Post Sabbatical

I wrote this poem on the one year anniversary of 9/11.

2010-09-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Anniversary
happy
night
pillows
down
dream
alarm
jump
soap
towel
cologne
coffee
skip
subway
fast
stop
glance
late
damn
explosion?
hmmm
off
taxi
5th Ave
look
what!
god
office
tv
faces
silence
plane
again?
who?
why?
crying
hugging
phone
dead
email?
yes!
contact
crying
afraid
leave?
where?
helicopters
sirens
whimpering
hordes
staring
falling
dust
falling
dust
silence
crying
next?
empire?
us?
shaking
crying
time
news
watching
thousands
thousands
dead
jumped
burned
crashed
suicide
landmark
gone
people
gone
fear
here
where
coworkers
bar
silence
drinking
smoking
nervous
drinking
smoking
drinking
smoking
bar
drinking
laughing
bar
smoking
laughing
drinking
late
home?
alone?
subway
silence
sparse
crying
sobbing
A total stranger. A girl. Comes over and puts her arm on my back as I sob
for 15 minutes bent over with my head in my hands. She gently rubs my
back soothing me by saying it's ok. It's ok to cry. I said, "But why am I
crying? I didn't lose anybody. I just had to be strong for everyone else
today and now I have to go home alone and I just couldn't hold it in
anymore. I'm embarrassed. Thank you for comforting me."
Boxes
Plane
Portland
Trees
Rivers
Quiet
Peaceful
NY
Goodbye.

I'm 40!!

2009-08-22T01:56:00.001-07:00

At exactly 9:38 this morning, I will turn 40. What an exciting event! And with the current thunderstorm in progress, I feel that this will be a very auspicious day; it's sort of the 'spring' of my lifetime: coming in like a lion. I'm sure this means I will 'go out' like a lamb. Nice to know, right?

I am so looking forward to the next 40 years:

I am excited to know that it is going to go very fast. I plan to fill it with even more adventure and experiences than the first 40. For one, that's because I know so much more now! So I can plan it even better.

I love that technology is advancing at such an astronomical rate. What will they think of next?! I can't wait to watch THAT happen! It will be fun to see the stock market go up and down. I might do ok, since prices are so low now! Everything is such a bargain!

After all these years, I have learned to be allowing of other people, so I think I will have an easy time of it from now on. My family and I get along wonderfully. I will miss my parents when they go, but with my extreme spirituality, at least I know I can stay in contact with them. I will enjoy watching my siblings and their children grow up (I still see my siblings as very young, most of them anyway, and even though they almost all have kids of their own).

I look forward to many adventures and lots of love with Jerry. We crossed paths 10 years ago. Life took us apart, made us grow, and brought us back together again. Life with him gets better every day. I love you, amor.

There will be countless people floating across my path. Some will stick, probably due to facebook :) and some will move on, but I know that for the most part, they will be at the very least, interesting.

I will continue to do my daily meditations and look forward to increased light, awareness, wisdom, expanded consciousness, and I will continue my pursuit of perfection. I am learning to live as my soul, literally bringing 'heaven to earth.' What wonderful things this will bring to me and to the planet!

I have many intentions, and it will be fun to explore which I manifest. I want to write more books, get better at writing, learn several languages for the increase in travel I will experience, improve personality flaws, further my excellent health (and actually be able to assist others in doing the same due to my work). (The list goes on. I will continue to add to this.)

Seedlings

2009-05-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

trying to grow some plants...

Our Fab new French Vintage lamp

2009-05-27T06:43:00.001-07:00

We got this at the Shops at Atlas Park at Stella Gialla.

Thanks girls! go here

Food to Live By Cookbook

2009-05-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

This cookbook is awesome!

http://www.ebfarm.com/Recipes/FoodToLiveBy.aspx

I got it when I joined the Consumer Advisory Panel for Earthbound Farms.

Last night, I made this amazing Tangerine Fried Tofu thingy. Wow it came out so good. All organic, of course.

Storing Fresh Basil

2009-04-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

So this really IS the best way to store basil! Wash them, cut the end off and put it in water, like fresh flowers. Stick a loose bag over it and voila!

Our newest baby!

2009-04-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

We planted these daffodil bulbs last year in front of our apartment building and we finally got a beautiful bloom! That's a tulip bud right next to it.

My latest news report

2009-04-09T14:25:00.001-07:00

An article about me knitting in queens

VERY early signs of spring in Forest Park

2009-04-02T13:33:00.001-07:00

The bulbs are coming in so nicely!

2009-03-24T19:14:00.001-07:00

Forgive the lack of posting

2009-03-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

I had a brief addiction to facebook, got many knitting projects uploaded to Ravelry, got my real estate license, visited my family in Shelburne Falls a few times, so I haven't been posting on my blog. Fear not! It is spring and I'm sure I will have many photos to post soon!

Pics from Montauk

2008-10-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

click here to see the full set of pictures on snapfish.com

or, just enjoy the 'best of'

Videos from Montauk

2008-10-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

these are kind of noisy from the wind...

NY Botanical Garden

2008-09-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ye ole Yankees

2008-09-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

I went to a Yankees game with some old friends from massage therapy school. It was awesome because they will be knocking down the old stadium and opening up a new one (right next door...almost finished!).

The pics are of the old stadium, and my friends Claudine, Valerie and Val's hubba Frank. I don't remember seeing any baseball game, but I sure had fun talking with Val and Claud. You can see in the pictures that Val's a talker too. Her mouth is open in every shot! Gotta love it.

The Rose Garden

2008-09-04T09:15:00.001-07:00

Jerry and I went back up to the Bronx to see the Rose Garden at the Botanical Gardens.

Take a look at the Garden website here.

Homemade Orechiette

2008-09-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

It means "ear-shaped" pasta. Made from semolina flour. So yummy! I forgot to take a picture of the final dish with chick peas. The little 'ears' tend to cradle the little chick peas.

Here is a PERFECT orechiette.

See a little video of Jerry twisting the dough into the little shapes:

My friends at Gilda's Club

2008-09-02T10:15:00.001-07:00

We took this photo right before I left California. I love all the people at Gilda's Club with whom I worked for about three years.

I miss you guys!!!

Tuppence a bag

2008-08-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

OK, well, apparently bird seed has gone way up in price! We got a bag of cracked corn for about $6. This is healthy for the pigeons (which are beautiful when you take the time to really look at them). We need to get some wild bird seed for the smaller birds. And something to feed the chipmunks.

Be sure to watch these short videos!

New kitchen stuff

2008-08-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of today repotting plants, redoing some things in the kitchen and deeper cleaning.

(You should see these shelves during the day; the sun streams in and makes it a wonderfully bright kitchen. Also notice the two pots behind the flowers. I actually use those to cook quinoa and beans! Authentic pots from Mexico.)

And most importantly, I finally got my Kitchen Aid hand mixer!! Jerry wants Chocolate Velvet Cake first. Then I think I'll make Lemon Layer Cake. And then prolly Lemon Meringue Pie. Jerry also wants Applesauce Cake (if you have the recipe, please send it to me!!).

2008-08-28T05:56:00.001-07:00

how cute are we?

Little Poland

2008-08-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Greenpoint is famous for its Polish population and food. We can't wait to go back for some pierogies and kielbasa! I saw this beautiful piece of graffiti waiting for the bus. I don't know what it says, but I think it's really well done.

Furniture Shopping at Sunset

2008-08-26T07:41:00.001-07:00

Jerry and I went to GREENPOINT, Queens to do some furniture shopping. Our researching led us to the warehouse of a furniture importer. We rummaged through the Clearance aisle and got two beautiful Indonesian mahogany bookcases and one nightstand (for me!) for an amazing price. I took this picture behind the warehouse. Not a view that most people would EVER see.

Another Britney?

2008-08-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to do it eventually!

P.S. I don't have hair on my back, that is only from cutting off my ponytail!!!

P.P.S. I donated my hair to www.locksoflove.org

Museum-going

2008-08-14T14:55:00.001-07:00

Jerry and I decided pretty early on that museums would be high on the priority list. We've already been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and bought two memberships. The memberships get us into the Cloisters as well, so yesterday we took a couple of subway trains all the way up to 190th St. It took about an hour. Enjoy the photos of the day!

Week One

2008-08-03T04:35:00.001-07:00

It's been well over a week. And what a week it's been! Jerry and I are working diligently on setting up the apartment to suit both our needs. He wanted to do some redecorating, but I asked him to wait till I got there so we could do it together. I'm glad he did. The place looks great, and we are having an awesome time together shopping and decorating.

We also go to the gym about 5 days a week now. Yes, people I am actually going to the gym! I also stopped smoking. I stopped right before I left Cali and haven't picked up since. I have been setting this intention for a number of years now, working on the 'vibrational journey' while in Palm Springs. This trip to NY represents the manifestation of a lot of desires I have accumulated. So remember, it's not what you SAY, it's what you intend.

For example, most of my friends have heard me say, "I don't want/need a partner. I'm doing just fine on my own." And I sounded pretty convincing. But every time I heard a love song (especially the country ones!) I would get that mushy feeling inside and I would enjoy that. I mean TRULY enjoy that. I would enjoy the FEELING of it. At the same time, I would be appreciating where I am and what I do have. So I never felt the LACK of a relationship, I just allowed myself to truly enjoy the FEELING of being in love.

Let me tell you, it works. Here I am, not really feeling any different than I did all those times I heard those songs. I found the 'feeling place,' and allowed the Universe to orchestrate the manifestation: Jerry.

It didn't seem to matter to me that it meant moving to NY. This was a pretty easy move for me. I love a new adventure; I wanted to make some major changes in my life, such as rebecoming a non-smoker, going to the gym, eating leaner. And moving to NY seemed to represent all of it.

Going back to New York!

2008-07-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

I almost can't believe it! I never thought I would go back. I didn't think I had what it takes. I had so many self-doubts that I just thought all I would be able to manage is my house care taking situation and working part-time at non-profits.

But I've spent the past six years working on myself, especially around the area of feeling worthy. I know that I have come very far. Recently I have actually EXPERIENCED the feeling of worthiness! And immediately, things started shifting in my life: my relationships shifted, my desires seem to be for things that are better for me, and I have this amazing courage and faith that things are going to turn out ok for me.

Another manifestation that occurred right after is that Jerry found me after 7 years of searching online for me. Jerry was a friend from NY with whom I connected many years ago. But when I left NY I truly disappeared and we lost contact. He remembered our conversations and he finally found me when he did a search for Bending the Light. That's the subtitle of one of my blogs! Good going Jerry. (later note: I was just doing some blog clean-up and I NEVER POSTED IN THAT BLOG! It's almost like I created it Just so Jerry could find me.)

Long story short, I'm in love and moving to NY to be with Jerry. I tell some people the story that I need to be by my family. That's only partially true. I just want to be with Jerry. Here are a couple of pics.

I'm excited about my new adventure! There are so many things about NY that I love. This blog is going to be a kind of journal about my activities in NY with Jerry. Stay tuned!

I will be driving with Jerry to NY (renting a mini-van) on Monday, July 28. We should be in NY by the 31st or 1st. If you read these posts, please make comments!