30-years-old and counting...

It has been a week since I celebrated my 30th birthday at Disneyland last Tuesday...

I have not quite reached the "I'm freaking out 'cuz I'm 30" stage yet, but I'm quite surprised that it didn't quite overwhelm me like I thought it would. I think that I accepted where my life has taken me so far, even before the thought of the 'big three-O' ever crossed my mind. I did make a few goals for myself a decade ago of things I would like to have accomplished by the time I turned 30. They included pursuing my graduate degree (which will be completed over the next few months), becoming a world traveler (even if it meant spending a few weeks in Europe), falling in love... Being in love... Having someone to love... Being loved in return (I love Rob!), and just being content with what life and God had to give me. I know that I am not quite married with kids yet, or have stepped off a plane and experience the New York life as a single woman.... However, those little things can always be accomplished someday...!

All I can say is that I am happy with the way things are going so far... I am surrounded by family, friends, and my true love.... What else can I ask for? :)

My last days at the Fort...

It's been about a week & a half since I spent my last day working at Fortanasce & Associates. It has been an up & down type of year over the last couple of years, but overall, I'd like to say that I have walked away with many memories that I will always cherish. I will take my experience working with them to heart as I open new doors in my life, career, and whatever else that might cross my path.

So, I thank Michael Fortanasce, Christi Park, all of my fellow co-workers, and many of the patients I have helped care for (and a few who I have made friends with) for giving me the experiences and opportunities that I had encountered working there for almost five years!

One of my best friends, Jamie, has been in and out of the hospital over the last 4 months. She was first admitted into the hospital back in April, where the doctors weren't quite sure what was wrong with her. She was released, with a pick line attached, so that she could attend her brother's wedding later that month. She did well until she was readmitted into the hospital just a few days later. This time, the doctors believed she either had tuberculosis of the spine or a staph infection. Either way... she spent another couple of weeks of getting medications, then was discharged once the infection was taken care of.

Soon after, in early June, she was admitted again in the hospital. This time, she was complaining of stomach pain. It was found that she had pancreatic necrosis, and only 10% of her pancreas was functioning. She debated for weeks whether to have surgery, and finally had it on July 5. 80% of the non-functioning part of the pancreas was removed, and the doctor wanted to remove more. But she refused... She was released from the hospital on August 10, but returned again last Monday.

Jamie is one of my best friends... We've gone through thick & thin during our short time as friends. She is my inspiration considering all that she's been through (health-wise) since she was a little girl. I miss our chats & TV adventures (no Dr. Phil this year). So, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she fights through another battle.

Unsaid emotions...

Why are some things not so easy to let go? I do not know if it is anger, bitterness, or what, but the emotions that I have felt over the last couple of days seem to hover over my head. I do know that for some reason my feelings are so hurt right now (I have literally been on the verge of tears). It hurts so much knowing that my own boyfriend cannot talk to me when there is something bothering him. It makes me feel like I am not a part of his world. Maybe I am being childish about all this, but why should I let him know why I am angry or upset or pissed off at the world? What support can he give me when he will not let me do the same for him?

It is frustrating when I see him, and I can see it in his eyes that something is bothering him. Nevertheless, he always tells me that there is nothing wrong. How am I supposed to believe that? Looking at the ceiling/wall randomly, acting rather distant… not really talking to me does not seem fair to me. I want to be supportive of all and everything going on, but I cannot do anything like that if I am not sure what is going on. I think that over the last couple of weeks I have had more stress with all this frustration than I do from work & school combined.

I feel lost… I feel hurt… In addition, I do not know what to do anymore…

Yes, I have disappeared...

OK, it has been a few months since I've lasted posted. A lot has happened over this time period... I have spent it saying goodbye to an old love, and discovering new adventures with a new one. I was introduced to the new man in my life by a co-worker/good friend back in May. I do have to say that it was an up & down month. I was still in the process of 'letting go' of an old boyfriend (a security blanket the last couple of years) when I met Rob. At the time, I was ready to move on, but not quite sure where I wanted things to go... But before we begin with that thought process, let's start with how Rob & I met, shall we?

We were introduced by our friend, Barbie. Originally, we were supposed to meet in April, but plans were cancelled that night because of a migraine. Anyway, on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), Barbie & I decided to have a Girls' Night. Well, while sitting at a bar, Barbie called up Rob's best friend. The boys decided to join us. So, we decided to go to 4th Dimensions (a pool hall). We hung out, they played pool, I drank & danced... At the end of the night, all I can remember is just having a good time, and giving a Rob a tiny kiss good night.

So, from that point on, we literally have been inseparable (well, with the exception of a one week period in May -- I freaked out about a few things to be left unmentioned). I honestly feel that I have met my soul mate. He's filled a hole in my life that I felt has been missing over the last couple of months. I honestly don't know where my life would be right now without Rob in it. I know I miss him even though he walks out of the room for two seconds. He definitely holds a special place in my heart.

Anyway, that's why I've disappeared... I've gone through a period where I've had to say good-bye to an old boyfriend... Said hello to a new one... Had ups & downs within family & friends... Final decisions about career choices... I've had many positives and a few negatives the last few months... I definitely know now that I am content with where things are... Thank goodness!

Universal Studios (4/13/06)

Recently, I went to Universal Studios with my niece and her dad (since she was on Spring Break from school). Can I just say one thing? It has been unimaginable how admission prices have become these days. At the beginning of the day, I had about $200 in my pocket. Here’s how the money broke down: $17 for preferred parking (I didn’t want to take a tram to the entrance), $59 just to get into the park, $5.40 for a Dodger dog (not even ballpark quality), $35 for souvenir baseball caps for my niece & me, $17.40 for an Italian lunch (btw, I ordered lasagna AND their idea of lasagna was cheese ravioli with pasta sauce poured over it), $8 for a Universal Studios shot glass, and another $10 for a bacon, Angus cheeseburger meal. So, that’s about $150 alone!!! I think there’s about a few things here that were just a bit overpriced (like the Italian lunch), but I would say it worth the trip. I did pay for the “buy one admission, get the rest of the year” thing. Then again, who knows if I would go there again. Anyway, from the pictures attached, I had lots of fun! :)

You Know You Are Living in 2006 WHEN...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no # 9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

Hello Out There?!?

All right, my friends... don't worry... I'm still alive & breathing! :) I've been busy lately with work & school that writing a blog hasn't been a real priority. Spring Break is this week at school. So, I don't necessarily have to 'worry' about studying for my Business Law exam coming up. I really can't say that I have much of a Spring Break anyway. Work is there. Good grief is it there! I have to say that I do enjoy my job, but there are just days where I just want to say screw it. :( Oh, well...

Some scenic pics...

I just got back from a trip to Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA to visit my best friend. Here are some scenic pics I took during my trip.

Spring Training begins...

OK, don't think I'm a geek or anything like that, BUT I'm so excited because baseball season is just around the corner. (Regular season starts in exactly 33 days!) I'm so looking forward to going to Angel Stadium to watch the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim defend their title as American League West champions! It'll be interesting to see how they do against their division rivals, considering the Angels hardly did anything during the off-season (they let Washburn & Bengie Molina go, and signed Jeff Weaver - what's up with that?). Anyway, go team! I'll be cheering for ya! :)

"Man Kills Roommate After Fight About Toilet Paper"

I read this article today:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185629,00.html

OK, I don't know about you, and we don't really know what the true story is behind what happened... But is it really worth losing your temper over a roll of toilet paper?

A Bridal Shower...

The Wedding PartyThe Moms
Future Sis-in-Law & Bride

...it's more like a 'Lingerie' Party for my friend, Heather, last Sunday (hosted by her future mom-in-law, Bonnie, & sis-in-law, Jamie). These are some of the pictures from the afternoon.

A new link to check out...

I've added a new link to my site here... Please click on the "Making Poverty History" link, and check out the website. It's the same cause that Bono has been battling. It's worth taking the time just to see what they have to say.

Bono's plea to the U.S.

Read this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11146046/

My fave quote in this article was by Bono (of U2 fame) himself:

“God will not accept [the world's poor],” he said. “Mine won’t. Will yours?”

Chinese New Year

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

On January 29, the Chinese will be welcoming a new year!

So, what is it? Well, the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is a period of celebrations. It begins on the 1st day of the Chinese calendar (the day of the 2nd new moon after winter soltice), and ends with the Lantern Festival (15 days later). This year will be the Year of the Dog (Xu). Tradition has it that, before the new year arrives, Chinese homes are thoroughly cleaned to "sweep away" any bad luck and welcome the good luck entering their homes. The day before all brooms & dust pans are put away so that the good luck does not get swept away. Some will even paint doors & windowpanes red. Homes will be decorated with Chinese phrases of "happiness," "wealth," and "longevity."

新年快樂 - Happy New Year

恭喜發財 - Congratulations & Be Prosperous

A good quote

I'm not quite exactly sure where he got this, but I heard this on the radio this morning on KIIS-FM. It was one of Ryan Seacrest's 'Quote of the Day.' He sometimes has stupid ones, but I liked this one. So, here goes...:

"Success is getting what you want... Happiness is liking what you get."

It's kinda true, though...

'Nuf said

Hockey night at the Fort! (the pics)

Some pictures from Thursday night!

Christi, me, & Katie waiting for the caravan to leave.

Justin & Ben dancing for the camera (wrong camera, though!)

Luc's 551st goal scored on a breakaway

#1 star of the game - Luc Robitaille

Hockey Night at the Fort!

Thursday, January 19, 2006 was hockey night for some of us working at Fortanasce & Associates. We thank Anang, one of the PTs at the clinic, for organizing this work event. 20 of us headed to downtown L.A. to watch the Los Angeles Kings play against the Atlanta Thrashers at the Staples Center.

Prior to the start of the game, the Los Angeles Kings had not been doing well as of late. They entered the game 2nd place in the Pacific Division, four points behind Dallas, and losing four of their last five games. The Kings also had a few key players injured during that stretch – including forward Alexander Frolov (flu), Pavol Demitra (leg injury), Lubomir Visnovsky (neck strain), and goalie Mathieu Garon with a shoulder boo-boo. Atlanta, on the other hand, entered Thursday with a 23-18-6 record, and 2nd in the Southeast Division. They are on a five-game winning streak, and have a 7-1 record in January.

The game was an awesome game, with the Kings beating Atlanta 8-6. A few key highlights: Luc Robitaille scored three goals (a hat trick), and became the King’s career leading goal scorer, passing Marcel Dionne’s record. Luc tied the record at the 4:20 mark in the 1st period by intercepting a pass, and receiving a feed from Derek Armstrong. Goal #551 came on a breakaway when he beat goalie Mike Dunham between the pads, and both teams going 4-on-4.

It definitely was an amazing and fun night, and I enjoyed hanging out with my fellow co-workers (and a couple of the bosses) outside of work. It was great to see how different people interact with their co-workers outside of the workplace. I also was delighted to be a part of Los Angeles Kings’ history by watching Luc "Lucky" Robitaille enter the record books for the Kings.

Oh, yeah... #1 star of the game: Luc Robitaille... #2 star of the game: Kings' defenseman Mattias Norstrom (I love this guy!); and #3 star of the game: an Atlanta Thrasher player (can't remember who).

So true...

Since working in the medical field, and having the Medicare cap (they only allow about $1700 combined for PT, OT, and Speech for the whole year) kicking in at the beginning of the year, I completely think that what Medicare is doing to the elderly, disabled, etc. is completely unfair. I have seen it so many times with a number of my patients. We basically are saying to them, "Sorry, I know you've had a stroke and all, but we're going to have to cut you off after 12 visits. You are screwed if anything else happens to you. So, be careful, and God forbid you break your hip... oh, well... see ya next year! Oh, yeah... If you do decide you want more therapy, then you'll have to pay about $75-$125 per visit." So, I totally agree with this comic strip. It hass become a game to the government for these patients to get the proper care, treatment, or medications that they need these days. So screwed, and there's nothing we can do about it!