Opening The Sky

In the wee hours of the morning, a great cracking sound woke me up. The most amazing thunderstorm I've seen in years happened just outside our bedroom window - yours too I imagine, if you live near us. I looked out the window and it appeared as if great streaks of lightning were striking the Triborough Bridge (now the RFK Bridge). Very exciting.

World Quizzing Championships

Yesterday, I participated in the World Quizzing Championships. Basically, it was 220 question test given in two parts over several hours. I'm not sure where I placed in the world wide standings but I do know that I finished in the bottom of the pack of New Yorkers who participated at Shades of Green.

That test was harder than the SAT's. It is the hardest test I've ever taken. I know that I am not a stupid person but this test really makes you struggle with you think you are. There was stuff on there I'd never even heard of. And that's okay. Because I don't study. If I were a more studious person, perhaps I would know more things. Also, if I had better retention, that would probably help also.

Congratulations to all the people who participated. And continue to believe in yourselves.

Napping is the new black

Two days in a row, I have taken amazing naps. It's probably the weather. Cool, rainy weather is perfect for napping.

I had a job interview this morning. I allowed an hour but I should have allowed an hour and a half. I showed up about 12 minutes late (not without calling first) but it didn't make a difference because I had to wait to be interviewed anyway. The guy I was meeting with was also running behind schedule.

I would be the assistant to a guy who runs one of the garages for an impressive NYC hospital on the East side of Manhattan. The job would be temp to perm which means I wouldn't get the full salary or benefits until I've worked for 65 days. It's full time - Tuesday through Saturday. I've thought a lot about the pros and cons of going back to work full time. The best pro is that I'd be bringing in more money than I am currently. The best con is that I will most likely gain weight which I do not look forward to. Hopefully I can avoid that. I have the tools to maintain my weight, I just have to use them.

The best part of my day had to be that nap. It's been a long time since I've napped like that - so deep that it was almost impossible to get out of the bed. If I hadn't set the alarm clock, I'd still be sleeping.

Happy June 1!

It's June 1st and the weather is perfect. Jon and I just did our first laundry since returning from our trip.

This weekend we did some gardening which left me with some very distinctive bug bites. Gardening at this point still means pulling weeds. Oh joy. We pulled out and hacked down the 3 foot tall mugwort that took over the backyard lawn while we were away. The lawn still needs a good mowing but it looks a lot more manageable now. And a lot of the old weeds returned although not as many as I was expecting. It's possible that the Preen I put down actually had some effect. Gardening might just mean reclaiming the garden from the weeds this summer. I might wait until next season to plant vegetables. This season is going to be flowers when we're up to it.

We also played some miniature golf on Randalls Island. That was fun although I was expecting the type of miniature golf that comes with wind mills and clown faces. They were just miniature greens. After playing golf we shared some Hoegaarden at the Beer Garden down the block from us. The weather turned out quite nice last night.

Have I recovered yet from our travels? Not quite yet. It takes me a good week, usually, to get back on a regular sleeping schedule. But I'm almost there. I am sleeping the required 8 hours. But I'm still going to bed very early and waking up very early.