Ori decorating the tree

Here is Ori decorating the Christmas tree. We finally got around to decorating Christmas Eve! Last Christmas Ori was only 2 months old. At 14 months, she is finally able to participate.
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Day 15 of putting up the Christmas tree

So, it is taking forever to put up the Christmas tree. It took me a couple of days just to put the tree together and then we just put up the lights last night.

Why are lights so complicated? We had one set go up without a hitch. The other set lit up when we plugged them in after we took them out of the box but when we put them in the tree they stopped working. So I had to take them down again. Then I tested another set and they worked out of the box. So, I put them on the tree and plugged them in only to find out that only the part that was at the top of the tree were lit. We tried to diagnose the problem but no cigar. So I got frustrated and just left them up. Then when I got ready to go to bed, all the lights came on.

Go figure! That is why I hate putting up the Christmas tree. Maybe next year I'll hire decorators!

At this point I still have to put the ornaments on. Uggh.
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Working Christmas Eve

So, I have to work Christmas eve. The one good thing is that I got a close parking spot at the train station. The bad news is that I overslept and got a late start. I have so many things to do that do not relate work, like pick up a few things at Williams Sonoma.

All I know is the older that I get the less fun this whole Holiday is. Bah Humbug!
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My husband shrank one of my favorite sweaters

This is a picture of what my husband did to my favorite sweater. It is now the size of a elementary school student. I can't believe he did this and did he apologize? No. He said that I should not have put it in the laundry chute. So, I guess this is one of the many things that are my fault. He never looks at the labels before washing even though I have asked him several times. So I guess I am going to j crew and getting 2 new sweaters. One in the gray and another one in black! Ori is going to have a nice sweater some day.
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I need a cattle prod

I wish I had a cattle prod so that I could use it when I walk down the street. There are several annoying habits that people have that need to be corrected pronto.

1. Not walking in a straight line. I swear people are like heat seeking missles. They will find a way to veer into you or try to drive you off the sidewalk.
2. Know your dimensions. Do not try to squeeze through a small opening in traffic when you are clearly larger than the hole.
3. Watch your accessories. Make sure that your purse, bag, umbrella, etc. does not rub up against other people when walking
4. Do not monopolize the sidewalk. If walking in a group, realize that you will not be able to walk side by side the entire length of your walk. It is polite to walk in a single file line when others are coming in the other direction.
5. Mind your personal space. When there is ample room to walk, do not walk directly in back of the person in front of you and breathe heavily and drag your feet. It is totally annoying.

I declare all of these items punishable by a long zap by a cattle prod that will disorient and take the offender off of their feet and leave them in the gutter. Grrr!

Just changed my background

Thanks to Charmaine, I changed my blog background. Her's was so cute that I could not resist going to The Cutest Blog on the Block's webiste to see if I could find something equally as nice. Ori's colors are pink and brown so I chose this one. I was hoping for a Asian themed one, but this website did not have it. Oh well...next time.

The Snow is here

We are in for a snow storm over the next couple of days. Here is the first of it!
Luckily, I am working from home today as there are already multiple problems with public transport this morning. The projection is that the evening commute will be brutal.
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Quick's 40th birthday

Here is a rather blurry picture of Quick as we celebrated his 40th birthday. Maybe I had too much champagne
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Past week

I have had a very bad couple of days. One migraine, 2 rashes, a swollen eye, 2 cases of the hives, severe neck pain and swollen back of the head. I think the stress and hatred of the job are going to put me in the hospital soon. I hate feeling grumpy and hurting everyday. When will things change?
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Daddy and me

Here is a picture of Ori and her Daddy taken minutes ago
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Xmas madness

Here is a picture of Xmas madness. People actually lining up to get into the Coach store. They must've had an incredible sale going on!
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Dickens Festival

The town next to mine, celebrated the Dicken's festival this weekend. I braved the 35 degree cold to check it out. It was a nice scene with people all decked out in period costume, speaking in Olde English and singing Christmas caroles. It was a fun time.

First Snow of the Winter

I woke up early this morning...like 2am and saw the first snow of the winter! How beautiful.

Pictures from the mall

Ori is loving her visit to the mall! We found the children's play area and she had a blast. It was fun to watch her negotiate with the other kids. She definitely has a more dominate personality.
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Ori at the park

Here is Ori at the park on her favorite piece of equipment...the slide. She just lights up when she sees one and hates to leave when the time comes.

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Google Reader

I LOVE Google Reader! My friend Angela hipped me to this product and it helps me to keep up to date on all my blogs in one convenient place! You should check it out at http://www.google.com/reader. It will only show the new entries so that makes it so easy to use. Love Love Love it!

Book Selection

Bitter Sweets

My last book selection was Bitter Sweets. it caught my eye the last time I was at Target. I really like to read stories that are about families in different cultures. It is interesting to see that family dynamics can be the same no matter what your background. This book was a particularly convoluted story that ended in a way that I would not have predicted. The themes of the book are lies and deception. It made me think of the different ways we lie and decieve others just to "keep the peace".

To follow this South East Asia theme, I also saw a great movie that was recommended by a friend called, "Before the Rains". This was a very good film. Some of the themes were lies, deception and sacrifice. It always angers me that a woman always has more to lose than a man in most situations.

I really enjoy studying Asian and South East Asian cultures. I minored in Asian American Studies as an undergrad and really enjoy reading and watching movies with this theme. If you know of any others, please share!

New Blackberry!

I went from this:





To this:



I love my new Blackberry. The color is so cool! I can actually find it in my purse. It is also slightly smaller and has some new features that I am dying to try. The greatest feature is the camera.

Ori and Daddy

Here is Ori and her Daddy. She finally fell asleep while we were in the apple store getting Quick's files transferred. I guess she just couldn't stay up any longer.
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Current Reading Selection: Twilight

I am currently reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. What a fantastic book! I got interested in it because of the Nesties. They were posting about the newest book called Breaking Dawn and since they mentioned it was about vampires, I immediately had to do some research on the subject. So, I went to my trusty research engine, Google and looked up the author. During this research I found that this book was part of a series so I excited went to the bookstore to find the first book.

I have to admit that I was not optimistic. I love vampire books and was totally in love with Ann Rice's books as well as the short-lived series Kindred: The Embraced. I was totally crushed when the series was not renewed and Ann Rice decided that she would not write any more vampire novels. It was then that I got hooked on Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. Their characters are all forensic pathologists and coroners. Can you see the thread? For some reason I am obsessed with death and the causes and so on. I don't know why but I am very intrigued by it all. So, when I started reading it my hopes weren't to high.

I was pleased that the book was pretty substantial. I figured that it would be great for my trip to Europe. And the cover art was certainly nice but would the content keep my hooked? It is always such a gamble with books. So, with bated breath I open the book and started to read. Wow! What a great story. I am totally blown away. The main characters Bella and Edward are so vivid. I can see every detail of them in my minds eye. Their romance is so beautiful and envelops you totally. It reminded me of my first love and all the obsession that goes along with it.

Stephenie Meyer is such a talented writer. Her style is just the kind that I crave and it looks like I will probably finish the book before the trip and be forced to get the next in the series for the plane ride to Europe. But who would have thought that I would actually look forward to the train ride to and from work everyday. Go get this book!

No more Shisedo lipstick

It's been about 10 years since I have worn Shisedo's lip sheer product. In fact, it was first grown up lipstick my mom allowed me to wear. It came in a variety of different colors and provided a nice hint of color with a subdues sheen. I loved it.

For some reason, I stopped using it. Most likely because I got the go ahead to wear an actual lipstick in an actual shade. But recently I decided that I wanted to use it again. I mean it would be perfect for my trip next month and more importantly when I am showering little Ori with kisses, she won't have my lip prints all over her. So I slipped in to Bloomies and slid over to the Shisedo counter only to find that they has discontinued my favorite product. Bummer!

Ori's vocab

Ori is developing quite the vocabulary. She is able to say the following things:

Hi
Uh oh
Bye Bye (with a wave)
Yay
Beep Beep (referring to her walker)
Goggies (meaning doggies)
Hmm?? (unfortunately, mom seems to say that alot)


What's next?

One of my favorite movies

Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it is we did wrong, but we think you're crazy for making us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out, is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club.

Thanks for the quote Mrscerruti2be

Shoes for Europe

So, I have been on the lookout for comfortable shoes for Europe. Now I understand that it is not kosher to wear athletic shoes in Europe if you are not actually engaging in some sort of athletic activity. My friend Anja who is from Germany has mentioned that to me on a number of occasions. So, I knew that I would have to find some creatively comfortable substitutes.

One of the downsides of being pregnant was that my feet are a little bit wider and always hurt for some reason. As a result I am not able to wear most of my shoes, or if I can still wear them it is not for and extended amount of time. Therefore, I knew it was imperative that I go shoe shopping.

I went back to my old standbys, Keds. I bought a pair in a stone color and they are very comfortable. But I still felt like I needed sandal too. But I needed something with an arch support because if I am going to be walking alot I better have support. So, while I was walking through Penn Station on my way to the subway, I saw a lady in these cute little crocs. Not the traditional ones, but another version. Here they are:
They are called Patra. I would not get them in this color, but probably the brown or the khaki ones. I think they look comfortable and nondescript enough to make it. What do you think?

Very eventful weekend!

We had a very eventful weekend and I am still tired from it.

My mom and Ori came to work with me in the city on Friday. It was very nice because we sort of took our time and arrived around 2pm. It takes about 2 hours to get to the city from our house. Once we got here we stopped by the office and a few people were around, so I got to show her off. As usual, she was in a great mood. While I did a few things around the office, my mom fed her and then we went to lunch at Dos Caminos. It was really good and Ori was a dream. The weather was perfect for an outdoor lunch and I even had a sangria. Soo nice. Then we went to Bloomies and then to Madison but most of the stores were closed. We hopped up to 5th for a minute then rounded things off with a rest at Central Park. There were so many things for Ori to see that she hardly took a nap the entire time. She even refused to go to sleep on our late ride home on the train. She stayed up the entire time people watching and making friends.

Needless to say, Saturday she was pretty tired. But since it was a stormy day, I stayed in and she could nap on and off all day.


Then on Sunday, we were off again. This time we took the Port Jefferson ferry over to Bridgeport, CT. Then we drive to the Mohegan Sun casino. My mom loves slot machines so I thought it would be nice to take her there since she has been hinting that she wanted to go. Well, first I didn't really think that we needed reservations for the ferry. But I got up on Sunday and decided to see how full the boats were. Originally, I had planned to take the Orient Point ferry across which is about an hour east of where we lived but all the ferries were booked. I couldn't believe it. So, then in a slight panic I checked the Port Jeff ferry. Good news, there were still some space available. So I booked us and was delighted that we had plenty of time to get Ori ready.

We got Ori all set and headed out the door and got to the ferry about 45 minutes before boarding. It was really nice. You just drive your car aboard and then you can hang out of the deck or inside the cabin for the hour ride to the other side. They have booths and seats to choose from. They also have food aboard the ship like hamburgers, french fries, etc.

Once on the other side we just drove off and headed north to the casino. Mohegan Sun was huge. It reminded me of Vegas in the old days. Big and smoky! But we got free gaming tokens and free buffet lunch. I thought I wasn't going to be impressed with the buffet but it was pretty good. I was surprised. Not the variety of Vegas but very good nonetheless.

While my mom played the slots, Ori and I went to the shopping area to look around. Ori got looks the whole time and mommy met lots of people who had interesting stories to tell. We also got to people watch and go to Tiffany's. I showed her which piece of jewelry she should ask Daddy for.

Then as we rushed back off to catch the ferry back. We made it on time, despite the brief moments of traffic but we weren't early, so going back we had to park on the incline. That made my mom very nervous. But all in all, we parked and drove off with our incident. It was a lot of fun and an adventure. Best of all was that Ori slept very well that night!

Ori walking II

Ori walking I

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

The movie trailer is out. Click here to check it out.

I love Harry Potter and I can't wait until the movie comes up. Whoo Hoo!

Horse Teeth is back!

I was minding my own business on my afternoon Starbucks run, waiting for my drink. Lo and behold, who do I see? Horse teeth AGAIN. I guess that is his haunt. Hmmmm.

I love these shoes!

These shoes are me in every way. Cole Haan Air Penny Moc.

We're going back to Cali

Just like LL Cool J said except I think so!



I think it is about 6 months away but the die has been cast. Even though we are in love with our house and our neighbors, there are just too many things that aren't falling in to place.



New York is great though. I really like it a lot but not working with our goals so off we go.



Here's another kicker...I think we are going to SoCal. I never thought I would say that but there it is. So we'll see what happens in the next couple of months. At the moment we are days away from putting our townhome on the market in Fremont. Anyone wanna buy a townhome???? So, like I said we'll see.

Mommy and me

Ori and I have been going to Mommy and Me classes for the past few Saturdays and she loves it. The class consists of free play, circle time with interactive songs, snack, bubble time and crafts.



So far I have made a fish and a duck for Ori. I really wanted to enroll her in a class so that she had a chance to interact with other kids her age.



There was no baby class this summer so Ori had to join the toddlers. All of them are walking but not yet talking clearly. So, she is busy every Sunday watching everything they do.



I have been enjoying myself as well. I enjoy chatting with the other moms and watching the kids play. It is totally relaxing for me.

Ori is starting to walk

Just a day before her 9 month mark, Ori decided to take a step totally on her own, then on her 9 month birthday she took a couple of steps. I can't believe it!



She loves walking assisted by one of us and now can balance and manuever quite well with someone just holding one of her hands!



Way to go Ori

Working Girl

I found a particularly interesting blog through bloggers "Blogs of Note". I have only read a few entries but I think it sums up what it is like for a working girl in New York. Interesting......

Here's the link:

http://work-girl.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Horse Teeth

I was in Starbucks this morning. Minding my own business when I noticed that the man in front of me had the most enormous, white teeth that I had ever seen. They were so big and so white that I was mesmerized by them and had a hard time looking away. I found myself trying to sneak looks so I could figure out how they were composed. I wanted to ask so bad, "Are those your real teeth?" Good thing I stopped myself but I still can't stop thinking about them in wonderment.

Vitamin Water How I Love Thee

Oh Vitamin Water...How I love thee!

I love Vitamin Water. It is just so good.

I really love the Orange one which is Essential. My other favorite is Power C which is a dark pink.

Here are the flavors:
Power C- Dragonfruit
Defense- Raspberry-Apple
Focus- Kiwi-Strawberry
Balance-Cranberry-Grapefruit
Endurance- Peach-Mango
Essential-Orange-Orange
Vital-T-Lemon Tea
Energy-Citrus Punch
B-Relaxed - Jackfruit
Rescue- Green Tea
Charge- Lemon-Lime
Multi-V- Lemonade
Formula 50- Grape
Revive- Fruit Punch
XXX-Acai-Blueberry

I also like their Vitamin Water as well.

Terrible Thursday

Thursday was one of those days were everything went wrong. I realized about 11am that day that I should have stayed in bed and put the covers over my head until it was all over.

I had a black cloud over my head and one of the servers at work shutdown on me. It wasn't until the wee hours of Friday morning that I got the machine back up again. So, yes...you heard it I pulled an all nighter at work on Thursday/Friday. To give you an idea about how much this day sucked, I left my house at 7:30am Thursday morning and did not return until 6:30am the next day. I only ate once the entire day and that was at 7pm. Can you imagine?

Once everything was back up and running, did any one say 'Good Work!' Absolutely not. That is the thankless job that I have.

Reason number 1 million why I hate my job.

Here is a recent picture of Ori

Anniversary Trip Booked

Yea! Our anniversary trip to Paris and London has been booked and we will be on our way. We have been planning this trip for a couple of years. In 2006 we could not go because we had just moved to New York, 2007 we weren't able to go because I was pregnant with Ori and she was due the next month. So luckily this year we have everything set.

I am especially excited because on our anniversary we will be doing 2 things I have always wanted to do; have dinner at the Eiffel Tower and go to the Moulin Rouge. I found a tour that will do both. I was so happy that I would not have to make the reservations myself. The other great thing was that our airfare was free since I used my credit card points. That was a big deal.

This will be my husband's first visit to Europe. I have been to Paris 3 times and London twice. I am sure that he is going to love it, though.

Things I would rather do than go to my job

Just so you can really see how much I hate my job here is my list of things that I would rather do than go to my job. I contemplate these things on my 4 block walk to work from the subway every day.

1. Slam my finger in a door repeatedly
2. Have labor pains for 20 minutes straight every morning
3. Get run over by a car
4. Have someone punch me in the stomach every day
5. have a blinding migraine
   

6 months?!!!!

Okay it is only been about 6 months since I lasted posted and I am committed once again to start posting regularly! About 6 months ago was when I started back to work and that has not put me in the most agreeable mood. But I am going to post rather it is agreeable or not.

Ori's First Trip to the doctor

Ori had her first doctors appt 3 days after we came home from the hospital. Here she is in all her glory! I couldn't resist putting her in her Pooh outfit.