Lizards

A day at the museum looking at different types of lizards and learning interesting facts along the way. Here are two of my favorite ones. I still don't want to see one in my home though.

Snakes freak me out a bit. That's why I don't have any photos here. Behind glass is fine.

Subways & Buses

Pros and cons of using the NYC MTA.
Pros:
Go as far as you want with a free transfer between bus and subway for one fare.
Runs all day and night.
MTA Trip Planner gives door-to-door timetable and route planning.
See and hear all kinds of musicians performing.
Don't have to look for parking when you reach your destination.
Relatively clean.

Cons:
Extremely hot in the stations during the hot and humid summer days.
No idea what is being said on the loudspeakers.
No idea when the train will come while waiting on the platform.
No idea when the train will move when stuck in a tunnel.
Panhandlers, weirdos, and smelly homeless people.
Rush hour crowding.
No cellphone/internet reception.
Seeing rodents running around on the tracks and, worse, up the stairs.
Not truly handicap-friendly.
Long waits for two or three buses coming all together.

Now off to use the bus (if we catch one) and subways today.

What's For Dinner?

Almost every day I get the same question "What's for dinner?" The children know they had better not ask me before 5 pm because that's when I usually start thinking about it.

Those who know me know how much I disdain cooking. In order to make a meal, I have to first know what I'm making. Then I have to get all the ingredients from the stores or find it in the kitchen. I must prep the stuff before cooking (wish we could go raw) -- washing, peeling, chopping, etc. After all the cooking is done, the worse part -- cleaning up -- pots and pans, spatulas, knife, cutting board, counter, stove, and sink! No, the worse part is when no one wants to even try what I spent my precious time making.

I like it when they eat up everything because it means they enjoyed it. But I also resent the fact that what took me hours to put together is gone in half an hour.

It's true -- I am hard to please.

Unless you are treating me to dinner, don't ask me "What's for dinner?"

Meditation

While thinking about today's topic, I realized that thinking is what keeps me from achieving an inner peace.

Meditation can be achieved when one focuses on doing nothing or doing something "mindless." The monk making a mandala with grains of colored sand has to focus on that, and only that. This monk was at the Rubin Museum last year. As we stood watching him make his mandala on a stage in a quiet auditorium, I was in awe. We tried making a sand mandala and it really was more difficult than he made it look. Keep in mind that the mandala will be destroyed by a breeze or when he has to get off the stage. It is the journey, not the final product.

I make my lists of things to do. This helps me let go of some stuff. Nowadays, it is hard for me to sit still and clear my mind without falling asleep.

The best way for me to lose myself is when I am making or doing something which requires my full concentration. Difficult kakuro puzzles require lots of puzzle solving skills which help me not think about what else needs to be done. Quilting by hand or drawing one of my doodles also helps my mind drift off to a peaceful place.

What do you do to achieve a sense of inner peace?

Life Changing Moments

Every one of us has "life changing moments." Some are good. Some are bad. Either way, our life is different from that moment on.

For me, September 11, 2001, is my "day that will live in infamy." Before that day, I had other moments which were pivotal: being accepted to NYU School of Law, getting married, the birth of each of my children, the deaths of close friends, buying our home, quitting my jobs, etc.

But that morning was so "normal" until the television lost reception and my friend on the phone told me something was on the news. I managed to get CBS on the television and watched as smoke came out of one of the Twin Towers. We were discussing how could such an awful accident happen, when the second plane hit. That was when my heart sank and I knew something was VERY wrong.

I knew my hubby was safe since he had just left the house a little while before. As the news reported about this, I worried about the people at the office. I wasn't sure whether they should leave the office or stay put. Since I couldn't reach D, I told them to wait until I could speak to him. Meanwhile, the Pentagon was attacked. When the first tower collapsed, I started to cry.

When he finally got home, I went to get B and A from school. I had already planned on having lunch with them since the lunchroom was being used for a primary election. The school asked me not to say anything to anyone until we were out of the building. My children weren't surprised to see me other than the fact that it wasn't lunch time yet. I tried to explain what was happening but couldn't really.

Many friends and family called that day to make sure D was safe. Thank God he was and I had everyone home with me.

I wasn't able to sleep for days. This was also the time when I discovered the "Dear Jane" world of quilting. I quilted while I watched endless hours of search and rescue turn to recovery. I felt so much sadness and fear. Then I heard Alan Jackson's song and it really touched me. I was one of those who burned a candle when they asked us to. I had my American flag proudly displayed outside our house.

Sure, I knew life wasn't forever and that I should live each day to the fullest. But, that day really shook me to my core. I kept thinking of the people who died and never finished all the things on their "bucket list."

I was amazed that with all the people I've met during my lifetime in New York, no one close to me perished. How amazing is that?

It's almost nine years now and I still haven't finished my Dear Jane quilt (photo was from September 2005). I am very close to getting done on the border pieces. Maybe this will be the year.

What's your life changing moment? What's on your bucket list?

Healthy or Not

Why is it that some people can be healthy while others are prone to medical issues? Unfortunately, I fall in the second group.

The past few months have been difficult due to my left shoulder injury. Pain and lack of mobility. Most of all, lack of sleep. I never did sleep very much. But, having only two or three hours in a row before I had to get ice to numb the pain was just not enough. I am now getting about five hours before the pain is too much. My motto has always been "Quality over quantity" but I haven't been getting either.

Then the last two weeks were plagued by a breast cancer scare. I was on an emotional roller-coaster, not knowing whether to worry or not about a "cyst with debris." Finally got the "don't worry" last Tuesday from the breast surgeon, so I will deal with it all again in six months. That's also when I get to see my primary care again, get my thyroid ultrasound again, see my ob-gyn again, and hopefully, be done with physical therapy and shoulder pain. Last week also brought back fears of needing a colonoscopy, again.

I had a checkup yesterday. Hopefully, I won't hear bad news after the tests come back. My doctor has already forbidden me to eat anything that tastes good. I can obey doctor's order or enjoy life. What a dilemma!