This Past Week

Random thoughts from the week that was:

- Took the car for an inspection Monday and got more than I bargained for:
I have been lazy in getting the inspection done on my car this year. It expired on Jan 31st. I know, I know. I have no legit excuse for waiting over a month to get it done.

When I took it to the dealer to get the inspection done (and possibly some other work on the car), it turns out I had a problem with my exhaust system. Upon reading the work order when I picked up the car, I had a cracked catalytic converter and needed to get gaskets and other parts replaced in the exhaust system. Fortunately, my vehicle was still under warranty so I wasn't responsible for the $1,200+ cost of the parts.

Next time the check engine light comes on, I will be sure to pay more attention to it and take it more seriously.

- Ego boost from both of my classes:
I had a student from each of my classes (day and evening) come up to me after class this week and tell me they appreciate my effort in class. They told me I've made the material easy for them to understand. They also told me that my passion for stats shows and that makes it a little easier to learn because I care that the class learns. I'm not simply going though the motions like other professors.

That was great to hear and gave me a renewed sense of pride. I love what I do in the classroom and it meant a lot to hear not just one student tell me this but to have two students in consecutive days from different classes. I couldn't ask for a better compliment.

=D

- I'm focused now:
Nuff said. This has been a week full of self-motivation and following through with plans. Re-organizing crap around the house and trying to get lots of things in order so that when I do get lazy again, I won't have much to worry about.

- "What I want I can't have, and what I have I don't want":
No elaboration here but this realization has helped me put things in perspective lately.

- I may be working less time in Brooklyn:
It's not what you think. My hours have not been cut. Nor am I getting fired.

I was offered the opportunity to work off-site. My employment status would change from salaried employee to contractor for the two programs I'm working on now. My employer has been working hard to review their accounting records for the last several years (after having their funds mismanaged by the previous Executive Director). I suspect their offer may have been made, in part, to make the accounting easier to reconcile. I also wonder if it would be easier for them to fire me as a contractor as opposed to being a salaried employee. Not that I deserve to be fired since everyone is constantly praising my work. I can say that I single-handedly kept that program alive when they were on life support and when they could barely maintain a skeleton crew to keep meeting our target numbers. Had I not contributed as much to the program (outside of my job requirements) as I have over the past 2 years, they would have lost their funding a long time ago (and I'd be working somewhere else now).

- Three consecutive days of dream recall:
When I woke up on Thursday morning, I was surprised that I was able to vividly recall three full dream 'scenes'. Minutes after taking brief notes on those three dreams, I remembered a fourth dream which had slipped my mind while I was trying to preserve the memory of the other three. On Friday morning, I was able to recall two dreams: one was a clip and the other was a full scene. Today I had another two dreams that I was able to remember and one of them is a recurring dream.

There are slight variations in each but ultimately the core of the dreams involve me trying to cross a public park and not being able to pass because of a huge walrus (I'm talking humongous, folks!) that lives in the lake/pool at the middle of the park. I don't know why he (yes, it's a 'he') is not letting me pass. It feels like he is just enjoying being a dick to me and not like he is protecting what's on the other side.

- Looking ahead to the weekend:
Shooting range plans for Saturday morning were postponed for a week. Continue training for the High Rock Challenge in April by measuring my time for 10k. Hoping I have access to a treadmill for over an hour. We'll see.

On Sunday morning, I've got my first soccer game of the season... VERY EXCITED about this! Though, I suspect I will be hating it Monday morning. =)

Go out and enjoy the sunshine! Be sure to wear a jacket.

Until next time, faithful reader.....

Bad Habit and Coincidences

Howdy friend,

I've been really upset with myself lately for developing a pretty bad habit which had manifested itself first via online chats and has been more evident as of late IMO. Unfortunately, it has permeated my vocabulary and everyday dialogue. I now have a tendency to start sentences with the word "so". Perfectly capable conversation starters such as "How are you today?" turn into the ugly "So how are you today?" Normal statements like "I ran into John the other day" devolve into "So I ran into John the other day." (... and? what happened?) It may not seem that bad at first... but when every other sentence starts with "So..." it can officially be labeled a problem. I think it may have started as a nervous tic that I got too accustomed to using.

I'm trying to snap out of it. Occasionally, I catch myself when I use it and delete the offending two letter word.

Oh well... we'll see what happens... maybe I can also work on my two other 'problems': my incessant 'lol'ing and '...'ing.

*ahem* moving right along...

What was it that I was saying about coincidences last week when I was half drunk (*cough*cough* half?) and slightly coherent?

Ah, yes...

I sometimes find myself saying profound crap and forgetting it minutes later when I'm extremely tired or intoxicated. Both conditions require a state of mind that is different from the way I normally think.

This time I reasoned that there are no such thing as... coincidences.

I can't say if this qualifies as a profound statement or not because I still have lots of my life to finish living - presumably - but it makes for an interesting conversation (argument?) starter. I feel 'coincidences' are like signs on the roadway of our life. When we're out driving, walking, riding, etc... we don't read each and every sign on the road but every now and then there is one that will stand out and make you take notice. These are the times where we may notice the 'sign' while in the presence of someone or something that sticks in our memory. That is what a coincidence is like. It's simply the recognition of some seemingly random occurrence around us that we interpret as conveniently fitting into the present situation. Maybe it was just meant to be.

Coincidences are simply:
- just another marker on the path/road
- "sign posts" on our individual lifepaths

Granted, sometimes the paths cross with others. The road is shared and the "coincidences" may also be shared. It's not unlike driving with other cars on the road. You're not all going to the same destination but you may share time on the road.

Well, boys and girls, this is my exit.

Until next time, faithful reader......

My Stroll Through Queens

Today, I had to leave my car in the very capable hands of the dealer so they can repair my exhaust system. Instead of taking a train or bus home, I decided to walk. No it wasn't the cheapskate in me that wanted to pocket $2. I simply wanted to take a stroll. Had the temperature been a few degrees colder, I would have never considered it.

I documented the trip below using my camera phone (the B&W pics are courtesy of my old digital camera which I forgot I was carrying with me until the second half of the walk).

Hope you enjoy!


VIDEO INTRO:

The start of the journey over on Steinway Street and 36th Avenue:

There's a bear patrolling the park on Steinway (OH MY!):
OH Krinos... how I do NOT miss you! A few friends and I ran a flea market out of this parking lot on Saturdays when we were in our teens. It stunk to high heaven in the summer because those barrels are filled with olives!:

This is the actual eye-level view from the sidewalk of Home Depot on Northern Blvd:

This diner really looks like a POS site. I wonder whether they really have enough business to stay alive. Maybe being along Northern Blvd helps but I don't want to eat there:

Tower Square Shopping Center @ Woodside Avenue and Northern Blvd. Where one can find many fine shops such as "Deal$ 5 or less", "Malcolm Wireless", and "Silk Floral" and fine dining at establishments such as "Pizza Hut", "Subway", and "Boston Market":

Korean Presbyterian Church on Woodside Ave. Note the dark, ominous clouds approaching. I think I should keep moving:

HA! Doughboy Plaza... maybe I should check it out:

Somber moment in Doughboy Plaza as I find a statue erected in memory of soldiers from Woodside who lost their lives during WWI ("Lest We Forget"):

Woodside branch of the QPL:

Roosevelt Avenue and 55th Street (7 train line overhead):

Calvary Cemetary - Queens Blvd @ 56th Street:

Narrow corridor along the wall of the cemetary (on Queens Blvd):

No major thoroughfare in Queens is complete with out a collection of free periodical stands:

A park I think I went to a looooong time ago. Then again, a lot of parks in Queens (and presumably across the city) all seem to look the same:

Laurel Hill Blvd (south side)/wall along the side of the BQE:

Railing overlooking the BQE @ 65th Place:

Sadly, still no sign of spring in this neck of the woods:

This house seems so out of place. Reminds me of the types of homes I have found in my travels through New England:

Any of you from Maspeth? Any PS229 alums?:

This looks eerily similar to every set of tracks you can find in Woodside
(Note: This was not taken in Woodside):

LIRR tracks - I climbed a ledge by the entrance of an apartment building and could not believe I was able to get these clear shots of the track. Made me wish I had a better camera to work with:

Penn Station-bound train:

Just one block away... the fence was falling over and garbage can be found all over the place. Can we say urban decay, boys and girls?:

No. Your eyes do not deceive you. That is a pigeon coop that I found in my travels inside a man's garage. He was nice enough to let me take a picture so I tried not to be too intrusive. The smell of it took me back to Portugal when I was a kid and I visited my uncle's garage which he converted into an aviary. A pleasant memory, NOT a pleasant smell. lol

Nearing the home stretch:
A few shots overlooking the LIE:

Maybe we should re-introduce some color to these shots:

Still no sign of Spring! grrrrr....

Walk info/stats:
START - 4:30PM
END - 6:20PM
[For the mapped out path, click here.]

Temperature - 43 degrees (no wind chill)

Miles walked - 3.93 miles
Calories burned (I'm serious!) - 588.2 kcal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until next time, faithful reader....