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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Not Just Another Blog about Hurricane Irene

I hope that all my East Coast readers are okay after the affects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene.  I actually got less water in my basement than the last rain storm. But still, I was affected.  I was evacuated from my house and finally was able to turn the water on today as the sewer was overflowing until late last night.  When will the politicians give us the voice we need with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)? James Oddo and James Molinaro need to step up to the plate and protect families across Staten Island! 
Enough ranting about this. 

So, like I said, I was evacuated because I live in Zone A, so we headed out to the other side of Staten Island to stay with my sister.  Can you believe that we were charged $25 per person to stay there.  Food, water, and electricity were extra!  Well, that's what our "welcome sign" said.  We didn't pay up however I think our presence alone there was worth more.

After turning the check valve, closing the trap, and ensuring the fish were fed, we headed out to my sis' house.  I brought tons of snacks and food for Danny and me, and cupcakes from the Little Cupcake Bakeshop so we can share.  Yes sometimes I share the cupcakes.  Side note-I had headed to Bikram Yoga on Saturday before IRENE hit for many reasons, but getting over the Verazzano Bridge for FREE was an added bonus and well worth the cupcake exchange. 
My sis had also bought cupcakes from Crumbs so Saturday night and Sunday afternoon was a cupcake eating gala!  The Peanut Butter & Jelly and Chocolate Chocolate from Little Cupcake Bakeshop won for me.  Followed by the Coconut cupcake from Crumbs. 
We arrived around dinner time on Saturday so my sis' husband started to cook up Turkey Meatballs and Pasta.  For Daniel, they became known as Star Wars meatballs, and they were a hit.  He would have NEVER eaten these if we were home, even if I said they were Star Wars meatballs.  NEVER.  Why is this?  Why is it that he eats when he's not at home????
Daniel and my niece had a great time playing together dress up and Star Wars, and Power Rangers.  It was quite a funny view though regarding the adults.  There we were watching the news since it was the only thing on.  And where was Staten Island in the forecast????  The forgotten borough.  I digress.  We listened and watched for hours.  But not only did we watch TV, we also sat right next to each other on the coaches, at the table, and played with our I Phone or I Pad.  How sad, right?  It was our turn on Words with Friends though; and I needed to check out the Facebook and Twitter updates from my friends.  My brother- in -law called us all out on this-but come on-we might not have electricity in the next few hours-so now was our time to not communicate since that is all  we might be doing in the upcoming hours; maybe days. Lions and Tigers, oh my!
By the end of the evening, we were tired physically and tired of watching the News.  So off to sleep we headed.  The next morning, we woke to no hurricane but warnings of a tropical storm.  Okay so maybe my roof will not fly away this time!  My brother in law cooked breakfast and Danny ate the eggs and white bread.  Again, I am floored.  Sunday we hit the technology again but we did at one point sever our hands away and play dome face to face games.  Uno, Scrabble Slam, and Right Left Center it was!  Daniel played Barbie Dolls (he was Ken); Meg and Dan made cookies; and we watched the Justin Beiber movie.  Okay, side note-I really liked the movie.  Sad but true.  Made me think about Dan's abilities and how he will shape into a handsome and successful young man.  Possibilities are there.  All he needs is an opportunity!
Now it was time for lunch.  you see how I am centered around food.  Always at the core of my life.  I had asked for Salami when my sis was the deli since I really don't love Turkey and do not like ham!  So I had a salami, spinach, mozzarella panini with a side of Fritos! Yummo.  Daniel had peppered turkey rolled.  He had 4 slices.  Another wonderful accomplishment.  I am talking about the peppered turkey with the  red edge filled with hot pepper flakes.  WOW!  And he ate it all in a minute.  Along with the Doritos that I had brought for him.  Some more down time-bathroom breaks and computer time I mean.  And then it was time for dinner.  Dan and Meg made English Muffin Pizzas (EMP).  I said my kid is not going to eat this.  He might make it if we are lucky but he is not going to eat it.  I mean they put cheese, sauce, garlic powder on the English Muffins. He doesn't eat pizza without turning it over and eating the crust alone.  Surprise! He ate one half of the EMP.  Enough said. 
My sis should babysit him more often.  Especially since she gave him 2 baths in less than a 24 hour span. 

Friday, August 19, 2011

Staying Focused

I am writing this blog entry on my 36 and half birthday.  Yes, I celebrate my half birthday, even at 36 years old. Why not?  There will be a time when I probably do not or cannot celebrate.
This week after writing my blog on getting rid of negativity...we were victim to another sewage flood in my home.  That would be the third time in a year and a half.  The home that have I lived in for my last 36 and one half years has been flooded twice in 25 years.  So why so much now.  Oh I can rant for a while on this but basically the New York City Department of Environmental Protection has sewer issues.  They realigned the sewer system but the overflow was never accounted for.  So the overflow flows into our homes. Fun times right?  Having sewage fill your basement, your child's playroom, ruining hot water heaters, furnaces, furniture, personal affects, and washer and dryer for the THIRD time is always a party.  We protected our home with so many gadgets to stop the flow but nothing can hold back the ravaging sewer water from our city.  My claim to the city was denied; my home insurance was cancelled-as a result finally found someone who would cover my home for double the cost minus the flood insurance; and spent a lot of time, effort, and money to fight the cause to no avail.  And here we are again.  We do understand that the DEP and the City has been working on changing the sewer system technology to alleviate the issue at hand-so you ask-why are they not taking responsibility for my claim when they clearly know there is a problem.  Good question!!!!  That's why I am ready to fight.  
You can hear my news coverage from WPIX morning news with Sukanya Krishnan.
I will work on this but I did want to say that my monkey mind (a new term I learned in Yoga-that I will definitely be blogging about) has been somewhat focused due to my jogging and my hot yoga that I am afraid I am going to get addicted to-which could be a problem with handling Danny time.  I too will work on that.
Join me next time for a review of my Yoga travels!  Here is a pic of something that I found cute.


Monday, August 15, 2011

Negativity and Getting Ahead

Has there ever been a person in your life that makes everything dramatic, stifles your growth, and simply produces a negativity around you? Has that person ever been yourself?

I know that I have had some issues in my life that has formed me into the person that I am today-the good and the bad.  But that's life.  I am sure that at times I can surround myself with negativity from other people and from myself but I need to overcome that negativity and not because somebody told me this (somebody did tell me this).  But I really believe that I need to rid myself of getting anxious in a spilt second like some that come before me.  There are times when getting anxious is like a disease and there are sometimes when it necessitates itself.  For example, the smear on the counter that was not cleaned well enough-disease-whereas making a long term decision that needs careful attention-necessary.  I lean to the disease side more so than the latter but I too will deal with this.
So I ask, what things can be incorporated into my everyday life that can assist me in not getting immediately anxious? And drinking every day is out of the question or that I could lead me to a very slippery slope. So I did ask some people and some people have great ideas. For example, Christine M. from moms coach for life has a wonderful consultation service that works both the body and the mind.  Check her out. Then the idea of Yoga came up, and I did research locations where I could like to go but all the places I find interesting would make me very anxious.  Lol;Yes.  Thinking about how to make time and to make sure my son is taken care of supersedes my Hot Vinyasa Yoga thoughts even though I really want to do it. And once there would I really let all go? Anywho, I found a place in Staten Island that does do this two times a week.  Is this enough? Or should this be a daily ritual? I think it should be a daily occurrence. Which leads me to I wish I lived in New York City.  There is so much opportunity there.
Then someone had spoke to me regarding mindfulness meditation. It's very cost effective since I just have to sit and do nothing so I do not have to find a place to go.  However I would have to find a place to go because my son is like an extension of me, always around. And is it even feasible for me to do this? I need an incentive. 
So for the last week I have tried to move and free my mind in the morning before my daily grind.  I have started to jog, not to win a race, but just to get moving and cleanse my mind. I also went to Atlantic City (another blog entry at a later time) so I decided to rent a bike for 2 days.  That feeling was wonderful and I can't wait to purchase a bike soon.  After jogging and biking and even thinking about other techniques, I think I feel a little less negative.