Thanksgiving 2009

I have to give my Mom credit. We were only back from our adventure in New York City one day and she only had 24 hours or less to get everything baked and ready for Thanksgiving. On Wednesday we were awake by 6:00 A.M. and my sister arrived soon after. Just before 7:00 A.M. were pulled into a very busy and packed parking lot at one of the local chain grocery stores. I was amazed that so many people were already there. The day before as we sat at LaGuardia Airport I watched my Mom busily wrote out her list of what she would be preparing. She has never (ever) bought anything already made for any dinner party. She always makes everything from scratch. That specific list had a flurry of written out needs from the grocery store. We were in and out of the grocery store in 30 minutes! Thankfully, not one item was forgotten on the list.

My Mom and sister prepared all the food, snacks, and desserts in approximately 7 ½ to 8 hours. Thankfully we have two fridges and three freezers to hold the countless dishes that they made. I love home cooked dishes and I think my Mom loves making it because her mother would expect just that! There were only a few things she had to actually make the next day. She was on her game!

Everyone arrived promptly around 1:00 P.M. and the dinner itself was fantastic. I just basically sat around afterwards listening to the variety of family conversations. My grandmother (my Mom’s mother who passed away) used to sit with me and do the same. I could totally hear her in my head and see the faces she would make during these family moments. You had to know her to really appreciate what I am talking about. She was beyond “hip” for being in her 80’s. To put it in perspective, my grandmother and I would talk about current events, politics, or even the books we were reading. No one would ever interrupt our conversations and I know she liked that. She would also rate their outfits or make really hilarious (snide) comments about whatever someone was talking about. She was usually right on the money with these opinions. Of course I am one sided and now forced to deal with really odd conversations. I think she spoiled me intellectually.

As the night wore on, we were treated to a really special moment when my cousins “boob” flopped out twice during the WII bowling tournament. Yeah, it was really special seeing 300?? Lbs of person lose control of their breasts. We now refer to this as the Janet Jackson moment this year.

Soon the family were all gone and the house was back in order. By 9:00 A.M. my Mother and I had all the autumn décor put away. Now the Christmas tree, lights, and festive decorations for one of my most favored holiday’s are up. I love the Christmas holiday and the warm feeling of the décor all around the inside and outside of our home. By tomorrow the decorating will be complete and I get to do what I love best. Plan with my sister and Mom what holiday cookies and desserts we will be making. So watch your mail, you never know what Mom and I might send to you! :o) (All homemade of course)

NYC (Conclusion)

Monday seemed to appear out of nowhere and I was excited for this day for two specific reasons. My friends from all over were going to be in New York, and Monday evening we would all be attending a tribute by the Rosie’s Broadway Kids in honor of Queen Latifah.

Even though I had paid for tickets to the event, I was honored that I was included to be part of a great group of people that were asked and able to volunteer for the RBK foundation. My friends, family, and I sorted and organized 500 gift bags for the event. While another group of people worked on 500 more in another room. We all worked really well together and organization was something none of us lacked. I think no matter how much work was involved, we all still would have had a fantastic time. Knowing that we were helping out (giving back), and that we were together!

Soon we were out on the streets of NYC and had a quick slice of pizza. Then off to our hotel rooms to rest a little and get ready for the evening ahead!

Upon entering the Palace Theater, we were treated to a really great experience. To see Rosie practicing in a private setting upon the stage for the upcoming show that night. We also assisted in collecting pledge cards during a reverse auction. Which I have to admit was quite fun!

The show was spectacular. I felt such a surge of great emotion as I watched the RBK kids perform in tribute to Queen Latifah. Not to mention the stunning performances by Rosie O’Donnell, NIKKI BLONSKY, MELINDA DOOLITTLE ,MONTEGO GLOVER, and NORM LEWIS. Queen Latifah gave a wonderful acceptance speech as well. It was truly remarkable! ! !

The night was soon over and we all piled out of the theater and were treated to a really special V.I.P. reception in the neighboring hotel. It was filled with a variety of performers who were beyond nice! However, the show has to come to an end at some point.

My friends (who I always miss) and I said our goodbyes and we went our separate ways. For me, it was a special feeling walking back to the hotel through times square after such a wonderful and fulfilling day. In no time I was asleep and when I awoke reality stung me. It was time to go home. The memories, laughter, and pure joy of meeting Dave and seeing all my friends for such a great cause will last for a long time! So a big thank you to all of them and New York has a special place in my heart. The best part, I was able to share it with my Mom!

NYC (PART 1)

My appetite for adventure and travel has once again lead me back to the city that never sleeps. What more could anyone say about a trip to New York City? Everyone is well aware of its significant everyday appeal and contributions to so many facets of life around the world. New York does touch you; no matter where you live. So, this is my story of a 4 day adventure that aided in curing that burning addiction to come back again, but to also see in person the gift of song, dance, experience, and love given by the charitable organization known as RBKids started by Rosie O‘Donnell. This trip was not only entertaining, but meaningful.

I arrived on November 21st and soon set off with my Mother and cousin Katie. This was exciting for me for a number of reasons. My cousin had only been in New York City once before on a school trip. We all know the constraints of going with “the school”. Everything is planned and you are monitored 24/7. What I took the most joy in, was that my Mom could be a part of the experience. She has not been in NYC since she was in high school. Which to me, well; it is odd. She has traveled all over the world. Not only was I excited to be back, but I could sense the same in my travel companions. I love that feeling of knowing that someone is experiencing such joy while they are with me.

Our first evening was filled with an the wonderful opportunity to meet someone that I admire and gain inspiration from. Whether it be a photo he has taken or something he has written on his fantastic blog. That would Mr. David Shankbone. I have written back and forth with Dave many times and even had a phone conversation with him before. I had never met him in person, but he is someone that I felt like I had always known. I jumped on the chance to share a meal with him when asked, and I brought along my Mother and Katie.

Our destination was a family ran restaurant named the Café Mogador in the East Village, which serves a variety of Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine. As I entered the restaurant I saw Dave immediately. A handsome, tall man with a dazzling smile from ear to ear. I put my hand out and instead got a very warm and inviting hug. Soon we were involved in a great conversation and Dave was more than helpful in describing what he felt was great on the menu. His choices could not have been more that “spot on”. The night ended just as it began with Dave. A warm hug from him and truly a first meeting that I will not forget.

During the cab ride back to the hotel, I asked what everyone thought of Dave, and the food we had eaten. My Mom really enjoyed Dave’s intelligence, hospitality, and to be honest. She could not stop talking about how impressed she was by him overall and thankful for his pick on where to eat. My cousin Katie of course described him in two words. Hot and Intense. So, a big thank you to David Shankbone for making our first night in NYC a memorable one!

Sunday was soon upon us and in typical tourist fashion we headed out on random adventures. Surely, we could not just pass by a Starbucks to kick start our day! I have some familiarity with the area and took my family to Central Park. We walked around the warm autumn scenery commenting on what we knew of the history of the park, and what we viewed as art or even entertainment. Then we walked fifth avenue going in and out of stores that are rare or do not exist in close proximity of where we live. Back to the hotel to drop off bags clothes and we were out the door again. This time we walked to the Empire State Building. It was an amazing experience, but nothing I need to do twice. Though, I think at night it would be a spectacular scene as well.

Standing outside of the most memorable building from the movie King Kong, I hailed a cab and we were soon headed to the events of 9/11. It may seem weird, but I wanted to see for myself and experience the area first hand. To imagine and understand the immensity of what had occurred in the past. We all witnessed it near and far on one level or another.

After awhile of wandering around the WTC area, my Mom spotted a store that she had been interested in visiting. So once again we went in, shopped, and went back in a cab filled with bags to the hotel. I started to wonder if we needed to buy another suitcase. Leave it to my Mom to not only pack for NYC, but she also packed two large carry on bags. Good thinking Mom!

I really wanted to take my Mom to a fantastic tourist spot in Times Square. My cousin also remarked on how much she enjoyed the restaurant. So we took her for a late lunch at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. The servers sing throughout your meal a variety of Broadway songs live. Oh, and we secretly played as if we were American Idol Judges at our table. No worries though, everyone who sang got a thumbs up!

We did a lot of sight seeing in Times Square and just took in what it had to offer in shops and obviously entertainment. We were honestly tired and did not want to go out to eat. Off the beaten path we discovered a pizza place and picked up some “slices”, iced tea, and soda. Back in our hotel we had a good time eating and hanging out with each other. Basically talking about our entire day and again our night before with Dave and the meal we enjoyed with him came up.

Monday was the day I was getting really anxious for!

To be Continued……………………..

A Childs Worth (Parts 1&2)

A fellow police officer and friend passed away recently due to a freak accident. Regardless of differences that many officer’s may have, this was one instance in which we volunteered and donated money and time to make sure his children would not have to worry too much about their future.

A very sizeable amount of money was collected to benefit his children. That amount was then doubled or matched by our police union. During our union meeting yesterday, there was a vote to authorize the payment of an attorney hired to create the trusts for each child. Working in the legal system, I was astounded by the 50% break the attorney gave our members in doing this work. When it came down to a vote in allowing this payment to be made via our union; it was overwhelmingly passed.

However, those who voted “no” took issue with the entire trust fund idea. These officer’s openly made remarks that created a conversation of the trust funds being selective for particular members when someone passed away. Even the ignorant idea of officer’s basing donations on likes and dislikes of someone who may pass away. I thought to myself “ are you fucking kidding me”. I could no longer contain my disgust for such ignorance and spoke up. I basically said, this is not about being well liked or the most popular in terms of who you are when you may pass away. It is about the aspect of humanity and helping out anyone’s family regardless of what opinion you may have had about them.

As I spoke, it was like everyone had gone silent. There was a sense of anger and irritation in my voice as I expressed with great emotion that the debate pertaining to this specific topic was being distorted by misplaced jealousy and assumptions. It was about helping the children of any fallen officer. End of story! At one point I used the term “you people” in my statement. Well, it turned into a throwing of the race card in my direction. I guess those self proclaimed officer’s of African descent thought I was being prejudice. I still do not understand why. I continued to talk over their ignorant comments. Anyway, I was very pleased that the heads of the union and many members applauded me when I was done speaking. We then moved onto other topics. I could tell that the some of my fellow officer’s who took the negative side of this issue were not very happy with my speech. Oh well.

As I walked into the Sheriff’s Department this morning, one of the positive energy vampires made a turn in my direction. “ I do not appreciate what you said in the union meeting yesterday”. I have to admit, I was a little caught off guard by her rather rude demeanor on the subject. She went furthered her platform by telling me that she was a single mother raising a child by herself. That no one ever helped her, so why should our union dues and donations support a fallen officer’s kids. Seriously, I was appalled by her piss poor attitude. She definitely needed her “chip” knocked off her shoulder. After she was done telling me how our fallen officer had three different “babies mommas” as she referred to them. I interrupted her with “ what does that have to do with these kids?”

I told her that officer and the women who were the mother’s of his children were not the recipients of the money, and that it was really none of our business or our place to make a judgment upon anyone. It was obvious that the money would be specifically used to assist each child directly. This boiled down to helping kids, not our personal opinions or what rumors anyone chooses to believe. The parent(s) should never overshadow what can be done for their children. I also furthered my point by telling this officer that if it were her or anyone else. That I would be giving the same speeches and making damn sure that her own child would have the same financial backing from our department/union. She just didn’t get it, and walked away shaking her head. A shell of lost humanity that has given up on what you truly can do for the innocent in life.

Part 2


Two officer’s at work have had a pretty rough week in terms of what they are going through. One is dealing with some inner office conflicts while the other had a traumatic accident with his very young son burning his left hand horribly. With the Sergeant we all stood outside discussing a variety of things, when I heard the familiar sound of a wagon being pulled with squeaky wheels and kids talking loudly. It is strange to hear this, since we are in the middle of a huge criminal justice complex. It was then I saw a very young boy about 9 years old pulling the wagon with four children riding in it. The kids in the wagon were very young. They were around 2-3 years in age, and a six year old was pushing from behind. I stared at them intently and in a very weird instance. I seemed to have drifted off from the conversation and found myself standing near the busy street they walked along. They saw me and waved.

The officers that I had been hanging out with were now watching me as I watched these children. The waving of their little hands killed me inside. I could have cried right then and there. I snapped a photograph as they crossed a very busy and dangerous intersection; causing traffic to stop. My heart literally fell into my stomach. Where was the adult supervision? This area of town is crawling with the lowest of low people in life. It’s good being in uniform because I bravely stepped into the traffic and stopped vehicles as I crossed. I think people realized I was trying to reach these kids. The Sergeant stepped outside to apparently watch what I was doing.

I noticed that their clothes were soiled and the toddlers in the wagon needed their diapers changed. They greeted me with shy but outgoing hellos. I believe the oldest was unsure why the big bad cop stopped them from their joy ride. I asked where their mom was and I regret doing so. They had pulled that little red wagon 8 blocks from home to wave at their mom in jail. A great amount of grief swelled in me. The oldest said his grandmother wanted to lay down and they were too noisy; she told them to go outside and play. Sadly, the older children knew where to visit their mother and put the toddlers in the wagon and set off on a mission. Thankfully a transport officer from another agency stopped to ask what was going on. He and his partner were kind of enough to take all the kids home without issue.

Walking back I felt like I had been hit with a ton of brick. The idea of a child’s selfless and never ending love for their mother is a prize taken for granted. I wondered if their mother knew or had any idea that her children were just outside a building that housed the most minimal to violent offenders in our area. That they came with the idea of visiting their mother. It was sad, but I understand the love that doesn’t judge in their own hearts.

Totally random Crap!

Sun Chips ~ Garden Salsa! Try them!

Okay, totally EXCITED for My trip to NYC with my Mom and Cousin. I cannot wait to see friends both old and new! To experience the cold and magic in New York around Thanksgiving.

Figuring out my Christmas cards and what I will be sending out.

The nerd part, I am loving the new Ratchet and Clank for the Playstation3.

Finishing a gi-normous report today for my Lieutenant dealing with huge screw up by the feds on Tuesday.

As much as I do not get the draw, I want to see the sequel to twilight. I enjoyed the first movie.

Still waiting on the order I put in three weeks ago for the newly approved tactical uniforms at work. Seriously, they are very cool and I do not have to wear any brass or metal on them. Like ninja clothes!

Loving the newly revised “V” series on T.V.

Still enthralled and amazed at the entertainment value of the House Wives Of Orange County. I really would like to sit with them and tell a select few how ignorant they are.

My birthday is the 25th, and I am going to be 36. Uhg…. If I feel like this, what depression will be in at the turn of 40.

There is great anticipation to start dating someone, but then I realize how comfortable I am single. Weird…

I get easily annoyed when I deal with people who need to hear the same answer over and over.

When I find myself getting way stressed out at work, I remind myself to just walk away. (its hard for me to do just that)

I am only giving gifts to my immediate family for the holidays. I am sure I will break that rule.

When I leave work my mind is just racing. I have read laws, court orders, and tons of court dispositions all day. I slack on reading books or checking out blogs. I need to get back on track and get back in touch!

The scar on my left wrist is obvious from where the Dr. cut me with her scalpel. I touch it a lot.

A total of three officers in uniform have been stopped in patrol cars for being “drunk” on the job. Sad…

There are officers that are jealous of my position and I have to again watch my back. I do not get the competition at work. Then again, I do not understand why these people are police officers.

It bothers me that my dog is starting to act “old”. She sleeps all the time and doesn’t want to play.

There is yet to be a new song on the radio or satellite stations that I find enjoyable. It is rare to hear something original and that has meaning.

The local government here is talking lay offs at my department. As a matter of fact the rumor is 45 officers and 3-4 administrators need to be laid off or “let go”. People are stressing at work about this.

I officially do not like fast food of any kind. This includes subway.

The whole H1N1 thing is bullshit in my opinion. I am very turned off by the scare tactics being used to make sure people get vaccinated. Read up on the vaccine and decide for yourself.



I dealt with a guy that is now labeled a “serial killer”, and it still gives me the chills when I think about looking into his eyes. I have hear people say that someone looked through them before, and I have dealt with a lot of mentally ill people. This guy, there is no way to describe the harsh, cold, and vicious soul in those eyes. I could feel him. Totally creepy!

Awhile ago I was involved with an officer who later had a baby, and got married. Things went really wrong between us and I was just annoyed that he went and got married; even though he was gay. Anyway, surprise surprise. Already filing for divorce, left the wife with a new house purchased over the summer, living in an upscale apartment, and already being accused of dating men by other officers. Nice job! Glad I am not in that mess, so things do happen for a reason. I think he is about to experience another dose of karma.

The “ex” and I at work are on even ground now. A lot of things have been resolved between us and due to the nasty, political, and nature of the job. We again have become allies, but only in a work setting. I still do not have a lot of faith in him as a person.

My aunt had that stomach surgery to lose weight. Her health was horrible, and I am amazed in just a month how different she looks and acts.

I have a new group of friends at work that are quite fun. I have slowly began to hang out with them on a regular basis outside of work. We are all from different backgrounds, but seem to meld well together. I just do not go to bars with them. Its one thing if I am out of town, but here I find them boring and know way too many people.