I Found my Friend through an Internet search

I found a family friend that we've lost touch with for over twenty years through an Internet Search. The funny thing here is that I am an avid internet surfer. I spend hours researching things, and stuffs and is quite familiar with many of the search tools and engines but never actually tried to find these folks on line. Not even sure why I didn’t because I look thing up all the time. I often wondered where my friends were and what they might be doing but left it in passing.

I am so ecstatic that I found these folks. We have so much to talk about and share. The last time we saw each other, they had one child, and she was pregnant with their second. They moved away to another state and we lost touch. We also moved away shortly after them so that further compounded the problem. Wow, time has passed and so much have been gained and changed. Just before they moved away she helped to bake my wedding cake and now too many years and 3 kids later we found each other again. We have so much to talk about and catch up on. It will be hours talking on the phone until we can schedule to visit, but I am so ready to do this.

The other day I commented on Carol's blog, one of my fellow Grace in Small Things blogger, about her reflection on the friendships and comfort that we find in our virtual networks. Now, here I am experiencing the endless rewards of the reach and power of the internet in this re-connection. We are able to make new friends, and conduct all sorts of business and social activities using the internet, not the least of which is finding your long lost loved ones. This is not only a virtual community but my actual, real life friendship delivered. Although these friends will still be miles apart from me, we are just a click away, and we now know this!

My To Do List Done!

Today, for the first in a long time I was able to complete the things on my to do list despite the many interruptions, challenges and issues that cropped up. What at feeling! I never really thought of good days at work in these terms but today I feel really good about getting the things I planned to do done. At the end of the day I was able to set up my next to do list without transferring any left over items. Believe me, there is plenty for the next list so no need to carry over items. Each day will bring its own additions.

I always start the day with a plan to guide me through but without fail, things crop-up and derail the plan. I don’t usually feel bad about leaving things on the to do list because I always work hard and usually have a very busy and productive day. It is an accomplishment to cross off everything on the to do list in a day! It is really nice to close the door on the things planned for the day and be able to start fresh on the next day.

My day started off ugly but it turned out well. For one thing I was wearing a white sweater set and spilled coffee all over my chest. The spill, looked more like a splash, happened as I hurried to the car to get to a series of meetings and visits. This situation brings to mind one of the Hummel Figurines that I have. Hummel's were my favorite collectables back in the day. This particular one reads, What a beautiful day… now watch some bastard louse it up. But despite my splash, I didn’t dismay, I didn’t slow down but went full speed ahead. Even after the millionth thing done for the day, I walked away feeling very good. My To Do List - Done!

I didn’t let the bastard louse up my day. Wooohoooooooooo!!!
Ahhhh, the little pleasures!

The Last Hurrah for The Plaza Chronicles

The Plaza Chronicles V.

I took a stroll today to the Plaza to see what I could see in terms of food items – fruits, vegetables, etc. The weather is beginning to feel like fall. The cool wind blows across my face giving me a chill as I walked around The Plaza. The winter is fast approaching and it changes our desire to be outdoors and also changes what is available in The Plaza and the outdoor activities and supplies. I noticed that the number of vendors have decreased and the amount of fruits and variety of fruits was also much less than before.

I was happy to be on the walk today as I haven’t been in The Plaza for a few weeks. I was not so happy because there was nothing new for me to try. All of the carts had the same things; oranges, corns, avocados, tomatoes, eggplants, apples, water melons, bananas, pineapples grapes, the more common and some year long fruits and vegetables that we buy. So the summer is over. The exotic and special summer fruits have dried up and the usual fruits and vegetables that we get in the regular market are filling up the stalls.
The last hurrah for The Plaza Chronicles!

The crowds and the hustle and bustle of the folks strolling through The Plaza on their lunch hour is less and they move along more purposeful – not much to get excited about.

It’s good to be able to see and buy fresh fruits so readily in the middle of an urban center. These foods are great options for healthy, refreshing and nutritious meals and snacks during the long hot summer days. Sadly the venue doesn’t lend itself to the various weather cycles we have in the city.

So long summer, good bye Plaza Chronicles the winter is here and we retreat indoors. Well, maybe the ingenuity of folks will prevail and we will see some other offerings in The Plaza that will pique our interest and satisfy our pallet as well. Stay tuned!

Finding my way back

Hello All,
You will notice from the dates of this post and the previous one that I've been away from the posting scene for a couple of weeks now. Not only was I absent from posting, but also absent from checking in on my favorite blogs and blogosphere friends.

Well, I have reasons and excuses. You see, I've been busy and I've been too disorganized to stay current. Believe it or not, I also had equipment problems again. I got the computer fixed, again, and did some surfing. After a couple of blog visits and comments, here I am.

I checked out a couple of friends and one very wise and smart lady had just the posts that I needed to get me going again. After two comments on Breaking mindset blog, I took myself here to let you know that I had a slight meltdown and technical difficulties too.

Thanks for hanging in with me and coming back to see what's up with me. I will get some updates about live, love, laugh encounters and experiences of the last couple weeks soon.

I think I can move ahead on this again. See you soon.

The Joys of Coming and Going at Will

You know that saying, the grass is always greener on the other side of the mountain, or over the septic tank or other place; well that is usually only a cliche. There are times when moving can’t be avoided and you will have to live with it. When you yearn to go to a place because it seems....., well, after you get there it could certainly be a downer.

I have been bellyaching about the city and wanting to move out to a saner, orderly, and perhaps even quieter locale but I would want all of the comforts and conveniences that I have now. I am not sure that they exist in the same way in other places but I am looking around. Being able to get where you want to go, when you want to go is truly priceless and is an obvious lure to this city.

I met a woman at the bus station last week-end waiting for the bus to Philadelphia. I arrived about half an hour before the scheduled departure and she was already on line. I struck up a conversation, complementing her on her dress. She was wearing a lovely green linen skirt set – avocado green, very nice. We then talked about this and that, to pass the time. As we talked, she remarked that she wants to settle down in New York City. She apparently commutes often to Philadelphia, shuttling between family members in the two cities. She didn’t mind the travel, but her desire to remain in NYC is fueled by her perceived loss of independence while in Philadelphia; the independence to come and go at will.


The word independence means governing or not requiring or relying on something or someone else; not subject to control by others, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary. When we use the word, the implication is varied and depending on when or what or who is involved in the conversation, it could mean or imply just freedom of movement, the ability to get from place to place by your self or by your own means. You may drive a vehicle, ride a bicycle, pay for mass transit, walk, run, but traveling as you desire or choose.

The mass transit system or public transportation system is not good in the area where she is staying, she said. She is therefore dependent on family members while in Philadelphia to get around. In NYC she has several modes of public transportation and easy access to them. She can come and go as she pleases and for a reasonable sum of money. This limitation to her movement or inability to go to the stores for example causes her some amount of stress and unhappiness. She otherwise enjoys the quiet, easy pace of life there but the lack of means to move around kills her interest to settle there, at least in the area that she knows.

I understood her plight thoroughly and had some flashbacks of my own encounters. I remember being in places where I had to rely on a set schedule to get out and back 'home.' I didn’t like the confinement and loss of freedom to move at will. This loss takes a toll on the psyche and creates a longing for places and times when access and freedom to move at will was/is the order of the day! So despite all of the issues and concerns and dislikes we have about living in this city, somethings are not negotiable. The joys of being able to come and going at will is priceless.

Independence: what does it mean to you?