Still Cleaning Up....

The TORNADO that passed through NYC a couple weeks ago caused lots of destruction. The streets were paralyzed, in certain areas, for days. Most of the trees that fell were considered as property of the city. For this reason, home owners couldn't hire private companies to remove the trees and start cleanup. Unfortunate car owners, who had their cars smashed like a soda can, also had to wait until their insurance companies could get out there to take pictures, etc. I was driving the other day and saw this one SUV that was crushed.....amazing!!

Pure Relaxation...

You might remember when I posted a few weeks ago about going to a place called Spa Castle. Well, I went again! Jose had never gone and I wanted him to check it out before it got too cold. The spa is open year round but I don't think it would be as fun in the cold months.We had a great time and did LOTS of relaxing....

It was really nice because we went very early in the morning and so there was NO ONE there. It gets busier as the day goes on and the last time I went, I could hardly move in the pool because there were so many people.

I think that Jose liked this room just a little TOO much. He definitely got some zzzzzzz's! Oh, now that I have this picture posted, it looks kind of like he wet his pants. Don't be too disappointed, he didn't! He has his swimming trunks on under the spa uniform. Ha!

Color Combo....

I was strolling the aisles of Target the other night and I came across these gift bags. I was really digging the color combinations. The picture kind of washed out the color but it is basically a muted blue/green with burnt eggplant. Okay...so, I am not good with naming colors....but I tried.

Here was another design that I wasn't too crazy about but I do love the color scheme.

What do you think?

Adios Summer.....

I really didn't get to the beach much this summer. This might sound silly....but it was just TOO hot for the beach. I decided that a trip to Jones Beach, over Labor Day weekend, would be a nice way to end this WAY too hot summer. I mostly strolled the boardwalk and did a lot of people watching. I decided to get something to eat and this is where it got a little crazy. I bought these chicken strips. I went out to the picnic tables on the boardwalk and I took one bite. I took this picture (I have no idea why I took this picture...but looking back...it is pretty funny). I took a sip of the Sprite I bought and realized that it was just the carbonated water. I left my food on the table and went in to get a new drink. Let me just say that this photo is the ONLY proof that this food ever existed. When I came back, I saw the butt ends of 5 ENORMOUS seagulls that had stolen my damn food and were squawking away.

I came out of the snack place like a superstar. Everyone had their eyes on me because they wanted to see the freak that had left their food unattended while 900 seagulls swarmed the place. One lady actually approached me and said, "You should have seen it. It was like a scene from the movie The Birds." I wanted to say, "Ya, next time kick one of the birds instead of just watching them." Too funny!

Holy Bundt Pan....

Yes, friends are there to cheer you up and that is exactly what Beak did this week. I was told that I had a box waiting for me and when I saw it, it was so huge, that I told the "doorman" that it wasn't for me. To my surprise...it really was for me! You see, Beak and I have this joke. She loves to razzzz me because I have become pretty creative/inventive/ghetto, whatever you want to call it. I don't have a TON of space so I use things for various purposes. My bundt pan has been used for EVERYTHING! I have made brownies, lasagnas, sweet potatoes, and even enchiladas in my bundt pan. Beak thinks it is hilarious. Infact, every time that I tell her that I am baking something she adds, "Oh, are you baking it in your bundt pan?" She knows me all TOO well!

I informed her that I wasn't using a bundt pan anymore because mine was worn out from all of the abuse and so she sent me one. I literally laughed out loud as I opened the box. It was hilarious yet, VERY thoughtful and perfect. It was something that I actually needed....I have missed making a round lasagna. Ha!

The Poppycock Popcorn was a great treat too. I fell in love with Prince Poppycock, a singer on America's Got Talent, and so the popcorn was a perfect jab/reminder of him all of his gayness. Beak had caught a glimpse of him on TV a couple of weeks ago and left me a voicemail laughing hysterically. I am sure that she wasn't too surprised to find out that I thought he was amazing! Love it!

So folks, I am back in business with a NEW bundt pan. I didn't hesitate with "breaking it in." I have had this package in my possession for less than 24 hours and I have already used it. I went traditional and made a cake. I didn't have time for anything too "ghetto." With that said, Beak, I dedicate this Devils Food Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips to YOU!

Thanks for being such a great friend. Love you tons and miss you like crazy!

Miss You!

I got this picture in an email this week...it made me smile! This little family is so special to me. They were my neighbors and dear friends. I have posted about them before. Their girls are so sweet, kind, and fun. I taught their oldest daughter and enjoyed every minute of it. They moved back to Korea at the beginning of the summer and I miss them tons. I get kind of sad when I walk by their old home and know that I won't see them. I guess I will just have to save some pennies and visit them in Korea some day. Ha!

Flushing Tornado 2010

You may have heard on the national news that Flushing, Queens was hit by a tornado last week. It was said to actual have two tornadoes swirling and various micro bursts around the region. Let me just tell you...it was CRUH-AAAZY! I was actually in Plainview teaching when it happened. There was no talk of it happening....the weatherman just said "A chance of showers today." It was much more that that! I drove home and noticed that there was TONS of traffic in my neighborhood and it was hard to navigate through it. Then I noticed that there was no electricity and there were civilians out in the rain directing traffic with flashlights. There were trees uprooted EVERYWHERE and many of the streets were closed off by fallen trees. It was a maze and I couldn't seem to get out. I later realized what had happened and learned that the traffic was due to the freeways being closed and no running trains. People were stuck for hours. It took some people between 5-7 hours to get home when their normal commute would have been 45 mins-1 hour. Horrible! Take a look at some of the pictures I took a few days later.

I had my friends daughter stand by the roots to show really how big this was. Amazing!

Arizona??

I went to the outlet malls in Deer Park, Long Island last weekend. I go there almost every weekend because my favorite store is there and the best movie theater in the WORLD is there. I love that place. Anyway....I was walking through the parking lot and noticed this bumper sticker. It was cool because the car was from Connecticut but they had this Arizona bumper sticker. I figured that they must be "Snowbirds." They enjoy the New England summers and high-tail it for Arizona in the winter. Just my guess.

I only took a close up of the Arizona "side" of the window. The other side had a McCain sticker on it and I couldn't bear to post that on my blog...ha!

Spa Castle.....Part 2

It was a LONG but fun day. I went with two women whose children I teach. It was fun to swim with the kids all day and then hang out in the saunas all together in the evening.Here are the two ladies that I went with......The saunas were a funky experience. Each one is made from different materials that supposedly have various benefits to the body. This one is called the Jade sauna and was made out of stones and geodes.

This is the mineral salt sauna. The walls have huge blocks of salt covering them and the room is heated to 174 degrees.

This is the Gold Sauna. The sauna has sheets of gold that cover the walls and is paired with far-infrared lightening.

This room is called Ice Land. It was cooled to 50 degrees, which didn't feel cold at all after being in the saunas, and it had ice tubes on the walls and ceiling.

This one used LED lighting as color therapy for mental health and helping your moods. You could change the color depending on what you felt you needed to energize, etc.

Here is one of my students, Jeff, being silly in the Jade sauna.....

These saunas are SUPER hot and so you are supposed to get "low" on the ground and relax. Each sauna has large mats and pillows. Did you notice that the pillows are blocks of wood?This room was HUGE and hot....189 degrees! It is made out of yellow Korean mud and salt from the Himalayas. I wanted to go in during the afternoon but there was literally not one inch of uncovered space. People were everywhere! I passed back by at 10:30 or 11:00 at night and there wasn't a soul. It was neat to lay down in there all by myself.

Each room has a timer that you can spin to make sure that you don't stay in more than 15 minutes. I didn't see anyone use them though.

This place is fun but super expensive. It is supposed to relax you to the max. They had a huge floor that was designated as the "sleeping area" and there were all these people asleep on the floor. Sooooo odd! It is kind of funny to think that we are all supposedly so busy and stressed that we need to go and relax somewhere like this. Oh well....I'll take it, especially when the entire outing was free for me.