Awake.In:::DreamSpace:::

where did i come from?

I don't know much about my family tree... my parents fled Cuba right before I was born.  I didn't have extended family around me as they were in Cuba.  I've always been interested in where did I come from?  Yeah, my parents are Cuban, but other than knowing that Dad's side of the family is from Spain, I know nothing.  I've been curious, for a long time.  

Well, I finally decided, time to find out!  My 23andMe kit arrived today.  Tomorrow I spit into the tube and send it out.  In a few weeks, I'll get a report.  Cool.  

Interested for yourself... check it out 23andme

I had to register and I had no idea how many screens one has to read to get to agree to do this.  A bit daunting.  Especially the health stuff...  And well, now my genetic information will be on some database and my vivid imagination after years of sci-fi movie and tv watching had my mind running wild for a bit.

Decided to go for it...

Looking forward to finding out the story about my DNA...

Stay tuned!

 

 

a Valentine's Day to remember

On 01.31.18, after getting home from work and walking Koda, I felt congestion from the cold I was fighting pour from my sinuses to inside both middle ears causing a clogged and very painful situation.  It kept me up all night and I toyed with the idea of taking an Uber to the local emergency room but the fear of sitting there surrounded by people with the flu kept me home and counting the hours until First Med opened.

I called out and headed to First Med at 8am when they opened on 02.01.18.  After a not so great examination and treatment for my double ear infection, I found an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor that happened to be literally around the corner from my apartment.  Very lucky.  Turned out I had a sinus infection, double ear infection, and conjunctivitis.  A triple play.  Went home with antibiotics, steroids, and eye drops... and out on a short medical leave... paperwork fun with Sedgwick... 

Flash forward two followup visits and yesterday, a referral to an ENT in NYC to perform a myringotomy on Valentine's Day!... what the heck is a myringotomy?... it's a fancy word for surgical incision into the eardrum, to relieve pressure or drain fluid.  It's also a common procedure on young children with chronic ear infections causing hearing problems and speech issues.  I suppose it's also for old hens like me.

Easy peasy they said, done in the office they said, no big deal they said...

Well, you ever see those alien abduction films?  The one's where the abductee sees instruments that get stuck into them, yup, that was what a myringotomy is like.

Wide awake, doc puts some local anesthetic in first, you still feel the cut, then they suck out the fluid... and today I learned, it is only 2-3 drops of fluid in there... WTF, 2-3 DROPS?!  It has felt like a gallon of fluid between my ears for the past 2 weeks causing me to feel like I'm under water and can't hear well.  Lucky me had both ears done... and since its in your ears, everything sounds loud, creepy, and unnerving!  Grateful it is a quick procedure.

Another fun fact, sometimes they put plugs in the eardrums to help with drainage... WTF, pierce and plug, my eardrums?!  How Thug sounding... I escaped the plug insertion luckily... I was reading they stay in there for about 6 months and then they fall out... and what?... the aliens come back to check in?!

I'm now home and savoring chocolate goodies from a Valentine's Day heart I bought for myself... Always remember, Love Yourself!  Hopefully back to work on Monday.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

 

 

2015.day1

And so begins another year...  The last several have brought interesting times to my life...  curious to see what is down the path... yet... it's all about the journey...  My thoughts on this day are...

create.capture.compose

...that should keep me busy this year.

 

himalayas on the UWS

 

On my walk to work and when I return home, I pass a very special shop named "Himalayan Crafts".  

The door is usually open and the scent of incense entices your mind to pause and breathe deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stop and gaze into the window front and in my mind I ask the Buddhas for blessings and help in keeping a peaceful and happy mind...  

The shop is located between 68th and 69th Street on Broadway...  The lovely couple who work there are a delight.  Please visit them.

 

 

KISS on Madison Avenue, NYC

When out and about in NYC, one stumbles on stuff you never expect to see.  This storefront display at John Varvatos, Madison Avenue, NYC, caught my eye when I was in a car with some friends.  I went back this evening to take the photos.  Congratulations KISS for your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014!

Kiss storefront on Madison Avenue, NYC

John Varvatos storefront on Madison Ave., NYC

Ace Freyley Mannequin

Gene Simmons mannequin

Paul Stanley mannequin

Peter Criss mannequin

30 things to stop doing to yourself

Yesterday I posted a link to 30 things to stop doing to yourself... It really resonated in me as I read each of the things... today, I started work on #4.  "Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now."  Here is the link, check it out, it will inspire you!  30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself  

urban pine

It's that time of year again when evergreens sprout from NYC concrete and asphalt.  I brushed up against this one walking down Broadway on my way to work early this morning.  Breathe in the peaceful pine forest scent as these mini forests appear... their presence is fleeting, like the holiday season... and life.

a test in patience and acceptance

It was around 4:30pm... I was on my way to the off site parking of the 2011 NKT International Fall Festival and I made it... to the parking lot...  The Mini-C was making a very scary grinding noise and the red battery and CEL icons went on...

This is not what I planned on...  the Mini breaking down was not part of my weekend itinerary.  OK.  I'm in the middle of almost nowhere in Port Jervis, NY, but I'm not alone.  There are people guiding traffic to parking spots, buses taking people to the festival, and my ATT iPhone HAS service!  OK Trudy, Don't Panic!  You are attending a Buddhist Festival... here is your chance to practice patience and acceptance!

Pop the trunk, read the decal with Mini Service Road Side Assistance, dial, talk to representative, and soon a tow truck will be dispactched.  Great, the car is going to be towed to the nearest BMW/Mini service area, which happens to be in White Plains, NY.  3-Way conversation ensues with said dealership/service...  they close at 7p, car keys can be dropped in overnight bin, they will call me in the morning.  A car rental wasn't working out due to logistics... that's ok... there is bus service to and from the Festival, so I can still enjoy!  Tow truck took hours to find me and I missed the Friday introduction, but I did get to chat with many nice people in the parking lot.  After the tow truck finally arrived, Vern the driver dropped me back at the hotel.  Yea!

Just got a call from my teacher in Merrick, there is room in his car for me, so I have a ride to and from the Festival and a ride home back to Long Island on Sunday.  Yea! 

Thank you my BFF Carol for your support in telling me to enjoy the weekend, don't worry, I'll pick you up on Sunday...  Everything worked out and I have a ride back to LI...  Thank you David!  For teaching me that when the car breaks down, it is the car's problem, not mine!  See... I listen and it stuck in my mind... whoa...  I was mindful... SWEET!

OK, Carol, as you know, the car is in White Plains...  not as scenic as a  drive upstate NY is...  I'm sure we will find an apple orchard and farm stands!  

So, there you go, I woke up this morning planning on my first day at the Festival... I didn't make it, but I defintely practiced patience and acceptance... perhaps that was what today was supposed to be all about for me.

sleep deprivation

Life as a rotating shift worker is a cyclical process of sleep derivation and life adjustment. Every 6 weeks I am living in a state of physical and mental jet lag. Simple life processes are mangled into time frames that resemble survival instead of living. Depression, isolation, and anxiety demons hover on the edge of my existence. Sleep becomes states of unconsciousness and when awake I live in an out of sync haze with mainstream reality that is just out of reach except for the brief moments I click into sync.

Think positive, meditate, don't give up. This too shall pass when I unlock the mystery of where I'm going and what I'm supposed to be doing...

toes in the ocean

End of the work week and start of a 3-day weekend... Brought dinner to the beach and walked to the water... The sea water has magic powers that draw all the tension and corporate silliness one encounters in a work cycle and draws it out from your body through your toes. It is very healing and I recommend it.