Been a while

My apologies for not posting since M's birthday. I was all ready to post that Sunday afterward, and I put it off until Monday. Well, that ended up being a mistake as I got slammed at work and had no time for any posting. I didn't even have time to go home! I ended up pulling an all nighter and slept at work one night, then pulled near all nighters the next two nights. Good to be busy, but sometimes it's a little too much!

So here's what's been going on.

M and I did our first volunteer project together. We went to Brooklyn Bridge park and gardened. M had done it once before, but this time I joined her. We did mostly weeding. Here's what it looked like before weeding...



And here's what it looked like when I put my expert weeding skills to work...



Since then I have accidentally missed two volunteer projects that I signed up for. I'm not proud of it, but work just got too busy and I forgot.

The weekend between our birthdays has kind been identified as our birthday weekend. This year we decided to join some friends for a fun Friday night evening. It started with Bradley and I throwing the ball around in Central Park.



Then we headed back to his place where M met up with us after yoga. Up on the roof we enjoyed the city from above.





After it got dark we headed over to Amyliz and Monty's place and played some games and enjoyed a smorgasboard of takeout (Mexican, Indian, and Thai).



My birthday passed without much fanfare. I worked late and it was as stressful day. M did come home and make chocolate mousse for desert. It was very good. Thanks to all who sent cards and made calls. I appreciate it.

This weekend so far has been spent playing baseball and working. Our team is on the verge of the playoffs so we are fighting for a spot. M worked and has to work again tomorrow.

Next time, when I'm all ready to post, I will do so. Thanks for being patient.

Happy Birthday Marni!

There is a new post below...but today belongs to Marni. Happy Birthday!!

Crockett & Tubbs...& Yeater

We had a beautiful weekend to look forward to, so M thought it would be nice to have a little date night. She offered to take me out for dinner, I said great, I'll get the movie afterward. So after work Friday, M met me at my office where I was finishing up a busy week of work. We decided we go to a Peruvian restaurant in the village: Lima'a Taste.



We had a little of time before our 8pm reservation, so we headed over to the Hudson River Park for a bit.



Our meal was wonderful. We had ceviche, a pitcher of Sangria, and some really good shredded chicken and seafood both in yellow pepper sauces.



We decided to walk off the great meal, and we headed up to Union Square where we had tickets to see Miami Vice. We were supposed to see it last weekend when it opened, but due to a little schedule mixup, we changed plans to this weekend. It was awesome! I've been waiting for a whole year for this movie to come out and it was worth it. All I know, is that some day I am going to buy a boat so I can drive to Havanna to get Mojito's. Awesome.

Needless to say, I wish I were part of the undercover squad...



Saturday was spent playing baseball for me. Took up pretty much my whole day. In the mean time, M had another volunteer gig at the Chealsea Rec Center to help teach computer tutorials. They ended up being a little overbooked, so M left early for lunch at the Shake Shack and a nap in Madison Square Park.

I was pretty beat up when I got some, so it was nice to relax, have dinner, and watch a little bit of Six Feet Under, Season 2 to wind down.

Baseball & The Bronx

No, it's not what you think. I haven't spent the past week attending Yankee games. In fact, we have yet to attend a game this year!

This past weekend my brother Aaron came to town to hang out, watch my baseball games, and visit with friends. He arrived Saturday and I met him at my office where I had forgotten my baseball gear. I grabbed it and we headed off. A quick stop at home to grab a hat, and we then hopped on the train up to the Flatbush neighborhood where Aaron's good friend Brandon lives. We were given the grand tour of his house. It's located on a historic block in the famed neighborhood. From their upstairs windows you can gaze out at the site of the former Brooklyn Dodgers baseball stadium Ebbets Field.



It has since been torn down and replaced by a less than attractive apartment building, but you can still feel the excitement and longing for the summers of the late 1950s when baseball was the life of the neighborhood.

At 1:30 I headed off to my baseball game. Aaron met up with me at the start of the game. It wasn't a terribly exciting game. It was close and not a whole lot of scoring. I was worried I wasn't putting on much of a show for Aaron because I was 0-2 to start the game. But in my final at bat, I knocked in what would end up being the winning run in the game with a line drive up the middle.

M showed up near the end of the first game, her first appearance at my baseball games. She had spent the morning in the Bronx volunteering for the Momentum AIDS Project Meal Service. After my games we all went back to Brandon's where a little get together was organized, burgers were cooked, and I got really full.

Sunday, Aaron and I spent the day watching baseball. Mainly the Twins vs. Tigers until the power went out in the bar we were in. It's too hot here and everyone is having power outages all the time!

There are pics from this weekend, but I have yet to receive them. When I do, I'll throw them on the blog.

Monday passed without much excitement, but Tuesday (today) was my first volunteer project with New York Cares. After work I went to the Bronx Library Center where I helped recent immigrants practice conversational English.



It was a lot of fun. In my group were three women from the Dominican Republic and one woman from South Korea. I talked to the DR women about baseball (i.e. David Ortiz, Jose Reyes, and Francisco Liriano) the whole time and to the Korean woman about my obvious connection to that country (M). It was a lot of fun. I plan to go back every Tuesday, for if there is one thing I am good at, it's talking people's ears off!