TO BRADEN AND MASON

I have not posted in a very long time! I was on facebook this morning and read Braden Alba's thoughts on his Grandma Nancy S Alba. It brought many great memories and the many lessons she taught me. I thought I would share with Braden some of my memories of her here because I can't figure out how to post long messages on Facebook!

Please join me in sharing memories of Nancy with Braden and Mason!

Braden,
I have many fond memories of your grandma Nancy! I will share a few with you.
When I was young about 15 years old I loved going up to your grandparents house (my brother Sam and his beautiful wife Nancy). They would invite us up to their house for dinner. Nancy and Sam would make one of my favorite meals which consisted of London Broil grilled, Spinach Salad, and rice Pilaf. It was an awesome meal.
Here is the funny part, the first time I ever had this meal we were all gathered at the table eating first and seconds and sometimes even thirds on some of the items.
Nancy asked me "DO YOU LIKE SPINACH?"
I remember looking at her and saying 'NO PLEASE NEVER SERVE SPINACH WITH THIS MEAL IT WILL JUST SPOIL IT'
I remember her smiling at me and then smiling at Sam! I asked her at the time to please pass the salad because I was on my third serving of this delicious salad!
After dessert, because we always had dessert when I went to your Grandparents house Nancy very gently said told me that the salad I so enjoyed at dinner was a SPINIACH SALAD! I looked at here and said “NO! Spinach was this green globby looking thing that they served on school lunches. She said that was cooked spinach and that I had just had three servings of uncooked spinach! I GUESS I DO LIKE SPINIACH.
I remember driving in here Honda 4 door Accord with here and Brian and Matt in the back seat. We were going very fast because we were late to one of the boy's soccer games! I remember her telling me not to tell anyone how fast we were going. She just did not want the boys to be late for the game. I always loved the time I spent with her and I remember telling her that when I grew up and had a car I wanted it to be just like hers.
Birthdays were always something special. I always received money not just any old money! Money that she had ironed and made crisp! I loved receiving those cards. She always remembered special days.

Braden, these are just a few of the memories I have of your Grandma! She was a grand lady that always made me feel very special and most of all LOVED!

Let the Parties Begin

So it is that time of year when you are torn between the old and the new!

New Looks!
New Thoughts (or old thoughts that keep resurfacing)!
New Experiences

Let the parties begin it is this time of the year here in the Crescent city! Yes it is the beginning of the parties and activities for MARDI GRAS!

It is my first time in the city for this extravaganza so what is MARDI GRAS? So we celebrate Halloween don't we?

If you want to join for some fun in the Crescent City let me know! Good luck finding a Hotel during the weekend and week of Feb. 20th. I get the 24th off for the ending of the festivities. I might just have to take the 23rd off as well and make it a nice long 4 day weekend of festivites.

New Experience....

I just came home from seeing this and had an awesome time! Christmas music will never be the same for me and I think I need to go and get Guitar Hero! WOW is all I can say! The only bad thing is that now I am all wound up and I need to be to work at 6:00 a.m. The alarm will go off at 5:00 and I am going to be hating life!

I have only 5 days until I am home for Christmas! I am excited. I hope to see as many of family and friends as possible!

SNOW in New Orleans....

Who would have thought snow in New Orleans! They tell me that last time they got snow in December the following Hurricane season was bad aka KATRINA. We shall have to wait and see. I just thought you all might enjoy the picture. It was 76° two days ago and just raining yesterday! Oh well it is pretty..... Only people at work and other offices are freaking out! Schools are closing and the State Offices are closing. What about us poor Federal Employees?

Oh my gosh I just got home and it is freezing in my house! I should have left the heater on in the house! Man I am ready for some hot chocolate or something to get me warm!

I forgot one more thing I found this headline! "More sex means less stress" I need to do something about this! Way to much stress in my life..... GREEN MEANS GO......

FIRST'S.....

My first thanks giving in New Orleans...... Remind me next time to just go to a restaurant for dinner next time! Way to much food for one!


It is good to be ranked #1! Okay it is not the kind of thing you want to be #1 in but it is amazing to me how we get desensitized and/or accustomed to things. When I first moved here it would bother me every time I would read the newspaper there was always a headline about the violence mostly the murders. I would map out where they occurred to see how close or far they were from my work and home. I have had two murders occur within two blocks from my house and another one about 5 blocks from my work. The one by my work I pass this house everyday. It is pretty sad. Now when I look at the paper it is like I just skip these articles other then when I want to view some interesting comments on the stories.

It has been a year that has been difficult regarding work! I dissolved my company and moved to New Orleans. WOW what more can I say other than lost of company lost of a friend lost of ...... SO MUCH LOST!

First Hurricane Season... Good to have the first one under my belt. What did I learn... You can never be to prepared and you need to be flexible.

Well enough of my first for a little while.

I WAS JUST WONDERING....

What would you say if.........

150 MS RIDE

My intent was to ride 150 miles after 110 I placed my hand on my helmet and said "NO MAS" I am tired and I ache in places that I will not mention at this point and time. Suffice it to say that currently I just took a hot shower and took Advil. I may take another hot shower in a few hours. MORE LATER! Just wanted to let you all know that I made it safe and sound and a lot of sourness.

Love you all that supported me on this venture!

Stay tuned for pictures and and a running dialog.

DO I WANT TO RIDE AGAIN NEXT YEAR ABSOLUTELY!
DO I WANT TO GET ON THE BIKE TOMORROW AND START TRAINING, NOT EVEN IF MY ETERNAL COMPANION WERE OUT THERE RIDING HIS BIKE AND I WAS GUARANTEED TO MEET HIM! OKAY! MAYBE IF THERE WAS A GUARANTEE BUT THAT IS ANOTHER POST ALL TOGETHER!

SCOOTER LIFE

I have so much fun on my scooter. Yes I finally got it all ready to go and have been riding it to work and all over New Orleans. It is such a fun little toy. and can I say economical.


You will have to click on the picture to see how much I spent to top off my gas tank on the scooter. I got about 75 miles per gallon. I spent a total of $4.20 cents for 1.116 gallons. I love it.

I only have 7 more days before my MS 150 ride I am really excited. I will take lots of pictures and share with the family.

Well sorry this is so short I just wanted to share with you my scooter news!

HOME SICK....

At the moment I kind of feel lost and alone! I hope you bare with me. I am sort of feeling out of sorts. Like I am tired and I just don't want to deal. So what do I call this?

HOME SICKNESS

I miss going with my sister to go buy a Carmel apple even though we both know it is not good for us.

I miss seeing my nieces and nephews at my mom' s house for Saturday lunch.

I miss having my niece cut and color my hair. I also miss my friend Bri cutting my hair.

I miss taking my nephew Alex for a ride in my convertible as well as my great nieces, Whitney, Sam, Emma and Kate.

I miss going up to my brother Hirams house just to hang out and talk to my brother.

I miss golfing with my brother Hector and my nephew Ryan.

I miss eating my mom's good food.

I miss being babied by my mom when I was not feeling well physically as well as mentaly.

I miss going to lunch with my friend Stephanie.

I miss hanging out at Brianna's house and baking sugar cookies, brownies and just hanging out and having dinner. She made some good meals.

I miss calling my friend Kim and going to a movie and dinner.

I miss going out to Tooele and visit my sister Isa and brother Peter.

I miss....

So what do I do this morning to try and get out of my funk...

GO ON A BIKE RIDE. AFTER ALL THE MS 150 is only 13 days away.

Saturday morning start time..... nothing but ZERO'S

Mississippi river along the levee.

Midway of my ride.

HOME AT LAST.

I am still feeling the blues, you would think that after 27.45 miles I would feel better. Maybe after I take my shower and get something to eat I will feel better.

HERE IS TO HAVING A BETTER DAY!

FEELINGS...

This is the second attempt at this post! Lets just leave it at "I wish that I could talk to you and tell you what is happening in my life" Here are a few highlights:

1. Surprised my parents in Mexico.

2. I was in Mexico when hurricane Gustav hit Louisiana.

3. Took me an extra day to get back into town because my flights were canceled because of Gustav.

4. No damage to home or property due to Gustav.

5. From what I hear from friends that stayed during Gustav the wind was worse for IKE than Gustav.

6. Work is good just a lot of it.....

7. Only 14 days for the MS 150 bike ride if you have not donated and would like to please view the link on my blog. I need all the help I can get...

8. As many of you know I got a scooter! I love it! I need to go get a leather jacket I guess I will just have to go shopping! You all know how much that excites me.... (NOT). The last time I went shopping for clothes for myself was with Brianna, wow that was a long time ago. Bri are you up for another shopping spree? I though I might ask

9. Get your shopping done! Christmas is coming soon and all I want for Christmas is ......

I would really like to know if anybody has heard from BRI or has any information they would like to share... I know! I am pathetic....

New Transportation

So I have been trying to figure out my transportation issue. I have a car that I can't register for reasons I will not get into here and I need to drive something that is legal so what shall I get? What can I afford? And what is economical? So I looked and looked and this is what I came up with!




One little wheel and it makes it go!

Add another wheel and it goes pretty smooth!

Add a body between the two wheels and what do you get? A scooter for NANCY! YA YA YA


It only has 5.4 miles on my new mode of transportation.


I love the way it looks from the front!

And the back!

and the view i have when i am sitting on the scooter. I need a name for my new scooter! Let's have a naming contest! Submit your name and I will pick the one I like the most and you will receive a prize. I haven't decided on the prize yet but I will send something that is NOLA.

I have not had my picture taken on it when my friend comes over tonight to take the scooter to her house for safe keeping. Why would I have my friend take my scooter when I just got it two days ago well I will tell you why. It is called tropical storm, tropical depression and possible Hurricane FAY is on its way towards us. So my friend offered her garage to store my scooter and get it out of the rain....

BENEFICIARY

So the one of the things I like about work with the Corps is that you have an unusual amount of paperwork that you have to fill out and complete before you start work and also when you arrive and then the madness just seems to continue.

One of the items I have had to fill out is by beneficiary form. As I thought about this and about who to place on this form it was a difficult decision. So I have filled out my form and this is what will happen.

1. When I die you will receive notice from the Corps that you have been assigned as my beneficiary. You will receive the following:

1. You will receive 4 times my base salary, which right know is $240,000.00.
2. You will receive my money in my 401K which currently is $140,000.00 Lets hope that the market recovers and I don't lose to much more of this.
3. If I die while on the job you will also receive an additional $120,000.00

It is pretty sad that I am worth more dead than alive. Oh well. I only ask that you do the following in case of my demise.

1. Pay for my funeral etc.
2. Remember that I chose you! Use the money wisely and remember that I loved you and if I had a child I would be proud if they grew up to be just like you. Your parents did well in teaching you and in raising you!
3. I have a small plastic tote that is in my house as well as a similar one at work with copies of all the important documents. They say here in case of Hurricanes to have the documents in an easy accessible place. Any way there is a letter that is addressed to you my Beneficiary and in it I explain why I chose you.

RAIN - HURRICANE

LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN......

So I was hoping to have my first hurricane it does not look like it but hopefully it will bring some relief to the high temperatures.

I rode my bike in to work this morning and had a strong head wind. It took me about 10 min. longer to get here than normal.

I rode last Thursday and when I got home I was so tired and hot I could not figure out why. I sat in front of the air conditioner and was listening to the news and they said the temperature was 95 degrees but with the humidity it felt like 105. No wonder I was tired and felt like I was going to pass out.

Oh well.. More later. I am hoping Edouard will hit closer so that I can go home early. Riding home should be an adventure.

Intersting Phrases

"we can learn to respect one another's boundaries"

What an interesting little phrase! Are boundaries meant to keep us in? or out? What if the boundaries become blurred? What was once acceptable is no longer acceptable! Or wanted! Or needed!

I look at my life and I think of all the boundaries that I have crossed? Was it worth the effort? Was the prize everlasting? Did the ends justify the means? Were the boundaries set by the two of us or just by one? I will allow you in only as long as it makes me feel good! I will allow you just to see a little bit of me but not all of what I am!

"in the future we can avoid further damage to fragile feelings"

Another interesting phrase! Is it better to ignore the ringing of the phone because you know who it is that is calling? If I don't answer the phone they will get the hint that I would prefer not to talk to them! If I don't respond to emails will they understand or know that you are not respecting the boundaries I have set-up?

"We are simply different people, and that leads us to see situations quite differently"

Is this not a good thing? The world would be a very boring place if we all thought and acted the same! Can we not learn from our differences and become a better person?

Just some random thoughts... I think I will go to bed now.

Stay tuned for some more insightful blogging from "SHE WHO HATES TO WRITE"

Corps of Engineers

From an article in the local newspaper"

"Relatively small amounts of water have been leaking from the Lakeview canal levee for a year or longer, despite $24.4 million in repairs by the Army Corps of Engineers since Katrina breached the eastern floodwall in 2005."

Here is a comment posted regarding this article.

"Have they tried Mightyputty? It works on TV, fixes any leak."

I don't know about you but this just made me laugh.

No this is not one of my projects. All of my projects are on the west bank of the Mississippi river. And what I do for the Corp is process modifications etc. for the different contracts.

Just a side note. I think since I have been here almost 5 months I think I can count on my hand the number of days that an article did not appear in the news paper about something that the Corps is doing or is not doing. It kind of makes you careful when you talk to people and thy start asking about where you work. We all kind of have the bullseye on our backs.

Any way I thought you might enjoy a good laugh.

A good laugh.....

A friend sent me this picture the title was " Rare photo: Mexican Navy Seal" I had to laugh. I hope it brings a smile to you as well.

I am working on getting ready for the MS 150. I am excited and a little anxtious because the ride is in Oct. and I feel like I am way behind on training. Oh well.....

I got a new bike! I sold my Felt 80 and purchased another one with the money I received from my other bike. I will post pictures later.

Hard to believe that I have been here for almost 5 months working. So many things to work through and so many things to just let go because they are not worth the effort....

More later.....

New Orleans Police at its Finest

Just a quick post. Take a look at this article and tell me what you think! Just a little background on some of the comments you will read.

1. In the last two weeks a police officer that was going to retire that day chose to ware a police shirt (old) shirt from previous years and was suspended on his last day for his wearing the wrong color of shirt. The shirt was blue and it should have been black. becasue of his suspension he is not allowed to apply to be on the reserve force for the police department.

2. A New Orleans Police Officer was on his way to work crossing the Causway bridge (24 mile bridge) he was late and so another police (Causway Policeman) tried to pull him over and he tried to ram the police officers car and then when he was leaving the scean he hit the Causway Policeman. The police officer that was late was clocked going in excess of 90 MPH on the bridge.

Now this I tell you it makes you wonder about the Police here in the area.

Read and let me know what you would do in this situation and what would you tell the kids that witnessed this?

How long can you survive

My niece had this on her blog check it out it is pretty interesting. It said that I could survive for 599 days. Not to bad thank heavens for food storage and for a wood shop. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Birthday wish

So just a quick post. I thought all day if I should call and wish this person a happy birthday today. I struggled all day with this and decided that I would send a birthday post. I hope you have/had a great day. Birthdays only come once a year except for me because I use to always tell you it was my birthday everyday. I do hope this year brings you all of your desires and wishes.

You are not forgotten just placed in a location in my heart that I at times allow myself to enter and other times I don't dare go there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HARRY POTTER LIVES AND I WILL GO AND SEE THE LAST MOVIE WHEN IT COMES OUT IN YOUR HONOR!

Tagged by Baby Joe and HIs Beutiful wife Jessica

I got tagged by baby Joe and his wife Jessica,

10 years ago I was..... sorry I had a senior moment. Just kidding, 10 years ago I was working at Clinical Innovations full time and going to school full time. I could not pass up the opportunity for Uncle Chris's company paid for my education. I ended up only paying 50% books they paid for the rest! What a great company to work for!

5 things on my to do list today

1. Go on a bike ride. I am trying to get ready for the MS 150 in October. oh wait I did ride this morning on the levee so that is off my list but it was on my list so I am leaving it.
2. Go grocery shopping - Done
3. Take out the garbage - Done
4. Study - Done. Study you might ask what I am studying well I decided to study Thermodynamics. yes a little light gaining of knowledge.
5. Take a shower and go to the Essence Festival.
   

If I were a millionaire I would buy a house and travel more. I would really like to go to Australia.

Places I have lived, Texas, Utah, Florida, Connecticut, California and know the beautiful state of Louisiana NOLA ROCKS!

I tag the following people: Amanda, Johnathan, Boo, Monse and Stephanie

Rules of Tagged - Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers.