I'm it!

My brother Kevin (http://itskev.blogspot.com) had tagged me. Of course, like him, I don't know why I am doing this. If it give me a reason to post in my blog, then it can't be bad.

A- Available or Single?
Huh? Strange question. I am neither, I guess.

B- Best Friend.
In this world, Glyn and my buddy Jeff are currently on top. I have been blessed with many good friends in this life.

C- Cake or Pie.
Cake. German Chocolate cake is my favorite.

D- Drink of Choice.
I usually drink water, but I also enjoy a beer, a glass of bourbon, or a martini..

E- Essential Item.
Toughest one. I don't think anything in this world is essential. However, right now, it has to be my computer. I spend a good part of my day on it. Mostly chatting with Glyn almost every morning and every night. Having a computer is essential to a long distance relationship these days.

F- Favorite Color.
Blue... It brings out Kevin's eyes. (hehehehe)

G- Gummi Bears or Worms.
I really hate them both.

H- Hometown.
This is a tough question. I was born in Annapolis, MD, and lived most of my childhood (8 years) in Stafford, VA.

I- Indulgence.
Baseball...and smoking a nice cigar. Also, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. (Don't ask me why, I just love them.)

J- January or February.
January. The beginning of the year, usually some snow, and there is my birthday and my mom's and brother Steve's too.

K- Kids.
None yet. A special prayer goes out to April and Angelo...two children that we lost to ectopic pregnancies.

L- Life is incomplete without…
Baseball.

M- Marriage Date.
My first marriage was 5/20/95. It was the greatest day of my life. We will see what God has in store for me for another one.

N- Number of Siblings?
3. All brothers!

O- Oranges or Apples?
I think I enjoy apples more. Less messy than an orange. Plus nothing rhymes with orange. :)

P- Phobias/Fears.
I used to be afraid of a few things. I am working with God with most of these. The one that has been around the longest is the fear of falling. I used to think it was the fear of heights, but I have been at the top of some of the tallest structures in the world (Sears Tower and the Empire State Building) and was not afraid. Also, I enjoy sitting in the window seat in an airplane. However, get me on a pair of skates, and I am terrified.

Q- Favorite Quote.
"I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me." - Abraham Lincoln. I think this is a great philosophy on life. It is important to be true to yourself.

In second place is: "If you don't live what you believe, you will soon believe what you live" - Father Bill LaFratta. Fr. Bill was my priest in college. This viewpoint on life has been so true.

R- Reasons to smile.
Waking up to a new day.
The start of baseball season. (See indulgences.)
Being in love.
Knowing that God loves me, no matter what.

S- Season(ing).
I like winter, because of Christmas, my birthday, and the snow.
I love basil, because it makes pesto...yum! I also enjoy cayenne pepper in my chili! Spicy!

T- Tag Three.
Arjean (I am too hoping she will blog again).
Joy (I'd like to compare husband and wife).
Steve (I would love to see him blog again).

U- Unknown Fact About Me.
If I tell you, it would not be unknown, would it?

V– Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals.
Definitely not a vegetarian, so I must be the other one. ;)

W- Worst Habit.
I can be very messy. I can clean up my place, and in a day, it looks like a hurricane went through it!

X– X-rays or Ultrasounds.
I have had both. Ultrasounds are cool because you can usually see what they are doing when they do it.

Y- Your Favorite Foods.
Pizza and Mac and Cheese. These were my favorite foods when I was 5, and they have since remained my favorites. I have also grown to love creme brulee, baklava, apple crisp, and a good steak.

Z- Zodiac.
Capricorn. I don't really follow it too much.

Slingbox

I have to tell you about the coolest product I have ever bought. A buddy of mine told me about it and after reading about it, I just had to get it. What is it? A Slingbox. What is a Slingbox? Well, it really is an amazing product. It allows you to watch your TV from anywhere you have internet access. That's right. I said ANYWHERE!

The product itself is rather small. It sits on the top of the TV and hooks up to your cable or satellite receiver. Then you plug it in to your router, Ethernet bridge, or Ethernet port. I happen to have my router in my TV entertainment center, so it was simple for me. I just plugged it in to my satellite DVR too and downloaded the software, and voila! I was all set up.



It was very simple to set up. You do not have to know much about audio-visual equipment or port forwarding to get going. They had an easy guide and the software was very simple to install.

I can now watch my TV on my laptop from anywhere where I live. I only have a TV in my living area, so this allows me to watch the TV from my bedroom or even outside. (I am currently sitting outside with my laptop and watching ESPN Sportscenter.) They have a great interface that even includes a remote...the exact remote that I currently use for my DVR...every button! So I can change channels, look at the program guide, pause live TV...all just like I was sitting in front of my TV.

Pretty cool, huh? Wait, it gets better.

Not only can I watch my TV from any spot in my place. I can watch my TV from anyplace in the world! I had Glyn in the Philippines download the software and plug in my finder ID (that is all you need to hook up to it). Before you knew it, she was watching my TV from halfway around the world! She said the picture and sound were good. She does not have the fastest internet connection, but it works good for her too! I was sitting in my living room watching her change the channels. She even paused the TV after I showed her how to do this.

They have software that works too on Macs, Palm Treos and other handhelds, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones. This means you can watch your TV from your handheld...as long as you have internet connection.

I have seen some amazing products lately. Apple has done a nice job with their iPods, Apple TV, and the upcoming iPhone. This tops them, in my opinion. If you have not seen Apple TV, it allows you to stream all of your media (pictures, music, and videos) from your home computers to your TV. You could use the Slingbox in conjunction with Apple TV to access your music, video, and pictures anywhere in the world!

I was able to get mine because I had some Amazon.com gift certificates lying around (including one from my former employer...thank you very much). The version that I bought was $149 online at Amazon.com.

I can't wait to go to the Philippines to see it in action myself. (Like I need an excuse to go to the Philippines.)

The Streak Is Over

Today I exercised for the first time in over 3 years. Yeah, that is right 3 years. There was a couple of times I ran for taxi, and I think I remember taking the stairs once or twice instead of taking the elevator.

Maybe it was 2 years ago...I do remember I ran a few times when I was in Miami visiting Mike. However, that is it. That is the extent of my exercising over the past few years.

Feeling fat, lazy, and a little stressed out—and realizing I was no Cal Ripken—I decided it was about time to end my streak. So I pulled out my old AquaJogging equipment and headed for the pool.

What is AquaJogging? Well, actually some people call it deep water running. It is basically running in the pool. I am not much of a swimmer and normal running kills my joints. I picked it up a few years ago when I was looking to do something different.

The high schools here in Arlington all have indoor pools. So I can exercise without worrying about the weather. The fewer excuses, the better for me.

I hadn't been over to the pool in 4 1/2 years! I could not believe it when I figured that out. Wow, how time flies. I used to get up every other morning and go over to the pool when I was in Arlington before.

So here I am, ending two streaks in one day...exercising...and now I have updated my blog.

Last Pictures from the Philippines

Well, this is the last of the pictures from the Philippines (for now, at least)!

There are pictures from our return trip to Alcoy and Bodo's Bamboo Bar Resort. Unfortunately, Glyn got sick while we were there, but you can't tell by the pictures...she is such a good sport.

There are also some shots (pun intended) of me at Cebu Doctors Hospital recovering from my kidney stones ordeal.

You will also see pictures of the Super Bowl, me getting a haircut, us getting a manicure and pedicure, visiting Casa Gorordo, spending time with Glyn's family, visiting Guadalupe Cave, and leaving to go home.

It was a great time. I miss it so much and can't wait to go back again!

The End of Sinulog

I am still doing some catch-up on the photos I had taken in the Philippines. This is a BIG collection of photos I had taken the last weekend of the Sinulog Festival. On Friday, January 19, Glyn, Coning (Glyn's bro), and I went to Ayala Mall where they had a "Tribal Competition" between groups around the Cebu Province.

On Saturday, we went to the Basilica de Santo Nino to see the arrival of Santo Nino and attended a very special Mass there. The Mass lasted over 2 1/2 hours, so we were worn out (and I actually got a little sunburned) that we missed out on the Solemn Procession later that day.

On Sunday, January 21, we sat in the grandstand at the Cebu Sports Complex to watch the grand Sinulog Parade. It was a great place to watch the parade, because we didn't have to worry about the crowd or the sun so much.

I loved being part of such a unique event. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Look for the pig and Ronald McDonald!

There's Snow Place Like Home

Well, I finally made it back. By a miracle, my flight left JFK on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

I didn't think it was possible that we would take off. Just a couple of hours before, the wind was blowing pretty hard and the snow was coming down in both DC and New York. The flight scheduled to DC before mine was canceled. The flight next to ours to San Juan was canceled. Another flight out of the same gate taxied out to the runway only to get stuck in ice and have to come back. I was just wishing they would cancel my flight before it got too late.

Well, at about 10:30, they told us to board the plane. When I got aboard, I could see I was one of those small planes. On one side, there was two seats next to each other. Across the aisle, there was only one. Not exactly the type of plane you want to be flying in during bad weather. In my mind, I started to sing La Bamba, Peggy Sue, and American Pie...only to humor myself. I actually felt pretty confident that they would not try to take off if they felt they couldn't.

So after the de-icing of the plane, we took off. The takeoff was a little rocky, with the airplane moving side to side as it flew. However, eventually it settled down. It is such a short flight to DC, only a little less than 1 hour in the air. From the time we landed to the time I got home, it was another hour. So by 2:00 am, I was finally home.

The next day I had an interview scheduled. I got up and cleared off my car which was covered in frozen snow. Then I tried to start it. No luck. I am not sure the last time it had been started (I had arranged for my car to be started occasionally while I was gone); however, I think the cold was affecting it more than anything. In addition to the fact that the car wouldn't start, was the fact that the back of the house and the driveway was an ice skating rink. The snow, which was a few inches deep, could be walked on, not in.

So reluctantly, I had to cancel my interview (I called and left a message seeing if I could reschedule), not seeing any logistical way I could get to Old Town Alexandria. I guess it was a blessing in disguise, because I was really tired and fell asleep after I canceled the interview.

Luckily, the job interview that I had scheduled on Wednesday that I had to cancel was rescheduled for Friday. Since that interview was off the Dupont Circle Metro, I did not have to worry about getting my car out. That interview went well, and now I have a followup interview scheduled for next week.

My car has still not moved. The temperatures today are supposed to get up above freezing, so there should be some melting. I hope to get the car out sometime this afternoon. It will be weird driving the car after all of this time. I have not driven in over 3 1/2 months...the longest stretch of not driving since I was in college (or perhaps, ever).

I have gone through a pile of mail since I have been back, but still have not fully unpacked. I guess there is a part of me that wants to be back in the Philippines and I am not quite ready to be fully back home. It is definitely a tough transition, on many levels, from the cold to missing Glyn. I know I will find a way back to the Philippines eventually.

If I Can Make It Here

I am still not home.

My flight yesterday got canceled because of the bad weather in the DC area. They put me on a later flight, and as expected, that flight got canceled too. The earliest flight they could put me on was for 10:40 tonight. So, being tired, and not wanting to spend the night in the airport I found a hotel nearby to stay in.

I ended up staying in the night in the Howard Johnson's near JFK. The price was not too crazy. (Of course, in the New York area, all hotel prices are crazy.) I took a cab over to the hotel. The driver didn't know where the Howard Johnson's was. That was a red flag. He ended up going the wrong way and the fare ended up being higher than it needed to be. When we finally arrived at HoJos, I asked the driver what the fare was ($15) and gave him a $20 and asked him for a receipt. He came back with the receipt and I asked him where my change was. He said that was for gratuity. I told him "for what?" He drove me the wrong way and now wants a $5 tip? He told me that was usual. I told him that just because I showed up in the country today, doesn't mean I know what the deal is. After arguing back and forth about it, he finally gave me $2 back. Being tired, I gave up on the argument.

When I went inside the hotel, they did not have my reservation. The guy said he had a reservation for a Tim Rudman and he asked me if I was sure I wasn't Tim Rudman. In my tiredness and disbelief, I told him I was positive I was not Tim Rudman. He asked me if perhaps I gave them a different name. And again, in my tiredness, I told him why would I give them a different name than my own. He kept on insisting that I might be Tim Rudman. And AGAIN, in my tiredness, I said, "Perhaps, just by coincidence there might actually be more than one Tim in the world and they both have reservations at the HoJos."

I ended up calling Hotels.com and straightening it out with them. I did apologize to him for being a smart ass. (But he never apologized for being stupid. ;) KIDDING)

The room wasn't too bad and I actually got some sleep. I did end up making the best of the situation and ordered some genuine New York pizza. I ordered a small pizza and a Coke and ended up getting what for most places would be a large pizza. The price also wasn't too bad...only $12. (After the $20 taxi ride, that was a bargain.)

Today, I checked out at noon and headed over the airport. I caught the free shuttle over to the airport. (It was much quicker and cheaper...nothing beats free.) When I got to the airport, there were tons of people in line. I figured a lot of people were in line to rebook their flights. Since I already had a seat, I only needed to do a simple check in. However, the self-check in kiosks were not in service. So I asked information if I needed to stand in line to check in. They told me that I needed to.

Well, I stood in line, for over 3 1/2 hours. At one point during the wait, they announced that all flights before 4:00 were canceled. I was hoping that they wouldn't announce later that all of the flights for the day were canceled. The wait wasn't too bad. I spoke to my mom for about 1 hour of the wait and I also called Verizon Wireless to change my plan back to what it was before I left for the Philippines. There was a woman in line (and later her daughter) that I ended up striking up a conversation with. She and her family were desperately trying to get to the Dominican Republic. The flights to Miami were all backed up because of the cancellation. So, here I was all relaxed, and there were others who stressed out because they were trying to go on vacation. I guess it could be worse for me.

I decided I was going to stay in the Admiral's Club lounge that American Airlines has. They offer a Day Pass that I decided to take advantage of. That is where I am at now. The seats are way more comfortable and they have internet access available. I figured it was worth the extra money to relax a little more.

Right now the skies have cleared up here in New York. (Although, there are some dark clouds again in the distance.) My flight is supposed to go out at 10:40 tonight, which would put me in to DC just before midnight. I think my chances of getting out tonight are better than not. They actually have flights flying out of here now. However, the only drawback is that I am taking American Eagle back to DC. I will be on one of those commuter planes, and the winds are supposed to pick up tonight. I am hoping they don't cancel the flight because of the winds.

I know I will eventually make it home.