait until that court date. His mother seems to think that he'll be looking at heavy time - of course, law enforcement has always wanted to put him away for a long time but have, as of yet, been successful.

Jazzmin is staying with her paternal grandmother while I am at my gumdo tournament this weekend. She's going to bring Jazzmin to visit her father. So that meant I had to finally tell Jazzmin that her father is in jail. She took it very well - she seemed unaffected by the news. When I told her that is she feels bad at all about this that she should tell me - but she said it didn't bother her because she's not used to seeing him that much anyway. I cross my fingers that she is not too adversely affected by her father and his absence.

It's times like these that I am glad that she has the teacher she does at taekwondo as a male role model. I feel like somehow having an alternative male figure/role model helps ease the absence of her dad on some level. After all she adores him and he does go beyond just teaching martial arts -but also teaches proper behavior, encourages her to read while waiting for me while I'm in class, gets on her case if he's eating unhealthy snacks, etc.

Well, we'll see what happens with her dad. Wish he hadn't gotten himself into another mess.
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The Wordy Shipmates

2008-10-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this author on the John Stewart not too long ago and enjoyed her brand of humor and the fact that her book involves real history. I think any one of my siblings would enjoy this also. She has this ironic, dry humor - glad I discovered her. I got "The Wordy Shipmates" today on audiobook and put her other 2 books offered on audible.com in my wish list. I look forward to listening to this - you should check it out!

Here is a summary of the book:

The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times best-selling author Sarah Vowell's exploration of the Puritans and their journey to America to become the people of John Winthrop's "city upon a hill" - a shining example, a "city that cannot be hid."

To this day, America views itself as a Puritan nation, but Vowell investigates what that means - and what it should mean. What was this great political enterprise all about? Who were these people who are considered the philosophical, spiritual, and moral ancestors of our nation? What Vowell discovers is something far different from what their uptight shoe-buckles-and-corn reputation might suggest. The people she finds are highly literate, deeply principled, and surprisingly feisty. Their story is filled with pamphlet feuds, witty courtroom dramas, and bloody vengeance. Along the way she asks:

Was Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop a communitarian, a Christlike Christian, or conformity's tyrannical enforcer? Answer: Yes!
Was Rhode Island's architect, Roger Williams, America's founding freak or the father of the First Amendment? Same difference.
What does it take to get that jezebel Anne Hutchinson to shut up? A hatchet.
What was the Puritans' pet name for the Pope? The Great Whore of Babylon.

Sarah Vowell's special brand of armchair history makes the bizarre and esoteric fascinatingly relevant and fun. She takes us from the modern-day reenactment of an Indian massacre to the Mohegan Sun casino, from old-timey Puritan poetry, where "righteousness" is rhymed with "wilderness," to a Mayflower-themed waterslide. Throughout, The Wordy Shipmates is rich in historical fact, humorous insight, and social commentary by one of America's most celebrated voices. Thou shalt enjoy it.
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Yup - I've Got Pineo Blood Running Through My Veins

2008-10-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have the compulsion to buy one of every color when I find a piece of clothing I like. Without fail - I always have that impulse. But my wallet can not support that impulse - which is probably a good thing. When you have a bunch of the same style clothing it makes the wardrobe a little boring.

Anyone remember how Mom used to do that - buy one of every color in clothing, shoes and jewelry? Mom was nothing if not color coordinated. :) And I believe my aunts have this same disposition so that's why I attribute it to Mom's side of the family in general.
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Holy Halloween Batman!

2008-10-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have to bring Jazzmin to 3 different Halloween parties in 3 days, starting tonight. Sigh. So much for a restful weekend. But... she doesn't get to go trick or treating so this is the extent of her Halloween celebration. The only other thing we're doing is going to a haunted house on Halloween. So I feel obligated to try and make sure her Halloween is fun by going to all the parties.

The reason she doesn't trick or treat here is because all the kids do are go from store to store and collect candy. Stores leave out a bowl and they dive in. Doesn't exactly capture the spirit of Halloween. I refuse to participate in such a tacky, unfestive revised tradition of Halloween.

Of course, I could bring her door to door trick or treating in apartment buildnigs but I'm not going door to door wondering which one is going to be be the weirdo or serial killer. There are plenty of good people in my area but the element of surprise where there is potential for dealing with the crazies doesn't sound appealing to me.

Incidentally, Jazzmin is going to be Queen Amidala from one of the Star Wars movies - the character Natalie Portman played. It's a girl costume yet it's sporty - just how Jazzmin likes it. She's not really into the girly costumes like barbie, cheer leaders or the like.

I'm in an Obama video!

2008-10-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm in a YouTube video about Obama - check it out!

My Nephew

2008-10-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah so I stole photos from my sister's blog - what ya gonna do 'bout it?!?

"The Argyle Sweater" Comic

2008-10-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Theatrics of Gumdo

2008-10-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

Last night we did a little training for the tournament I'm participating in Nov. 7th.... my first tournament ever. I am competing in the weapons category, I could've also signed up to compete in Taekwondo but wanted to just do one thing for now - until I get used to competing.

According to my teacher, my form is fine and I just have to work on the "threatrics" of it. Look intense and as if I'm kicking somebody's butt - if not slicing them to pieces. Uma Thurman is to be my example of making an intense face. Or maybe I should just do Ben Stiller's "blue steel" model face to show intensity. lol I don't know how well I'll do in trying to act like a fierce fighter. I'm told I have a look of worry on my face when I'm doing my forms - not exactly intimidating. But usually by the time we get around to doing forms - I'm tired. So maybe that tiredness looks like worry. We shall see how I do.

As far as the competition goes - the good thing is the break down the categories by rank, gender and age. So perhaps I will be the only female of my rank/age to be competing in the weapons category and will automatically get first place! :) Or 1 of 3 wouldn't be so bad - at the very least I'd get 3rd place then. :)

I hope I don't get too nervous when I'm competing - I just want to get through it and do a decent job of it.
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Last Night's Debate

2008-10-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

"Senator McCain, how do you think you did in the debate?"

Nova's Truce

2008-10-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dawn sent me a photo of Bridget (dog) with Nova (cat) - after dark they have a truce going. Once daylight comes and humans are awake - all bets are off.

Look at my cute Nova - best kitty cat ever!

Phone Svc. From Cable Company

2008-10-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

I just signed up to have phone service from my cable provider. I am a little nervous about doing it because I have this feeling somethings going to go wrong and I'm going to regret it. Or perhaps it won't be all it's cracked up to be. But I am supposedly going to save about $60 a month on phone service and will get unlimited local and long distance. Now I just have to make more friends out of state so I can take advantage of the unlimited long distance.

I also think about the black out NYC had several years ago. Will I still have phone service during a black out? But then again, how likely is it that we're going to have such a massive black out in NYC again.

I am getting the service installed the first week of Nov. - hopefully it's all it's cracked up to be and I won't regret the change....
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Hockey moms in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

2008-10-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

A biting commentary on Palin, interesting and worth watching or reading transcript below.

Last Wednesday, Sheriff's deputies arrived at the home of a woman in Akron, Ohio named Addie Polk, in order to evict her. After 38 years in that house, Ms. Polk had fallen behind on paying the mortgage. It was so bad that the company that held that mortgage, Fannie Mae, had foreclosed.
In fact, it was far worse than anybody knew. Addie Polk couldn't bear it any more. So, rather than be evicted, she shot herself in the chest.

Evidently she will survive. And, after Congressman Dennis Kucinich brought her plight to the floor of the House, Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant you and I and all the rest of us pretty much own now, agreed it would forgive Addie Polk's debt and, when she gets out of the hospital, let her go back and live in her home again.

That this is already a gothic horror story, you'll agree. But I left out one detail. Addie Polk is 90 years old.

In the self-pronounced area of expertise of the Governor of Alaska—energy—the real experts of both parties are at a loss to figure out any way, even'drill, baby, drill', that might lower gas prices before 2018. We are at war in two countries and a lame duck President with no reason to check his own imbalance still has dreams of one more.

And a 90-year-old woman, trapped in the middle of a financial meltdown, shoots herself and she's still in better shape than the economy. Yet, the Governor of Alaska wants to talk about somebody Barack Obama doesn't know very well, and what this somebody Barack Obama doesn't know very well, did, during the year Obama was eight and the Governor of Alaska was in pre-Kindergarten.
And she wants to talk about Reverend Jeremiah Wright. And she doesn't object to being introduced with a reference to Barack Obama's middle name. Well, this is my suggestion. In much the same way we, America, in the corporate persona of Fannie Mae, have forgiven poor Addie Polk of Akron, Ohio.

We, America, also need to forgive poor Sarah Palin of Wasilla, Alaska. They are both in situations that are beyond their ability to cope. They are both stuck in a crucible caused by forces they cannot comprehend. They are both unable to understand what they are doing.

After stumbling through a clumsier version of it at Englewood, Colorado, the Governor of Alaska said Saturday at Carson, California:

"Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.”

She later defended the remark by adding this was an "association that has been known but hasn't been talked about.”

Governor, Conservative groups have thus far spent ten million dollars this year trying to make something, anything, out of the brief interaction on a charity board between Sen. Obama, and a rehabilitated former domestic radical from the '60s and not even Conservatives have been stupid enough to buy the snake oil, that this was either a close relationship or a nefarious one.

But of course, you know better, Governor. You're smarter than the rest of us. A reporter asks you a horrible gotcha question like'which newspapers do you read' and it takes you four days to come up with an answer, and somehow it's the reporter's fault.

The reporter asks you to name one Supreme Court ruling with which you disagree other than Roe vs. Wade and even though you'd commented on just such a case from Alaska no less not three months ago your eyes turn into a big neon sign reading "Vacancy” and you insist it's because that evil media asked the wrong question.

So you're the genius Governor, and it's your supporters and the undecided voters who are the dopes who are now going to believe the same mickey-mouse crap that Sen. Clinton couldn't get to stick, and Sean Hannity couldn't get to stick, just because it's you adding that word "terrorist” and that phrase "palling around” and dropping the "g” in pal-ling.

And of course, Governor, those same dopes, and we media morons, we are not smart enough to ask about that pesky Alaskan Independence Party, and why you recorded a speech for its convention last March, and why your husband remained a registered member of it until 2002, even though it was founded by a man named Joe Vogler who wanted Alaska to secede from the United States. The way the South seceded, precipitating the Civil War.

The same Joe Vogler who once said:

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government, and I won't be buried under their damn flag.”

And who also said:

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions.”
Shoot, Governor, them's strong words, hah? Did he wink as he said 'em? You betcha! So, where does Joe Vogler rank on the scales of "terrorists who would target their own country?" Your opponent's guy Ayers wound up on a volunteer anti-poverty committee in Chicago.

But your guy Vogler wound up founding a group that wanted to rip one of the stars off the American flag! Well, ok, Governor, Vogler's more your husband's guy. So it's your husband who's been "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”

But I'm assuming you've been "palling around” with your husband. But, gee willikers, Governor, you know what's best. You're not one of these Washington insiders who would notice that though that's a straight line connecting you, your husband, and this Alaskan secessionist, you're*standing under a banner with the campaign slogan "Country First” and if somebody out there puts two and two together they might just ask, "which Country dja mean? The Country of Alaska?”

"The heels are on,” you said with another smile. "The gloves are off.”

Well, if you're telling William Kristol you want to talk about Jeremiah Wright fer sure! So, Governor you don't mind addressing whether this Pastor Muthee is a terrorist? Do you? We've told you before about Pastor Thomas Muthee.

He's the preacher who visited the Wasilla Assembly of God church a couple of times while the Governor was there, ironically enough, just about as many times as Bill Ayres has met Barack Obama and, see, there was this one time where Pastor Muthee actually laid hands on the Governor.

And I'm sure that sounds like just some crazy anecdote, except there's videotape. And of course the Governor talked about this moment, the laying on of hands, just last summer.

It was in October, 2005, as the video indicates, when Muthee put his hands on Sarah Palin's back and said, "make a way for Sarah, even in the political arena. Make a way, my God. Bring finances her way, even if for the campaign in the name of Jesus.

"Every form of witchcraft, it will be rebuked in the name of Jesus. Father, make her way now. "
And the Governor said that "bold” approach of Pastor Muthee was one of the reasons she became Governor and she gives him just oodles of credit for puttin' her on the path.

The problem for the governor is that in 1999 The Christian Science Monitor reported that Pastor Muthee had gotten his start a decade earlier in Kenya, in the Nairobi suburb of Kiambu.

Kimabu was crime-ridden. So this character Muthee showed up, and announced it was the fault of this woman in town who he had decided was a witch. And Muthee gave the witch a choice: either be saved, or get out of town.

And the woman initially chose none of the above, but this became less than a viable option when Muthee got 200 of the townspeople together and they decided, heck, you know, Muthee's right, she probably is a witch, and the next thing you know the police are raiding her house and reportedly shooting her snake because if she was a witch, the snake had to be a demon, and then the woman left town and everybody said crime went down and most of the bars closed and this is not only how Pastor Muthee got started but he's proud of it and he tells the story in his testimonial videotapes and people in that church in Wasilla where he laid hands on the Governor knew all about it.

And they think it was just a Joe-Six-Pack, Hockey Mom kinda thing to do, to let a guy who branded some woman in Kenya a witch, demand that God make some different woman the Governor of Alaska!

Governor, what would you call someone who arrives in a suburb, blames a resident for the local crime, organizes a mob to threaten the woman, convinces the authorities to go and raid her home, and then chases her out of the suburb?

C'mon Governor, just give us one answer that has something to do with the question you were just asked. That's right you'd call him a terrorist. And since it was in his own country, that would make himmmm? Yes, very good, a domestic terrorist.

So, you, Governor, you've been "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.” Say it ain't so, Gov! Say it ain't so! Of course it is.

The Governor of Alaska ignores Addie Polk and the American tragedy that is a 90-year old woman shooting herself out of shame and panic and who knows what else. Over the mortgage!

Instead the Governor of Alaska wants to start calling people terrorists and insisting of Sen. Obama that quote "this is not a man who sees America like you and I see America” and whose rhetoric like that, and the "pallin' around with terrorists” line were rightly described by the Associated Press yesterday as a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing kind of way of slipping racism into the equation, because it's a nifty trick to remind the white folk that (psst) Obama is black.

But overriding this sleaziness and dog-gone it, the Governor of Alaska has got to be the sleaziest politician working the stage at the moment, there is the sheer blessed stupidity of letting herself become the bomb-thrower when her own life is full of domestic terrorists.

Governor? Bill Ayres? Your hubby was in this secessionist hate group for which you recorded a video.

Governor? Jeremiah Wright? That pastor you credit with helping you become Governor, is either a con man or a psycho who believes he can tell which woman in the village is the witch, and which woman is the governor.

And Governor, there's also "The U.S. Council On World Freedom.” You should ask Sen. McCain about that outfit and why he had to scat away from it 22 years ago.

Or, ask him why yesterday his own brother Joe referred to Northern Virginia as quote "communist country.” Or you could ask him about Pastors John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Or about why Sen. McCain said about introducing Jeremiah Wright into this campaign, "there's no place for that kind of campaigning, the American people don't want it, period.”

Or don't ask. You know best. You're the one selling the patent medicine. Those of us out here, we're just the suckers pulling out our greenbacks. Go on talking about this man Ayers and trying to link Obama to that word "terrorist.”

But be prepared for others to ask you about your pastor and terrorism. And for still others to ask you about the First Dude and terrorism. But not me, Governor.

I forgive you. You are about as guilty here as poor Ms. Addie Polk in Akron. And I hope that after what you've done to yourself, you recover as well as she seems to be doing, and that you too get to go back and live in your own home again.

Because if you think the terrorism con, and the racism sting are going to do anything but bury you and Sen, McCain, you need to pick up one of those how-many-ever newspapers you reed and check the headlines to find out what people are really worried about right now.

Otherwise, when you said "the heels are on, the gloves are off,” you got as close to telling the truth as you've ever gotten, and without really knowing it.

Because, for you and Sen. McCain, Governor, it's not the gloves that just came off.

Obviously—it's the wheels.
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Jazzmin on the Basketball Team

2008-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Jazzmin tried out for her school's basketball team. She missed the initial announcement of who made it on the team as she was absent that day (due to her tooth getting fixed). But on Friday we spoke with the gym teacher and she MADE THE TEAM!!

Jazzmin is super excited to be on the team. All weekend she talked about how she couldn't believe that she made it. I'm glad, now, that I didn't sign her up for band. Band is more expensive then basketball and she's happy doing only 1 of the 2 activities. But she definitely wanted to do something extra after school. Band is $45 a month plus rental (or purchase) in instrument. Basketball is cost of uniform plus a 1 time $30 ($40?) fee. They end up playing 20 games - 10 home and 10 away games. I plan to take half days for the away games during the week. I don't know any of the parents well enough to entrust them with my daughter's safety.

The good thing is, now that she's on the team, it's almost assured she'll get on the team next year. Then in the 7th grade she has to try out for the varsity team in her school. And that's pretty much a guarantee also. I know Jazzmin is really going to enjoy competing against other schools and seeing if she can beat them. She loves the challenge.

Dude looks like a lady

2008-10-06T08:17:00.001-07:00

There has been a new teenage student in the adult class. 'She' has shoulder length hair, feminine facial features and a quiet/polite dispisition. I thought it was great to have another female, even if younger, in the class. I was partnered up with this young student in class and noticed her 'lady parts' were showing when she extended her arm to punch. After class I told the teacher that he might want to suggest to her parents that she wear a t-shirt under her uniform.

Turns out - the person was a boy! I've seen this kid in class for over a month and there was no question in my mind that the person was a girl. Even Jazzmin swore he/she/it was a girl. I was so shocked. Later, when I got home, I started thinking that the teacher was joking with me and the student was indeed a girl. But then the next morning when we were headed for taekwondo class we saw the student on the street, in boy clothing.

Oopsy - my bad!
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Jazzmin's Chipped Tooth

2008-10-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you remember Jazzmin chipping her 2 front teeth in 3rd grade (see photo). But she re-chipped 1 of them today in schoool - only the part the dentist had put on previously came off. Or so I'm told.

Jazzmin's grandmother is going to pick her up from school - I have a dentist appt. for tomorrow. This is the absolute wrong time for her to chip he tooth because I am ultra broke. I called Dawn and asked to borrow money to cover the cost of fixing her tooth. I'm fairly certain that it costed me about $125 to get both teeth fixed, so I'm guessing fixing one tooth will be about $60. And this dentist doesn't bill - it has to be paid up front. I hope everything turns out OK and the fixing of the tooth costs the same as it did last time.... or cheaper?

I called my insurance and at least Jazz's dentist is still in-network. I couldn't remember the name of wha they did to fix her teeth last time so I don't know how much it's going to be covered. It's either going to be covered 50% or 80%.

This whole incident stresses me out.
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Jazzmin's ELA Test Results

2008-09-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jazzmin got her ELA test results back yesterday. This is the test given in 4th grade to see if kids can be promoted to the 5th grade. Being that Jazzmin is ALREADY in 5th grade, the results are a bit slow in being delivered. But public school kids are really the ones who have to worry about being held back if they don't pass, catholic schools get to make the judgement call.

The score is from 1-4 - 1 you fail, 2 below standard, 3 meets standard, 4 above standard. Jazzmin got a 3 in reading and 3.5 in math. When Jazzmin would do the practice tests - her teacher would always give her a 2. So I was worried about the out come of the actual ELA test.

But I've come to realize that Jazzmin's 4th grade teacher is not the greatest. "Ironic" how everybody's grades went down when they went into her class and now in 5th grade Jazzmin's grades are back to being in the 90s. And, thankfully, Jazzmin's dizzy spells are gone now that she's not in her class anymore.

I'd tell the principal about the situation but I've dealt with her before. Just a waste of time.

No Money, No Fun

2008-09-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

I hate this time of year - I am always broke. First it starts with the school supplies, uniform and school shoes. Then the school wants a $200 general fee - don't know why they don't just spread it out in the monthly tuition. Then when I finally recover toward the end of October - it's time to start buying Christmas presents for Jazzmin. I always want to make sure she gets plenty of presents so that Christmas is as special for her as it was for me when I was a kid.

I hate being broke. :(

Latest SNL Spoof on Palin

2008-09-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

The recent SNL skit on Sarah Palin skit. Sarah gives SNL so much material to work with - you can hardly call spoofing her 'work'. Sorry for the short advertisement at the beginning - the full version of the skit isn't available on youtube.

Another Sign of Palin's Incompetence

2008-09-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Is this the kind of person you want helping run this country? It's not even a republican/democrat thing - even if she were a democrat I wouldn't want or trust her to be Vice President.

Baby Daddy Drama

2008-09-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

I found out from Jazzmin's grandmother that her father is running from the FBI. The FBI has been to visit her as well as the mother of his eldest daughter. It seems as though he's either going to flee the country or eventually get caught. Either way I am left having to tell Jazzmin that she will either never see her dad again or she gets to see him in a jail cell. That is, if the jail he's in is even close enough for us to travel to.

I feel bad for Jazzmin. I think she'll deal with it OK because she's used to not having him around but I think she deserves to have a good father. I know she'd love to have one.
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Asthma going away?

2008-09-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing how I could find clip art of a girl who looks just like me? lol Since Saturday I've noticed that I am able to do more during my workout. For example, I can do 50 jumping jacks without stopping where as before I'd have to stop after ten and then continue. Last night I jogged 10 laps in class instead of having to go at a slow pace. This makes me hopeful that my asthma is going away!!

But I've had a period of time before where I felt I was getting better only to have it go back to how it was. Though this time is different because I've never been able to workout like that with my asthma. I was thinking about it - my pulmonary doctor said it would take about 4 months before I'd start to notice improvement (re: from the time I gave Nova up). It reminded me that I am also feeling the affects of the 2 cats I got rid of in April - so that means in August is when I should've started to improve from not having them around. Maybe I am feeling the affects of those 2 cats not being around and next month will be even better (when predicted I'll start to feel better without Nova).

I am crossing my fingers that I do finally make a full recovery from asthma. I'm afraid that it's going to be a permanent thing - though I know it's an irrational fear. I can't wait to feel what it feels like to be normal again - it feels like forever since I've felt 'normal'. I will be so happy to be symptom free!

And an added bonus is I'll get in shape faster since I'll be able to do more during my workouts since I won't have asthma hindering my performance. Yeah!
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McCain - Liar, Liar - Pants on Fire!

2008-09-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

David Letterman gets on McCain's case for cancelling as a guest last minute - McCain had said was running to the airport to help fix the US' financial problem. And then McCain is seen doing a live interview with a different show based in NYC, proving he lied to Letterman. Letterman hates when guest cancel last minute and rags on them during the show as a result - McCain is no different. Though there is a portion of it where he praises McCain's actions when he was prisoner of war years ago. Check out the video:

Officially ADDICTED!

2008-09-22T07:52:00.001-07:00

Jazzmin bought 2 new games for her DS with the birthday money she had left over. I decided to check out this game ("Age of Empires") as Jazzmin was more interested in trying out the other game. I ended up spending hours, upon hours playing it this weekend. Yesterday I started in the morning and by approx. 1pm I was starting to feel light headed because I was so hungry. But I didn't want to stop playing to take the time to eat. I ended getting a snack though, in lieu of fainting.

Time passes so quickly when I play this game and when I am not playing it, I'm looking forward to the next time I can play it again! lol The only bad thing about it is only one person can play and save their progress. Would be better if Jazz could have her separate account.
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Alaska Residents Protest Palin's Nomination

2008-09-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

When have you ever heard of a VP or Presidential nominee being protested by people in their home state? Here is a link to an article about it and at the bottom are photos of the protest.

I'm Sick :(

2008-09-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Jazzmin started to feel sick on Monday - thankfully her grandmother was able to pick her up from school. She ended up staying out on Tuesday with her grandmother as well. Tuesday is when I started feeling sick with my ear and throat hurting. I thought by Wed. the gland in my neck would be the size of a golf ball. While my gland didn't swell, I did feel worse on Wednesday so Jazzmin and I stayed home sick.

I had heard that if you put hydrogen peroxide in your ear that it will help ward off a cold. When I used it on Tuesday night it was really bubbling in my ear so I figured it must be killing some germs. But, obviously, not enough germs to prevent me from feeling worse the next day. Who knows if it helped stop it from getting worse then it already did, don't know.

I came into work today thinking that if I suck down lots of lemon tea that I would be fine. Now I'm starting to think that was a bad idea. But I might as well stay since I'm here. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.
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Haidong Gumdo Testing

2008-09-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

I took my Gumdo belt promotion test this past Saturday. I was super nervous because I was testing before my teacher's instructor, Master Estrada. For the past 3 years all I've heard about him was how tough he was and how much tougher on his students he is then my teacher is with us. And my teacher can be harsh. But he turned out to be a sweet, nurturing kind of guy. He had his nephew sitting at the judging table with him - he looked to be in his late 20s early 30s. He was nice in his own way as he flirted a little with me by winking and smiling at me from across the room. It caught me off guard so I just politely smiled and turned my head. The guy was cute but it's not like I'm going to be seeing him again anytime soon.

Before class my mouth started getting dry and I was afraid I was going to forget some of the moves just because I was nervous. It was pretty obvious to anyone who looked at me how nervous I was. People were trying to be encouraging and tell me it was going to be ok. What I didn't know prior was that most of the techniques and forms we did was done as a group instead of alone in front of the instructor. That makes it much easier because if you're unsure you can just follow along. When testing started and we were doing warm ups - the combo of having a dry mouth due to nerves and asthma caused me to gag a few times but, thankfully, I didn't throw up. I could hear Master Estrada asking my teacher what was wrong with me after I did that.

I made a mistake with the paper cutting - you're only supposed to bring the sword down level to your waist but I kept bringing it all the way down to the floor. I was just nervous - that's the problem. When my teacher was telling me to use the proper stance - I was too nervous to comprehend the words coming out of his mouth. So he said it in English. But Master Estrada was very sweet about it saying, "It's OK, you're only a white belt. You just have to keep practicing." He was so nice, in fact, when this one kid was doing the candle snuffing (putting out candle by the wind your sword movement creates) and having a hard time - he let him continue to do it until he put the candle out. The kid tried about 30 times. I thought we were only allowed 10-15 tries. I did the paper cutting in lieu of candle snuffing because I was a white belt. Next belt promotion test I'll have to snuff the candle. Not looking forward to that as it's not easy. You have to swing the sword from behind your back and bring it over the candle without knocking the candle over yet getting close enough to the flame that it goes out. You end up stopping just short of getting close enough to the flame, which was the kid's problem.

Now that I've met Master Estrada I won't be so nervous during testing next time.
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Palin skit on Saturday Night Live

2008-09-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL, she got Sarah's accent down so well!

Tae Yang sings Chris Brown's "With You"

2008-09-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

He sounds great!

Sarah Palin Hypocrisy Re: A Woman's Right to Choose

2008-09-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show is poking fun at the fact Sarah Palin was afforded the luxury of being able to choose to keep her baby while Sara is seeking to take that choice away from everybody esle.

Media's Hypocrisy to Support Sarah Palin

2008-09-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

...THE DAILY SHOW...

Ode to My Big Toe

2008-09-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago I sparred for the first time in Taekwondo and I hurt my big toe. I didn't think it was a big deal even though it appeared bruised around the edge of my toe nail. I thought it might be black and blue under my nail but because I had nail polish on I wasn't sure. I thought that was the extent of my injury though.

I got a pedicure on Saturday and it looked as though my nail was completely torn from the nail bed. But my nail still felt securely in place. Last night a little blood started coming out of the side of my nail while I was in Gumdo class.

OK, maybe my injurred toe is not appropriate fodder for a blog but I am bummed about it. It could take about 6 months for things to be resolved. If the nail stays on I have to worry about water getting underneath and creating fungus (which is resolved by soaking in white vinegar). Or will it, in fact, come off and then I have to walk around with no toe nail. Gross! As of last night I've started wearing bandaids on my toe so as to ensure nothing pulls at my toenail to encourage it to come off further.

And who is to blame for this? My former pedicure guy - he cut the sides of my nail at the top that were connected to the edges of the nail bed. He said it was to prevent ingrown toenails and I thought nothing of it. But obviously when kicking in sparring the fact that part of the edges weren't attached made the force of the kick pull up my nail. Had he not cut the sides I doubt I'd be in this situation.

So annoying!
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Super Powers

2008-09-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama's 2008 DNC Speech

2008-09-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Dilbert

2008-09-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Click image to view larger version...

Recipe for Success

2008-08-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

I was looking for new things I could find on the Korean singer, Tae Yang, on YouTube and found this english subtitled bit about his life (see below). It's inspirational that somebody who admits to no innate ability as a dancer/singer becomes the best in those areas by shear work and drive. Working 5 or more hours a day trying to get better. And now he has reached a high level of fame that most would be content with - he still says the best has yet to come. Still aspiring. It's a mind set and work ethic everybody could stand to adopt.

Size of Fat vs. Muscle

2008-08-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to figure out how it is I am losing size but gaining weight. My first question was how big is a pound of muscle vs. a pound of fat. Above is a photo of 5lbs of fat vs. muscle and it appears that fat takes up twice as much room. To really get a sense of how big that 5lb of fat is - here is a picture I found of somebody holding it:

Every website I went to find out exactly how much bulkier fat is - they did not give out numbers. But the pictures say a lot.

I also wanted to find out the difference between muscle and lean muscle. It was described that regular muscle comes from weight lifting and a specific diet to build up mass. Lean muscle is developed by diet and multiple reps with light weights. It really is 'mission impossible' to try and find a valid answer to the size difference between the 2 (if there is at all). I just wonder does regular muscle have fat in it and that's why there's a need to label some muscle 'lean muscle'?

My real goal is to find out why I see the shape of my body go down yet my weight go up. I realize muscle takes up less room, etc. But I weigh so gosh darn much that it doesn't seem to the complete answer to my query. I don't feel I have the fat or muscle to justify my weight. But if one of the 2 could be labeled the culprit then it'd have to be muscle since I'd be wearing 3-4 clothing sizes larger then what I do now if what I weigh was based on fat.
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"Bramhall's World" Cartoon

2008-08-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

My Fast Metabolism

2008-08-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

I just ate a serving of white rice, sesame chicken and raspberries and I'm still hungry enough to eat another full meal. It's getting annoying to be hungry all the time. It used to be that if I had a bagel with cream cheese or an omelette for breakfast that I wouldn't be hungry again until about 2pm. And even then all I had to do was eat a snack and I'd be OK. I had an omelette this morning and, as you can see, it did not do the trick.

As strange as it may sound, I don't enjoy the act of eating enough to want to do it all the time. It's becoming a nuisance more then anything. I have to be in the mood to eat - and hunger doesn't necessarily put me in the mood. I guess it may sound like I have some eating disorder but I just have never been a big eater, ever. I remember Mom used to buy carnation instant for me because she was concerned about my low food intake. I think that's what they had Grandpa Holloway drink too, to make sure he was getting proper nutrition.

Hopefully my metabolism slows down to a normal pace so I am not hungry all the time anymore.

High Blood Pressure Meds

2008-08-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

I went to my cardiologist yesterday to see if the high blood pressure medication he gave me last month worked. It was the lowest dose possible and it turns out that it did help. I experienced some side effects from the medication so now he's got me on a new high blood pressure medication.

The first one he gave me caused my feet to swell up and my ankles were easily made sore from walking. Anybody whose had extreme water gain in the feet knows what feeling refering to. It's really unpleasant to walk more then 6 blocks with this discomfort. I can only imagine the water gain the rest of my body must've had from the meds - maybe I'll notice my clothing a little loser after I've not being on the meds for a few days.

So now I have to take this new medication for 2 weeks and then go back to the doctor. If this has the same success of lowering my blood pressure as the other one did (with no adverse side effects) then I will likely be put on the next higher dose. My current blood pressure is 130/80 (after first mediction) and he wants to get the second number down to 70. So we'll see what happens.

Summer Coming to an End

2008-08-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the summer is almost over, it's gone by so fast. I only have 2 more weeks of going to class Mon. - Fri. at Taekwondo. I will be glad to have some weekdays where I can just go home and relax. I am really surprised that I was able to keep it up all summer - I was sure there would be many days where I'd have a hard time motivating myself to go. But that has not been the case. I guess part of it is that it helped that the lady who normally handles the office hasn't been in that much this summer. She makes me uncomfortable with the way she acts toward me sometimes so it makes me not look forward to going there. When a friend of mine came to watch me in my class a couple weeks ago and the admin. was there - even she noticed how funky the admin. treated me.

I don't know if I lost weight working out so much - it's hard for me to tell. I think I have. But I'll still be working out a good amount even when Jazzmin is around. I am going to take Gumdo Mon. & Wed. and Taekwondo Fri. & Sat. This will put an end to my having to rush after work to attend classes as all of them are after 8pm. Saturday's class is at 9am though - have to get up early for her dance class anyway. So it's not a big deal. And that's another thing, this year we have ample time btw. Taekwondo and dance class - no more running 'like a bat out of hell' from one class to another. That is a bonus for me because I hate to rush. I hate having to worry about making it someplace at a specific time - it makes me anxious and I just hate rushing. Given a choice, I always give myself ample time to avoid it.

My Gumdo belt test has been postponed - it was supposed to be this Friday but the teacher administering the test couldn't make it. My teacher can not perform the belt promotion test - it has to be his teacher, who has a school in Long Island. The test will be sometime in September. I'm glad it's been postponed because I don't feel as comfortable with my knowledge of things as I'd like. Especially with the added stress of having to do it in front of a teacher I am not familiar with and is said to be tough. I also don't want to make my teacher look bad by doing poorly in the testing.

I am going to go with Brenda & Andy to pick up Jazzmin Labor Day weekend. Can't believe I am going to see Jazzmin in less then 2 weeks. It feels like she hasn't been gone that long. Hillary is going to come up so we can see our new nephew. We will possibly visit with our maternal aunt and uncle while we're there.

Another bit of news is my landlord wants to offer me a 2 year lease at a 1 year lease renewal price. I just signed my lease renewal for this year - but only did so for one year. It seems a little fishy that they'd make such an offer. But, of course, I am going to take it - at least this way I don't have to worry about my rent going up next year or signing another lease renewal.

"Like Sand Through the Hourglass....

2008-08-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

... so are the days of our lives." If you've heard the quote before then you watch too many soaps. :)

Nothing exciting going on with me but still I opted to write this update for you. Well I guess something exciting happened, or at least, it'd be exciting for an American Idol fan. Which I'm not. But this year at my company's promotion day our special guest was Jennifer Hudson who was in American Idol and won the Oscar for her role in "Dream Girls". Unlike guests in prior years, she performed. Prior we had Bill Cosby and Queen Latifah who gave motivational speeches about their lives, how they overcame adversity and how we can apply that to our lives. To be honest, Jennifer Hudson was a let down 'cause I'm not into her type music. And I was hoping for an inspirational speech by a celebrity I liked. Oh well.

I had a friend from Chicago come and visit me last weekend. I met her when I lived in Chicago a while back - we worked together in a telemarketing firm. Telemarketing - now that's some fun AND you get paid to do it. Just doesn't get better then that. :^p Thankfully I was just responsible for mailing things overnight to customers. I did do telemarketing briefly to do phone surveys for a radio station. I feel sorry for anybody who has to do telemarketing for a living.

So anyway, this was her first time in NYC and I tried to show her the sights. Saturday we went to Chinatown, Little Italy and SoHo - which meant we were constantly on our feet for 3-4 hours. I had a gift card to this really nice asian restaurant Tao, so we went there for dinner. A friend of mine pays me to do her english homework - she is taking an online class. So she opted to give me a gift certificate to Tao. I know it may seem wrong to do somebody else's homework but she's studying to be a vet. tech. so it's not like her essay skills are essential. She was actually wanting me to take the class for her all together and pay me for it but I turned that down. Then I'll be obligated to do the work. Now it's just my choice - when I have time. We had a good amount to eat and used up the $50 gift card. After that I took her to Times Square so she could take some photos of the tourist variety. "oooh bright shiney lights."

There was this one funny bumper sticker we saw in Chinatown, it said "Since they call it tourist season, why can't we shoot them?" If you've ever been to a tourist area in NYC you would understand. :)

Sunday we went to Fordham Road in the Bronx - it's a popular shopping area. She found several things there to buy. Then we went to Arthur Avenue which is the Bronx's Little Italy. Unfortunately a lot of things were closed. :(

Hopefully she had fun and got a good sense of NYC. I couldn't really think of other places to take her. Especially since she didn't express any interest in seeing anything specific.

Hunger & My Weight Loss

2008-08-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am so hungry right now. In fact, I find myself to be hungry most of the time. The supplements I am taking (flaxseed oil, CLA & B complex) are obviously doing their job in speeding up my metabolism. A breakfast that would normally keep me satisfied until late afternoon now only does so for a couple hours. I had a ham, onion, ham and cheese egg white omelette and a yogurt around 10am. Now it's noon and I'm starving - as if I hadn't eaten all day. ^*^sigh^*^

But I know if I want to lose weight I can't binge when my tummy is screaming for food like this. So I have to suffer the hunger in order to reach my weight loss goal. I am going to have my trusty hot chocolate - that always helps chase away the hunger. It's actually relatively low in calories and has the added bonus of giving me my chocolate fix (admitted chocolate addict).

I hope this is all worth it. At the end of the summer I hope I will have lost lots of weight and be noticeably skinnier. I can never tell if I've lost weight unless it's significant - so I am not sure if I've lost weight. I think I have. Another problem is getting on the scale isn't a valid measure of my weight loss because I am not only losing fat - but gaining muscle from my workouts. I have been keeping up the 5 workouts a week - only 3.5 weeks to go. Of course I will be working out 4 times a week once September starts up - but it will be more spread out. Instead of Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs, & Fri. it will be Mon., Wed., Fri. & Sat. And no kick boxing after this month - only Gumdo and Taekwondo.

Well, wish me luck on my weight loss!! :)
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Favorite Video/Song of the Moment

2008-08-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

I end up watching this video at least a couple times a day! I love it! It's by this Korean artist Tae Yang (singer from band Big Bang), the song is "Prayer".

I ordered the CD last week - hopefully it will come in soon!

Thinking about Dad

2008-08-04T12:54:00.001-07:00

I was watching this documentary on the Irish in America and I saw some guys with long mustaches - reminded me of Dad when his mustache was like that. As I got to think about Dad I was remembering the time he came to my apt. with Dawn and Hillary to fix up Jazzmin's bedroom. At one point Dad and I went to the corner store to get beer (so unlike Dad, I know). What struck me that day was how the guy at the counter benevolently treated Dad like an old man. It startled me at that moment because I had never once thought of Dad as old or had I ever witnessed anybody treated him as old. It was just weird. Part of me felt bad to witness that - I imagine everybody wrestles with the concept of going from a regular adult to people starting to treat you as a geriatric. I felt bad because I wonder how it must've made Dad feel to transition into being looked at in that way. Dad didn't appear to mind being treated like an old man by the counter guy though.
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Candids from Illinois

2008-08-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Continuing Gumdo

2008-07-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

I think I am going to continue doing Gumdo once the summer is over. They do more social things outside of class then taekwondo does. I'm still going to take taekwondo - am just going to do Gumdo additionally. With Gumdo we'll be going as a class to support people in tournaments and when we get promoted we go to a school in Long Island for testing. My teacher's instructor has to facilitate the promotion test and that's where his school is. And another big thing is we're going as a class to Korea in 2 years to compete. I would love to go to Korea and this would probably be the only way I'd be able to do it. It does cost $3,000 for airfare and hotel but I can save up my federal refund then borrow from my 401k if need be.

Another benefit to taking Gumdo is I'm more likely to not skip classes. The workouts aren't as intense, but I still get a workout. And the classes are at a later time in the evening on the weekdays so I don't have to bust my ass trying to get to the school on time. With this set up I can do gumdo on Mon. & Wed. and taekwondo on Fri. and Sat. I can do taekwondo during the week if I want to do 2 classes in a row - but I don't see that happening too often. Having to run around with during the school year with Jazzmin takes it out of me for some reason. And then there is the asthma issue - but I'm hoping it won't be an issue after October.

But the only thing that I hate is spending the money for gumdo - I hate spending money and having nothing tangible to show for it. But I am paying off some bills during the summer so the money that would normally go toward those bills will go toward gumdo instead. So it's not like gumdo is really going to be adding to what I pay out every paycheck.

Korean R&B - Group: Big Bang

2008-07-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos from the group "Big Bang" - I like them. The video at the bottom is one they did in ENGLISH if you don't like listening to something in a foreign language.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE A KOREAN "BONE THUGS AND HARMONY" STYLE SONG. LOL

THIS ONE IS IN ENGLISH

Jazzmin Back from the Pool

2008-07-28T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here is my well documented daughter - what a pretty smile.

"The Argyle Sweater" Comic

2008-07-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Unfortunate Baby Names

2008-07-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it.

Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. He had her renamed. Judge Rob Murfitt made the 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name could be changed, he said in a ruling made public Thursday. The girl was involved in a custody battle, he said. The new name was not made public to protect the girl's privacy.

"The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name," he wrote. "It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily."

The girl had been so embarrassed at the name that she had never told her closest friends what it was. She told people to call her "K" instead, the girl's lawyer, Colleen MacLeod, told the court.
In his ruling, Murfitt cited a list of the unfortunate names. Registration officials blocked some names, including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, he said. But others were allowed, including Number 16 Bus Shelter "and tragically, Violence," he said.

New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offense to a reasonable person, among other conditions, said Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Clarke said officials usually talked to parents who proposed unusual names to convince them about the potential for embarrassment.