NYC Trip American Express Commercial

Trip - One scary ride on a plane struck by lightening!!!

Wedding gift for my brother-in-law and his new wife = $55

Birthday gift for my mother-in-law (who just happened to have a birthday around that time) = $78

A pack of 10 AA Batteries for said b-day gift = $??? (probably somewhere between $5 to $8...)

Father's day gift for my father-in-law = $25 (he doesn't want much!)

Car rental for the week = $??? (You REALLY don't wanna know...) =:-O

The picture on this blog entry = PRICELESS!!! :-D

ETA: Whoever owns that camera for that shot... the date on that camera is off 6 days!!! ;)

Test Chair Frustation and Angst

The not so nice part of this trip: the Saturday that I was in NYC was the morning I was scheduled for a test session! I was supposed to have been signed up on June 3rd. The test chair didn't have room for the June 3rd test session and automatically put me on a newly created June 10th test session and DID NOT TELL ME ABOUT IT!!! Didn't ask me if I wanted the test session even. And he threatened to forfeit my test fee if I didn't make the test session then. I had to sic my coaches (and one of the coaches sic the club prez on the test chair.)

To add insult to injury, the guy STILL did NOT make a copy of my test forms from my test last October so I could see what I have to do with improve AND give a copy to both my coaches so they would also have a list of things to work on with them to improve! When I asked the test chair about it after not getting it for a month, his reply was "What do you want it for? Wallpaper!?!?!" in a very callous tone!!! I WANT to push to get this test chair pulled out... but it's possible that b/c of this that *I* would have to take over the post (which is NOT what I want either!!!) But what choice do I have left to get thru to the board that we need to get rid of this test chair? If it wasn't for the fact that I really need to pass a bunch of tests within the year, I would have considered going to another skating club and make sure the club prez knows my disappointment in what's going on in the testing process!!!

And yes, I'm FURIOUS just going thru this!!! This should have NEVER HAPPENED!!! If he had just asked me if I would take this test session before putting me on the list, it would have been a different story! But NOOOO!!! I had to hear about it THRU THE GRAPEVINE!!! (A client of my primary coach told me the news!!!) =:-O

I expect to be in the July 1st test session. If not, I will have another talk with my coaches and have them find out what's going on! Needless to say, I will push on both the club prez and whoever's the new VP is. I do NOT deserve this type of treatment!!! I never EVER provoked him to do this! If he thinks this is a justifiable way of treating the testers on his test sessions, he's gonna end up LOSING members in the skating club b/c of HIM!!! And THAT in itself will kick out this sorry excuse of a test chair!!!

ETA Update: I am NOT on the July 1st test session either! I have sent email to the test chair asking when am I schedule to test again. Just in case he raises issues about having to pay for my test fee, I have cc'ed the email to both my coaches PLUS our club prez, who is well aware of the issue, since he mentioned in an email that he would talk to this test chair with him.

Needless to say, I am QUITE frustrated with this test chair and the situation! I hope that our club prez can step in and settle the issue once and for all! I've been with this club for a long time and worked VERY HARD to pass this test... and I feel ready for it now!!!

ETA Update 2: BIG communication gap betwen test chair and me on when I was coming back to skate from my knee injury. It's been resolved and I'm on for the August test session! (I hope!!!)

NYC trip - Summer 2006

I have just returned from my trip to NYC. I had an emergency trip to make... and the carrot was... FREE PLANE TICKETS!!! *evil grin* It's the first time the entire in-laws (including nieces and nephews...) got together in THIRTEEN YEARS!!! The sad part is... giving my father-in-laws failing health, we feel the next BIG get together will be at a funeral. :-(

Flying in was tough. We had a layover that ended up being about 4 hours long in Chicago Midway Airport b/c of bad weather in the East Coast. I got in about 10pm Eastern Time!!! =:-O

Saturday I spend at Staten Island with DBNY, her dear husband, and ISk8NYC. I had sk8pics/Pat as a surprise guest and we all skated together. I felt bad for Pat b/c the ice was much more crowded and I guess it was too crowded for her to wonder out in the open. For me -- well, it's something I have to learn to get used to it and I still have problems with it.

Saturday evening thru Monday night was spent with my in-laws. I got to meet my BIL's new wife for the first time! I wish I had more time to get to know her then but I was quite distracted with a nephew and niece that I haven't seen in about 10 years. They were little kids the last time I saw them! They're now YOUNG ADULTS!!! (The niece just graduated from high school and has already turned 18. The nephew is in college and leave on his own.) I also was distracted by hubby's twin sister's 2 year old daughter! As far as that little niece is concerned, it's all about her!!! (Even her cousins know that.) I also learned at that point that she's bee potty-trained and has a little toilet seat of her own attached to the grownup's toilet seat! It's also nice to get to know the two nephews from the oldest SIL. It's weird to watch them grow to handsome young gentlemen from being, well, two boys!!! Needless to say, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes!!! :`-)

Tuesday morning, I spent with my NYC coach, Emanauele and got all sorts of gossip about his recent TV show "Skating's Next Star" and little "behind the scenes" comments. And as for my lessons with him, it's like old time! We just have a wonderful time together and I feel at peace when I'm on the ice with him. (With the exception of when I had to lean deep into my forward crossovers. Even when he was there to hold on to me, THAT was scary!!!) But overall, he was a big highlight of my trip!!! :-)

After my lesson, hubby and I went to a place called Ciao! for brunch. I liked the seafood pasta I had, but it's too expensive for my taste. Hubby had trouble with dairy with the omelette. He thinks they put milk into the egg mixture.

Tuesday night we spend at my parents-in-law's home with my husband's twin sister and her family! The 2 year old niece is just adorable!!! :-) I look forward to watching her grow up little by little! :-)

Culinary highlight: This deli near the home I was staying at! They have this begal sandwich with eggs "over hard" with either ham, sausage or bacon!!! Surprising part is that it went GREAT with my usual raisin bagal!!! Gives it an extra unusual "sweet" kick! Really goes great with hot coffee and OJ!!! :-) Hubby is now currently trying to duplicate the sandwich in our own home!!! The only thing missing... the family's DOG Maggie to help me finish up any scraps of extra bagel (b/c the begal is just too much calories and "bulk" to my stomach and it's fun to play with the dog by making him jump or chase for the piece of scrap! :-) (I settled for eating half the begal bread and "low carbing it." :-)

Meanwhile, back at my job were a bunch of software developers working their butt off to get a software release out, including a guy that was supposed to leave the company by the time I came back. He stayed an extra week to help get this project done and train the new developers on the Development Framework. Obviously, I felt guilty... and when I came back, I put in as much as I possibly can into getting this project to "go live" to the public! As of today, the project is on its 3rd day "gone live!" We did it!!! And I wish the departing coworker good luck on his new venture as a telecommuting developer! :-D

I also had to deal with even MORE test session issues with our esteemed test chair. I'll post another post on this...