Happy New Year! 

Blackout 2006

On Tuesday morning here in NYC, the lights went out again...briefly! And only for me! I took a red-eye flight back from Las Vegas and due to weather problems, a drunken passenger who had to be escorted off the plane, etc., we ended up not actually Leaving Las Vegas until after 2 a.m., which meant that I wouldn't get in until 9 a.m. Which is fine, I had called Mr. McGee to let him know that I wouldn't be getting into work until 11 or so...off the plane I go and head to baggage claim - tired, but fine. While I'm waiting for my bags, I start to feel really warm all of a sudden and then really clammy and then I feel like I'm going to throw up. So I head to the ladies room, but of course there is a line and by now I really feel like I'm going to throw up and will someone be nice enough to let me go ahead of them? And I'm just about to ask, when everything starts spinning and I feel like I'm in a tunnel and I can't hear anything at all and I feel like I've asked them to help me, but I'm not sure since I didn't hear myself say anything and I feel myself slumping down... and she's out! Lucky for me, there is an airport worker standing next to me in line so she helps me up and into the stall since I told her I was going to be sick and she waits for me to finish and then calls a cop to help me and take down my info and then he calls a paramedic to check out my vital signs... I started crying as I sat there waiting for the medic because I felt so scared - nothing like this has ever happened to me before; the sickest I've been was when I had chicken pox and when I had pneumonia in college but I had people around me to help out - friends or family - and now here I am in the middle of the airport surrounded by strangers, how am I supposed to get my bags? How am I supposed to get home? But everyone was nice and helpful but was embarrassing to black out like that, I was sure they all thought I was a drug addict or something. And I was scared because of course my first thought is that I have a brain tumor or something really serious. Turns out, I just needed orange juice. This was the helpful advice of the medic who said "I'll bet you that's what the doctor tells you" and it turns out she was right. When checked, the doctor said my blood sugar and blood pressure was really low, most likely due to a virus of some sort. So when I finally got home that afternoon, I ended up sleeping all day until about 11 p.m. or so, eating some Grape Nuts and some chocolate (I had no food in the house) and then going back to sleep until the next morning...I did go to work yesterday, but mainly to sort of test the waters, I knew I needed to get up and see how bad or good I felt...and I still feel weak and dizzy, but it's better - I feel as if I've had a couple glasses of wine, a little tipsy and slow moving... I'm kind of wary when I'm walking, I still feel like my balance is off and that I might fall, but that fainting/tunnel-like thing is gone, thank god, but the thing that scared me so much is that I literally felt fine one second and in 10 more seconds, it came over me without any warning.
So I'm trying to take it easy and rest a lot, and I've been thinking this incident is a blessing in disguise...because part of my resolution for this year is to not let my job stress me out like it did last year. That happened because I allowed it to happen - I started to care too much about it and put it on my priority list higher than it needs to be and this caused me a lot of unhappiness, a few health issues, and I put a few things for myself on hold because of it. Or I would get home after working late, so exhausted, and for what? This is not my life, this is what I do to pay my bills and enable me to live my life, that's all. That being said, because I don't want this kind of blackout thing to happen again, I can't get stressed when something doesn't work, I can't work late, I can't get all wrapped up in the myriad of issues we have going on here on a regular basis - the issues aren't going away, so the most I can do is come in, take care of myself first and do my job and then go home - no extending myself above and beyond the call of duty - that should go towards writing the book I'm supposed to publish by the time I'm 45, right Mom? RIGHT. So instead of maybe making a resolution to not let my job get to me, and then keeping that up for a week before slipping right back into my previous pattern (as it happens with most New Year's resolutions), I got slapped in the face and kicked in the butt - NO YOU CANNOT DO THIS ANYMORE. So I won't, I get it now.

So to summarize: blackout good, blackout bad...good luck, bad luck, who knows?
http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v175/__show_article/_a000175-000168.htm

Also: my congratulations to ZeusApollo as he has been promoted and raised to a loftier position in the court, complete with more gold for his coffers. He has been anointed with various oils and given a diamond-encrusted scepter to rule over his new empire complete with 4 subjects under him. He has assured me that even though it might be intimidating for me to have direct access to someone in a glorious position such as himself he will put my mind at ease - and I quote:
" little will change as a result of my new powers. True you may have to hone your obsequiousness a touch and praise me more here and there, but I won't be collecting a tithe or anything, at least not initially." ... and I so have sworn my allegiance to this new lord and master... the king is dead, long live the king!

Still in Las Vegas

Just a quick post to let you all know that I am still here in Las Vegas (I was supposed to be back at work today) and won’t be coming back to NYC until Sunday… a few things came up and I needed to change my flight so that I could stay a few more days to help out … the Overoye Family left this morning so I’m feeling a little sad about not having any more smooshies around to cuddle with … Santa was very good to all of us (tons of great toys for the kiddies and adults) and having the whole family here was so fantastic – we all don’t get to see each other very often and so when we can all be together, we have a lot of fun – I’ll post some pics as soon as I get back to NYC… Happy New Year by the way! And we do have Monday off right? I feel like I’ve been gone forever and totally out of the loop, but that’s a good thing because I was seriously stressed out, not feeling healthy (mentally and physically) before I left (and most of this year actually) and now I feel a lot stronger, a lot better so that’s a good thing, as Martha would say.

Busy Bee, Busy Me

So almost Merry Xmas! Sorry to all who have been breathlessly awaiting news of my safe arrival here in Las Vegas...yes! I am here...I had a c'est le top flight on JetBlue, my new favorite airline - they give you the whole can of soda, have real snacks (not those little bags of pretzels) and lots of leg room and good seats that don't hurt your butt after sitting on them for 5 hours ... best of all, they have the little tvs on the seat in front of you with Direct TV so I got to watch VH1 classic the whole way here and saw all these great super cheezy videos from the 80's... it put me in the best mood, because I was laughing so hard at some of these songs and bands that I thought were sooooo cool when I was young...or some I didn't like as a kid, but I got a kick out of seeing the funky hair and the overthetop clothing - like Mr. Mister? Oh the big sweaters, the big shoulder pads in the jackets, etc...one of the worst was Roxette "Joyride"...oh my god, were they awful!!
But enough of my schilling for JetBlue...on Sunday, Mom and I went Xmas shopping and then Daddy fixed an awesome grilled shrimp dinner and made great Pumpkin Smash martinis for us...super yummy, like a really good eggnog, but better,stronger... Monday was Daddy-time: every year, Daddy and I spend the day together as he needs help picking out presents for Mom and we go around to all the shops all day... I think we got her a lot of good stuff this year, I hope she likes what we bought.... if not, she'll at least be polite and nod her head and smile and say "nice".
On Tuesday, the Overoye's arrived and I was so excited to see my smooshies, Allie and Jacob... and playing with them is basically all I've been up to since then! So far, we've been to the park, Roberto's taco shop for the best Mexican food in town, we went to a chocolate factory and got some free chocolate, to the Magical Forest where we saw Santa and rode a train to the North Pole, and last night we made cookies and decorated them while watching Rudolph's Shiny New Year... as my sister and I were making the frosting for the cookies and both kids were all excited to get the different colors and start decorating, we asked each other "when did we get to be the adults? Shouldn't we still be sitting at the table, all anxious to begin and Grandma Max and Mom be up here with the food coloring and drinking wine and getting silly?" but here we are, doing exactly what they did for us 30 years ago... and still acting like little kids and loving every bit of it ... today, we are off to the Natural History Museum...and that is all for now!
Glad to hear the strike is over by the way! I was worried it would still be ongoing when I got back and then you know, I would have just called in sick...why am I going to make an extra effort to get into work? Speaking of work here is a link for you all to check out...I think most of my loyal readers will appreciate this and relate to it: http://www.hallmark.com/wcsstore/HallmarkStore/images/products/ecards/nfg1969.swf

P.S

I'm supposed to make a correction:

Zeusapollo is not lovely, he is raw and tough! He is from the streets with mad skillz.

"I make big money
I drive big cars
Everybody know me
It’s like I’m a movie star!"

No Strike...YET

I woke up this morning to good news...I could go back to sleep for another 2 hours! I had to wake up at 6 because if the transit strike was on, I had to meet someone for carpooling at 7am... this was a big pain for me because normally, I don't get up until 8-8:15... and since this is my last day before going home for Xmas, I didn't want to have to be bothered by all the pains of NO SUBWAYS! So hopefully this will be resolved, I don't wish a transit strike on anyone...basically, CEO's and executives need to not be so greedy and union workers have to realize that they can't get ALL of their demands met, just because they have the ability to strike and perform poorly on the job to try and get their way..there has to be some middle ground, and BOTH sides need to find it.

On a happier note, last night was the annual ZeusApollo/FrodoPurpleFairy Christmas Gift Exchange Extravaganza....and it was Le Cool...Zeus met me in my neighborhood after work where we had Argentinian food and sangria and I got a super cool cookie making set with 3 different kinds of expensive vanillas and a super sweet card as well... then we bought cookie dough, went back to my apt. and made cookies and watched the last part of Lord of the Rings The Return of the King. and looked at the cool Johnny Cash book I gave him...I, of course, acted out the part of superwiener by wearing the crown I bought at the Renaissance faire throughout...does someone aspire to be Galadrial? Hmmm? ... hee hee...and that was that... all in all it was yet another lovely Christmas celebration and yet another example of the lovely boy that is ZeusApollo...you all should be so lucky to know such a person!
Tomorrow, I'm off to Las Vegas to see the family and I'm sooooo happy excited...talk to you all when I get there!

ooh and one exciting note: I bought myself an iPod Nano!! now that is LE COOL!

Mommie Dearest

I'm going to make sure I'm home before 8:30 because that is when Mommie Dearest is going to be on Oxygen (ch.61). I love this movie, it's got a lot of great quotes and scenes that I like to repeat to my actual Mommie Dearest, The Juice Mother herself!

Tear down that BITCH of a bearing wall and put a window where it OUGHT to be

In the Pepsi Boardroom:
Don't fuck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo

Christina: There's a liquor store to the right.
Joan: I should've know you'd know where to find the boys and the booze.

No... wire... hangers. What's wire hangers doing in this closet when I told you: no wire hangers EVER? I work and work 'till I'm half-dead, and I hear people saying, "She's getting old." And what do I get? A daughter... who cares as much about the beautiful dresses I give her... as she cares about me.

Yes, Mommie.
Joan: Yes, Mommie what?
Christina: Yes, Mommie Dearest.
Joan: When I told you to call me that, I wanted you to mean it.

Joan: TINA. Bring me the axe

It's just the kind of movie that makes me GRUNTLED!

Capital Punishment

I don't really want to get started on a debate about this, but I just wanted to write a bit about how I feel about capital punishment. I'm not really for it and I'm not really against it either. I'm very confused and can't really work it all out in my heart or head to be fervently on one side or the other. I can easily see myself on both sides of the argument. I don't think executions do anything positive, I don't think they make crimminals any more scared of committing crimes, I don't think you should answer violence with more violence and I don't know if it should be up to us to decide to take someone's life.

But I also know, in my heart of hearts, that if someone killed my father, I would want that person dead. I know it would pain me to no end to know that that person was still alive and breathing - yes, behind bars, but stil alive and his family can still speak to him and write to him and have him in their lives, while mine was taken from me. I know that killing the person who commits the crime could not bring him back and does not accomplish anything and yet, I still know this is how I would feel. So I refuse to make any moral call on this, because I understand both sides and I'm just leaving it as a gray area, a big puddle of goo as Magpie called my unresovled thoughts on this.

And please don't tell me I can't consider myself to be a liberal and not be anti-capital punishment either.... nothing burns me up like someone telling me I can't think what I want to think, or that in order to truly be considered liberal, I have to tout some company line - a true liberal is just that - liberal, meaning, I can think what I want, not what someone tells me is the " correct" way to think and feel.

Four Days and Counting...

Until I'm out of here!!! Woo HOO!!! I get into Las Vegas on Saturday afteroon, the Overoye Gang will get there on Tuesday I believe (Snow White, is this correct?) and then it will be one Full House...all we need is an Uncle Jesse and the stage will be set... so what else is happening you ask? Well, Friday, Floating Head, Magpie and I ate Thai food, had ginger mint martinis, and discussed the List. The List is Floating Head's invention and she has to be commended because this year, there were 12 things on her list and she accomplished 9 of them. WOW! That's why she's my hero, but she has inspired the rest of us to begin a List. The List can be anything you want, but its basically stuff that you want to do, have always wanted to do, but have not. Times-a-wasting, the years are passing you by and what do YOU have to show for it? That's what I say to myself all the time. And it's not necesarily resolutions, because those can be scary and you resolve to do certain things and then you stop for whatever reason and then you feel bad about yourself and this just drags you down further. No, the List is more about fun stuff, but stuff that can enhance your life. For instance, Floating Head wanted to go white water rafting this year, because it's something she's never done but always wanted to do. So, you know what she did? She found out where to do that around here (Pennsylvania), got a group together and did a one-day trip. List Item Accomplished! Or another item on her list is to visit a different foreign country each year. But, enough about her - what's on my list? Well, that's what I'm going to think about when I'm home...because it's all about how you make your life. I watched all 3 Lord of the Rings movies on Sunday night (which caused me to stay up until 3 a.m., the nutcase that I am so that I was dead tired yesterday) and even Gandalf knows this to be true - when Frodo says, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened," and Gandalf replied, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given." Ah, the wisdom of the Lord of the Rings, they are really and truly my most favorite books and movies of all time, I can read those books over and over and see the movies over and over and I still get all excited at the end when the Witch King says, "You fool, no man can kill me" and Eowyn rips off her helmet: "I am no man" and stabs him ... and I still get teary when Frodo finally tosses Gollum over the edge and the Ring is gone and Aragon and Gandalf both get this look in their eyes because they know it has been done so there is relief, but it's immediately followed by sadness because they also realize that most likely, Frodo is dead...But I love the books so much because in college, I took a course called The Enchanted Imagination and we spent about 2 months studying the Lord of the Rings and was just an inspiring class with one the best, coolest, most creative and understanding (he let me turn in my papers when I wanted and usually gave me undeserving A's on them) professors (John Pagano) I've ever had and I just hold these books and that class very dear to my heart.

Someone out there is going to read this and think "W.A.W"!

By Order of the Court of Joanne Hoffman...

I shall post! But just a quickie for now, I wanted to show you my cute little Christmas tree I put up in my living room:























And to let you all know how happy I was to wake up on Sunday morning (sick though I was) to find snow in the garden below my bedroom window! Unfortunately, since I was feeling like rubbish and dizzy and sick to my stomach, I didn't get to walk around in it, which I love to do... but the winter has just started and so I'll get another chance..soon I hope...but here is the highly adored First Snow: