Mazeltov

Got back yesterday from a *wonderful* weekend in St. Joseph, MI, for my friends Kathy & Matt's wedding. They had a very nice Jewish + Catholic ceremony outdoors in a bandshell along the St. Joseph River, followed by an elegant and festive reception at the heritage center in town. I sat with some of my current and former co-workers and had a great time chatting and dancing. The following day, Kathy and Matt held a bbq at Silver Beach along Lake Michigan... lovely scenery, great weather, and yummy food. All in all it was a very fun weekend. Also, I was very happy with the shots I was able to get with my new camera. Here are a few photos from the event:


Kathy & Matt exchanging rings 


My friends and me with Kathy 


Me at Silver Beach 

I took the day off work today to "recover" :) ... yay for three-day weekends! I've done a bit of cleaning around the house so far today, and I'll probably head out this afternoon to get my car washed and maybe run some other errands. I should try to hit the gym some time today too.

This week I plan to register for fall classes at DePaul. Actually I think I will take just one class in the fall quarter. I'm planning to take an Econ course that I hear is pretty challenging. It's been nice having a bit of a break from classes. Just about one more month left before school starts up again! I'm sure it will fly by.

I feel so old!

I was in Bloomington, IN from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon, celebrating Lori's 21st birthday. I drove down with Mark, and met up there with Greg, Rhoda, and Jerry. Some of Lori's friends also joined in the festivities. We started out at a local deli/sports bar for dinner, then went to two bars and a club (where we saw Mike & Joe play a set). It was a fun time, although I felt my age when I started getting tired around midnight and realized we had a couple hours of partying left. :) Anyway, it was great to hang out with the gang, and we have some fun stories to re-tell and memories to look back on. ;)

Back home, but not for long

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. My family and I went to two gatherings, both lots of fun with lots of food. :) I had fun playing with the various kidlets, plus Wayne & Vicky's 6-month old pup Kate who is so sweet and has grown so much since I last saw her. Mocha was pretty good yesterday too... he was as usual very excited to see Mark & Tita Marie when they stopped by. Oh! And at the first party, the gang surprised me with a (belated) birthday cake! Very cool and unexpected. :)

I was among the many travelers affected by the nasty weather in Chicago on Wednesday. I was originally scheduled to arrive around 4pm... my flight eventually landed at midnight and I got home around 2am. My original flight out of Albany was cancelled after we waited about four hours... I got re-booked (in first class!) on the next flight which was also very delayed. Then on our first landing approach into O'Hare we had to abort because another plane didn't clear the runway in time (doh). Finally we landed, taxiied for a while, I waited 20 minutes for my checked bag, trudged through the snow in the parking lot, and finally drove off around 1:30am. Fortunately there was no traffic at that time :) so I got home pretty quick. Anyway, I am glad I made it home safely and didn't have to spend the night at the airport!

I start my new assignment in Cincinnati on Monday (already - so much for downtime!)... I know some people there from the Chicago office so that'll be good. This is supposed to be a pretty short gig, too... six weeks or so. We'll see how it goes!

Back from Cali

Just got back tonight from my trip to Cali... Had a great time with family out there. Thanks so much to Jay, Karen, Rommel, Tita Lita & Uncle Carlos for their hospitality! I'm also glad to have met Karen's new baby Sydney and to see big sister Sam again. :)

Edit: Some pics from my Cali trip:

 
Me w/Jay, Uncle Carlos, and Tita Lita 

 
Me w/sleepy Sydney 

 
Sydney and Sam  

Maryland fun

I spent a wonderful weekend in Maryland with my uncle and his family. I got to hang out with my two little cousins, one who turned 6 on Sunday :) and one who's 8. On Saturday we went to the 6-year-old's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, then Sunday we drove up to Baltimore to check out the aquarium and inner harbor (we even rode a paddleboat). Fun time! Now I am tired but it was worth it :)

Tita Marie's wedding is coming up on Saturday. That should be interesting. Also, on Friday I'm meeting up with one of my college roomies and good pal Mark E. I haven't seen him since his wedding a couple years ago, so I'm looking forward to catching up.

Edit: Here's a photo from my Maryland visit:


Me w/my uncle and cousins at Inner Harbor in Baltimore 

It's up to you, NY, NY

Just spent a full and fun weekend in Manhattan with Mom and Tita Cora. Arrived early Saturday morning via Amtrak, grabbed some breakfast at a Sbarro near Macy's, and then started our sightseeing bus tour. First stop was Empire State Building, where we went up to the observatory to see NYC from above. We hopped back on the bus tour and rode through several Manhattan neighborhoods (Greenwich Village, SoHo, TriBeCa) till we reached Battery Park, where we had lunch and shopped for some trinkets. Back on the bus, we rode back uptown through Little Italy, Chinatown, past the U.N. building, Central Park South, and back to Times Square. At Times Square we stood in line at the TKTS booth and managed to score 1/2-price tickets for "Rent" that evening! We then shopped at Macy's, grabbed a light dinner at a nearby deli, then rested up before heading back out to catch the show... which was excellent.

That was Saturday (whew). On Sunday, we went out for breakfast, went to mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, then caught the sightseeing bus back to Battery Park to catch the Statue of Liberty ferry. Back in Times Square, we stopped in at the big Hershey's Store for some chocolate-based souvenirs :) and then rushed back to the hotel so I could pick up my bags and catch my train back to Albany. All in all, a fun weekend, and now I'm tired, but it was worth it! Pics to come...

Edit: Here's a random sampling of photos from my Manhattan trip:


View from Empire State Building observation deck 


Mom taking a photo of the Empire State Building (LOL) 


Umbrella art exhibit in Battery Park 


Horse & carriage near Grand Army Plaza 


The Hershey's Store!!! 


Street musicians near the tkts booth 


The hustle and bustle of Times Square 


Me w/Lady Liberty 

Meet me in... Albany?

Meet me in... Albany? I got assigned to the eMedNY project today. I start on Monday! Not looking forward to winter travel, and this might mess things up with the class I'm taking. On the positive side, I know a bunch of Chicago-based people already working on the project, so I won't feel all alone out there.

Easter at IU

Tomorrow my parents and I (and maybe Lola too) will be driving down to IU to visit my sis. She'll be getting confirmed at the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. Congrats to her! :)

Work went pretty well this week from a productivity standpoint, but there have been some frustrating management issues. Oh well. I guess you find this kind of thing at every job.

Better go pack for tomorrow's trip! Happy Easter to all who celebrate it! :)

Chambana-rama

Great weekend in Chambana! Mark & Amy's wedding was so nice. It took place at Amy's parents' home. It was an intimate ceremony but very nicely done. It was great to see Mark again, as well as several of his friends from Edwardsville who I had met while we were roomies at UIUC. After the dinner (which was wonderful), there was some music and dancing and socializing time, then Amy's dad started a big bonfire in the yard where several of us gathered to sit and chat.

After the wedding I hung out with Greg & Julie at their apartment, and slept on their easy chair. :) I treated them to Sunday brunch at Perkin's, then on my way home I drove around campus to see what has changed since I left there. I also took a few minutes to walk around the engineering quad to check out some of my old hangouts. Then I drove home and took a much-needed nap. :)

Tomorrow I start my new project downtown. I'm looking forward to it mostly. The only thing I'm not so excited about is that I'll have to wait for the trains and buses in these darn below-normal fall temperatures. I had better find my scarf and gloves...

Orlandoooo

I returned from my Orlando trip this morning. It was a great time! Elaine and her new husband Joe had a lovely wedding ceremony, and a small but fun reception. Afterwards, Elaine & Joe and several friends and I headed out to a mall near our hotel to hang out and have a relaxed dinner. My parents and godmother, Elaine's parents, and another couple went out separately around the same time. Guess which group got back first? Yup, some of the "kids" (including myself) returned to the hotel shortly after 10pm while the parents waltzed in laughing and giggling around 11pm. Well, I'm glad they had fun too. :)

Right now my mom is in NJ at a reunion with people from her hometown in the Philippines. She was chosen to give the opening speech at the reunion dinner. I hope it went well. I also hope someone videotaped her so my dad and sister and I can watch. hehe

OK, gotta fold laundry. Fun, fun.

See y'all, Huntsville

I'm finished with my NASA assignment! I'm gonna miss the people here but I'm definitely ready to head back home and hopefully to a new project assignment in the Chicago area. I am glad though that I got to experience life in the "Deep South" for a little while, and that I got to spend time with Tita Fe and Tito Oscar and their family here.

Tomorrow is my parents' 34th (!!) wedding anniversary. :) We're going to Maggiano's for lunch to celebrate. Should be fun (and filling).

Back from Spain!

I'm back from Spain! My sister and I were (barely) able to leave Chicago for Madrid on Wednesday afternoon. We arrived in Madrid shortly after 11am Thursday and had a wonderful time with our host family and other friends we met there. I'll maybe go into more detail later, but all I have to say is I wish I could have stayed at least a week longer and I hope to be able to go back and visit again before too long!

And now, I have to unpack my stuff and sort out all the souvenirs I bought... :)

Edit: Pics are up! Also, I've copied over the blurbs about the trip that I posted on my personal website...

Day 1 - July 25, 2002: Today we arrived in Spain, met Sandra's family, had lunch, took a siesta :) and then set out to see Alcala de Henares. We met up with Sandra's friend Dani who accompanied us around town. We visited a church down the street from Sandra's flat, Cisneros University, Plaza de Cervantes (the main town square in Alcala and a very popular gathering place), and other places around downtown Alcala. That night we saw a performance by the Ballet Raza dance troupe which presented a series of folk dances from different regions of Spain.

Day 2 - July 26, 2002: Today Sandra and Lorena took us to Sandra's university campus in Alcala. We toured the building she takes classes in. We then met their mom in Plaza des Irelandeses for a snack, then we walked home to have lunch. After lunch, we met up with Dani again, and Sandra's dad drove us to Parque Corredor, a large shopping mall nearby. We bought a bunch of souvenirs there and had some refreshments as well. We then caught a bus back to Alcala and had dinner at Sandra's home.

Day 3 - July 27, 2002: Today Sandra and her parents drove us to Segovia, a city about one hour drive from Madrid. Among other things, we saw a gorgeous cathedral, a huge castle, and an ancient aqueduct. After enjoying a nice lunch, we visited a palace built by a former king, which featured a huge garden area with several ornate fountains, some of which were turned on for the visitors' enjoymenet. On the way back to Alcala we drove into the mountains near Madrid.

Day 4 - July 28, 2002: Our sightseeing today took place in Madrid and El Escorial. Lori and I went with Lorena and her dad. We first went up Faro de la Moncloa, an observation tower in Madrid from which you can take in a great view of the city. We also saw a former presidential retreat, where leaders from other countries stay when they visit Spain. Next we traveled to El Escorial where there is a large monastery. After touring the monastery and grabbing lunch in El Escorial, we drove back to Madrid and rode in Teleferico (a "sky-ride" over part of the city). Later we walked/drove around the downtown area and other interesting sites.

Day 5 - July 29, 2002: We spent today shopping for souvenirs and checking out other sites in and around Alcala. We visited Dani's university campus, stopped by El Corte Ingles (a large upscale mall nearby), and walked around our favorite areas in Alcala. Then we enjoyed one last dinner with Sandra and her family before sitting, chatting, listening to music, and reluctantly getting ready for our trip home the next morning.

Passport oopsy

Woops, we hit a snafu in our trip to Spain, before we even left... Somehow, neither my sister, my parents, nor I managed to notice that my sister's passport expired two years ago. DOH! The agent at the check-in counter informed us of this fact. She asked if I would like to travel today as planned and have my sister catch up tomorrow, but sis wasn't too keen on that idea since she'd have to navigate the Amsterdam airport by herself during her connection. Anyway, my mom scheduled a "rush" appointment with the passport office tomorrow morning. If all goes well we will be able to make it to the airport in time to catch our late-afternoon flight; our trip would just be cut short by one day (the gate agent kindly re-booked us on a flight tomorrow free of charge). If there's a delay, however, either I'll have to head off to Spain by myself, or we'll pay a ticket-change penalty to push the departure and return dates back even farther. Egads!

Tickets to Madrid?

I'm trying to price tickets for a trip to Madrid for myself and my sister (and potentially my parents too) for late-July/early-August... but every airfare I can find is >$1000. Ugh! My mom is trying to get in touch with a travel agent friend-of-a-friend who will hopefully be able to find some reasonable fares.