The cold that would not die

So I've been sick for the better part of a week and a half. It has not stopped me from working, but it has made life difficult. I have been shunned to the office, so I don't keep Kim up at night with my persistent cough (day three). I'm on my second bottle of Coricidin HBP cough syrup and have sucked on an entire bag of strawberries & cream flavored Cold Eeze lozenges, and yet it's still here. I know I'm whining, but it has disrupted my running schedule and weekends are spent recuperating.

Ugh! I want my my life back....cough, cough, hack, cough, sniff.

Wiiiiiiiiiii

Okay so Kim and I finally broke down and bought a Wii. I have coveted my aunt and uncle's (Chuck & Eileen's) since they first bought theirs, but there was no good excuse, until now. The tipping edge for us was on a recent discovery. We (no pun intended) were about to purchase a Roku to download Netflix and Amazon instant play movies, however coming very soon to a bat station in our very own living room, we will be able to do that with the Wii. How frigging cool is that? I know I'm geeking out, but let me have my moment!

Okay okay so we didn't buy it solely for that purpose. I've wanted to get WiiFit for a long while. I don't want to buy a gym membership, Kim doesn't like working out in front of other people, there's never any time to go anywhere to workout...yadda yadda. So with money we received back for the government we decided to spend it on our health and have a little fun at the same time. I'm looking forward to trying the Yoga (which I've heard is very good).

So that's all for the Wii. Wii will have to give you an update later and Wii would love to challenge our friends and family to a game of Family Feud. =)

This running stuff really isn't so bad

So I've been run/jog/walking for the past three weeks and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I really do prefer to run outside in the fresh air and it gives me time to clear my head. I've even signed up for the Glendale Dash 5K in March with Chuck and Eileen. I'm not quite sure I know what I've gotten myself into, but it's a short term goal I think/hope I can achieve.

Hat's off to the GetRunning app from iTunes for $2.99. I highly recommend it for anyone who has an iPhone or an iPod Touch. It's not cheesy nor is it preachy. This little gem has helped me keep going and if it can help me then it can help almost anyone. It is just the right amount of encouragement and prompting to keep you on track. I'll let you know how I fared in the race...if I can finish I'll be happy.

What's this falling from the sky?

Our winter has been rather pathetic thus far. Yes it has been on the cool side, but we did not get much in the way of precipitation. Well this week it is finally here and we are supposed to get a substantial amount it. Accuweather says we will be getting almost 4 inches of rain and 3.5 inches of snow. Yikes! Well with the California drought this comes with welcoming arms, yet people are still complaining. Eh finicky Californians.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu

So for the past 2 to 3 weeks, we've had Kim's folks here for the holidays. Cris arrived a little later on Christmas Eve and now they all leave tomorrow. We went on some mini trips to Ventura, Long Beach and into the Antelope Valley, but for the most part we've been enjoying the pellet stove and watching movies indoors. I've really enjoyed having them here, but it will be nice to have our house to ourselves again.

I need to get back to work and prepare for the coming semester...eek! I'll be teaching the linguistic aspects of American Sign Language again at Antelope Valley College and this time around I'll have a full house of 31. This is why I'm trying to get my act together, get a PowerPoint ready and not do anything last minute related to this class. I just can't afford to!

I also am ready to pick up interpreting gigs at the colleges and elsewhere. This Christmas depleted any reserves I had. But we had fun in the process. What I really need to do is get in shape and start focusing on my health. So I'm going to start running. I will take baby steps at first, but my goal is to be able to run 3 miles within a few months. I downloaded an app for my iPhone called Get Running to help me achieve this goal. This coupled with better eating habits and maybe some yoga classes I'm looking forward to feeling and looking better...I'm optimistic. Let's ring in the new year!

My heart will always belong to a Mac

With that being said, I broke down and bought a PC Netbook, a Toshiba nb205 in Black Onyx. I begrudgingly ventured into the PC world last week and have to admit it's not all bad. With the many workshops that I do, teaching and one of my present employers, all requiring some sort of PC software or hardware, I had to give in. It has made my life easier at the company I work with and I know it will assist with available projectors, cables and software whilst teaching and presenting.

Kim found the Toshiba nb205 on Amazon.com for a song. Splitting the difference, we bought it on Black Friday as part of my birthday gift and early Christmas present. Thank you honey bunny! It's a good little machine that will do the trick and appease those who require me to follow the rest of the minions. But secretly, behind closed doors, I will forever be singing Macs praises.

Mac Geekette forever! P.S. PCs are sooooo bad, they can tag along too.

I heart New York

Kim and I recently returned from visiting our friend Meg in New York City. I must say that I love this city. I don't think I could live there now, but it definitely warrants more frequent visits. Of course Meg was the ultimate hostess and took us where ever we wanted to roam. We enjoyed fine food, great shopping and superb company. This was Kim's first trip to the Big Apple and my return after a much too-long hiatus. Here are some pictures from the excursion...

View in Battery Park

Kim and I in Battery Park

South Street Seaport view

View of Ground Zero from St Paul's Chapel

The Sphere by Franz Koenig in Battery Park

Ice skating in Central Park

Meg, Withnail and I at the South Street Seaport

Meg, Kim and Withnail at the South Street Seaport

A view of Brooklyn at dusk

A view of the South Street Seaport at dusk

Kim and I in Time Square

A view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

Thanks for everything Meg: for your company, hospitality and most of all your friendship.