Kansas City Royals v. New York Yankees

A two hour rain delay is how we started our night last night. Luckily we grabbed a golf umbrella on our way out the door. It started raining the minute we sat down in our seats and that's where we sat for the 2 hours. We were the only ones sitting there in the rain. At one point it started raining pretty hard and we put up a second umbrella to make sure we were completely covered and Chancho tilted it a tad too much in my direction and a stream of water came pouring down the front of my shirt and then down my back. It was a good laugh as I shrieked from the cold water. The game started at 9 and it was a great game. Even though we weren't watching the first string Yankees, we still got to see a lot of history making take place. It was the first game I got to witness a grand slam, which was pretty cool. I did manage to handle all the desire to buy food. Everyone was coming back to their seats with sausages, hot dogs, popcorn, cheesy fries, garlic fries, and Philly cheese steaks. It all smelled so good, but for the price, it isn't worth it. I can't believe that people pay $5.50 for one lousy hot dog. The game went by quickly too, to my surprise. We actually got out around the same time that we would have been leaving a regularly scheduled game. They won, 8-2 and I got home by 1230am. We tried out the new Yankee stadium station off of the train. You jump on and it takes you to Harlem and then you catch a train back up to the Bronx, directly at Yankee stadium. It's a great stop. I love everything about it, especially that on the way back it's a direct train back home, no switching trains.

Time to make some dinner and watch tonight's Yankee game. Have a long work week ahead of me, crossing my fingers that Chancho will get a daytour this week and I'll be able to see him before Sunday. But we all know how that goes...

Quote of the Day: Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Monday Mumblings of Memorable People

It will be a short one today, for I don't have a lot of time, but I'm gonna talk about a small moment that I shared with my old roommate, "Elisabeth". We were living in our apartment together and it slowly was becoming our tradition to sneak up on one another while we were in our separate rooms, especially in the winter months. We had this obnoxious heater that turned on and you would have to turn the volume up to about 3x the amount that you had it at just to hear it clearly. You also had to shout when having conversations. It was quite annoying, but it was something we were getting used to. So anyways this made for excellent coverage when walking down the hallway to each others room. Either the music was up so high, or the TV, that we couldn't hear anything else that was happening in the apartment. Which made for a great chance to scare one another. This one time I snuck out of my room and waited to try and hear if she was at her computer typing away, and I heard the distinct clicking of her keyboard going. Which meant she was probably either deep in thought typing an essay, which she most likely wasn't, or in an intense conversation on AIM. Perfect opportunity. I jumped into her room, arms flailing, and screaming at her. She jumped up and out of her chair so quickly and onto her bed across the room, bouncing along it like in the cartoons down onto the floor. Once she realized what was happening she began laughing so hard that she was crying. It was the best scare that I had done. I was doubled over on the floor laughing hysterically. After that moment, she said she would get me back good. She never did that year, but the following year in our new house, she got me good. I didn't fall out of my chair or off my bed, but I did scream and slam my desk.

Great times with her, which I miss terribly. I hope to see her soon. It's been about a year now since we've seen one another.

Misti

Dinner went well last night. We actually wound up going to another restaurant than I thought we were going to. This restaurant, called Misti, was more of a diner atmosphere. It was still very much Peruvian though. They barely spoke English, but the menus did have a translation underneath the name of the dish. The food was excellent. I had chicken, which they are known for, cooked with onions and tomatoes with a side of rice. It came with french fries, which I thought were going to be on the side, but there were actually mixed in with the rest of the food. I devoured it. Everyone made a comment about how fast I ate it, but I couldn't help myself. My mother had 1/4 of a chicken with a side salad and rice. She enjoyed it. My father had the same thing as I did, but substituted the chicken with beef. Chancho ordered the same as my dad. My dad also ordered a Peruvian beer called Cristal. He liked it, but not enough to order a second. I was disappointed because this place didn't have the ice cream that I love. It is made out of a fruit from Peru and called Lucuma. To me it has a caramel taste to it, but Chancho insists that it doesn't taste like that. We stopped down the street at another restaurant to get the ice cream to go. Chancho picked up some cookies that were delicious and gave it to my parents to try. I think that my dad was getting a little cranky towards the end of the night and was becoming rude when my mom was asking if he wanted to go to another place and he just flat out said I want to go home. It was getting to be past his bedtime, but I felt that he was being rude when here we are out to dinner and Chancho is paying for him and he is just focused on going home. Oh well, besides all of that, it was a pleasant night. I enjoyed myself.

I just got back from going with Chancho to donate blood. The local blood donation center has been calling him everyday at least 5 times a day, so he decided he'd actually donate. There is a huge blood shortage and everyone should be donating. However, I can't say much for I don't donate myself, but the guilt hasn't gotten to me yet. Here he is laying on the chair giving a pint of blood and I'm just watching and I'm about to pass out. For some reason whenever I see blood, I get very queasy. I never used to be that way. Even the simple prick of a needle gets me light headed. He was given apple juice and a choice of cookies and trail mix. He did very well and now is using the whole "I gave blood, you have to be nice to me" line, every chance he gets. In fact he's using that line right now as I'm typing because I'm not giving him my full attention. He doesn't like the taste of his own medicine. I told him he can wait just like I wait when he sits and reads his Yankee articles for hours.

Speaking of Yankees, we will be heading to the Bronx in a few hours for the game. Not that this game will be anything special since they already got the AL East division title. They won't be playing any of the good players, just to make sure no one gets hurt and they will be healthy for the post season. I don't mind that though. I'm going to see the Yankees and no matter who is playing, it'll be a great game, great experience. We're going to take the train down this time using the new stop. Instead of having to transfer in Harlem and walk a block to the subway we just get off the train and hop on another one which takes us straight to the stadium. I have a feeling I'm going to love this addition to the train schedule.

Chancho in a poncho

It's raining, or rather misting out in the Bronx, but the game is still being played, with an hour delay. Chancho is doing a paid detail, standing out in the bleacher section while he gets to watch a Yankees/Red Sox game. However, he gets to wear a NYPD rain coat. I'm upset that it's not a bright orange or yellow one, but it still isn't a pleasant one to wear. He has to wear his hat today too. He normally doesn't wear it, but sits on it while driving around during his shifts. Tomorrow we're going to be sitting in Yankee stadium together watching the Yankees/Kansas City game along the first baseline, field level. I'm pretty pumped for it. I hope that it's not the last one of the season that I get to, but if it is, I picked out some good seats to make it worth it. Chancho and I have decided that we will go to a Playoff game no matter how much they cost. (My birthday present in advance) I've never been to a Playoff game and I can only imagine what it would be like. I have a good feeling about this year so hopefully it will be worth it.

A few more hours and Chancho will be home, changed and ready for us to go to dinner. I already spoke to my parents about the language barrier at the restaurant. My dad seems a little worried about it, just as I had predicted, but I reassured him that Chancho will be right there to translate for him. It turns out that the building that the restaurant is in, was the jewelers where my dad had gone for many years while he was growing up.

Starting to think about Halloween. Hoping that my old roommate will be able to fly down and visit for it. It would be great if she did, to continue our tradition of being together for Halloween. We've done something for 3 years in a row now. Last year she stayed at school with me while everyone else went home. Hopefully we will be able to see each other again this year.

Dinner Date

Tomorrow is the dinner date. From the beginning of the summer my parents and I have been discussing about having dinner together, including Chancho. Now that the summer is over and Chancho has been banned from doing anymore overtime, we've picked a date. That date is tomorrow. I'm a little nervous, but more excited. This will be the first dinner that we'll have out in public and in Chancho's "territory". We're going to a Peruvian restaurant and they rarely speak English there. I'm not sure how my parents will react to that, but I do know that the food there is great. Chancho and I have gone a few times already and have even ordered take out from there. It's in the town of Portchester, the town where my father grew up. I'm hoping he isn't disappointed, because the town has changed a lot since he grew up. It is now a predominant Spanish speaking town with the majority being Mexicans. Oh well no use in worrying about it, it will all work out somehow. Fingers are crossed and time to go watch the Yankees vs the Red Sox. Hopefully win #2 coming our way!!

Brainstorming

Fall has officially arrived here, although I think that there will still be a few warm days that will sneak in, which I am perfectly fine with. I love the summer months. I have come to hate winter with living in western new york for four years, but it did teach me how to deal with the cold. I thought I'd write a list of things that Chancho and I can try and achieve this autumn before the snow comes and we're stuck inside.

• Apple picking -- I used to go every fall with my mother up near my grandmother's house, I'd like to get back to that tradition. It also gives us a good excuse to visit her and grab that large bowl of ice cream.
  
• Park walks -- there are plenty of parks that provide walking trails, but now that it's cooling down it won't be so hot and sticky that we can enjoy the walks. Plus it provides beautiful scenes to take pictures
• Pumpkin Picking -- I haven't actually been here in downstate NY and I'm not sure where I'd go besides a local Home Depot or Nursery, but I would like to go and do it.
  
• Haunted House -- I'm not big on haunted houses, but maybe this year it could be something fun to do.
  
• Scenic Garden (Wave Hill) -- I hear there is this beautiful garden that has an art gallery as well. Something that could probably keep us entertained for a Sunday or Monday afternoon.
  
• Lederhosen -- It's a bar/pub in NYC that I want to go to. It's a German place that is said to be excellent with their food and reasonable prices. In being German, I'd like to give it a go.
• Camping Trip -- This one is questionable. It is getting pretty cold at night and we both don't want to go for just one night, but Chancho really really wants to go camping one more time before next summer. We'll see how this one turns out.

That's all that I can think of for now. I'm sure there is plenty more for us to do, but with 7 things to do before the first snowfall and only one day out of the week to do these things on, I think this will be plenty.

Update

Regarding the dentist situation, it has all been figured out. After speaking with my dad about the problem, he for some reason was able to recall a conversation he had with my mother. shocking! but anyways, he said that I had decided not to put the dental coverage on because it wouldn't be worth it. The amount of money there were going to be taking out wouldn't be worth it for the amount of times that I go to the dentist. So there it is. I freaked out, had a life lesson and it wasn't even needed.

Chancho received a phone call from his lieutenant this morning. He said that during a borough meeting his name came up in regards to overtime. He is banned from accepting or doing anymore overtime this month, possibly next month too. Thank you Lieutenant! As Chancho said, "Your prayer has finally been answered" and so it has. I'll be able to have our two days off together again. At least for a few weeks, but I'll take it. He has a daytour today so we're going out to celebrate his CO's days. Still haven't figured out what or where we're going, but I have a feeling it will be to one of our usual restaurants.

I got an email this morning from my boss. It was a facebook friend request from him. I was very tempted to just ignore it and go on about my business, but I know that I've discussed having a facebook page in front of him before and if I were to ignore him, it wouldn't go over well. I sucked it up and hit accept, but first I added him to the limited profile list. He can't see any photos, whether they were tagged of me or if I posted them and he can't see any private information that I have listed. Hopefully it will be enough to make him happy and it won't make things awkward for me. I feel like there should be a line between boss' being friends with their employees. I'm sure there are things on facebook that wouldn't go over well with him and I don't want that to trickle over into work. Work life is completely different than my social life. They need to be kept seperate. Hopefully this will be the compromise that I'm looking for.

Quote of the Day: It's the rule of life that everything you have always wanted comes the very second you stop looking for it. - Sex & The City

Welcome to the Real World

Today was my first day using my new insurance card. Or at least the attempt to. As I am a graduate, I am no longer allowed to be under my parents insurance plan. (turns out there was a bill passed saying that I can be until I'm 25 or 27 I believe) I am not going back under their plan as of right now. Working for The Container Store, they provide insurance for part time employees as well as full time employees. Back in probably June, or July, I signed up for insurance coverage. A simple plan that would give me some extra comfort in case something happened and for when I needed to attend the doctors, dentist, or get eye glasses adjusted. Today was the first dentist appointment. Here I go into the office and am proud to announce that I have my own coverage and need to make my own account there. The secretary asks for the card and I hand it over with all smiles. She's looking at it, still looking, looks at me, looks back at the card and then says the following "You aren't covered for dental." I look confused and search for another card. I hand it to her and she says "You still aren't covered. This is the same card." Now I am embarrassed and confused. They continued to make an account for me and just said that when I get it all straightened out I could fax it over. Not a big deal. I go and sit down waiting to be called. The secretary decides she doesn't have much to do so she gives my insurance company a call to see if I really do have dental on my plan. The answer she receives? A flat out no. Well I need to get my teeth cleaned so I proceed with that, but they have to hold off on x-rays because there is no way in hell I can afford x-rays without insurance. The bill doesn't turn out to be too bad. Plus they told me I didn't have to pay it all at once. I get home and check my plan, I was an idiot and didn't get dental. I was so concerned about vision coverage that I must have skipped over dental or didn't see it. I can't change the plan now because I am passed the date to change things. I'm going to have to call them and see what can be done because this is unacceptable. I tend to have issues with my teeth so I need to be covered. Luckily I left with a "healthy mouth" and didn't have any issues, this time. This just goes to show, I need to reread and reread before I hit the okay button. Welcome to reality. Mom and Dad are no longer there to take care of things for me. Another life lesson well learned, I would say. I now know for next time, that's all. Hopefully it can all be worked out.

Better news though with Chancho. Today when he arrived at work he was called into the Command Officer's office and was congratulated for a job well done for this past year and he gave him a CO's day for this year and another one for next year! I am so proud of him. We're going to go out and celebrate once he decides when and where. He also told me he signed up for more overtime. He has a paid detail job on Sunday doing the Yankee/Red Sox game. I am so unbelievably jealous of him. And speaking of the Yankees, they secured the playoffs berth! I'm crossing my fingers for a championship, but not holding my breath. We also decided that we will be attending the first game of the season in Boston next year to watch the Yankees play against them. I am overly excited for this.

Feeling pretty good today, regardless of the hiccup at the dentist. I may go out for a jog and enjoy the last of the nice days.

Quote of the Day: "The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That's what I hope to give you forever." - The Notebook

Listening to: Darius Rucker, "Learn to Live"

Duvet Day

I got called from work today and they asked me to stay home today. I am a little bothered by it, as I do need the money, but I can't hate having an extra day off. Although I was looking forward to going to the mall today for some Baby Yogurt. Baby Yogurt is my new fix. It's this yogurt that is frozen. It can come in plain, strawberry or chocolate. Every day they have a new flavor. On Friday it was mixed berry. It comes in the regular 3 sizes, small, medium, large. Along with your choice of flavor, you get 2 free toppings. The toppings they have are a wide variety. I always get strawberries and blueberries. So here I am at home and I have yogurt in the fridge so I put it in the freezer thinking that this would be somewhat similar, but I take it out put some granola in it and take a large bite and realize that it the yogurt had gone bad. There goes that idea.

Unfortunately the weather has turned to fall and I'm not sure what to do today. If the yogurt being spoiled is any sign as to how this day is going to be, I might as well just curl up on the couch, pop some popcorn and pull out the movies. Here's to a lazy day home!


Quote of the Day: "Your hair may turn gray, your skin may wrinkle, but you're never too old for romance" - Golden Girls

Monday Mumblings of Memorable People

With the recent passing of a friend of mine, I thought that I would start a new tradition on here with writing about friends and our wonderful times together. Just to put it down and be able to look back and laugh and or cry about our journey together as friends. I have met a lot of people in my short life and I believe they have all had a reason for being there, whether it was to teach me a lesson, lend me a hand, learn something about myself, or just being there as a true friend. I think that a lot of people have helped mold me into who I am today. I automatically want to jump right in and start talking about my college friends, but I think I'm going to wait for that and start with my oldest/longest friend. We haven't had the typical so called friendship that people would think of when someone has the title of best friend, but that we are. I know that I can turn to her for any reason, at any time and I know without a doubt she would be there for me.

"Jean" and I met before we were born. It was like we were destined to be best friends. Our mothers were friends through church and so we grew up attending the same church, elementary school, middle school and high school. College drew us apart, but only through distance. We never really talked on a daily basis, only when we felt the need to. We have a relationship of more like one that we can rely on one another, rather than needing one another to talk to everyday. We have very similar family lives so it's easy for us to connect on that level. However, Jean was always the more outgoing friend and I was more the follower. Since college, my personality has changed a lot and that led us to clash, when I would no longer "follow" her suggestions. We still remain close, recently coming back into contact, but she lives 3 hours away now.

The story that I want to share always brings a smile to my face. It was the weekend of my brother's wedding. She was my date, since I didn't have a boyfriend at the time. We were both 18 at the time. I wasn't in the wedding party, but was told that I could join them in all the activities that they had. The evening before the wedding they were having a party in their hotel rooms. Jean and I found our way over to the main room and found drinks in our hands, beer pong being played and chatting amongst the new faces in the room. My mother soon joined and the fun quickly died down. The following afternoon before the wedding my mother made a point to make sure to tell us this direct quote "...there will be no drinking of alcohol tonight. You are not of age and it will not happen." Jean and I looked at one another and just agreed. We knew we had our work cut out for us if this was going to be a fun night.

That night, during the reception, we snuck into the bridal room and grabbed a few drinks from the bridal party. We returned to the cocktail hour and resumed our duties of "not drinking" in the sights of my mother. Once we were seated at the table, I spoke to my sister about getting us drinks. (the bartenders were IDing) She agreed and the next think I know, here she is bringing us bottles of beer. Jean and I look at one another and start laughing. How on earth are we supposed to drink these sitting at the table with my mother?? We moved on to our next "helper" for the night, a groomsman. We hit the jackpot, he ventured over to the bar and ordered up 2 jack and cokes. We had them delivered to our table after every song. We were on the dance floor the entire night. Every song we were up and dancing. The DJ was awesome. He had props and was very energetic. He actually wound up doing my sister's wedding 3 years later. When we returned from the dance floor, my grandmother watches go to pick up the drinks and she says "Oh I don't think you girls should drink those, some guy just came over and put them down. I wouldn't trust these people here." We lost it, doubled over laughing. Here we are at a family function and my grandmother doesn't trust "these people". As the night went on, we continued with our drinks under my mother's watchful eye. When the night was coming to an end, we jumped on the shuttle bus back to the hotel and hurried into another hotel room for the after party. There we continued with our drinking and beer pong, until my mother forced us to go back to the room and sleep.

The next morning we hurried out of there and home again before we were lectured. My mother never mentioned anything to us about drinking or our behavior from that night. Looking back now, I'm positive she had to have known we were drinking. That night was one of our favorites, being young and thinking we were getting away with defying my mother and having a great time. It also helped us keep ourselves in check though. We knew we couldn't get out of control and get caught, so it was probably for the better that my mother denied us access to alcohol. We were still young and hadn't experienced all the effects that alcohol could do to us. College answered those questions for us though.

That is just one of many stories that I have about Jean. I miss having her living down the street from me, but it's great that we have skype and are able to talk whenever we need to.

Everyday Doings

Today in Manhattan there is a meeting of all the world leaders. You guessed it, Chancho is right there in the middle of it. On his day off. Adding to his overwhelming amount of overtime hours. He is stationed in front of the hotels where they are all staying until they go back to their respective continents. He is in charge of handling traffic. He says it's a nightmare and is really working for his money. Something he isn't used to doing, especially when some nights he sits with his partners in their suv and watch movies. Ironically though, he is wearing his traffic vest, the correct one this time and he mentioned that the others who didn't wear the correct one were posted elsewhere and had their vacation day taken away. I am so happy he got his right vest before today. His meal time consisted of sitting in his car and texting me until it was over. He isn't allowed to leave his post for any reason, not for food or drinks. To me, that doesn't seem right. How are they suppose to refuel if they aren't allowed to leave to get food and drinks? It's not like they can bring a bag lunch with them to work and eat it in their car or carry an apple in their pocket. So many things that I don't understand. I've got to learn how to let it all go.

On the subject of overtime, I've been slowly pushing Chancho away from it in hopes that he will slow down a bit. I've gotten a little worried with the amount of hours that he has put in. This month alone is ridiculous. He did a double on Saturday and was back to work this morning at 5am. He loves receiving the paychecks, but at what cost? He is getting hassled from all areas in his life now about not having enough time for everyone. I've tried to be more understanding and not push him so much about seeing me, but he gets it from his mother and family a lot more than I realized and now his friends are starting to see that he's never around and are giving him some hard times. Last night was the first night we hung out with friends in about 3 weeks. All of our friends asked what we were doing today because it was his day off....work was the answer and everyone's eyes rolled. Then the comments started flooding in. They asked him when he was going to spend time with his girlfriend and when was he going to take me out for a romantic dinner or a movie. We were able to go out for a dinner last week, so it didn't look too bad when they asked me when the last time we went out was. His answer to them was that he's taking my parents and I out for dinner next week so that should count for the month. Oh guys, they just don't get it sometimes. I'm hoping that he listened to them and will start to slow down a bit. Chancho says that when the winter months come there won't be as many overtime hours available and that is why he's taking them all now. For some reason, I don't believe him.

Update on my old housemate who is engaged. I found out through a mutual friend that I am not invited to the wedding. There goes the plans to see everyone and have a good time. I won't start on how upset I am and hurt. I believe I've focused on that for more than I should at this point. The date is January 15th and she moves to Kentucky shortly after. I wish them all the best.

Off to search movies that are playing in our area because we are going to watch one in a movie theatre tonight regardless of what happens. I'm determined to go out with Chancho.


Quote of the Day:The difference between physical attraction and love is the ability to see the same person at their best and at their worst and still desire them without one false step. -Adam Chamness.

Golden Day Off

Yesterday was the first time that Chancho received a CO's day. A CO's day is when a Commanding Officer believes that you have done an excellent job and gives you any day that you choose to take off. This includes holidays! I repeat ANY HOLIDAY that you wish. So of course here begins the lengthy decision making of which holiday to choose. He has the entire year to choose from. I asked him how he could get this again, but sadly I was informed that you can only receive one once a year.

This past year he has been pretty lucky in getting some time off for holidays. Thanksgiving he was able to have the majority of the day off. Christmas was also a good one, almost unheard of, he got Christmas day off. He did work Christmas Eve, but he was able to get home in time to celebrate with his family. They have a unique tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve by having the entire family over at his house and wait until midnight, then toast with whichever drink his sister makes, which precedes opening presents. Each person opens their presents individually one by one and has a picture taken to document it. Last year was our first Christmas together, in which I was there to participate. It was a bit nerve wracking for me to sit in with his entire family and have them all stare at me while I opened presents and had my picture taken. I did suck it up and tried my best to participate, even though I don't know the language. Smiling does wonders in that case. The following day, Christmas Day, we spent it with my family. Our family Christmas doesn't put that much pressure on you as you open presents, it's more of a "dig in" type of mentality. There is also a larger amount of people in my family compared to his. At least here in America.

The one holiday he doesn't get off is New Years. I have yet to experience a New Years kiss from him. It was the one we were discussing on him using his CO day on, but he doesn't think that it will work because it goes into the following year and isn't officially used in the year it needs to be used by. Plus the fact that he would have to work the next day and wouldn't be able to enjoy himself. The thinking continues. I know eventually I'll have my New Years kiss, but I may have to wait for it a bit longer.

Quote of the Day: You've only got three choices in life- give up, give in, or give it all you've got.

Famous

Just the other day, Monday to be exact, President Obama made an appearance on Wall Street. Chancho had the glorious job of entering the street when he was passing by. He shared the story with me as I sat and let my jaw drop. He said that As he arrived to his post there were an unbelievable amount of cops standing around and streets blocked off. He was a bit confused at all the hustle and bustle, but went about his usual antics to get settled in to his new post. That is when he realized that there were secret service and a bunch of escorts passing by. It clicked then after talking to someone that that was just Obama passing by after giving his speech on Wall Street. Ah the perks of being a cop. Not given any information unless it directly involves you, but yet close enough to be involved in things that others wish they could be. Chancho also said that there quite a few pedestrians that were pissed off because of the President being there. They had to close down streets for security reasons and pedestrians were forced to walk elsewhere. I know that if I were to be down there on my way to work or just out and about doing my daily routine, to find myself blocked off of a street would piss me off. Especially because cops don't just hand out that information. They won't tell you "Oh the President is here, you'll have to walk around." They just give you the "You can't walk here. You'll have to go around." and repeat it as many times as they have to until you mosey on down to another street.

Another story that involves famous people, is the other night when Chancho arrived at his precinct, there was a camera crew and a few limos lined up. Little did he know that Law and Order SVU was being filmed in his precinct. He said that as he was getting in for his shift to start as they were all piling into their limos. Once I heard that it was SVU I needed an autograph. I absolutely love that show. If there is a marathon on you bet ya I'll be ploppin down on that couch for the 10 hours that it's on for. Unfortunately, all the big actors had left by the time he understood who was there. At least I can look forward to an episode that has his precinct in it so I can point and say "Hey that's Chancho's precinct!".

Once again Chancho has been lucky enough to meet the wives of some Yankees baseball players. Specifically Posada's wife and children. (Posada is my all time favorite Yankee) He signed up for a Yankees detail and was told to stand watch over the wives and children during the game. I am unbelievably jealous of this. I would do anything to be able to do that. He said that Laura Posada is gorgeous and their kids are adorable. Of course he had to act in a professional manner. Which I'm not sure how he was able to do that with the amount of love he has for the Yankees, but he handled himself very nicely, so he says. You do what you gotta do, I suppose.

That was twice in one week for him, let's see who else he can run into, or almost run into this week. Maybe this time he can grab an autograph or a picture on his phone.

A different world

A conversation started between Chancho and I last night at 4am when he was finally released from work. We had plans to get together at 1am, but of course got pushed back til 4am because of an arrest which sparked this conversation....The story behind it goes as follows: A man came stumbling out of a bar clearly drunk and asking for trouble and so Chancho and his fellow partners began their questioning of the man whom became extremely "sketchy" and upon further investigation they found a large and by large I mean a fistful or more of coke in his pocket. Of course they took action and arrested the man. While discussing amongst themselves as to who was to take the arrest they left their attention from the man for just a moment and that is when he decided to book it. The man literally took off running in handcuffs behind his back. I wish I could have witnessed this guy. It couldn't have been that easy running full force without hands. Anyways they caught up to him 2 blocks down the road. Upon reaching him Chancho informed me that this new partner of his became extremely pissed and began choking the man. They of course stopped him before any damage could be done to the perp, but he did end up with a few scratches to the head.
Once hearing this story, I became concerned because of the violence that occurred once they reached the perp. I asked Chancho if this was something that happened often and he said yes. I can't quite understand why police officers find the need to abuse/beat/show aggression, whatever they want to call it, once they catch up to a perp who decides to run. Chancho put it that it tests them, the perp challenges them and they need to be put in place, reminded that they are the law and they can't just disobey them. I also asked if they do this to other perps or just ones who run, his answer was thankfully only to the ones who run. I can't imagine "roughing" anyone up more than they deserve, but then again they think they deserve it because they ran. This man that they arrested was a mexican immigrant, who probably was here illegally and was scarred that immigration would find them once they were arrested. Little do they know that the court doesn't care about immigration if they are arrested for drugs or public intoxication. So they put themselves and others in danger by running. Chancho pointed out that he gets upset because when they run they not only put themselves in danger, but the police officers in the chase and innocent bystanders. Yet, I still have trouble understanding the acceptability behind throwing a few extra punches or kicks in once they've been caught. I guess I should chalk it up to being a civilian.

In other news, I received my phone bill for this month and thank goodness for free verizon to verizon messaging. I text messaged over 2,637 messages last month. And I have a feeling that that was low because I had spent a week with Chancho. Otherwise, we text a hell of a lot more. Sadly that is our only form of communication while he is at work. Oh how I cherish the phone call before he leaves for work. I'm glad that we established that long ago in our relationship. No matter what we're doing or how busy we are, we have to stop and talk to one another before he leaves for work. Even if it is only to say "I love you and stay safe." I will never forget the day that I was busy driving to NJ to go wedding shopping with my sister and he had slept in from a long nights work so he was in a rush to get to work. We missed our phone call. That night he was involved in a shooting. He thankfully was not injured and God was on his side, but to think that we didn't get to say I love you one last time or that I didn't tell him to stay safe still haunts me. The "what-if's" creep up everyday and remind me that I need to have that phone call regardless of what is happening. You can never tell someone that you love them too much, especially in this line of work. Life is too short to not to express yourself.

Listening to: Hero by Enrique Eglesias

Holiday Weekend

As we all know this past weekend was Labor Day weekend. AKA a holiday weekend, which means lots of traffic, family and the dreaded overtime. To start off with I worked both Friday and Saturday, full days. It didn't get too crazy thankfully. I was feeling a little lonely though, knowing that I hadn't seen Chancho in a week and I wasn't going to for another 4 days. I thought it was going to be another terrible holiday weekend. Low and behold, I was wrong.

Saturday night, I took it upon myself to keep myself occupied. I told myself that being home alone wasn't going to change the fact that I was lonely and I needed to go out and do something. That was exactly what I did. I made plans during my lunch break at work to go out with a coworker, whom I'll name Nadia. She had just recently broken up with boyfriend and she needed some girl time. I had $2 dollar drinks at a local bar for a few hours so we thought we'd take advantage of it. Then to spice things up we invited another coworker, whom I'll name Fisher. Fisher is a very flamboyant gay who will not hold anything back. He guarantees the night to be fun. He in fact was the reason we wound up going to the city. He took it upon himself to show us around the gay district of the city. The first bar we entered was called Barracuda in Chelsea. It was a little shady place, jam packed with guys. I've never seen so many guys, gorgeous guys, all in one place. Nadia and I were convinced that some of them were straight, but convinced otherwise after seeing them for a longer period of time. It was extremely dark and it wasn't very clean. No places to sit, only standing room and it was small. I wasn't a big fan of it so we ventured off to our next place. Therapy was the next bar. So much different than the last one. Brighter and much spacier and clean too. It had two floors. The upstairs was the dancing floor. I believe it had a mini stage. Or at least one guy made a stage. He performed Single Ladies by Beyonce. Terrific performance I must say. He knew all the dance moves. It was great. It was so great and wonderful atmosphere that that was where we ended our night. There were booths for us to sit and talk while Fisher danced the rest of the night away. My only bad opinion about the bar was that there was only a men's room. Luckily there were plenty of stalls for us ladies to use, but I thought it very odd that they wouldn't provide a ladies room. I know that it is a gay bar, but they must know that women are going to come too. It was a great night ending at a 4am arrival at home. Thankfully I did not have to be awake for anything the next day.

Sunday was supposed to be a relaxing day and a family day, but neither of those occurred. Nadia called me up and told me we were going into the city, end of story. So that's what I did. She took me to this place called the High Line. It's an old subway rail that was up in the air that they preserved and made into a park. It was a great idea because now instead of walking on the streets you're up in the air enjoying plants and the views. I think I may be going there more often now that I know where it is. I think it's a great thing that they've done. And it's a little unknown treasure of NYC.

As for Chancho's life this past weekend, it was work filled as well. He worked his usual shifts Friday and Saturday and he made an arrest Saturday night giving him court in the morning on Sunday. Then straight from court he worked overtime. He had the tour of the "pre-west indie" parade. He was in charge of making sure that nothing serious happened prior to the parade happening. I found out that his presence was the only thing needed. That if something happened, violent or illegal, he was to let it slide. The city gets a lot of money from this parade and if the police keep reporting the violence they won't be allowed to have the parade anymore so unless someone pulls a gun out in front of a cop they aren't allowed to do anything about it. I think this is ridiculous. Something I can't quite grasp. He worked all day Sunday into Monday morning until 8am. That was when I finally was able to see him again! We napped for the rest of the day together. He went back to work at 4pm for Atlas. Atlas is a program where they send police officers to areas where there has been a recent shooting or stabbing to show that they are aware of the problem. Chancho actually just texted me and told me he got an arrest!

Chancho's grandmother is back, visiting for 6 months, living with him. It will be like old times again. Take some getting used to having another person in the house. Hopefully this time around we'll be able to communicate further than "hi, how are you?". I'll have to start practicing some more Spanish. Nothing I am good at, believe me.

Back to work tomorrow, getting prepared to do an overnight this week. I hope all goes well. I keep telling myself I'm young and I can handle it. I hope I don't get sick with the changing weather. (fingers are crossed)

Listening to: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Proud Sister

Taking a moment to do a little bragging about my older brother. He has grown so much from when were kids, especially from his rebel outbursts and annoying older brother ways. I am so unbelievably proud of him and all that he's done.

He's graduated from Rutgers college with a degree in Environmental Planning and Design. Unfortunately, New Jersey stole him away from me. I am still upset that he was taken away from me and moved there, but hopefully that will change, it has been at least 7/8 years (I have hopes that they'll move back to NY). He has a lovely wife, two crazy cute dogs and a beautiful house. He has taken on a great job in which he works for Hunterdon County permanently preserving farmland, his latest accomplishment is 150 acres saved in a day. Now amongst all of these great achievements, he has managed to start a business with his wife called Thoughts To Thread. (the link to their website is on the left) It's an embroidery business straight out of their basement. Their most recent success is embroidering a hat for none other than Venus Williams! Hopefully this will jump start their business. Strange how things just happen in life, but when they do and they're great, it's worth every struggle that you've been through.

I'm done bragging. I hope that I can follow in his footsteps in accomplishing great things.

Mountain Biking

Chancho and I took our biking off the pavement and decided for a more challenging ride. However, Chancho did not like it. In fact he was such a grump the entire time. We went to Sprain Ridge Trailways. It was a short drive there and very easy to find. Especially since we shockingly didn't take the GPS with us. It seems that everywhere we go now, it's in the car with us, but for some reason it wasn't with us this time and we had to rely on trusty handwritten directions! How did we ever do that before?? The first trail we went on was definitely too difficult for us. It seemed we had taken our bikes for a hike rather than us mountain biking. We actually turned around only 5 minutes in and chose the other trail. This second trail was much easier. We did have to get off of our bikes a few times, but I chalk that up to us not being experienced. I was on my bike a lot more than Chancho was. I say that was because he wasn't enjoying himself. I loved it. I was jumping over rocks and speeding down the hills. I have to say I do enjoy the wind rushing passed me and the excitement that I could be thrown over my handle bars if I don't maneuver correctly. We did get to see 3 deer while we were riding along. That was nice to see, I wasn't expecting that. It was also a lovely day for a bike ride. It wasn't any hotter than 73 out and it was shady in the woods. I was actually wearing jeans while riding, instead of my usual shorts. I hope there will be a next time, maybe on another trail or another park.

Chancho has decided to purchase another vehicle. This time an SUV. Since he is so into camping now he thinks that it's time to have a bigger car to put all of the necessary gear in. And the fact that poor Shanequa, as he calls his trusty Hyundai accent, is in very bad shape. We traveled to Major World, in Queens to look at a jeep grand Cherokee. I would recommend NEVER going there. It was the most unprofessional place. The cars were dirty. There was food still in the cup holders and mud on the floor mats. The outside was also not washed. The financial office was a very tiny room with wood panels with a waiting room that had plywood attached to 2x4s to make tables. It was not the best place to go and wouldn't go back in a million years. Their ad which was why we went there was even wrong. It was very deceiving. It said that we could get this car for under $9,000 and it was a 2007. Little did we know that it was a "fix up" car and the interior was demolished. We walked out of there very quickly. He then went today to City World and actually purchased a 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor in silver. We'll be picking it up tomorrow! Hopefully it is everything he needs and it doesn't give him too many problems. It's very exciting for him. He's finally able to make big purchases like this. A little tough for me, but I'm happy for him, seeing him this thrilled makes me happy. I'll get there one day too!

Speaking of getting there one day, I've been picking up lots of extra shifts at work lately. I'm actually going into overtime this week. A very big difference from the beginning of the summer. Hopefully this doesn't change. The college loans are coming soon in the mail for repayment and I need all the money for those. It will be back to saving every last penny to make ends meet for a bit, until the "real" job comes through. I'm happy to say that I worked my first register sales person shift today and will be getting trained to process orders in the future! I hope that means a raise as well!

Great news from my old housemate from school...she got engaged!! She plans on marrying next summer to her boyfriend of 2 years and moving to Kentucky, where he is stationed. He joined the Army this past year. (No date yet.) She's thrilled. The ring is a beautiful LEO diamond. Things are finally moving forward for them and in a positive way. I can't wait for the wedding. It will be a great excuse to get us girls all together again. I really do miss them all so much. Emails don't really cut it anymore.

Listening to: Brad Paisley, "Then"