here a blog, there a blog, everywhere a blog blog

2005-08-29T15:02:00.000+07:00

Check out my travel blog with my boyfriend at

www.whereareryanandemily.blogspot.com

2005-08-24T21:01:00.001+07:00

We are in Thailand! Our trip was super smooth and there were no problems. I'll post more later.

Bangkok

2005-08-24T21:01:00.000+07:00

Pastor at work

2005-08-20T10:40:00.000+07:00

Ryan and I were going into Costco to buy a battery for his Subaru today. (I had never before seen acid flowing out of the battery while it was still under the hood of the car!) Anyway, I walk by a shiny black Mercedes illigally parked by the entrance...when I look in the front window there is a big laminated sign that says, "Pastor at work". I do a double take, "are you serious?!?!". I can not belive what I just saw. So...a pastor at work doesn't need to park like the rest of us? And the car, wow. I start calculating all the children that car could have feed.

Then I went and had a mojito and some sushi...how quickly we forget our convictions sometimes.

Random Thoughts....

2005-08-13T01:37:00.000+07:00

Ok, just some random thoughts..

I've been tying up loose ends before I head to Thailand. So I needed to cancel all my bills for the house. All the cancellations were painless until I got to one overly 'helpful' customer service guy. He asked how I was, and since it's 101 degrees out and I have no air conditioning, I said "I'm ok, but really HOT". I was expecting the usual "oh Yeah, it is hot outside", but instead I got "Yes, it's hot, but not as hot as it will be in Hell. I thank God every day that I've been saved from Hell and Damnation. Amen". He then proceeded to 'preach' while he canceled my water service.

I'm still not sure if I'm impressed or annoyed. I'm glad that he is wanting to share his faith...But...Even after I told him that I agreed with him, he went on and on and on...And on top of that , he kept calling me MRS. YORK..."uh, that's my mom, dude, I am very much a Miss."

Anyway, can I just tell you how excited I am to go to Thailand!?! Ryan and I leave Aug 23rd...Our flight is direct from JFK to Bangkok...17 hours long!!!
Since our internship don't start for a few days, we'll head straight to the beach for some R&R before everything gets super busy.

I'll have e-mail and internet access, so once in Thailand, you'll get posts from Ryan and I here.
I'll be posting as often as I can about my internship and all things Thai.

2005-08-04T01:14:00.000+07:00

Quick trip to Manch Vegas!

To all my manch/New England blogger friends. Ryan and I will be up for a quick trip this weekend. You are all invited to meet at 8pm at Margaritas this Sunday night. This will be my last trip up before I leave for Thailand. I hope to see a lot of you.

If you can make it, please give me a call or email me.

Hope to see you!

Emily

Shakespeare in the Park

2005-07-19T02:32:00.000+07:00

This past weekend I was determined to see Shakespeare in the Park. Shakespeare in the park is a free, outdoor performance in Central Park. I happened to run across it last summer and enjoyed it so much, I was willing to do many a thing to get tickets this year.
Last year was so easy, my sister and I just walked by and went in. This year no such luck. I had heard from a friend that the line wound around the park...Tickets are given out at one pm. but people start showing up early in the morning. My sister and I arrived at 8:45 and waited all day. It really was like camping, people had vacancies, ordered delivery from a deli...it was great fun. We finally got to the front of the line at 1:30, but there were no more tickets. Luckily we were one of the first 50 who didn't get tickets, but did get vouchers. In the end, Laurie, Ryan and I got three tickets next to each other in the 8th row for As You Like It.
It was fabulous. The weather was perfect, the actors were great, and like Shakespeare wrote, all the world is a stage, so if you got bored, people watching in NYC will most definitely keep you entertained.

Busy Busy

2005-04-07T08:09:00.000+07:00

It has been entirely too long since the last time I blogged. Between grad school, work, dance class, boyfriend, friends and family blogging doesn't make it to the top of the list. You know when it's been so long since you talk to someone, sometimes you don't know what to say...blogging is the same. I really wish I could figure out how to use hello. I went to New Orleans for spring break. It was so amazingly fun. It was great to get out of the cold...we ate our way through the city.

School is going really well. I'm loving my Theology of Poverty class. Very throughout provoking. Somehow my professor, Caleb Rosado has managed to incorporate quantum physics into theology of poverty. Learning a lot about economic development. It's really exciting. I'm actually creating a daycare/women's training center for a Haitian refugee population in the Dominican Republic for one of my classes that I'm looking to implement.
To much to talk about. I need to write more often so I'm not so overwhelmed.

Menudo, not just an 80's Puertorican band...

2005-02-28T07:20:00.000+07:00

Today I unknowingly became a contestant on fear factor...my boyfriend and I decided to try out a Mexican restaurant in town with $2.50 quesadillas...all seemed to be like any normal Mexican restaurant till I decided to stir it up a little with some soup. Since they didn't have tortilla soup, I went for a soup named Menudo...with a name like that, I figured it must be young and spicy with a light 80's twist. Oh there was a twist alright, just not what I would care for. My soup, which was served in what looked like a hand wash basin, came out in in a steamy red bowl of yummyness. I started sipping up my soup but the taste was not what I expected. I tried adding some lime, cilantro and onions, but it still tasted funky. Ryan took the bowl and took a look inside, "is this tripe?" "What!?" "It looks like tripe." "I don't know, I didn't notice the menu mentioning tripe as one of the ingredients." We call over the waiter, "Is this tripe?" "Yes, I thought you knew that since you ordered in Spanish." "Oh no, we don't call tripe 'menudo' in the Dominican Republic, I know it as 'tripe' or 'mondongo'. "Yeah, Mexicans call it 'menudo'. "Would you like me to wrap it up for you?" "No, no, it's ok. Thank you." So my new nickname...Senorita Tripe.

Snowboarding

2005-01-23T05:58:00.000+07:00

I'm back from the warm and sunny island of Hispanola and trying to readjust to the cold weather of PA. As soon as I got back the weather got colder and at this very moment am in the middle of winter storm. But all is not lost, there are still fun things to do in this weather. Never really spending 'play time' in the snow I had a new experience yesterday. I snowboarded for the first time. Having skied once seven years ago, and it not being a good experience I was leary of the chances of me having a good time. But Ryan convinced me otherwise and we headed to the Pocono's. Hitting the bunny slopes with a great snowboarding instructor/ patient boyfriend, I managed to roll down the hill a few times before 'hitting the slopes'. I guess my eyes about popped out of my head when we got to the top of the hill. I seriously thought I was going to tumble to my death with a board strapped to my feet. Somewhere along the way I managed to get down the hill without too many falls, and with just a few bruises on my knees actually had a wonderful time.
Now with about half a foot of snow outside, I'm ready for my next snow adventure :)

Vacation time is here!

2004-12-13T02:46:00.000+07:00

The end of the school year is finally here! I have not had a month break in so long. I'm so excited to lay by the beach and relax... and what a luxury to be able to read anything I want. The school semester went really well but I am glad that it's over. The last couple of days I've been able to catch up on my sleep and laundry :)
I'll be spending most of the month off in the Dominican Republic with my parents. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Politics........is it worth all the hoopla?

2004-10-27T02:35:00.000+07:00

Monday bright and early, I met my friends Ryan and Terance for breakfast, Now I know you're already wondering how bright, early and breakfast made it into my blog....well, it was for a good reason. We went down to center city to hear John Kerry and President Clinton speak. Even though Ryan and I had to leave early and didn't actually get to hear Kerry and Clinton speak, the experience was a memorable one.
I don't know if it was that I was extremely claustrophobic at the time, tired or my skepticism that kept me from getting all excited. The congressmen and other state representatives were speaking and getting the crowed all riled up, but I felt it was such a superficial excitement. What they were saying was not important, and even when it is, how often do they follow through with their words....
Anyway, it was a memorable experience. I had never been to a political rally before so there was a ton of people watching to do and anti-bush buttons to be read.

maybe baby....

2004-10-13T09:08:00.000+07:00

well I'm back from seeing Caleb Diego Medina. I know I'm biased but boy is he a cutie:) I had never experienced an attachment to a little child like that before. I wanted to hug him and kiss him the whole time he was around. I really am surprised by my reaction. I took pictures everywhere we went. That's me, crazy auntie em;)

I had such a wonderful time last weekend seeing my friends. I really enjoyed talking to them and catching up. I feel at home with them. I can be my goofy, silly self, and I never worry that they will stop talking to me.

I'm leaving on a jet plane........

2004-10-07T07:53:00.000+07:00

Well, I'm off to Iowa tomorrow! My friend Heather just had a baby boy so I'm flying out to see her. It's going to be such a good weekend! I get to see my good friends from college and catch up. It seems like once a year, there is milestone in one of my good friends life, which requires me to fly out to the midwest. Eventually there will be some kind of milestone in my life which will require them to fly to the east:) hehe

A revelation

2004-09-20T08:42:00.000+07:00

What a great weekend I've had! I was able to spend a lot of time meditating and praying. During this time, I was really able to converse with God and just hash things out with Him.

I've been struggling since I moved to Philly where to go on my field semester. In my masters program I am to spend 5 months in a developing country. Since most of the world is still developing, this leaves me with endless possibilities. Right now, everything is intersting and everything is exciting. It doesn't help that I don't have a specific country or topic that really stick out. I've just always wanted to help others.

This weekend I was able to make some preliminary decisions and eliminations. I've decided that I don't want to do my semester in a Spanish speaking country. Most may see this as a waste of a talent, but I don't. I see it as the cultivation of something new. It's so easy to rely on what is familiar, and not rely on God. I want to be challenged, frustrated to the point of giving up. I want to have no option but to turn to God for help, for strength, for wisdom.

The second part of the weekend was spent talking to my roommates and friends. One of my roommates is from Shri Lanka, and she and I have had some great conversations about her country. One of my other roommates has spent time in India and is planning on going back. Through pictures and stories, they have peaked my interest. I found myself saying, WOW, I want to go.
Yeah, I know, I say this at least once a day about a different country everything. What's different? Nothing actually...I just realized that God is telling me to go, to go somewhere. At this point I don't see God telling me to go somewhere over another. So, I've decided to pursue India. It's exciting, and scary. I've put myself out there, I've told people, I've committed to taking Hindi classes...oh boy, I've committed to myself....may God grant me the endurance to finish this thought....to follow through with this....

2004-09-11T13:31:00.000+07:00

Two wrongs don't always make a right...or was that a left?.... My roommate Lindsey and I have successfully gotten ourselves lost two Friday nights in a row. It's always difficult to explain how you get lost...well, since you're lost. You're not sure how you got where you did, but somehow, it's a always the bad part of town.
Last Friday night, I blame mostly myself for getting us lost in Philly. After a while it starts looking the same. In the end, we all got blisters and saw a lot of Philly we hadn't seen before. Sorry Lindsey and Ryan!
This weekend, I blame mapquest and the lack of specific directions. At least this time Lindsey was driving and we weren't walking miles out of our way, just driving.

Alone, I've gotten lost twice in the ghetto of Philly. Luckily I have found favor with the locals, and they have been really helpful and harmless. I only had to pay off a couple of drugies once for their help.

At times it can be really stressful and frustrating and parts of my personality that usual stay well hidden, all of a sudden are very apparent. If you ever want to see what kind of person someone really is...get lost, at night, when you're tired...the true colors will come shining through;)

Times, they are a changin'

2004-09-01T04:47:00.000+07:00

I was sitting out on my porch earlier today when one of the neighborhood kids comes riding down the street on his bike...talking on a cell phone! I just couldn't believe it. What has our world come to, where a kid can't even ride his bike without technology being involved.

Porch Mania

2004-08-30T09:57:00.000+07:00

It has been a great week. I feel as though I've been living in PA for a lot longer than I actually have. So much has been going on. I had my first management communications class. The people in my class are all cool, so I think we are going to have a great time.
The day before our first class my roommates and I decided to have a little party and had a bunch of our classmates over. We our now the designated "party house". We have great hardwood floors for dancing and a great porch. Ahh the porch...when we first moved in, the front of the house looked a little run down. So friday I woke up with an insane amount of energy. I went for a run at the park. I made the mistake of then going and getting a venti iced caramel machiato. I was wired for the next 14 hours. I went to Lowes and went crazy buying plants etc. I came home and busted that porch into shape. My roommate Lindsey was cracking up, with her Texas accent she said I was "on fuego". Well now, we have a great hangout porch. I never want to be inside it seems. I eat out there, read, talk on the phone...if I could sleep out there, I think I would.
Friday night my roommates and I christened the new porch with 2 six packs and a "best of Friends" marathon on Marie's laptop. What a great night!

Since school isn't in full swing yet, it's been great to hang out with my classmates and check out Philly. Saturday night four of us went to old city philly. We ended up at this great Cuban restaurant that has a dance floor. We had a great time dancing salsa and merengue. The environment was very chill and there weren't too many weird guys. I did get proposed to by some random Albanian dude. But it was more funny than scary. He said that he would take care of my and provide for all of my needs. hahaha

Orientation

2004-08-21T07:25:00.000+07:00

Today was the second day of my orientation for my masters program. So far it has been a very positive experience. We have had team building time to get to know the others in our program. Today we had a time of reflection on Luke 5:15-16 where Jesus sets the example of getting away and having time of solitude. The speaker really emphasized making time to be away from the craziness and spend time alone with God. This is something that I've heard plenty of times, but it was a good reminder for me this morning. I am so easily distracted by the things around me, that it's so hard to continuously focus on God. I needed to be reminded of how weak I really am and that I can't do it on my own. If Jesus had to take time away from the groups of people and the chaos around Him to be alone with the Father, how much more do I need it? Some times, actually most of the time, I try to do everything on my own. I am such a people person, but at the same time, I rely on myself for almost everything. This is a good recipe for burning out. Our speaker spoke of clinging to Christ. That should be our prayer always, but I think that is going to be something I'm going to focus on a lot this year.
I'm opening this up for discussion....What are ways that you, my fellow Christian bloggers, have found to let go of yourselves, and clinged to christ?

I hate packing!

2004-08-12T06:45:00.000+07:00

Ugh! I don't want to ever pack again! Every year or couple of years, I have to go through the same old routine, of packing, moving, unpacking...It's unbelievable the amount of crap I've accumulated over the years. My first year of college, I showed up with a duffel bag, a couple of suitcases and a pillow. Now, I don't know how I'm going to fit everything in my car! In my head I know I could loose all my possessions tomorrow, and I would be fine, actually in this state of mind, I'd be thankful so I wouldn't have to pack it all, so why do I hold onto things?
Right now I would give anything to know where I would be living in a year, and just find a home and never move again. But at the same time I don't know if that would ever happen. I can totally relate to Jesus talking about how the birds have homes but he has no place to rest his head. I feel the same way so much. I thank God for the "ultimate comforter" who knows me and knows how to comfort me in my moments of frustration.

how cops can ruin a perfectly good day...

2004-08-08T09:09:00.000+07:00

This is the story of how what started out as a great day at my friends beach house turned into a very expensive trip thanks to the hampton beach police....
An ex-coworker of mine and I drove up to visit a friend today in Salisbury,MA. We had a great time playing extreme beach bachi ball and trying to teach our friends daughter how to ride a bike. Around 6:30 pm we head home to Manchester (a 45 min drive). 7 miled into the trip, I get pulled over by the beach police for not having my car registered. I try to explain to the cop that I just got back yesterday from being out of the state for over a month, but we wouldn't let me off. I figured I'd have a $75 ticket and we would be on our way, but no! The cop informed me that my car is a danger and that it's being towed! Now I'm furious, I can't get a hold of my friend because the reception is bad, and the tow truck is going to charge me $100 for a 7 mile drive and the cop tells me that I'm an adult and must find my own ride home! How can the authority take my mode of transportation, leave me stranded 50 miles away from my home, without a ride, and tell me to have a nice day? Unbelievable. Marion and I end up walking the 7 miles on the side of the road back to our friends house where we finally get a hold of her boyfriend to come and pick us up. UGH! I was so mad, I spit!

Back from the magical world of disney

2004-08-07T21:47:00.000+07:00

I am back from Disney! What a week. I thought nothing could wear me out more than a week of statistics, but I think Disney did it :) We hit the ground running and did not stop! We went to MGM, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island, Tampa Bay vs Red Sox Game, House of Blues, blizzard Beach...at the moment, that is all I can remember. Part of the fun for the week was being put into teams of two or three and having to fulfill missions at each park. Our team (Ryan, Laura and myself) kicked butt! We ended up coming in first with another team. It really was kind of a silly but we had fun. The challenges were mainly being in the front row of certain rides and having proof that you were. I went around having the disney crew sign slips of paper and asking people for things. I'm not very competitive by nature unless people start pushing me around and start stealing my ideas. Both of which happened, so I got a little competitive:) hehe it was a fun week. There are so many stories but most of them wouldn't be all that funny unless you were there so I'll spare you oh faithful reader.
So now I'm going to start packing, and moving some things into storage and moving some things out of storage. I'll most likely leave NH the 12th or 13th and be moved in at my house in PA by the 15th.

Vacation

2004-07-28T18:06:00.000+07:00

Today is my last full day before I leave for New Hampshire. I'm leaving right after class Thursday to drive to Manchester. I'll be there for one night and then Friday morning we (we being half of our office from Mass Mutual) are all flying to Florida. There is so much to do in the one night I'm back. I am hoping to hang out with MattF since he'll be in town that day , I need to to laundry, pack, finish my final for financing, hang out with the 'family', and maybe sleep. I'm soooooo glad to be going on vacation. These past four weeks have been good, but I'm excited to have a little break. I'll blog once I'm back from Florida :)
Happy Blogging!

free entertainment

2004-07-24T02:29:00.000+07:00

This week was my accounting class at Eastern University. After my statistics class, this week was a POC (piece of cake). I had a lot more free time. So much that I was able to hang out outside a Dave Matthews Concert in Camden, NJ on Wednesday. One of my classmates, Ryan, had a bunch of jewelry that he brought back from Thailand so we 'set up shop' outside. Though he didn't make a lot of money, it was a lot of fun to people watch. We could actually hear the music hanging out on the sidewalk so as far as free entertainment goes, I give the night two thumbs up. We did get a little lost in in Camden, murder capital of the US, or so I was told, and that was a little interesting. But we got out unharmed:) It was sad to see how rundown the area was. There were all kinds of empty lots, rundown buildings etc, and then drive by the nice parts of Philly all within minutes of each other.
My classmates and I had a picnic this afternoon at valley forge national park. It was nice for us to relax and spend some time together outside of the class room. While we were eating, we saw a ton of deer. I had never seen so many deer in my life!
The Chicago Cubs are in town this weekend to play the Phillies. I'm excited to get to go see them, even if it's not at Wrigley Field. Lets just hope they win:)

two weeks down, two weeks to go

2004-07-18T10:53:00.000+07:00

My statistics class is over! I can not even begin to tell you how many hours I spent this week working on projects for that class. Things are starting to sink in a bit more, and even though this week was a lot tougher, I think I comprehended more. Our class really showed a sense of camaraderie this week. Our brains were so full of numbers, formulas, and random facts that there was no way that we were going to be able to remember everything on our own. We helped each other and pulled through the week.

For a week so full of class work, I managed to still go out with my roommates down to Philly. We hit some cool restaurants and bars, and I have a feeling that I'm really going to like it here.

I am not sure why I'm still awake...I went out to diner with the roommates in West Chester, PA(which happens to be the home of the infamous Bam Margera of MTV's Jackass. We walked by a store that sold his skateboards etc) to a place called the Iron brewery. A very cool restaurant. Since it's a brewery, they have all their own beer, which I'm not familiar with. So what do I do, I order the sampler, thinking it will have a couple little types of beer. No, more like 8 4oz glasses! Yeah, they took up half of the table. It was pretty comical.

Week Two

2004-07-13T07:49:00.000+07:00

Well, I survived my first full week! Actually it was pretty painless. It was hard having class for only 4 days (five hours at a time), having a midterm after my second day of class and having a final on the fourth day of class. It was a bit overwhelming trying to absorb so much information. Luckily all the classes are pass/fail. I think if I had known there was going to be so much information to learn a head of time, I think I would have taken community college classes or something last year, but so much for that.
The weekend was a nice break. My roommates and I had a bunch of people from our classes over for a bbq. It was nice to talk with people outside of the classes room. The down side is that most of the people who came are all leaving for their field semester in August, so I may never see these people again! But a couple of people from my class showed up, so those friendships are developing.

I went to Ocean City, New jersey on Saturday with a couple of my roommates. It's a great beach with a long board walk. We got up at the crack of dawn to make sure we missed all the traffic. We were at the beach by 8 am! So I then took a nice long nap till it got hot. What a way to start your morning! The crashing waves, the warm sun. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Sunday I went to a Hispanic church in "El Barrio" of Philly. I guess it's a pretty rough area, but I really enjoyed the bi-lingual service.

Back to School, Back to School.........

2004-07-08T04:22:00.000+07:00

Here I am in good ol' PA. I just finished my second day of Economics class, and I just finished a mid term! I'm in class for 5 hours at a time, which is a lot but can't complain. The prof is cool and the people in my class seem really nice as well.

My roommates are also really cool. We are having a bbq on friday night, so it will be a good time to get to know a lot of the people here. So far it's been cool to meet people who have traveled all over and have some crazy stories. My roommates are all leaving in August to go to Bolivia, Africa or India, so so far it has been an interesting time, and am enjoying myself.

Well back to learning about GDP and inflation and all that. I'll keep you updated as more exciting things happen.

The sun'll come out...

2004-06-30T21:47:00.000+07:00

Tomorrow is my last official day at Mass Mutual. It's hard to believe that I have been working here for over two years! God has shown me in a very tangible way how he always takes care of me. I moved to Manchester with a part time job as a manager of a sports center. How I managed to pay the rent is beyond me! At one point I was working four jobs at once. Everytime I needed some extra cash, a new job would open up. I was never in need and always had at least $1 in my checking account. At the end of this journey I've worked several jobs, keeping a steady one for over two years and have learned an enormous amount of information I thought I never would be able to.

Livin' and workin' in ManchVegas is something I will never forget. I moved here knowing virtually no one and am leaving with some awesome friends. I've also met some crazy people(Gregg, Dr. Jim, The Rugby Team, everyone at Strange Brew and the Wild Rover just to name a few) and have added to the growing pile of crazy stories that those of you who know me "love" to hear :)

Again I'm moving into the unknown, where I know no one. I'm only in Philly for a year, but knowing me I'll have some more crazy stories to tell. And I have no doubt that God is going to teach me a lot of things about Himself that I never knew.

My friend Amanda asked me this morning if I'm excited for the move. I am, but I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. I'm still trying to take advantage of every moment while I'm here and doing all the "last time" things. I've gone out with most of my friends "one last time". I've gone to the beach "one last time". I went to the park near my house with my roommate's daughter, Alivia "one last time".

This may be my last blog for a while. I'm going to be studying my ass off having four classes in four weeks (Economics, Statistics, Business Financing and Accounting) But if I have a free moment, I'll update y'all.

The Steak Tip Sub

2004-06-23T21:32:00.000+07:00

As a last 'hurrah' before I leave, my boss is taking me down to Medford, MA today to get the best steak tip sub I've ever had. Everytime I go La Cachias, the steak tips are soooooooo good, it's unbelievable. What's funny is that it is an hour each way to get there. So I guess we are having a 3 hour lunch today. And of course if we are down there we have to go by Krispy Kreme and get desert:) What a great day at work!

My sister, Loriz la Loca (crazy Laurie)

2004-06-17T23:39:00.000+07:00

Lately, I've been thinking about my sister a lot. Being the older sister I find myself giving her advise about love (insert laugh here), work, and just life in general. Though we are very different it seems she's having the same kind of life issues that I had at her age (I am three years older). And what's even funnier she's taking the same steps, mistakes and all that I made at her age. Because I've been through all the things she's going through right now I've been trying to keep her out of harms way by telling her my mistakes and praying she listens. But I think she's just like me when it comes to wanting to do things her own way, the "live and learn" way.

Personally, I realized when to "listen to the wise" when I realized my parents are a lot smarter than I had previously given them credit for. At some point in the last couple of years (I'm a slow learner) my parent's stopped seeming like parents, and more like humans. I realized that they have gone through the same struggles I'm going through right now. I never thought they struggled with knowing what to do with their life. I just always thought they always had it together, so when I struggled with things and they gave me advise, in the past I felt like they couldn't understand what I was going through so their advise was useless. When my mom confided in me that she wasn't happy at her current job and was going back to school for nursing at the ripe age of 53, I started looking at her differently. She could relate to my struggles with finding the right career.

When does one learn that the "live and learn" way isn't always the best and that the "listen to the wise" sometimes is better? What's your breaking point? Or is there one? Feel free to write about your lessons learned if you like.

New Roommates

2004-06-15T20:28:00.000+07:00

I've been corresponding with my soon to be roommates the last couple of days. I can't believe how everything is working out. Our house is a couple of miles away from the Valley Forge National Park which is awesome. One of my roommates is from Houston TX and the other one is from Shri Lanka. It blows my mind how God works everything out. A month ago, I had no place to live, no job, nothing lined up. In this short amount of time, I've got three roommates, a home, an apprenticeship with my professor, a scholarship....GOD IS GOOD!

Can a car be cursed...Part Two

2004-06-15T03:13:00.000+07:00

After a lot of toil and trouble, I was able to get my 2000 Honda Civic back on the road. It was in the shop getting fixed for about three weeks. My sister had the car before me in NYC for a couple of years and managed to get into three accidents. I got all the bumps and scratches taken care of and in less than a week have managed to bust the left tail light out! oye
I really could scream right now. Luckily one of the ladies at work's husband can fix it for me.

On a totally different subject, I am so glad summer finally decided to arrive! I went to the beach not once, but twice this weekend! I had a blast with my roommate and her 5 year old daughter Alivia. It's always fun to see kids at the beach. Alivia kept running back and forth from the ocean with her little shovel making a yummy 'chocolate cake'. She is the most photogenic little thing. I recently got a zoom lens for my camera and was able to get some cute pictures of her. The funny thing is when she was nearby and could tell I was going to take a picture of her, she transformed into a little model and posed every which way. Once I get them developed, I'll make sure to post them.

Get me out of here!

2004-06-11T03:11:00.000+07:00

Have you seen the e-mail where there's a guy stuck in your monitor saying "Hello?" "Can anyone help me?" "Please get me out of here!"
Well, that is how I feel today. I feel like I am stuck in my computer. I have been staring at it all day working on projects that I have no motivation for or to be perfectly frank, don't really care about. You see the countdown has started and though I still have three weeks at my job, my soul left the office after the first sign of spring. I can't(in a throaty voice) "Get in the Zone" and focus on anything at work. *sigh*

On a much different note, has anyone seen the last comic standing? I watched a bit of it last night on NBC and it seems like a fun show. Nothing as good as Chapelle Show but entertaining none the less.

Well, I'm off to fight the DMV and get a licence plate! (long story)

Fisher Cat Crazy!

2004-06-09T21:28:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I did one of my favorite things here in Manchester, I went to our AA baseball game, Fisher Cats. My boss has season tickets, but it seems I go more often then him. As we walked in last night we were recruited to play one of the games between the innings. Naively, we said yes before we knew which game we had volunteered for. It was called 'The Plunger Toss'. I got to throw plungers into the air and hope that my partner caught them in the toilet seat. We did alright and tied with the other team.

But the main story behind this blog is while I was waiting to toss the plungers.... The Fisher Cats do not have an official mascot yet so every game, there is a different one. So far I've seen a clown, Kermit the Frog, a cowboy, bear etc. Well last night Elmo was the mascot. I'm waiting for my turn down on the field where out of nowhere Elmo grabs my hand and starts to dance. How do you dance with a mascot? I can't tell if it's a girl or a guy, so I don't know if I'm supposed to lead or not and basically it was just really weird. Needless to say my 'mad dancing skills' were not seen at this event.

2004-06-09T01:15:00.000+07:00

E	Emotional
M	Magical
I	Ideal
L	Legendary
Y	Yummy

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

I found this on someone elses blog and thought it was really funny.

2004-06-08T21:21:00.000+07:00

Today I am signing my life away for the next year and a half. I'm writing a nice little check to pay for my summer classes that are the beginning of my graduate school experience. I've been excited all along because I knew this was the program for me, but just today I got that feeling of excitement that you usually get from a first date, first kiss etc. That anticipation of something great without any down falls. I've been trying not to think too much about moving because I know it brings up mixed feelings. If I were moving in the dead of winter, I would probably have said good riddance to New Hampshire and never looked back. Actually, that's not true because no matter what I'm going to miss all the great people I have met here, but I'll miss the state because of the great summer and falls they have. So as I start to pack and get things situated I've been trying to emotionally prepare myself to leave my home and my friends. We will see how I'm doing closer to July 2.

Memorial Day

2004-06-02T02:58:00.000+07:00

There a few people who greatly contributed to me having such a great long weekend:

1. Jill -I was so thankful to take a half a day on Friday, even if it was too rainy to go to Boston (sorry Bernard and Jen). But what's better than a movie on a rainy day. We went to see "Mean Girls" which I was told would be a bit like "Heathers". It had a few of the SNL cast, and whether it was our super silly mood or the fact that it was actually funny, I laughed off all the calories from the bags of candy I ate.

2. To all those who bought my crap at my yard sale. It amazes me that the crap you think no one would ever buy, is actually the stuff that goes first.

3. Tammi-for throwing the bouquet so hard it hit the master of ceremonies and knocked the microphone out of his hand. That was "America's Funniest Homevideos" worthy.

4.Greg- for throwing a kick-ass party Sunday night. I thought there would be a Chicago flasback and we were all going to crash to our death for having too many people on your deck, but it was fun. It truly is too small of a world. (i.e. DJ Midas)

5.The City of Manchester/ Rock 101- for having the only Memorial Day 25 minute fireworks show I've ever heard of.

THANKS!

Go Cubs!

2004-05-27T02:21:00.000+07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan. Part of being a loyal Cubs fan is being able to take all the jokes that come our way. Here is an edited e-mail a co-worker of mine sent to me. (He shouldn't really be making fun since he is a Red Sox fan and a lot of these apply to them as well.

Major Events Since the Cubs Last Won the World Series:

Radio and TV was invented
Baseball added 14 teams
Haley's comet passed Earth..Twice
Harry Carry was born and died.
Man landed on the Moon.
Sixteen U.S. presidents were elected
Eleven amendments were added to the Constitution
Prohibition was created and repealed
Teh Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered and became the subject of a major motion picture, the latter giving Cubs fans hope that something that finishes on the bottom can come out on top.
Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma nad New Mexico were added to the Union
And...
A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held.

GO CUBS!

York, a double edged sword

2004-05-24T22:13:00.000+07:00

I can hardly believe it, my little sis graduated from Fordham University on Saturday. Tim Russett from Meet the Press was the guest speaker and he did a great job. It was warm and sunny and i was able to get a bit of a tan during the 4 1/2 hour ceremony...yes, 4 1/2 hours. Thanks to our lovely last name, York, we are always at the end if things are alphabetized, ie the handing out of diplomas. I love my last name and am very proud of it, but when you have to wait 2 hours for your sister's name to be called, you get a little restless. By 4pm we had all taken a nap, played blackjack on our cell phones, and checked out all the bathrooms on campus.

After the ceremony we had a great time at this nice Italian place close to my sisters apartment. We did the meal family style since there were nine of us. mmmmm... it was so good!

Then we went to see Shrek 2, which was hysterical. All in all, it was a great weekend.

everyone else is doing it

2004-05-19T01:11:00.000+07:00

I don't usually let things people say get to me, but in the last month a half dozen or so people have made the same comment to me, and it's starting to drive me crazy!
In July I am moving to Philadelphia to get my MS in International economic Development. I am very excited about this new page in my life. I can't wait to study, travel, see new places, and meet new people. But it seems the only person other people are concerned that I meet is a husband. People ask where I'm moving to and I start this excited monologue about developing economic systems for third world countries etc...and once I finish my little speech, All people say is " Sounds great, maybe you'll meet your husband there". Yes, I'm making a huge change in my life, moving to a new place where I know none, I'm stepping into the great unknown, spending my hard earned money on an education with the sole purpose of finding a husband. Ugh! If I was on a search for a husband believe me I'd have one, I may not be happy but that would be besides the point.
Can't I have a dream come true without it being squashed because I'm not married?

Can a car be cursed?

2004-05-17T23:14:00.000+07:00

I'm selling my '98' Ford Escort and inheriting my sister's '02' Honda Civic. She's been living in NYC for about two years and she has had 3 accidents, one broken window and two stolen windshield wipers. Not mention that between her and her friend Jerome, they have accumulated over $1000 in tickets! In general the Honda Civic is a better car then the Ford, but I'm kind of nervous. This car has brought nothing but trouble to my sister, and I wonder, can a car be cursed?

A weekend in Manhattan

2004-05-12T02:26:00.000+07:00

I was in NYC this weekend for Mother's Day. My mom and dad are in the USA for my sister's graduation and meetings. My dad got tickets for us to see Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway. It was very nice. They made the stage so creatively. It looked like a wooden stage with a forest on the sides. Also the orchestra was on stage in the back corner which was different, but I liked it.
During one of the acts when they break out into song and dance, my sister leans in and says, "I hate when they start singing". I thought this was funny since it is a musical.
So other than a $140 speeding ticket in Conneticut. I had a great time.

Fondue Fountain

2004-05-07T22:46:00.000+07:00

Last night was our office's Open House for clients, friends and family. There was all kind of food and free gifts etc....and everyone had a good time. The Norman Rockwell prints were wonderful.
I especially loved the fondue fountain by Swan chocolate http://www.swanchocolates.com/. They melted over 25 pounds of yummy chocolate and you can dip a variety of fruits and candies into the fountain. Needless to say, the girls running the fountain knew me by name by the end of the night :)

2004-04-30T19:51:00.000+07:00

Diesel, it's not just gas you know....

My sister called me yesterday and told me the funniest story I have ever heard. A good friend of ours that grew up in the Dominican Republic with us, Carolina, moved to NYC last year. She had never owned a car, nor pumped her own gas before. Her husband was graduating from the army in St. Louis, so her, her little girl, her sister and her cousin, rented a minivan and drove to St. Louis. The whole time her cousin drove and pumped the gas. About an hour from St. Louis Carolina decides to she will pump the gas....Never pumping gas before, she pumps DIESEL fuel into the minivan!
What kill me is her logic. She figured that if the "Diesel Jeans" company was a good name brand, that diesel gas must be the best gas!

2004-04-30T01:39:00.000+07:00

I'm not one for keeping up with the times as far as technology goes. I've had the same cell phone that's as big as my hand, I just learned how to download pictures, and I still don't know how to program a VCR...and I'm ok with it. Recently though, I've been reading people's blogs for no good reason. Curious I guess...and up to this point, I've had no desire to have one myself, till today.

I'm sitting at my cubicle, working on something, or maybe I was reading someone's blog, when over the partician I hear "Hey Em, do you have trouble with constipation?"
Now you would think I'd be thinking "Huh?" "Why would you ask me that...in the office...outloud...during work hours?"

But all I could think was, "Man, I wish I could blog about this!"