Back to the BK in a few days

Heading back to Brooklyn next weekend and I can't wait! Haven't been home since October. Miss it much, need my fix.

I'll see you soon, then.

Christ on two corn dogs and a funnel cake, what the hell is going on in the world?

I just got an e-mail from an ex. A freak of nature is a mild way to describe him. He is about to have a kid. He then tells me his two adopted sisters who are 27 and 25 are also about to have kids. Another ex , I just found out on facebook, had a kid a few days ago.

What the hell is going on? Egypt is in anarchy, Yemen's president won't run again, Tunisia is still finding it's way, who's next? The EU is in economic fall out, our own country is going to hell in a hand basket because there are people in congress who think God made them and evolution isn's possible while global climate change is inevitable as we experience yet another snowmaggedon winter.

the hell?

BTW, do you like my new phrase? I stole it from a movie I watched recently...it's my new thing...I dig it.

I like this quote too...my thoughts are with you in your recovery, Ms. Giffords

“If you want something done, your best bet is to ask a Jewish woman to do it, Jewish women — by our tradition and by the way we were raised — have an ability to cut through all the reasons why something should, shouldn’t or can’t be done and pull people together to be successful.”

-Gabrielle Giffords

Keepin' it real

Found this in some old files from my old computer. It's from 2006 but of course, still applies, everyday:

I am from Brooklyn.

Raised in Brooklyn.

I love this place, Brooklyn.

It is my home, it defines me and shaped who I am.

When people ask me I say proudly, Brooklyn.

With an eyebrow raised and an “oh!” for a response, I note the tone of surprise in their voice.

I am from Brooklyn.

Not Queens, not the Bronx, not Manhattan and most certainly not Staten Island…

I know neighborhoods and streets like the back of my hand.

Take the girl out but it stays in her heart always, for all days, for always she is from Brooklyn.

She knows the street names and the bus lines. She knows the subway stops and the good delis.

She left it some years ago, thinking it would be best, but it turned out for the worst.

She forgot about Brooklyn. She let it slip and almost lost her grasp.

But now she remembers she is from Brooklyn. She has back her edge, her pride and her Brooklyn slang.

Her mind is in Brooklyn, her thoughts are of Brooklyn and her edge is Brooklyn.

It’s time I get back to my roots, in Brooklyn.

Reunited and I feel good!

I helped a colleague today and it didn't involve toxicology, chemistry or science in anyway. Sitting in a kind of boring meeting that was lagging on longer than it should I noticed the very pretty earrings of a new engineer in another division. I don't know her name. She sits in on the meetings absorbing the goings on. Until she is comfortable with the proceedings she is always accompanied by a more senior engineer.
As my mind wandered during the meeting I noticed her earrings and her rings (engagement and wedding band) as I usually do. Earrings were pretty drop type with two ovals with etched designs. Couldn't make out the designs.

After the meeting let out I wandered down the hall to the staircases and kicked something on the ground. Picking it up it was an earring, drop type, two ovals with etched designs on them. I knew right away it belonged to this engineer. I had no idea what her name was...I ran into B who I told about the earring and she said let's see if D is here, she should know since she is branch chief who the new engineer is and where she sits. Sure enough D said, sure, let's go to her cubicle to bring it back to her. The engineer wasn't there but we left her a note to let her know I had found her earring. Then D and I began a conversation about lost earrings and singletons who had found new homes at the Salvation Army. I mentioned the ones I was wearing currently which are pair no. 2 of ones that A got me long ago and they are my hands down favorite everyday earrings. I lost the one only a few months after he got me the first pair. I lost them at the gym at UMCP when I swore I put them in my pants pocket and then put them in the locker but when I returned they were no where to be found. I even went back multiple times. That made me so sad. Jewelry lost is one of the saddest things.

So after an hour or so I checked my e-mail and got a message from the engineer who's earring I returned:

Hi Sara,

Thanks for finding my earring and getting it returned to me.

Glad I could reunite them...

her name is Eva.

Dear Amber...

...I miss you..I hope everything is wonderful where you are....Dr. Stumbaugh...

Warrior Dash 2011

My New Year's Resolution for 2011 (never too soon to have one, right?) is to go back to Krav Maga. As my GIS courses are winding down (I only have to take 1 or 2 more) I will have more time for self improvement of another sort next year. We are already signed up for agility class me and Casey for January - March one day a week so I need something else to keep me going. I will be busy but only on week nights. Thank goodness. I want to go to Krav Maga on any night when agility and rally aren't. So the other day I received a notice from my Krav Maga class about new schedules for January, Polar Bear Plunge nonsense (you'll never catch me doing that!) and another thing that caught my eye: Warrior Dash 2011. Now, I remember D from my the rally class I take Casey to telling us about this thing her husband did where he went through this crazy race where you get a warrior helmet at the end, a free shirt, medal and 1 free beer. I clicked the link to the Warrior Dash from my Krav Maga notice and read all the details .This thing looks so awesome. It's 3.11 miles of race in the wilderness (2011 in Mechanicsville, MD) and 8 obstacles of warrior level difficulty! Mud crawling, hay bale climbing, water trudging, rope climbing, fire jumping...real boot camp type stuff. When you complete the race in full you get  1 free beer (which I have already decided to give to A, 1 t-shirt, a medal and the best of all, a fuzzy viking helmet (horns and all)! How cool is that? I'm totally stoked to compete. I'm starting now to train...I'll have to add jumping jacks, squats and other things of that nature in my preparatory methods but I am so ready to do this.

I think the only thing I might have trouble with is the fire jumping...the flames look high...my legs are short...but I can do this...warrior style...aaarrrgggghhhhh!!