Thursday, February 28, 2008

Sleepwalking...


As a kid I used to sleepwalk ALL the time. I would leave my apartment and just walk up and down the halls. My parents and my neighbors came to expect it so I was always returned promptly.

In sleepaway camp, I once left my bunk and caused quite a stir. I had most of the camp up in the middle of the night looking for me. Turns out I left my bunk and walked across to another bunk and found an empty bed and curled up in it and continued to sleep. I had NO idea what happened. I was about 6. I woke up with one of the male head counselors holding me and carrying me back to my bunk. Oops. It didn't happen again in camp but I know I did give everyone a scare since I was just gone for a few hours.

As I got older, I didn't really sleepwalk anymore. It just seemed to stop. There were times where I would be half awake kind of and get up but I never remembered. I was always told later.

Last night the sleepwalking came back. I woke up around 4am and my room was really warm and I was uncomfortable so I went to the living room and set up camp on the couch with a pillow and blanket. I remember going back to sleep on the couch since I was really sleepy. I woke up in my bed this morning. I have absolutely NO recollection of going back to my bed. My pillow and the blanket were also back in my bed. I remember NONE of this. I woke up all startled because last I had remembered, I was on the couch. It really was a shock because nothing like this has happened to me in like 10-15 years....at least that I can recall. I wonder why all of a sudden this came back. I wonder if it'll happen again. I guess I'll find out.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

This week just sucks ass...

I thought I had gotten all the bad news I was gonna get this week....nope. I got a call this afternoon that my friend's mom died this morning. NO idea what happened. She had breast cancer several years ago but she was in remission. I have NO idea what happened. Funeral is tomorrow though. I feel so bad...I just saw her at my friend's wedding in December. Totally sucks.

As for my friend in LA...she's in surgery again. Apparently, the drs were afraid of a stroke and her brain was swelling so they are removing a portion of her skull to allow for the swelling. Here's the thing that was REALLY odd to me...they put the piece of skull in the abdomen for safe keeping. Eventually, she'll need a 3rd surgery to put the piece of skull back. Just nuts if you ask me. Hard to wrap my head around but I just hope everything is ok. So, she's in surgery as I type and I hope it goes well.

As we all know...bad things happen in 3s...well, I really hope that isn't the case this week. I've had enough bad news to last a LONG time.

Well, that's my life at the moment. Fun fun fun...

Monday, February 18, 2008

I'm taking a break...

Unfortunately, I got some really bad news today. A good friend of mine is in critical condition in the ICU with a brain aneurysm. She's stable but it's still not great. I'm told she's going to have some non invasive procedure to try to fix it and if that doesn't work...surgery. The doctors are optimistic...or so I'm told but it's still a rough road ahead. Honestly, I feel kind of numb at the moment as well as feeling a bit impotent since she's in LA and I'm here in NY. I feel like there's absolutely nothing I can do but hope everything is ok. Anyway...I just really don't feel like posting but I'll be back. So please...everyone just hope she's ok and put her in your prayers or whatever it is you do. I appreciate it.

UPDATE: First off, thanks guys...second...she had surgery, she's ok and stable. She'll be in the ICU for at least 2 weeks but it looks like she'll be ok. So far she's been sedated and on pain pills and she's a bit of a demanding patient but it's all good. I hope to try and make a quick trip out to LA when she's feeling better and up to seeing people. :)

Sunday, February 10, 2008

RIP

I generally don't do the celebrity death tribute but I felt I had to acknowledge this one. Almost ever day for about 20 years, my father ate breakfast at our local diner. Roy Scheider would eat there as well. After a time, the 2 started realizing they were always there at the same time and started eating breakfast together. So, for many years...he was my father's breakfast companion. I didn't go for breakfast since I was in school but there were other times I went to the diner and I did meet him on occasion. He was a really nice man. My father always said wonderful things about him and really enjoyed his company so I read this news and broke it to my father. As expected, he was kinda upset by the news. So, his family are in my prayers and I hope he rests in peace.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Roy Scheider, the actor best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie "Jaws," has died. He was 75.

art.scheider.gi.jpg

Roy Scheider speaks at a gala in 2004. Scheider died Sunday at an Arkansas hospital.
Scheider died Sunday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
hospital in Little Rock, hospital spokesman David Robinson said. The
hospital did not release a cause of death.

However, hospital
spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said Scheider had been treated for multiple
myeloma at the hospital's Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy
for the past two years.

Scheider received two Oscar nominations,
for best-supporting actor in 1971's "The French Connection" in which he
played the police partner of Oscar winner Gene Hackman, and for
best-actor for 1979's "All That Jazz," the autobiographical Bob Fosse
film.

However, he was best known for his role in Steven Spielberg's1975 film, "Jaws," the enduring classic about a killer shark terrorizing beachgoers and well as millions of moviegoers.


Widely hailed as the film that launched the era of the Hollywood
blockbuster, it was also the first movie to earn $100 million at the
box office. Scheider starred with Richard Dreyfuss, who played an
oceanographer.


In 2005, one of Scheider's most famous lines in
the movie -- "You're gonna need a bigger boat" -- was voted No. 35 on
the American Film Institute's list of best quotes from U.S. movies.


That year, some 30 years after "Jaws" premiered, hundreds of movie
buffs flocked to Martha's Vineyard, off the southeastern coast of
Massachusetts, to celebrate the great white shark.

The island's
JawsFest '05 also brought back some of the cast and crew, including
screenwriter Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel that
inspired Spielberg's classic. Spielberg, Scheider and Dreyfuss were
absent.

Scheider was also politically active. He participated in
rallies protesting U.S. military action in Iraq, including a massive
New York demonstration in March 2003 that police said drew 125,000
chanting activists.
(from CNN.com)

Powered by ScribeFire.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Hell Update...

I spoke to the mother of the bride and all is well. Apparently the maid of honor didn't tell her I offered my house. Nor did she tell her anything that I had said. Also, MOB said she heard the restaurant that the MOH had suggested sucks. Isn't it nice when people communicate? Yeah...it is. That said, I have calmed down. I feel MUCH better and I think everything will work out JUST fine.

I also have to say this even though it has nothing to do with the post....OMFG...that was the best Superbowl. I almost had a heart attack in the last 2 minutes but it was a great game and I am SO happy that the Giants were able to give it to NE. Such a nice feeling. My friend walked in front of the tv when there was about a minute and a half to go. I had to push her out of the way and tell her she's not see through. ;) Oh, she's the bride in the above story actually....I'm still in the wedding. lol The only thing is...I have to go run some errands in Manhattan tomorrow and I think I'm gonna get stuck in the middle of the parade area. I'm not so thrilled about that...oh well. Once when the Yanks won, I was working near city hall at the time and I left to go get lunch and a glimpse at the parade (I had some kind of special ticket that would get me in to see the who to do. I couldn't deal with the crowds so I went back to the office (my window overlooked city hall park) yeah, they wouldn't let me in to the area to get back to my office. I was like...fine, I'll go home. I even showed my work ID and all my info...I was working for a state senator at the time...he found out I was stuck and I was telling the office manager on the phone that I was stuck. He got on the phone...yelled at me and demanded I put the cop not letting me through on the phone. Well, I was allowed to go back to work.

OK, so this post went off on a tangent...it happens. Deal. :)


Powered by ScribeFire.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

GO BIG BLUE!


It's a few hours to kick off and I have to do a little Giants post. I really hope the Giants can pull this off. I'd LOVE to see the Giants put an end to the New England perfect season. It would just be so perfect. Oh how I hate those cheating bastards. I'll leave it at that and tonight we'll see what happens.

I'm off to a party at a friend's apt and I'm looking forward. She just bought a 46 in LCD so that should be real nice. :)

I had a little mishap earlier. I was making Guacamole. I used FUCKING HOT pepper. A tiny little orange pepper that packed some punch. I think it's a scotch bonnet. Anyhow...kept telling myself NOT to touch my face til I washed my hands. Well, hand RIGHT to the eye....MOTHERFUCK...it hurts. My eyeball was on fire. I flushed it with a bottle of saline and that helped a bit but lots of ice water later...I was still burning. Lesson learned...wear gloves. Anyhow...I'm ok now. I hope the guac tastes ok because well...I was injured in the process. And again....

GO GIANTS!!!!

P.S. I still want feedback on the post below so don't forget about that one. :)

Friday, February 01, 2008

I'm in HELL!!!!!!!

Ok, I know I've been absent...sorry...well, I always say that but whatever. I have to vent about something and this is my blog so I will. Here goes...

I am a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's weddings. I'm happy to partake and I'm really happy for her. There are 6 of us in the bridal party and we're all friends too. It's a good group and there's really no drama at all. Thing is, we're planning her shower. Most shower's I've been to have been paid for by the family of the bride...I guess that's just how my friends and family have been thus far. We'll, this particular friend's parents don't really have much money and they have a whole host of medical issues....I love them dearly. I'm just giving some background. Well, there have been some emails going around between the girls about the shower and we were talking about ideas, dates, logistics, etc. I was on the phone with one of the girls and I was discussing paying for the shower and I mentioned that I assumed that it was on us...she confirmed. Well, this wasn't discussed in any group discussions. So the long and short of it is that the plan is to have it at a restaurant which will be about $25 a head and my friend (the bride) has a list of about 40 people to invite. So basically, with favors, decorations and whatever else, it'll probably be around $300 a person...this is in addition to all other expenses. Well, I can't really afford to do that. Also, 2 of the bridesmaids are getting married within weeks of my friend. So some of the girls have several weddings to be in and that REALLY adds up.

I had mentioned having the shower at someone's house/apt...well, the mother of the bride is in a wheelchair and some places aren't accessible. In addition....40 people in a Manhattan apt doesn't really work unless you're Donald Trump. Also, the bride is one of the nicest people. She's the kind of person who is ALWAYS there for everyone and she always goes to everyone's birthday, she plans events for people. She's the one who is always doing for everyone else. So, she really deserves everything to be great. I touched on her family's issues...well, her mom has depression issues, weighs like 300 lbs and had polio as a child so she can't really walk, her dad has MS and her brother has Downs Syndrome. You can see there are issues. Even though life dealt them a crappy hand in the health dept...you couldn't meet nicer people. They are just good people. I'm close to the whole family.

So, there's my dilemma. Help!

I just sent this email to the bridal party...we'll see what I get in return:

Also, I have another concern and that is a financial one. I know we
haven't touched on this but I am assuming that this is being paid for
by us. That said, I figure it'll be close to $300 a person or so
because in addition to paying $22ish a person, there will be tax and
tip as well as favors and I assume decorations and whatever
incidentals. So to be on the safe side, I'm rounding to
$300...well...that's something that I really can't do. I also know
that many of you have a lot of other wedding related financial
obligations in the same time period so, I wanted to bring up this issue
and see where everyone else stands and what you're all thinking.

Let me know.

Thanks

Got one response while I was composing this:

I totally understand. Although I am not sure how we can get away with
less than $200 each. I figured 22 a head plus 30% for tax and tip was
around $1200 for 40 people and divided by 6 is $200. I do not think
many people are drinkers at 12 and think we can certainly forgo to
alcohol to save some money. We can also just get the $80 cake and not
pay for the cake woman. I think you are right that we are looking in
the $200-$300 range. It is very difficult but unless we have a house or
someone's club room or something to have it at I am not sure what our
other options are...


:(



Powered by ScribeFire.