Alright, on New Years Eve my friend Nicole and I danced RIGHT NEXT to Shaq in the middle of a club's dance floor for a good half hour and all he did was STAND there.
Last night at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, Shaq came out to bust-a-move with the Jabbawockeez.
I haven't figured out how to post videos on here yet, but here is the YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO2f-KDCulk&annotation_id=annotation_693023&feature=iv
Next time I see that man in a club he best be dancing!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Valentine's Day?
This year, Valentine's Day did not feel anything like a Valentine's Day should.
It was, instead, an all day sporting event. My friends David (my last year Valentine), Des and I went to the Metro State mens' basketball game and then drove an hour down to the Air Force Academy to watch the men and woman's 4x4 races. I got back home around 8 p.m., watched a couple of hours of Bill Engvall and Ron White on Comedy Central and then went to sleep.
I'm not real big on Valentin's day to begin with, and after last year it will be difficult to top such an amazing V-day, but I guess I was still a little disappointed about how anti-climatic of a day it turned out to be.
If someone had told me it was any other day of the month, I would have believed them!
Hope you all had a more exciting day of love!
It was, instead, an all day sporting event. My friends David (my last year Valentine), Des and I went to the Metro State mens' basketball game and then drove an hour down to the Air Force Academy to watch the men and woman's 4x4 races. I got back home around 8 p.m., watched a couple of hours of Bill Engvall and Ron White on Comedy Central and then went to sleep.
I'm not real big on Valentin's day to begin with, and after last year it will be difficult to top such an amazing V-day, but I guess I was still a little disappointed about how anti-climatic of a day it turned out to be.
If someone had told me it was any other day of the month, I would have believed them!
Hope you all had a more exciting day of love!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Catacombs of Paris
The summer of 2007, my friend Nicole and I took a tour through the Catacombs during our stay in
Looking around we could see that whoever worked down in the catacombs when the bones were being laid had actually taken the time to organize them by bone. For instance, a certain part of the wall was all shoulder bones, stacked up like a jigsaw puzzle, while the other side was all thigh bones. Not only did that disturb us but in some cases there were designs made in the walls such as a heart or a cross outlined by skulls.
The tour only led us through two miles of the underground bone city, but by the end I was almost running to keep up with Nicole who only had her mind set on getting OUT as fast as humanly possible.
Tonight I watched an episode of “Scariest Places on Earth” which featured the Catacombs of Paris. It was not coverage of the tourist-known Catacombs, but rather the lengthy tunnels most people never see. The show stated that there are 400 miles of the underground tunnels, many collapsed, filled with water and unsafe for traveling through. Of course that didn’t stop the show from entering those parts.
This place may not seem as disturbing when reading about it or watching a video of it, but it is a whole different, heavy, unwelcoming feeling when inside. Seeing the many, many bones and the organization that went into quite a few of the walls; thinking about whom the bones belong to and who worked down there is a lot to handle.
If you are ever in
Thanks to the Si-Fi Channel for stirring up memories, I may have some nightmares tonight...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My first apple
Today, after coming home from class, I ate my first apple!!
It's not like it sounds.. YES, I have had an apple before. Apples are such a common fruit I would be in disbelief if someone told me they had grown up in the US and never tried an apple. Today however, was my first apple since having jaw surgery!
It's amazing how we take the simple things in life, like eating, for granted. Last May I had lower jaw surgery and after, spent six weeks on a liquid-only diet. It wasn't a struggle trying to stay away from food like someone might experience when dieting; there was just no way I could have managed to chew something if I had tried.
Immediately following the surgery, I was almost unrecognizable. Between the swelling and bruising it took me a few weeks to become comfortable enough to leave the house and go back to work. To make matters worse, the feeling in my lower lip, cheeks and chin was missing. Sometimes, I was told, nerves are damaged and the feeling never does come back but in most cases it takes anywhere from two weeks to one year to return. In the mean time I focused on digesting enough liquids in order to not pass out each day and flipped through a recipe book of suggested "meals to blend" that I would never end up trying. To me, certain foods should be separate and whole. Blended pizza, chicken salad, pasta and even MEATLOAF did not sound like any considerable options.
Following the six weeks of my liquid-only diet, I graduated to a soft-food diet. Eating was never the same. I couldn't open my mouth as wide and chewing was awkward and sometimes painful. My insecurities were at an all time high. Not only was eating almost impossible but eating in public was out of the question.
Very, very gradually things got easier.
The beginning of December I ate my first sandwich. The estimate was 6-8 months until I would be able to bite into a sandwich and it was right around that time when I finally did. I will admit, I went to Subway three times that week! About three weeks ago I experimented with eating carrots and celery which went surprisingly well!
That brings me to today. I ate my first apple. Granted, I still have to be a little more careful when biting and chewing but being able to eat an apple makes me feel normal once again.
In addition, the feeling is about 90% back now and last night I was able to FEEL my first kiss since May.
It's not like it sounds.. YES, I have had an apple before. Apples are such a common fruit I would be in disbelief if someone told me they had grown up in the US and never tried an apple. Today however, was my first apple since having jaw surgery!
It's amazing how we take the simple things in life, like eating, for granted. Last May I had lower jaw surgery and after, spent six weeks on a liquid-only diet. It wasn't a struggle trying to stay away from food like someone might experience when dieting; there was just no way I could have managed to chew something if I had tried.
Immediately following the surgery, I was almost unrecognizable. Between the swelling and bruising it took me a few weeks to become comfortable enough to leave the house and go back to work. To make matters worse, the feeling in my lower lip, cheeks and chin was missing. Sometimes, I was told, nerves are damaged and the feeling never does come back but in most cases it takes anywhere from two weeks to one year to return. In the mean time I focused on digesting enough liquids in order to not pass out each day and flipped through a recipe book of suggested "meals to blend" that I would never end up trying. To me, certain foods should be separate and whole. Blended pizza, chicken salad, pasta and even MEATLOAF did not sound like any considerable options.
Following the six weeks of my liquid-only diet, I graduated to a soft-food diet. Eating was never the same. I couldn't open my mouth as wide and chewing was awkward and sometimes painful. My insecurities were at an all time high. Not only was eating almost impossible but eating in public was out of the question.
Very, very gradually things got easier.
The beginning of December I ate my first sandwich. The estimate was 6-8 months until I would be able to bite into a sandwich and it was right around that time when I finally did. I will admit, I went to Subway three times that week! About three weeks ago I experimented with eating carrots and celery which went surprisingly well!
That brings me to today. I ate my first apple. Granted, I still have to be a little more careful when biting and chewing but being able to eat an apple makes me feel normal once again.
In addition, the feeling is about 90% back now and last night I was able to FEEL my first kiss since May.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Tuesday night in Denver
I have made the bias decision that I live in the best neighborhood of Denver. When I first moved here that was definitely not the case! After the month long, drama filled adventure of living in an extended inn, on the floor of a vacant apartment, a cockroach, mice and bed bug infested apartment and finally my car.. I landed where I am now. Desperately searching, I found the studio I am renting through a post on craigslist. The owner even left his futon, TV and table which was a blessing considering I was left with nothing after the month from Hell. Five months in to my new place and dealing with more than my fair share of 'bad luck', my heater is finally working well and my fridge has not broken in over two months! To say the least, the black cloud that had been following me every single day for the first five months of my life in Denver finally seems to have lifted.
I have been slowly getting to know all that my neighborhood has to offer and am thoroughly loving it! Tonight, my friend and I walked down the street to a restaurant called Lime, which I have been to several times already. They serve the best margaritas I've ever tasted and $1 tacos on Tuesdays. The wait was 45min. however, so we continued our walk, ending at a place called Table 6. It was more upscale than I would normally choose, but very tasty! Afterward, we crossed the street to the Esquire Theater to see Slumdog Millionaire. This small, two movie viewing room theater has now made it to the top of my list of favorite movie theaters! It is old fashioned, comfortable and best of all.. about 4 blocks away from where I live!
Following the movie, we made the cold and snowy walk back to my apartment. It almost felt like Christmas to me! Yes, yes, I know it is February, but I am a 15-year Arizonan! When I see snow it is in Christmas movies. Nevertheless, the night was wonderful.
Maybe I am finally ajusting to Denver.. and Denver is finally adjusting to me.
I have been slowly getting to know all that my neighborhood has to offer and am thoroughly loving it! Tonight, my friend and I walked down the street to a restaurant called Lime, which I have been to several times already. They serve the best margaritas I've ever tasted and $1 tacos on Tuesdays. The wait was 45min. however, so we continued our walk, ending at a place called Table 6. It was more upscale than I would normally choose, but very tasty! Afterward, we crossed the street to the Esquire Theater to see Slumdog Millionaire. This small, two movie viewing room theater has now made it to the top of my list of favorite movie theaters! It is old fashioned, comfortable and best of all.. about 4 blocks away from where I live!
Following the movie, we made the cold and snowy walk back to my apartment. It almost felt like Christmas to me! Yes, yes, I know it is February, but I am a 15-year Arizonan! When I see snow it is in Christmas movies. Nevertheless, the night was wonderful.
Maybe I am finally ajusting to Denver.. and Denver is finally adjusting to me.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Superbowl Sunday
Superbowl Sunday has always been an important day to my family. Growing up back in New York, life during football season was planned around Buffalo Bills games. The parties were all held at our house and, no matter how many times they lost, we kept coming back for more.
My dad was quite possibly the biggest Bills fan I've ever known. When they went to the Superbowl in 1992 my mom was 9 months pregnant with my brother. We always re-tell the story of that morning when he told my mom she "better not go into labor today. If it's during the game, I'm not coming to the hospital!" Turns out she went into labor the very next morning, January 27th (after the Bills loss).
Moving out to Arizona and losing my dad, we lost touch with the Bills for a little while. Superbowl Sunday's were never the same, but my mom, brother and I always made a point to stay home, order pizza and wings and watch the game. I have always remained a Bills fan and, because of how I grew up around it, will ALWAYS be a Bills fan.
This year however, the FIRST year in the past 15 years that I am not in Arizona, who goes to the Superbowl? The Arizona Cardinals! I have to admit, year after year of hearing, "this team is going to be great this year!" and then watching them suffer, I have not exactly been a fan. However, the energy out there today must be amazing! Arizona loves their team and it's exciting to see them make it this far!
I have several friends here from Arizona who are throwing a Superbowl party, which is where I will be later. It's not the same as watching with my family and it's not the same as being in Arizona, but it will have to do.
Go Cardinals!
My dad was quite possibly the biggest Bills fan I've ever known. When they went to the Superbowl in 1992 my mom was 9 months pregnant with my brother. We always re-tell the story of that morning when he told my mom she "better not go into labor today. If it's during the game, I'm not coming to the hospital!" Turns out she went into labor the very next morning, January 27th (after the Bills loss).
Moving out to Arizona and losing my dad, we lost touch with the Bills for a little while. Superbowl Sunday's were never the same, but my mom, brother and I always made a point to stay home, order pizza and wings and watch the game. I have always remained a Bills fan and, because of how I grew up around it, will ALWAYS be a Bills fan.
This year however, the FIRST year in the past 15 years that I am not in Arizona, who goes to the Superbowl? The Arizona Cardinals! I have to admit, year after year of hearing, "this team is going to be great this year!" and then watching them suffer, I have not exactly been a fan. However, the energy out there today must be amazing! Arizona loves their team and it's exciting to see them make it this far!
I have several friends here from Arizona who are throwing a Superbowl party, which is where I will be later. It's not the same as watching with my family and it's not the same as being in Arizona, but it will have to do.
Go Cardinals!
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