Mama Mia!

Day: 483

Photo taken on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at Mama's in Copiague, NY at 848pm. (Pictured from my scary head: Steve, Charlie, Moma, and Daddio)

Italians have an interesting take on portion control...there is none. And that's why whenever I go to Mama's I leave there with dinner for the next day and the following day after that. This is the first time Charlie, Moma, and Dad have come here to dine and we neglect to tell them about the amount of food they are going to get come eating time. Their eyes turn to saucers when our waiter sets down Moma's entree, Chicken Cristoforo. It's a monster! And then Dad feasts his eyes on his jumbo shrimp and wonders how much more room his stomach can make for it (not much). Even Steve taps out after one piece of chicken leaving behind three more pieces for tomorrow. Charlie barely makes a dent in his seafood lasagna and me? I make it through one out of four chicken cordon blues before I push my plate away.

But then I order dessert.

And my dessert can feed an army...and then some.

Holy Matrimony

Day: 482

Photo taken on Saturday, November 26, 2011 on Asuma while playing Dynasty Warriors 6 at 1257pm. (Qoy? and Katie Jaye continue their quest for greatness.)

Like it wasn't bad enough he has to be married to me in real life, now his imaginary character is doomed to the same fate?!

Barometer is Getting Low

Day: 392

Photo taken on Sunday, August 28, 2011 while cracking open another beer on our back deck at 916am.

Luck is definitely on our side today.

We finally pack it in at 3am but set cell alarms to go off every hour so we can check the water level out back and then the kitchen and Time Out Room towels that have been catching water seeping in through cracked caulking. It's like Irene is our baby and each time I feel like it's Steve's turn to check the newborn, I nudge him and grunt, sending him off to check on our child. At 830am the electric turns off for good so it's back to drinking the beer and being thankful that the water rose on the other side of the canal and not ours:

Looks like our brilliant hurricane plan worked out!

Humidity is Rising

Day: 391

Photo taken on Saturday, August 27, 2011 in the living room at 1135pm.

Most people actually prepare for a hurricane: hit the grocery store for supplies, tape up windows, tie things in the yard down, leave flood zones. But not Steve and I, no. We do things a bit differently like play Mike across town in Borderlands and drink the beer in our fridge so it doesn't skunk when we lose power later. We have our priorities straight and right now it's drink this special beer Julia brought back for me when she returned from her trip to Canada last week. I'm already three beers in at this point, having cracked open two of our more expensive bottles while I watched iParty with Victorious upstairs.

Okay, I take it back, we did prepare--sorta. Today after we get two calls from the town advising us to leave the premises, I call Robyn to cancel my long run with the boys. I'm nervous about all these warnings and have already received several offers to stay with friends and family but I can't accept. I can't leave behind all my possessions and spend the whole night worrying if it's being carried away on the water in my backyard. Instead we decide to prepare the fort for battle with Irene. While Steve is at Stony Brook Orientation, I set to work cleaning the upstairs, putting everything away in its proper place to make room for everything from downstairs if need be. Our brilliant plan is to constantly check the water level outside and if it comes over the dock and hits the grass, then and only then, will we start moving everything from downstairs up. Then we'll leave the premises.

Smart right?

I wonder how it'll go with me half in the bag now and Steve preoccupied with online gaming.

I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet

Day: 387

Photo taken on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 in our Manga Dining room at 1059pm.

Steve really knows how to shake things up on his birthday.

We're out shopping for Steve's birthday presents in Sunrise Mall, in Suncoast to be exact, when the strange event happens. I'm looking at the anime section as Steve moves onto the next section when the wall starts violently shaking. It's one of those fake walls stores put up to separate the back from the front so I figure the construction from the next store down is making it do that. I point to it as the videos clatter around, "Steve this wall is shaking." He barely spares it a glance as he turns his focus back to what he was looking at before I interrupted him. I shrug and move on to a non-shaking wall.

Five minutes later we leave the store and my phone starts blowing up with a few texts. They're from Heather and Jenn and they're concerned about me and my family. Puzzled I read the texts over.

Virginia just had an earthquake.

...

Virginia just had an earthquake?!

I immediately get on the horn but cannot reach Moma or Kim and would have tried Preston if he had a cell phone to try. Eventually I get my dad at the Surge and I ask him what's on the news, was it major, has Richmond been swallowed by shifting tectonic plates? He has no answers for me but he believes everything is fine. For hours I worry about Moma in that big house by herself. I worry that furniture might have pinned her to the floor. I worry that The Eagle has fallen off its perch and smashed into a thousand little unsalvageable pieces.

Finally I get in touch with Moma who happened to be in the car when it happened and returned to a house with nothing out of place. Kim seemed to experience the worst of it and besides being shaken up, I am happy to report she is fine. And Preston? It was nap time. Slept right through it. That's the way to be, Little Man!


Oh and I know what you're thinking...why aren't you at work, young lady? Well according to my mom's Birthday Philosophy, everyone gets to have off on their birthday. And being that I get way jealous when Steve is home from work and I am not, I take the day too.

Gam-Gam

Day: 384

Photo taken on Saturday, August 20, 2011 while having dessert in Grandma's kitchen in Whitestone, NY. (Pictured from my big ass head: Charlie, Steve, Daddio, and Grandma)

Tonight we are celebrating Grandma's 85th birthday! Wu-hoo! You go, Grandma Z.!

We make a reservation at Ponticello's in Astoria but when we arrive our table is nowhere to be found. After waiting around for 15 minutes, we decide that their clientele are not leaving anytime soon so dad demands we be seated in the empty room to the left. It is here that we can be as loud as we want since the entire time we're here not one other patron dines in the vicinity of us. (I guess Grandma was being too rowdy.) So eventually we have to move the party here and after Grandma settles down, we're able to serve the rainbow cookie birthday cake.

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I hope you had a fun time with us!

^_\

Imma Bee

Day: 380

Photo taken on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 in the parking lot of Applebee's in Huntington Station, NY at 1126pm. (Pictured from left: In front- Me, Heather, and Jenn. In Back- Justin, Mike, and Steve force-feeding Mike his pointer)

Upon learning that I now enjoy karaoke, Heather and Justin invite us out tonight to partake in the festivities at Applebees come ten o'clock. I chicken out when I realize the place is swarming with high schoolers that are hogging the microphone in order to screech out Lady Gaga and Ke$ha. I'm afraid to dominate with my one trick pony Emimen skillz and instead choose to eat my half-priced wings in peace-well sorta, if you can ignore the cats crying in the bar.

Trainwrecks

Day: 377

Photo taken on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at the Short Pump Mall in Richmond, VA at 404pm. (Pictured from right: Me, Steve, and Silly Preston)

It's no secret: Preston loves trains.  From toy ones to real ones, Preston has the skinny on all things locomotive. It's quite impressive how much knowledge that head of his already contains at such a young age. So whenever he takes a trip to this outdoor shopping center, no one has the heart to deny him of a train ride on the Short Pump Express. Today he chooses the caboose and asks Steve and I to accompany him on this mall excursion. I'm not going to lie, I enjoy this just as much as Preston. I think I may even wave to more people than he does.

Celebrate good times, COME ON!

Day: 376

Photo taken on Friday, August 12, 2011 having homemade cake in the TDM kitchen at 925pm. (Pictured from left: Me, Kimberly, Steve, cake, Preston moving, Moma, and Daddio)

Moma has a philosophy about birthdays. She believes everyone should get one day a year to do whatever they want with whomever they want. The day should be special and all about the birthday boy or girl. I fully endorse this idea and have taken her advice through the years. It starts on one particular birthday as I am sitting in the medical records room in a dour mood when suddenly Moma calls. "Why are you working on your birthday?" I sit there in silence for a moment and ponder this. Yeah...why am I sitting here on my birthday? I promptly grab my things and leave so Moma can take me to lunch and then veg out on the couch to watch a cheesy romantic comedy together. Ahhhh, Birthday Bliss.

So even though Steve's birthday is a few weeks off, Moma decides to give him an early celebration since she won't be in NY until September. I think this is very nice of my parents, to give Hubs special attention when we come down tonight. Everyone needs something like this every now and then, cheers you up to feel loved. Plus little shindigs like these rile up Preston and he gets silly. I love silly Preston:

"Another has fallen to my spear!"

Day: 375

Photo taken on Thursday, August 11, 2011 on Asuma while playing Dynasty Warriors 6 at 1132pm.

"Another has fallen to my spear!"

This is all I am hearing from the other room one evening when I'm trying to concentrate on my fanfiction writing in our small one bedroom abode in Farmingdale. Exasperated, I finally get up and beg Steve to choose another character from his Dynasty Warriors 5 video game but his heart is set on being Zhao Yun so I must endure. After ten more battle cries of this phrase within a two second span, I reach for the remote and find a compromise: the mute button.

Steve somehow convinces me to join him in the battle today but this time in Dynasty Warriors 6 and without anyone falling to a spear. In this version, I can make my own warrior so I quickly set to work, giving her the hair color and mask of Kakashi and a female version of Keanu Reeves as a voice. She is a force to be reckoned with, I can tell you that much. I am the queen of button mashing (insert female masturbation joke here) so this game is right up my alley and besides, any game that makes killing as much fun as GTA 4 is A-OK by me!

This is only one of many victories Steve's character, Qoy? (I think this is some private joke between him and Paul as to why this is an acceptable character name) and Katie Jaye have forged together. We are slowly making our way across ancient China and really, no army stands a chance against us!

Inappropriate!

Day: 371

Photo taken on Sunday, August 7, 2011 right before stripping down into my pjs at 1159pm.

This surf tee is one of my favorite purchases from Swell and I am surprised that it has not been worn out by now, especially with all the rubbing.

Let me explain.

I work at the Genesis school for children with autism for one year as a teacher's assistant and then for six years as an In-Home Behavior Specialist. While in my first year I am lucky to score a place in Steven's home program because he's such a funny kid and his family is wonderful to work with. Steven is great and he's also very sneaky and will stop at nothing in order to get out of doing any type of homework. One time during math he turns to me and says, "I'm going to draw you a Gumba." Being a huge fan of the Super Mario Brothers and not so much of math, I allow it. Steven grabs a sheet of white paper, sets to work, and in a few minutes I have a perfect sketch of a Gumba. Without even having to ask him, he goes back to the math problems. I'm not sure if this makes me a good teacher or not.

So one day, I show up at his house wearing this clever tee shirt. The Rusty logo is written in big block letters above a picture of a white surfboard about to surface from under the water. It's a play on the Jaws poster and the material of the shirt contrasts with the roughness of the ironed on graphic. Not knowing Steven's love of textures might include this, I don't think twice about wearing the item to his home program. I barely make it in the door when his hand rubs right across my upper chest and then he's gone in a flash. Normally this is the type of behavior that lands people behind bars but this is Steven, and he has no idea he just groped me. He does however like the feel of the graphic and I have to explain to him how he's not supposed to do that to people, etc etc etc. He seems to grasp what I'm saying and we move on to the rest of the session.

Weeks later, silly me throws this shirt on for a Wednesday, totally forgetting the previous incident. Once again, Steven makes a play at that Rusty design but I catch him just in time. Clearly, this shirt needs to go on the bottom of the drawer from now on.

Ryuzaki

Day: 369

Photo taken on Friday, August 5, 2011 in the living room at 727pm.

Steve is all comfortable on the couch, relaxing in front of Asuma when I stroll in from work and decide to squish in beside him. Without even realizing it, I try to read the soosh menu while in this small space and my elbows turn up and my hands hold only the corners. Steve remarks how "L like" I am at the moment so I snap the picture and then order us some really good rolls from Roppongi. Life is good.

Bowled Over

Day: 367

Photo taken on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 in the living room at 740pm. (Pictured: The Bowl, Heather, me, Steve, and Justin)

Chef Steve strikes again! This time we invite Heather and Justin to taste his exquisite cuisine. Tonight we are dining on thick chicken cutlets seasoned with Italian breadcrumbs and stuffed with ham and swiss, Stove Top stuffing, boxed mashed potatoes, jarred chicken gravy, and fresh asparagus. Okay, so maybe we have to work on the ingredients being more homemade but 2 out of 5 ain't bad.

The Outback Approach

Day: 366

Photo taken on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 on the back porch at Angelface & Kim's house at 1131pm. (Pictured from my big ass head: Steve, Angelface holding his lovable pup, Kevin, Elisa, and Kim F. soon to be M!)

So it's been a year and when I go to put the BLOG to rest I get many requests to continue. I had no idea that my pictures and writing actually entertain some people and that they look forward to where my days lead me. It takes some convincing on their part but in the end, here I am. Though things are going to change this time around:

1. No more writing out the numbers. It's getting too wordy.
2. The picture no longer has to be a selfer in order to get the shot I want. Making it a self portrait limited a lot of potential and I also felt really silly when strangers offered to take the picture for me and I had to explain to them why they couldn't and that it had to sit on top of a dirty trash can on a self timer.
3. I don't necessarily have to be in it, just in the vicinity. Sometimes pictures need no people.
4. I'm going to post the daily everyday and I might not write anything about it until I feel like it. The reason being, I have a lot of upcoming projects that need more attention and I seriously have to get a move on with bettering my future financially.
5. That's it. There is no 5, sorry.

Tonight we are invited over for a delicious home-cooked meal and lots of laughs by our generous hosts, Angelface and Kim. It bothers me a bit today when I realize that the four lovely folks pictured with me never make it into the BLOG in the first year. I had seen them but maybe the picture had been done for the day or I simply forgot and snapped it when I got home. I don't like that, so it needs to change.

I have high hopes for this year and I want you to be a part of it. I lost a good friend this past year because I was accused of ignoring them and excluding them from get-togethers. This is never the case with me and I apologize to those who read this BLOG and feel they are excluded. No one is ever left behind in my book. If you want to hang out, give me your number or if you're unavailable when I invite you out, extend me an invitation the next time you go out. I am very outgoing, open-minded, and caring but sometimes I don't know who really wants to go see a Jackie Chan movie so just let me know if you want to take part in something fun and I'll gladly let you in on my life journey.

I'm a pretty simple person and I don't ask much. What I do ask of everyone is respect: for me, for my loved ones, and for the life I choose to lead. I'm not perfect and I make tons of mistakes so this year I'm making an even greater effort to be conscious of my decisions and not sweat the small stuff. I think we can make this a really great year so let's live it up!

"I'm here for the party and I ain't leavin' til they throw me out."-Gretchen Wilson

Perfect Situation

Day: Three Hundred and Sixty Two

Photo taken on Friday, July 29, 2011 at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY at 753pm.

Nothing is going to stop me from seeing Weezer tonight. Nothing, you hear me! A little rain or a lot of rain, I'm seeing them take the stage dammit!

Unfortunately at the moment, lightning is keeping us from seeing them. No worries because the lead singer of the Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne, has promised us that no matter what, they are playing a full concert for us even if it takes all night.

I'm soaked to the bone, jumping up and down in puddles, and wooing loudly as both Coyne and (Weezer frontman) Rivers Cuomo make their way into the audience in giant plastic bubbles. I am ecstatic to be here with Steve tonight, both of us are big Weezer fans so this is a dream come true, especially when Rivers makes his way up to our section during If You Want Me To. When he ends the song and Flaming Lips take the stage to do a few numbers before Weezer returns again, Steve informs me he's disappointed I didn't run up to him to take my selfer with him.

I freeze.

Holy S, I am such an asshole! We were so close to him but it's pouring so hard I didn't even think to whip out my camera to take his picture. Oh that would have been the coolest selfer ever!!! I totally dropped the ball again!

But that's okay because I am enjoying myself so much right now and I know I'll get some shots later when the rain lets up a little, like this one:

Such a great show! I highly recommend a Weezer concert: great energy, fun fans, and the music's not too bad either.

^_\

Adam Richman in Training

Day: Three Hundred and Sixty One

Photo taken on Thursday, July 28, 2011 in our kitchen at 831pm.

Chef Steve has gained a Sous-Chef, Chris Reed, since his cooking show is taking off. Tonight the three of us battle the Ultimate Chicken Parm Sub.

We manage to inhale it in record time no problem.

Naruloaf

Day: Three Hundred and Sixty

Photo taken on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 in our kitchen at 701pm.

Chef Steve continues his cooking spree this week with his own version of meatloaf. I am a lover of loaves that happen to be meat and Moma makes one of the best I have ever tasted. It is loaded with mozzarella and goodness. Steve is determined to make one that rivals my mother's so this time he uses my only weakness to try and out-do her:

Buffalo sauce.

Oh Steve, you're playing dirty.

That's a spicy meat-a-ball!

Day: Three Hundred and Fifty Eight

Photo taken on Monday, July 25, 2011 in our kitchen at 706pm.

Steve brings interesting dishes to our dinner table from his childhood. We all have certain "feel good" meals our parents made us that were quick for them and extremely tasty and not healthy for us. On YMCA nights when mom had to juggle the four of us with wet heads in the middle of winter by herself while dad was still at work, she would make us one of these mouth-watering meals. She would cut the tops of hotdogs and shove Kraft singles into the slit then wrap them in Pillsbury dough and bake them to perfection. She would pair it with french fries-not a veggie in site-and we would devour it. To this day, I am still a big fan of the YMCA dinner.

Steve likes his Rice Tomato Soup & Meatballs which consists of exactly that. Boil up some white rice, dump in two cans of tomato soup, and top with frozen turkey meatballs (not frozen when topped). This time though, Steve takes a crack at making his own meatballs from scratch and I have to say, it is quite yummy!

CAPTAIN PLANET!!

Three Hundred and Fifty Seven

Photo taken on Sunday, July 24, 2011 outside Broadway Mall in Hicksville, NY at 10pm. (People in back posing as villains: Jon and Steve. Thumbs up by Jess, Paul, and I. Captain America played by Justin and his groupie, Heather.)

I don't think it is very obvious what movie we saw tonight...

Zookeeper was awesome! Go see it!

It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

Day: Three Hundred and Fifty Six

Photo taken on Saturday, July 23, 2011 in our backyard at 1046am.

Okay, so it's not a beach but it's our little slice of heaven.

And yes, I totally realize that the tag is still on the back of one of the chairs and would you believe me if I told you this is not the first time I've used them?