I've only been doing Yoga for about two weeks, but I'm already reaping the rewards physically. Yesterday, I played softball on a team who needed some extra players. In the top of the second, with two runners on base and one out, I stepped to the plate. The count was one ball and no strikes. The next pitch came in, about waist high, and I prepared to hit the cover off the ball. Tightening my muscular upper body and taking a deep breath in, I unleashed the dragon within myself and ripped the ball up the middle. Because of my new upper body strength, however, my body core couldn't handle the power and I landed on the dirt almost immediately, tearing up my knees and one hand. Luckily, the groundball was misplayed and I stumbled to first. Now, my knees match my AC Milan shirt: red and black :o\ !!!
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Yogan Lifestyle
Last night I engaged in another session of Yoga at the 92nd St. Y, my gym. Yoga is some good stuff! High blood pressure? Yoga. Stress? Yoga. Sirens and street noise from 96th St just outside your window getting to you? Yoga. Cooped up all day in a cubicle and feeling tightness in your back and all your muscles? Yoga! It's very mentally relaxing and I feel like a whole new person when I walk out of that room....
Because of my roommate situation, I've started exploring my options the last few days. My current roommate is subleasing from my old roommate, who moved out after he bought a place in Manhattan. Because our lease is up at the end of August, my current roommate needs to find the "right job" in order to renew the lease (he's a recent Columbia U. grad school graduate) by the end of July. But that's coming up this week and he hasn't decided on anything yet. A friend of a friend is moving out of her place around the same time, and she's got a nice studio in a pretty good location nearby, so I'm contemplating a move in that direction. The location is closer to my gym (that's key), closer to my favorite organic/high-end grocery store, and is on a quiet street, but it is further from the subway, which would make things a bit more painful in the winter. But, really, it's a nice gig....
Because of my roommate situation, I've started exploring my options the last few days. My current roommate is subleasing from my old roommate, who moved out after he bought a place in Manhattan. Because our lease is up at the end of August, my current roommate needs to find the "right job" in order to renew the lease (he's a recent Columbia U. grad school graduate) by the end of July. But that's coming up this week and he hasn't decided on anything yet. A friend of a friend is moving out of her place around the same time, and she's got a nice studio in a pretty good location nearby, so I'm contemplating a move in that direction. The location is closer to my gym (that's key), closer to my favorite organic/high-end grocery store, and is on a quiet street, but it is further from the subway, which would make things a bit more painful in the winter. But, really, it's a nice gig....
Friday, July 23, 2004
A guy in leatards and
A guy in leatards and lingere just lunged out at me before spinning and running into the street.Wow. Only in New York City
Busy Week
It's been a busy week getting my social engine primed and running again. After three years of being out of town, my new job gives me the flexibility of going out at night to meet up with friends after work and have a few cool ones or chow on some grub, which is great. So this week I've done my yoga, played my racquetball, soaked in my sauna/steam bath, drank my margaritas, gone on my date, found my live music cafe, ate my Peter Luger's steak, met my friends of friends of friends, and my weekend hasn't even started yet....
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Of Knives and Yoga
The good:
So, today I started my new job. I don't really have much to report on since I haven't had much to do yet except installing software on my machine and attending a meeting. But, so far, I like where it's at. It's a lot different than the "Big Four" accounting behemoths I used to work for, and not in a good or bad way....
Last night I took my first steps toward my personal reincarnation by taking an Intro to Yoga class at my new gym (pun intended). I've been intrigued by Yoga for quite a while as a way to relax/clear my mind and get some exercise at the same time. There's lots of elements of the Indian (and I don't mean Native American, not that there aren't interesting things there either, but....well, nevermind)/Hindi lifestyle that I find interesting, and this is one of them. Next up: Intro to Pilates course. The thing is, I am not exactly sure what Pilates is (although I hear they use an exercise ball, which I used to play with back when I was young), but I'll let you know once I figure it out....
Tonight I am attending a surprise birthday event for my good friend Cathy. Surprise #1: Her husband has arranged for a limo to pick them up at 8:15 at their apartment, where D and I will be waiting. Surprise #2: We're going to be whisked off to Brooklyn to have dinner at Peter Luger's Steakhouse :-0 !! This is probably the top steakhouse in all of New York, possibly the country! My wallet is already moaning and groaning....but I don't care, it will be fun!
The bad:
Some of you remember that stye that I've had on my eye for about two months? Well, the medication hasn't caused it to go away.
The ugly:
My eyelid Thursday afternoon. I'm going under the knife to get rid of the stye (aka cyst aka eye gout). Maybe I'll get to wear a patch on my eye for a few days and pretend that I'm a pirate. Chicks dig pirates.
So, today I started my new job. I don't really have much to report on since I haven't had much to do yet except installing software on my machine and attending a meeting. But, so far, I like where it's at. It's a lot different than the "Big Four" accounting behemoths I used to work for, and not in a good or bad way....
Last night I took my first steps toward my personal reincarnation by taking an Intro to Yoga class at my new gym (pun intended). I've been intrigued by Yoga for quite a while as a way to relax/clear my mind and get some exercise at the same time. There's lots of elements of the Indian (and I don't mean Native American, not that there aren't interesting things there either, but....well, nevermind)/Hindi lifestyle that I find interesting, and this is one of them. Next up: Intro to Pilates course. The thing is, I am not exactly sure what Pilates is (although I hear they use an exercise ball, which I used to play with back when I was young), but I'll let you know once I figure it out....
Tonight I am attending a surprise birthday event for my good friend Cathy. Surprise #1: Her husband has arranged for a limo to pick them up at 8:15 at their apartment, where D and I will be waiting. Surprise #2: We're going to be whisked off to Brooklyn to have dinner at Peter Luger's Steakhouse :-0 !! This is probably the top steakhouse in all of New York, possibly the country! My wallet is already moaning and groaning....but I don't care, it will be fun!
The bad:
Some of you remember that stye that I've had on my eye for about two months? Well, the medication hasn't caused it to go away.
The ugly:
My eyelid Thursday afternoon. I'm going under the knife to get rid of the stye (aka cyst aka eye gout). Maybe I'll get to wear a patch on my eye for a few days and pretend that I'm a pirate. Chicks dig pirates.
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Just watched the Team USA
Just watched the Team USA softball team play. I ate too many sunflower seeds.My tummy hurts. Must...find...water..
Friday, July 16, 2004
Well, I'm no longer employed.
Well, I'm no longer employed. At least until Tuesday. Don't expect any blogs for a few days..
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Stoked on Soccer
As the painful memories of the Euro Cup 2004 fade away (after my Czech team crashed out in the semi-finals), every day I seek new ways to quench my thirst for soccer news and activities. The Copa America is taking place in Peru, but that competition isn't as serious as the Euro Cup and the big name players aren't playing, for the most part.
It's also the European offseason right now, so there's a lot of trading going on over there between teams. In addition, teams are getting ready to do their promotional tours around the world, some of which are coming to the states. This week, I found out that my office is giving away tickets for one of the biggest promotional games in the world, being played right across the river in New Jersey!!!
I'm going. And I'm stoked.
It's also the European offseason right now, so there's a lot of trading going on over there between teams. In addition, teams are getting ready to do their promotional tours around the world, some of which are coming to the states. This week, I found out that my office is giving away tickets for one of the biggest promotional games in the world, being played right across the river in New Jersey!!!
 | vs. |  |
| AC Milan | Manchester United |
I'm going. And I'm stoked.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Physical ailments and such
This weekend was pretty busy. Saturday was spent, as I mentioned below, organizing my war-zone room. Saturday night, while mentally deep in my book, Paul and Cathy called to invite me to take a trip down to the "nexus of the universe" area (according to Seinfeld's Kramer), the Lower East Side, to visit our favorite cafe, Teany. Teany, as I initially blogged, was a great location in the cold months because it provided us with warm cups of hibiscus and toasted almond-flavored milk (the "teanychino"). This was our first trip down there in a while, and the first trip taken during the "warm months". Being a tea-shop, I indulged in some mint iced-tea and another helping in the form of oolong and jasmine flavored iced-tea, at the flirtatious waitresses recommendation. On the way down, we found several notable restaurants in a previously unknown corner of SoHo, hence last night's cell phone blog.
I've recently been suffering from a case of biting-it-on-a-wave-and-tumbling-underwater-in-odd-shapes, a war-wound from my surfing trip to San Diego. Last night, the dull pain in between my shoulder blades was quite nagging and I was desperately seeking chiropractic care. Being late on a Saturday night, I didn't even bother looking because I know how those guys operate (though I did pick up some numbers from flyers at a grocery store :-x ) . On the way home from Teany, we came across a Chinese gentleman's shop that advertised 20-minute deep-tissue massages for the budget price of $18. Being the budgeteer that I am, I thought it would be worth giving him a shot at healing my ailments for that price. After 20-minutes of sometimes agonizingly painful massage, the mystical powers of this homeopathic treatment failed to emerge, and I departed with the dull pain still nestled cozilly along my spine. Oh well, it was worth a shot. If anyone knows of a good chiropractor in NYC, please let me know...
Today was my monthly trip with the kids from Harlem to a local destination. This month, we took a roadie down to the Coney Island region of Brooklyn to visit the New York aquarium. There were some interesting things down there, but it wasn't quite like the Monterey Bay aquarium. There were some gigantic walrii (plural for walrus ;o) there that were entertaining, however. Unfortunately, this month's kids were quite the terrorizing bunch and the four of us with boys were quite exhausted after trying to keep these kids in order for the whole day. It was mentally and physically exhausting!!
After that event, Paul, Cathy, and I checked out the infamous "92nd Y", a somewhat famous YMCA around the corner from the both of us. After taking a tour of their gym facilities, the three of us decided to sign up. The selling point was the raquetball courts, non-chlorine filtered pool, sauna, and steam room!! So, I am planning on taking lots of Yoga and Pilates classes there in the near future after returning from my new job!!!
Time for bed...
I've recently been suffering from a case of biting-it-on-a-wave-and-tumbling-underwater-in-odd-shapes, a war-wound from my surfing trip to San Diego. Last night, the dull pain in between my shoulder blades was quite nagging and I was desperately seeking chiropractic care. Being late on a Saturday night, I didn't even bother looking because I know how those guys operate (though I did pick up some numbers from flyers at a grocery store :-x ) . On the way home from Teany, we came across a Chinese gentleman's shop that advertised 20-minute deep-tissue massages for the budget price of $18. Being the budgeteer that I am, I thought it would be worth giving him a shot at healing my ailments for that price. After 20-minutes of sometimes agonizingly painful massage, the mystical powers of this homeopathic treatment failed to emerge, and I departed with the dull pain still nestled cozilly along my spine. Oh well, it was worth a shot. If anyone knows of a good chiropractor in NYC, please let me know...
Today was my monthly trip with the kids from Harlem to a local destination. This month, we took a roadie down to the Coney Island region of Brooklyn to visit the New York aquarium. There were some interesting things down there, but it wasn't quite like the Monterey Bay aquarium. There were some gigantic walrii (plural for walrus ;o) there that were entertaining, however. Unfortunately, this month's kids were quite the terrorizing bunch and the four of us with boys were quite exhausted after trying to keep these kids in order for the whole day. It was mentally and physically exhausting!!
After that event, Paul, Cathy, and I checked out the infamous "92nd Y", a somewhat famous YMCA around the corner from the both of us. After taking a tour of their gym facilities, the three of us decided to sign up. The selling point was the raquetball courts, non-chlorine filtered pool, sauna, and steam room!! So, I am planning on taking lots of Yoga and Pilates classes there in the near future after returning from my new job!!!
Time for bed...
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Note to self: Need to
Note to self: Need to eat dinner in soho, Elizabeth St. Peasant and Public look intriguing..
On the move again....
Well, I've decided to move again. The last time I decided to do this, I ended up approximately 2955.9 miles away (according to Yahoo Maps) from my residence. I would say that this time is a bit less extreme, more like 10 feet (ballpark figure). My roommate Alan moved out (don't worry, it wasn't because of me) and a new roommate has moved in. But I've taken over Alan's pimp-pad room because the bathroom is internal and there's a lot more light. The view is marginally better, as well, as I have a view of the lovely steel Triboro Bridge (not much to write home about) and a view of the neighborhood soccer field across the street.
Unfortunately, with Alan moving out, the big-screen TV, the couches, the love seats, the speakers, the stereo, and the kitchen also moved out. So we have a huge Manhattan apartment (relatively speaking) and the whole community room is empty, except for some pieces of trash. Difficult situations call for difficult measures, so I stopped by the massive Jersey Gardens mall the other day on the way home from my 2 hour commute and loaded up on luxury items like plates, glasses, and silverware :o/ . A few hundred dollars poorer, I spent Saturday retrofitting my new room with my furniture (bed; desk) and organized my closet (note: after a pruning of shirts, I've freed up the space to add a few new work and play shirts to my ever-expanding inventory).
To celebrate this monumental event, I went out and bought some new Euro-shoes, which I've been searching for for months. The time has come for my old shoes to be retired. They've served me well the last year and a half, so I can't complain, but my life has turned a new page, and it's time to move on. It's hard to say goodbye, black and brown bowling shoes...
Unfortunately, with Alan moving out, the big-screen TV, the couches, the love seats, the speakers, the stereo, and the kitchen also moved out. So we have a huge Manhattan apartment (relatively speaking) and the whole community room is empty, except for some pieces of trash. Difficult situations call for difficult measures, so I stopped by the massive Jersey Gardens mall the other day on the way home from my 2 hour commute and loaded up on luxury items like plates, glasses, and silverware :o/ . A few hundred dollars poorer, I spent Saturday retrofitting my new room with my furniture (bed; desk) and organized my closet (note: after a pruning of shirts, I've freed up the space to add a few new work and play shirts to my ever-expanding inventory).
To celebrate this monumental event, I went out and bought some new Euro-shoes, which I've been searching for for months. The time has come for my old shoes to be retired. They've served me well the last year and a half, so I can't complain, but my life has turned a new page, and it's time to move on. It's hard to say goodbye, black and brown bowling shoes...
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Quattro de Julio Weekend
I had a four day weekend because of the 4th of July holiday, so a few months back I planned a trip out to San Diego to visit my siblings and see some of my Southern Californian friends as well. Since visiting them in January, I've been dying to go back out there, pick up a surfboard, and figure out how surfing is done! I mean, what kind of Californian am I if I can't surf???
Well, three days, $35, and several misplaced vertebrae later, I kind of got the knack for the sport and finally figured it out, more or less. The waves were perfect for me, casually breaking and not to big. The sets were coming in pretty consistently and I didn't feel the urge to catch every single wave that came in. Graham gave me some pointers on how to get the job done and thus contributed to a successful weekend in the ocean.
As always, Graham and Brie spoiled me and we had a great weekend together. I can't wait until they come visit me out in the city so I can return the favor and indulge them in some of the city's culture. They are considering a visit in October and even mentioned a possible trip with some of their friends in December during the holidays, which would be a grand old time....
I had a lot more than surfing on my mind in San Diego, however. Thursday night presented me with a much-awaited surprise: my interview had gone well earlier in the day and I was offered a position at a consulting company called CHC Healthcare Solutions. They provide IT security consulting for healthcare clients and they were looking for a security auditor for a NYC hospital chain. This means that I get roll up my sleeves and do more of the technical security work that I've been thirsty for for the last three years. I'm looking forward to the change and I hope that things work out good for me at this job!
One unfortunate side-effect of me taking a new position is that my vacation plans are in disarray now. Because I'll be on "probation" for the first few months while they evaluate my performance, they don't want me to take any significant vacation. This fell into direct conflict with my plans for Spain and Slovakia for September, but, after some discussions, I was able to keep half of the trip and will still make it to Spain...
Well, three days, $35, and several misplaced vertebrae later, I kind of got the knack for the sport and finally figured it out, more or less. The waves were perfect for me, casually breaking and not to big. The sets were coming in pretty consistently and I didn't feel the urge to catch every single wave that came in. Graham gave me some pointers on how to get the job done and thus contributed to a successful weekend in the ocean.
As always, Graham and Brie spoiled me and we had a great weekend together. I can't wait until they come visit me out in the city so I can return the favor and indulge them in some of the city's culture. They are considering a visit in October and even mentioned a possible trip with some of their friends in December during the holidays, which would be a grand old time....
I had a lot more than surfing on my mind in San Diego, however. Thursday night presented me with a much-awaited surprise: my interview had gone well earlier in the day and I was offered a position at a consulting company called CHC Healthcare Solutions. They provide IT security consulting for healthcare clients and they were looking for a security auditor for a NYC hospital chain. This means that I get roll up my sleeves and do more of the technical security work that I've been thirsty for for the last three years. I'm looking forward to the change and I hope that things work out good for me at this job!
One unfortunate side-effect of me taking a new position is that my vacation plans are in disarray now. Because I'll be on "probation" for the first few months while they evaluate my performance, they don't want me to take any significant vacation. This fell into direct conflict with my plans for Spain and Slovakia for September, but, after some discussions, I was able to keep half of the trip and will still make it to Spain...
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