Did you know....

that there is such a being as a Cake Fairy? Well there is!!! YAY!!! Cake just miraculously appeared on my desk...and at the most perfectly perfect time, I was craving something sweet - and alas, despite what the instructor said at my nutrition class on Saturday, um seaweed wasn't going to cut it...


Also, just had to update you that I've decided my new favorite Met is Mike Pelfrey - sorry David Wright, I still think you are pretty cute - but Mike has won me over with his super trooper performance lately - I always felt bad for him last year when he'd try so hard and get booed and you could tell it was hard for him, he wore his heart on his sleeve a bit so I'm super happy that he's doing so well and getting the accolades lately - like last night getting chanted out for a curtain call ... and he's so tall...isn't that enough reason right there, height? Check him out on the Mets Site if you need to know more... http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460059


And here's a great Mets fansite by the way for those who may be interested...
Brooklyn Met Fan
http://brooklynmetfan.com/

Just a few Murakami pics for you - no photography was allowed (I got screamed at a few times!) but I snuck a few in...the exhibit was cool, just because his stuff is cool but we felt like there should have been more to it - and more cutesy gift store stuff - like prints or postcards of the works, at least give me cute stickers or a pen with a character on top. But nothing really - although it was the final day of the show so maybe the store was super picked over? Also, we lucked out big time in getting there when we did - we left at about 3:30 and the line to get in circled out the door and was super crazy, so yay for us - we came, we saw, we conquered.

A Mister Softee seemed in order (since the truck was parked RIGHT THERE, why not, yes?) and then a leisurely walk to 7th Ave in Park Slope, a little window shopping and a little real shopping, and then a soothing Italian dinner - relaxing, outside, their patio enclosed by trees so it made us feel like we were removed from the city and the noise and all the hullabaloo a bit - quite a perfect end to the weekend - which was a little crazy and I felt as if I'd been on the go a little too much than I had planned to be. Once again, I seemed to not be home very much - how did that happen? And you know I got home in time to watch the Mets win their 9th in a row...so yes, a pretty good weekend all around

A Good Week

Yes, finally I can report to you a good week with much accomplished - workwise and otherwise. So yay. Workwise - sooooo busy, but in the best way, because of what I'm learning and also because I like it - it's like solving puzzles - why doesn't this work? Lets take a look. That's basically what I seem to be doing 85% of the time. OR here - make this work. Either way, this summer is shaping up to be similar to the Summer of 2005 with our conversion process, this time its just an upgrade to a newer version though so it's smoother, but now we are under the gun and the real "fun" i.e. stress begins. I need to be done with all my setup by July 24th. Um, yeah, that's just around the corner ... and then we test test test like crazy until the end of August, so a few late nights may be in order but I don't mind (at least not right now because I'm feeling good - you may need to catch me again on a 5150 BritBrit Hold day y'all) ... because I realized I'm just a few short weeks away from 10 days in California where I'll be walking on the beach every morning and every evening and spending time with my beautiful and wonderful parents - did you know they are the best? Well they are.

So I'll follow up the busy but good week with a busy but good weekend. Tomorrow I'm taking a workshop "Eating for Energy: Regain the Effortless Energy of Your Childhood" - I'll get back to you on how "childlike" I feel after this! - and then Sunday it's a Brooklyn Museum day where I have my last chance to see the Murakami exhibit that I've been meaning to see since it opened in April:



http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/murakami/

Special Mention Award

for the week of July 7th goes to...

Veronica Delgado - ah my little Texan Buddy.

As always, you rock the casbah!!

Much love to you,

The Skipper

A bit of beauty for you today...

A gift of a poem for you to memorize and take to heart this week:

A Blessing

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more, they begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.

- James Wright

Hmmmm...Mood Indicator Today is... :-\

Well Happy July 4th Weekend! Not too much planned on this side of the world, just a few things here and there and BBQ and Bowling in Astoria on Saturday - so that's the main excitement. I'm feeling a bit out of sorts - not sure whether I'm up or down, coming or going - I think I just need some Alone With Nicole Time to sort things out and separate what's really going on with me and how to weed out the bad energy that's coming from Others - you know, the ole sponge effect. I never appreciate it when the Others willingly dump the bad vibes or are mean or rude but I also don't shield myself from it properly because I know that I am really empathetic with those that I'm around a lot too so I can be in a just fine mood and then all of a sudden, I'll feel like crap and sad and not know why... until I slap my forehead and yell "DOH!" and remember its not me at all...its the Others...kind of like Thetans to you Xenu-Lovers out there. You know who you are...

So onward and upward - I shall not dwell on the Others any longer, but insist on smiles and giggles until we meet again...enjoy your hot dogs and fireworks..may your long weekend be EXPLOSIVE!

Fire Island Shots

Time for a lovely beach walk...

Me, AJ, and Ly

Ly and Elba enjoying brie and wine on the beach...

Action shot of the three of us..that's right...not much going on...just lay there and take in the view!

AJ the Merman

Another beach shot

Deer!! She had two babies with her as well - can I keep one?

Before heading off to the beach, we had lobster rolls and "rocket"fuel on the dock near the ferry...all in all, a giggly day was had by all those involved!!

DUDE! 15-6 METS WIN!!!

Well I haven't had much to be excited about Mets-wise this year but they've colored me happy this afternoon with their big blowout in Game 1 of the Subway Series..won't be going to any games this round but oh well, I'll cheer them on from afar... I've been paying attention my other fave team Red Sox to keep myself interested in baseball but if the Mets can somehow turn it around, I'll be there to root root root for the home team...

Tomorrow I'll be on Fire Island all day, hoping it doesn't rain, but thrilled to be by a beach at long last this summer - we won't be swimming or sunning, just walking and relaxing and feeling groovy...slow down you move too fast got to make the moment last just kicking down the cobblestones...looking for fun and...

FEELING GROOOOOOOVY!!!!!

Mamma Mia! It was the Summer Solstice this weekend!

Hope you all got outside on Solstice Saturday - it was a beautiful, luverly day here in Queens - sunny, breezy, not too hot and just enough humidity to make my hair curl up nicely. So I met The Cousins in Astoria for Solstice in Socrates Sculpture Park where they had music, a drumming circle, empanadas, crafts and face painting for the kiddies (and as you can see, Kara and I qualified as kiddies - we made flower wreaths to wear), followed by a ritual by the Urban Shaman Mama Donna - which was really cute - again, more for the kiddies, but it was very cool, the park is right on the water so she held it as the sun was setting and summer officially began and made everyone sing "This Little Light of Mine...I'm Gonna Let It Shine...". And here is Kara, belting it out, really "feeling" the moment... she's gonna let IT shine!!

Yesterday was brunch and then Mamma Mia with Floating Head, Ly, and Jany followed by "just enough" vodka and cranberrys at Faces and Names ... oh you guys still have me giggling ...

New York Icky

So in case you people don't know it, it is UGLY outside. It's smelly, it's sticky. And of course I'm leaving just as it's going to break and get cooler... oh well, I survived. Sweatily, but I got through it and managed to have quite a nice, yet tiring weekend on top of it. My body was just not made for these hot and humid times. Damn you global warming! Saturday, we had quite the merry olde tyme watching Teen Witch and reliving the 80's fashions and hairdos and eating Thai food at Jany's with Floating Head and Ly and Kaya. Sunday I met The Cousins Megan and Kara for a flick on the Lower East Side - The Fall.

I think this might be my new favorite film..at the very least its most likely the best movie I've seen in a really really long time. It's so amazing looking, the little girl is so freaking cute, and the character of "Roy " is super hot in his "Bandit" costume. So there you go, all the elements of a great movie. So please check it out, I guarantee you, you will be amazed. Its the same director who made The Cell, but this is not freaky visuals or too scary, just super cool and breathtaking. And funny and heartwarming and sad...then we walked around and did a bit o' shopping and then got stuck on a R train for over an hour... needless to say, I was wiped when I got home, I felt beat up and sore and dehydrated. Oh woe is me! Poor Pitiful Pearl is on her way to Vegas tomorrow and surely that will turn her into Life Is Lovely Lola!

Obsessions!

I'm easily obsessed by things, in case you don't know me very well. Sometimes they are longlasting, other times they pass as quickly as they came in - I tend to research the hell out of things, read everything I can (or if its a food or drink, eat/drink it over and over) and then done. Onto the next. In case you were wondering, my latest obsessions are:


1. Pete Seeger - easily the coolest guy on the planet (right up there with Chuckie - yes I put that because I know he's reading this), a guy who walks the walk and talks the talk and ever since watching the American Masters on him, I absolutely love him. Beautiful voice, beautiful spirit, amazing human being. I could easily substitute my earlier model "what would Fraulein Maria do? " to "what would Pete Seeger do?" Here's a good site if you don't know much about him: http://www.peteseeger.net/

2. Wasabi peas - who doesn't like getting their tongue nice and burned for two days so that you have no taste buds? Its all about that great buzz you get from eating too many at once, inhaling and then...wait for it...your head feels like it might explode from its wasabi-ness. I can't seem to stop eating them...


So what else? Well I get to go home for a much needed respite next Tuesday and I can't wait. I'm desperate to get away for rest and I can't wait until the real vacation in August. I'm running ragged right now and trying to fight out my quarterly I HATE NYC vibe. It isn't easy, but I fight the good fight and smile on and try to find distractions. Such as - last weekend. Met the Cousins Megan and Kara for brunch in Astoria, across from the Beer Garden - I had eggs sunnyside up and speck - yummy - and then we walked and walked and walked to the Noguchi Museum and the Socrates Sculpture Park - I highly recommend both. They are just a bit far from the train, but no worries. It's worth it - although the Noguchi museum is undergoing renovations so you can't go in the garden which is listed in a book I have as one of the most peaceful places in NYC. So I'm planning a return trip at some point. Socrates is just funky and right on the water so that might be a good place to hang out in the future - we want to go back for their Summer Solstice festival.

This weekend is - ta da!! Laundry, then to Jany's for Movie Night, then to see another movie on Sunday - The Fall. Then it's packing and getting ready to fly away home...YAY!!!

PS - Snow White? My favorite moment from this week's repeats of The Office on TBS was when Toby's little 5 year old goes up to Phyllis and asks "are you Mother Goose?"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!