Leydi says...

The Dating Game

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:39:00 +0000

Disclaimer: If you read this and realize that some of this is about you, do not take it personally. I do not mean any harm, but a lot of its interesting and funny. Think of it more as an educational tool to help others who are in the dating game be successful.

Sooooo, for the past couple of months I was a dating machine. It seems like everyone I know was trying to set me up or introduce me to someone who they thought would be a good match for me. There are also people you meet in the street, at a bar or just about anywhere.

I have been on my fair share of dates, from fancy dinners to just hanging out at the movies. Some guys were funny, boring (these are the worst) and some were even pretty cute. So from this sample I have some sage wisdom to share with the single men out there.

If you are going to ask a girl out, do so properly! Say things like “I would like to go out with you. Are you free on __________?” Do not just leave it open ended and just wait for her to tell you when she is free. She will think you are a wuss and most likely you are.
Have a plan! After you get the date and you go pick her up or meet up with the girl, make sure you have a plan if you have not already told her what you will be doing. So don't show up and say "ohh what do you want to do"? This is a major fail. If you did this to me, you probably didn't get a second date, right?
Please be yourself! Even if you are a creep, its better she knows it from the beginning. Hey some girls, like creeps, so go figure. This is not to say that you should not be on your best behavior. This is not the time to try out the corny joke you looked up online to try to impress her. OK?
Watch the signals! Women are the queens of non-verbal cues. So pay attention. A girl will let you know if she is interested. Is she making eye contact? Is she actively listening? Are her eyes wandering all over the restaurant? Is she constantly checking her phone? Then she is not interested. She is just waiting for you to notice and hopefully not ask her out again.
Please follow-up! If the date went well, you both had a good time and she hinted on liking to see you again. Call her and let her know you had a good time too. Don't text her or email her (this is coming from the texting queen)

So guys now that you have my top five tips on how to woo a woman, try not to mess up and have a good time. If it does not work out its OK, there are plenty of fish in the sea, just please do not be like that loser that got upset and told me "I didn't give him a chance to shine" when it was clear there wasn't any chemistry.

Seriously??

I have finally hung up my dating shoes :) But, one thing I realized, is that everyone is looking for love and there is someone for everybody. When you find the one you like, make sure you shine!!!

My Mami :)

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Sun, 09 May 2010 19:39:00 +0000

I always tell people "I'm soooooo conceited" and they look at me with this weird look on their face, like I just told them I can bench-press 300 pounds. They laugh and say, “No you are not”! You are too nice to be conceited. I laugh and say wait until you get to know me better.

Now, when I say that I am conceited, maybe what I really mean is that I am just overly confident, sometimes to a fault. Heidi Klum can be at a party but when I walk in, I think to myself, “Yeah she’s hot, but I am way hotter!!”

But honestly, these feelings of confidence and sureness in myself all come from one place... my mother.

For as long as I can remember my mother has told me that I am the smartest, the prettiest, the nicest, the loveliest, the funniest child, girl, teen, and woman alive. Throughout the years I have come to believe all of these superlatives and even own them from time to time. OK maybe ALL the time :)

I have my mother to thank for my obsession with reflective surfaces, because I cannot walk by a mirror, store window or stainless steel fridge without checking myself out. This is not a joke; I honestly do this, A LOT.

Thanks to my mother I have the confidence to know that I can try my hand at anything and even if the outcome is not how I expected, still be proud that at least I gave it my best. I of course have my own set of insecurities, but thanks to my mami, I know that I can always pick up the phone and call her and in two seconds she will have made my head so BIG, that I will go out there and try even harder than before. There is not one phone conversation with my mom that does not end some way like this:

Me: bye mami, love youuuuuuu, muahhhh

Mami: te quiero mami, God Bless you, I loveeee you sooooo much, I missssss youuu

Me: love you too mami, miss you too, muahhh

Mami: I love you

Me: I love you too, bye

Mami: bye, I love you

Me: bye, muahhh

And eventually one of us will hang up the phone.

What my mother does not realize is that to me, she is the smartest, the prettiest, the nicest, the loveliest, the funniest woman, wife and mother alive. Everyday I want to be more like her. I want to be as caring, as sassy and as stubborn as she is, because when I say, “ohh God, I am turning into my mother” to me that is actually a good thing. I have huge shoes to fill and hope one day I will be lucky enough to have my future children feel the same way about me.

Happy (American) Mothers day mami. You are my friend, my confidant and my inspiration.

Te Quiero!

Lets play ball...

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:10:00 +0000

As someone who loves baseball, I get offended when people say that baseball is not a "real" sport. Haters say this because of the pace of the game, they think it is boring and long, but if you really pay attention, it really is not. At least not to me.

Baseball is a probability sport; it is all about how well you performed in the past and how you are supposed to perform in the future. Some players get teams to take expensive chances on them. There numbers might not be that good, but someone on the team got a gut feeling about a player and decides to take a chance. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it does not. But watching if it does or not it is where the fun and excitement lays.

Much like life right???

The baseball season is a long one, from April through September and even longer because of spring training. Then there are the winter leagues, but we will not get into that now, that is whole other post.

But the point is, if you are baseball fan you probably are because you grew up with someone in your family being enthusiastic about it or you played as a kid and this brings back so many memories or comadrarie and of family.

For me it was my father. Anyone that knows my dad knows he is crazy with baseball and especially with the Dominican players. As a kid, I would sit down with my dad and watch games. My brothers would watch too, so I felt like one of the "guys", it was very exciting for me. As I got older, I learned about statistics, pitch counts, the rules and I became even more fascinated.

Now as an adult, when I sit home alone and watch a game from start to finish I remember my father and if it is the Red Sox or Mets playing there is a very high probability that my father is watching it too, all the way from the Dominican Republic. It makes me happy to know that from thousands of miles away I am bonding with my father.

Thank you papi, for showing me the passion and dedication it takes to be a baseball fan, even if sometimes we are just cheering for the Dominican players :)

Ohh yeah, I almost forgot, LET’S GO METS!!!

Everything happens for a reason...

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:47:00 +0000

A couple of months ago I went through one of the hardest periods in my life. It was a moment in which many of us find ourselves from time to time. Situations where you ask yourself, why me? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? I think it’s only natural to ask what you did wrong when life sucker punches you.

This got me to think about when bad things happen, your family and friends will try to console you with cliché phrases. In hindsight, I can look back at these moments and smile, because they were absolutely right, but back then this is what I thought :)

Everything happens for a reason...

THEN
What freaking possible reason can there be for me not wanting to eat, and cry all the time?

NOW
What was the reason? I lost those last annoying pounds :) Fabulous!!!

Time will tell...

THEN
Time will tell what? That everything I thought I knew wasn’t true?

NOW
Time did tell me that I never really knew anything.

When one door closes, another one opens...

THEN
I do not want the damn door to close! I have worked hard to keep that damn door propped open!

NOW
Now it is like OMG, I should have jumped out the damn window!

And my absolute favorite you are fabulous! It was good to hear it then and it’s still good to hear it now.

So what is the moral of this story?

Please do not smack your friend/cousin/co-worker upside the head when they are telling you something positive or rational in your moment of despair. Yes, it hurts! It hurts a lot, but always remember that everything happens for a reason, time will tell, when one door closes another one opens and you are absolutely fabulous :)

Finally, I would like to leave you with these words from Conan O’Brien from his last appearance on The Tonight Show. These lines get at the exact sentiment of what I am trying to convey.

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But, if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen”.

Be kind and work hard people, and the rest will follow :)

Lace and Fondant Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 17:27:00 +0000

I wish I could say NO to the dress!! I am obsessed with wedding shows. Shows about wedding cakes, wedding dresses, wedding flowers, wedding receptions, platinum weddings, broke weddings, bridezillas. The list is exhausting. I have officially overdosed on lace and fondant.

According to divorcestatistics.org, 45% to 50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. So why is that shows like these exist?!?! Well its because of gullible people like myself :( or let me say gullible women. You don’t see John and Steve plopped in front of the TV on a Sunday watching a Platinum Weddings marathon. No, it’s only women and a few of our fabulous gay friends who succumb to the powers of David Tutera.

On the surface, this can be explained by the fact that women just love romance, we love fairy takes and happy endings. But some of my married friends have already found happy endings and they still watch these shows. So what is it then? What is the appeal?

It is because since we were little girls, our parents, television and society have conditioned us to wait for the one man that will sweep us of our feet, marry us and who we can live happily ever after with. Heck, I am a smart girl, I should know better, but I even believe this nonsense!

I am not engaged; I don’t even have a boyfriend! But I still sit in front of the TV and watch Say Yes to the Dress (my favorite) for hours. I love to watch the faces of the brides as they try on countless dresses and try to find the “one”.

Sound familiar girls??

Not matter your shape, your height or your weight, there is a wedding dress for every woman, like there is someone for everyone.

Any woman looks good in a wedding dress, because the beauty is not in the dress; it is in their smiles. A smile that is full of hope, and full of excitement. Enjoy your moment honey! Hopefully you will not be divorced in five years.

But if you are, its OK, you will always have this moment. This moment of when everything was good, beautiful and nice.

And frankly, so will I…

Never lose hope...

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:53:00 +0000

I have always been a big believer of hope, and of never losing hope. But what do you do when you and those around you feel hopeless? How do you help those who need help and most importantly how do you help yourself?

Even those that are not spiritual or religious will advise you to put your trust in God, the spirits, saints, or prayer. Giving up control and relying on hope can give us a sense of relief as we wait for things to work out for the best.

At this point, when my family is going through one of the hardest things we have had to go through, I am going to place my hope back on them. My family is like your typical family, we are far from perfect and there are a lot of holes and cracks in some of our relationships. I want to believe that our collective strength will help us get through this. I hope we can find comfort, strength and hope in each other.

I hope we use this time of grieving to come closer together and while the holes and cracks will not disappear, I hope that they at least become a little less noticeable.

Friends, please appreciate your family and those who are dear to you. Say that kind word to someone in need, reach out and be good and just to one another. Hopefully when you find yourself in a moment of grief, you can be at peace with yourself and those you love.

I have said this before and will say it again… The power of love is amazing! If we just take a moment and think about what is really important, we can come along way.

And whatever you do, never lose hope. In the end that’s all we ever really have.

Talk with your mouth full

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

You can tell a lot about a couple by how they interact with each other when they are out for dinner. I am a voyeur when I eat out. Aside from enjoying my meal, I like to play little guessing games about the couples near me. I find this little hobby of mine quite enjoyable. Are they married? Are they having a fight? And sometimes, she is wayyyyy too cute for him.

But, by far the most significant observation that always surprises me is the large number of couples that can sit through an entire meal without uttering one word. How is that possible???

If two people can sit through an entire meal without looking up, making eye contact or having a conversation. Then they SHOULD not be together! If this is you right now, you better evaluate that relationship and run for the hills. If you do not confront this, you might stay together, but you will not be happy, trust me, save yourself the heartache.

Who could eat in silence? I know I cannot. Maybe I am the exception, maybe I just talk too damn much.

OK, so here is the next test. After dinner is over, it is time for dessert, and you order two SEPARATE desserts, this relationship is doomed! If one person prefers the chocolate mousse and the other the apple tart, order the damn strawberry cheesecake! This is the epitome of compromise. How you order your dessert as a couple is a very good indicator of how successful your relationship will be. Bonus points if you share only one spoon, which most likely means…. you are having good sex :)

Next time you are out to dinner with that special someone and you want it to work? Please make eye contact, have a decent conversation and please only order one dessert, preferably with one spoon ;)

Happy Eating!!

Dear LOST

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Dear LOST,

I had such a great time yesterday. I could not wait until we see each other again next week, so I had to write you this letter.

Last night you blew my mind!! I did not think it was possible, but I think I just fell a little bit more in love with you. I hope the feeling is mutual ;)

You gave me answers, you made me understand some of your mysterious ways. I now forgive you for giving me the run around so long, now that I know the truth, I appreciate you a lot more. Thank you for giving me Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell), his performance last night was tremendous! It was almost like watching a Spanish novela! Loved it!

Please keep this momentum going, we are almost home free!!

I heart you.

Your devoted lover,

Leydi Gisell

P.S.: Please give me some additional gratuitous shirt-less scenes of Sawyer and Jack before it is all over, OK? Bye :)

P.S.S: Where are Desmond and Penny???

LOST Relationship Update #2

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Sooo, I have not given an update of my relationship with LOST in a while (my friend Jennifer is ready to kill me).

This is partly because I am still trying to figure out how I feel. There are weeks that after an hour with my lover I am euphoric and then there are weeks than I'm like blahhhh, it was a good episode, but nothing to write home about.

We've all been there, when your significant other is just not bringing it that night, well LOST hasn't always brought it, you know???

But last week, LOST showed me more passion, some lust, it got me excited again. It brought back some of that spark from previous seasons and now I am happy again.

Let's hope that in the end LOST can deliver the goods. I haven't invested so much time and dedication for nothing! I expect a big pay off in the end and if not, I hope at least I get a happy ending, wink wink ;)

Second City Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:06:00 +0000

Before you begin to read this new post that I wrote while sitting in the airport waiting for my flight back to NYC. Let me express my absolute hatred for Delta Airlines. My 7PM Sunday night flight was delayed three times and then around at 11PM the flight was canceled. At that point, I was tired, hungry and had a headache, after a mediocre steak sandwich for dinner (Delta only gives a $7.00 meal voucher) we had to go and sulk at the DoubleTree hotel in the middle of nowhere, and wait for an afternoon flight the next day, which was also delayed :(

So here goes….

Ohh Chicago… What a great city.

I was recently in Chicago for the NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) conference and decided to make a mini vacation out of the trip with my friend and colleague Isaac. NASPA was great; we learned a lot, met a lot of interesting people and got a feel for what our profession is all about. More than 4,000 student affairs professionals flooded the streets of Chicago and Isaac and I were in the middle of it. Not to bore you with student development theory, lets get down to the fun stuff. I know that is what you really want to read about.

Chicago has great food, great sights and great people. The city is very clean and all the beautiful skyscrapers amazed me. We were also lucky enough to have great weather while we were there. I was expecting high winds and snow, but most days the weather did not get below 40 degrees and one day it was even in the 60’s, so take that New York!!! You unfortunately experienced a monsoon while I was gone.

So here is a list of what I liked and did not like about the Second City:

Like

- Deep Dish Pizza

- Lou Mitchell’s – BEST BREAKFAST EVER

- Boystown – This was the Mecca for gay nightlife, so much fun

- You can text, talk and email on your cell phone while on the “L”

- Clean sidewalks

- Millennium Park – very nice

Dislike

- Not enough street signs

- Cabs come in all different colors - and some cabs look like cop cars which made me very confused, because I kept thinking I would get a ticket for jay walking!!

But in the end, Chicago was a lot of fun and exploring it with Isaac made it so much better. I have not laughed this hard in a really long time and it was refreshing to have another smart-ass Dominican next to me. He laughed at all the same inappropriate things that I would laugh at, and there will be plenty of inside jokes to carry us through to our next adventure (Vegas and/or DR, we will see). We even made it out to “Santo Domingo Beauty Salon”; we all know the lengths I will go to find someone to blow dry my crazy curly head, even if that means getting on the “L” and then a bus to find some Dominican flavor.

I am glad to be back home, I am glad to go back to work and start school again next week, and I am glad to be back to blogging. Chicago gave me many great ideas and a lot of great lines, so stay tuned.

And Delta, you still suck major ass :)

Are you connected?

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:08:00 +0000

This past weekend, I left my cell phone in the bathroom of a club. No, I was not in a state inebriation. I just forgot it there on the ledge of the sink, and you guys know I lose or forget everything, so why should my expensive new phone be any different?

I was apart from my baby for less than 24 hours and I honestly felt like I was going to have a panic attack. Its crazy the amount of connectivity we need in our lives, or that we "think" we need. Now with the access of text messaging, Facebook, Blackberry Messenger (BBM), and Twitter are we more connected or farther apart? I do not know, I am still trying to figure it out.

I remember a time when I did not have a cell phone, or a Facebook account. I did not even know what a text message was and I still managed to live a satisfactory life. I still hung out with my friends, made plans, and socialized. I wasn’t any less happy because I could not update the online world about what I had for lunch today.

Who cares really?

Obviously, we all think people care, because we are all doing it, typing into a phone about what a great time we are having at the latest club. Well are you having such a great time, if you are busy updating your facebook status?

I am not trying to be the moral police here, because I clearly have a problem. But I think it is something we should all think about. Maybe we can put down the phones and laptops for just one second and call someone, go outside, or even try to have conversation that does not involve an emoticon :)

Will it be possible for us as a society to slow down and touch someone (do not be fresh). Will a new phone app be needed for that too?

Now before the critics come out screaming, just know that I am planning to update this blog link on Facebook and Twitter :)

Let it NOT snow

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:03:00 +0000

I was seven years old when I first came to New York and back then I lovedddd snow. I loved to play in it, jump in it and run in it. I would stick my tongue out and try to “eat” snow. I would smile at my mom as she watched my fascination with the snow, something I had never seen before. Back in the Dominican Republic, when my mother would come back from the U.S. full of presents, I would always ask her about winter and I would tell her how much I wanted to see it, so I know it made her happy when I went crazy when it snowed.

Those are great memories! Now that I am 27 years old, snow is NOT cute. I was born in a tropical climate, so this crap is unnatural to me, and the older I get, the more I hate winter.

Yeah it’s nice when it first comes down, but give it just ONE day and its disgusting and dirty. You can't walk half a block without fearing your own safety. So the only good things about snow are snow days. And snow days give you a free pass to be a total bum. No one will judge you! It’s a snow day, everyone else is being lazy too.

We are all:

Sleeping late
Staying in your pajamas
Eating bad food
Watching too much TV
And more sleeping

Any other day, this would be unacceptable, so please DO NOT SNOW anymore, we all know I do not need any more free passes to be unproductive.

Snow you have made your appearance, now its time for you to go back to Vermont or something. Thank you very much, see you next year :)

How do you measure your life???

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:59:00 +0000

While most people measure their lives by milestones such as birthdays, weddings, births or even death. I happen to measure my life in semesters...

I quantify my personal growth (or lack thereof) by what is done in an academic year. This is because for the past 10 years (gasp!!!) I have not been able to get away from NYU. My entire full-time working career has been working here. I transitioned from being a full-time college student to working full-time. At that moment, I did not realize that this decision would change my whole outlook on life. Back then, I was 20 years old, all I thought I was getting was a job that paid well (for someone that lived at home), had great benefits and most importantly free tuition.

But, I think the greatest benefit of working with college kids is the fact that after a year, the annoying ones will move on and then you will get new students, which will be less complicated than the last (hopefully).

So for those of you who are reading this out of your boring cubicle and do not understand this phenomenon, let me give you an example of why you are not cooler than me…

Day in and day out, you have to deal with those annoying co-workers and clients, it is not like next quarter they will be gone. Yeah, you might switch jobs every couple of years or might even get promoted, but the same type of bipolar co-worker will still be there in six months, he/she might even become your boss one day. They unfortunately get their work done and are not crazy enough to be fired, so you are stuck with them. And your life pretty much sucks!!

I, on the other hand get to meet new students every semester, I have the chance to get to know these kids, hear about where they are coming from and how they plan to change the world once they graduate. It's exciting to be a part of that. I would love to be in my old age and read in the newspaper (if we still have newspapers, but don't get me started on that now) that one of our students discovered a new life changing drug or ran for office (and hopefully will not have an affair with a young staffer). I hope that these future accomplishments will make all of the battles and red tape we face in higher education worth it.

For me working with eighteen year olds keeps me young at heart, even though sometimes I may not understand why they find it necessary to hyperventilate at every single bump in the road. I DO hope that in the end we are teaching them skills to prepare them for the "real world".

And most importantly that we are teaching them the coping skills to deal with that annoying bipolar worker in the cubicle next to them...

All Fuzzy Inside

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:58:00 +0000

A couple of months ago during a staff meeting, we went around the room and did an ice breaker. The question was what is your favorite holiday? My colleagues answered mostly that their favorite holidays were Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Then it was my turn and I like a total dork I said Valentine's Day :) Are you rolling your eyes yet?

No? Well keep reading...

I love the whole concept of love, being in love, passion, closeness, butterflies, intimacy, I am all over it. It makes me all fuzzy inside.

Yeah, I am that person, the hopeless romantic. You know at least someone like me or maybe I am the person you already know! The person that cries at weddings, moving speeches, toasts, you utter anything remotely heartfelt near me and I am reaching for the Kleenex.

Maybe it’s because I was born a Cancer or the fact that my mom babied me too much. But I just love all that corny stuff. A lot of people do, they just decide to hide it. What's the point of being a hopeless romantic when you can't genuinely express your sappiness? It kind of defeats the purpose.

I am a Hollywood writers dream! I am the person they are trying to reach with all those sappy love stories, the tear-jerkers, the moments that make girls go awwwwww. I am the sucker that keeps these people rich. They see people like me coming from a mile away.

Just to give you an idea of my absolute cheesiness. Here is a truncated list of Hollywood moments that have made me cry. Some are obvious, others not so much:

The Notebook
The Way We Were
Up
Carlito's Way
My Girl
Beaches
I Am Sam
Penny and Desmond (LOST)

My list is too long to list completely, so as to not embarrass myself any further, I will just stop here, but you get the point.

Now, this is just Hollywood stuff. In real life, I know that men like Noah (The Notebook) do not exist. I don't believe in Prince Charming, but I do believe in Prince Kinda Cute, who might not match all the time, but always puts you first, calls when he says he will, is not trying to sleep with your friends and stands up for you. I don't ask for much, just be funny, smart and have a job. No wait, please have a career. Yes, there is a difference. Is that too much to ask???

While there will be some of you that hate Valentine's Day and think that this is an artificial holiday made to sell cards and chocolate. You know what? You are absolutely right!

But I don't care!!

Send me the flowers, give me the chocolate, the presents and the card. I will EAT IT UP!

For those of you that are lucky to have a significant others that do the sweet little things for you all the time, well good for you! But some of us are just not that lucky. Valentine's Day makes people sweeter, more romantic, the holiday and the pressure gives people a little push to buy that special someone something thoughtful. So in my book, it’s a win-win for all involved, no matter what the motivation. At the end of the night you might even get laid.

I'm just saying...

Most importantly, I am a sucker for the card. Men, let me give you a little bit of advice, when you get your girl/wife or that special someone a nice gift, DO NOT forget the card!! This is the most important part of the whole gift giving experience. Whatever you write here is what she will remember. She might not use that camera next year, but those words will stay with her forever and when you mess up, this is what she will think about when she decides to forgive you, not that cheap camera.

But enough about relationships! I believe in the love that exists in people. And no matter how situations in your past might make you jaded, at the end of the day the power of love is amazing. Not just romantic love, but also the love we have for ourselves, our neighbors and the communities we live in. So for all you cynics out there, Valentines Day is also about friendships and the connections we make with people. So smile and give your friend a hug, it might make you feel good too.

To all my family and friends and for those that read this blog (that I may not know yet), I hope you have a fabulous Valentine's Day!!

Now that you feel all good inside, go buy me some chocolate :)

Fresh, Hot and Cheap

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:27:00 +0000

You always give it to me fresh, hot and cheap...

You always smile at me and ask me how I'm doing. Most girls cannot even get a guy to call them back. Let alone ask them about their weekend.

What more can a girl want?

I do not know your name and you do not know mine, but our relationship is as clear as any other.

I am talking about my corner coffee guy.

So, nice and smiling coffee guy, this tribute is for you...

You miss me the days that I do not stop by. And on the days when I pass right by you with a cup of Think Coffee you even smile back at me. How nice of you? If it were me, I would give you a nasty glare.

So after much thought, I will not cheat on you anymore. Who cares that Think Coffee gives me organic coffee served by bohemians. Their coffee doesn't even taste that good, and it costs nearly four dollars! They have a sign that says not to talk on my cell phone when I order. You don't care about stuff like that! Yeah they have seats and free Wi-Fi, but it’s not as if I sit there with my laptop and work. I have an office, I drink my coffee there. Sorry Think Coffee, I will only drink your coffee if someone else is buying.

You stand there in the heat, in the rain, in the cold, and in the snow (it has been cold lately, so I hope you have a portable heater in there), you always have a smile on your face and wish me a good day. Your coffee is hot (not scalding, I hate that), it’s fresh and a medium cup is only a dollar, what a bargain :)

So, to all of those New Yorkers that have moved away from the corner coffee guys to go to the more gourmet coffee shops. Please stop!

Instead, patronize the hard working coffee guys that are on the corner of your office or school, day after day. They always have a smile on their face and wish you a good day.

And most importantly, they are affordable and always remember what you order. Where else can you get that kind of service in this city?

So next time that girl/guy or some hybrid combination person in skinny jeans and torn t-shirt gives you a nasty look for not putting your change in the tip jar, think about how the corner guy doesn't even have a tip jar! Or, the next time the barista slams your latte on the counter, think about the smiling hard working guy that makes conversation with you before you go into work, he will never slam your coffee down, he will hand it to you in your hand.

So corner coffee guy, I raise my fresh, hot and cheap coffee cup to you. I hope you have a good day :)

LOST - Love Affair Update

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:06:00 +0000

So on Tuesday we were reunited :)

It was more thrilling than I imagined. After all these months, all the feelings came right back. I remembered how my love affair started in the first place. LOST had a few surprises for me.

It let me know that nothing is as it seems...

I think it’s trying to tell me that we could go in totally separate directions but still come to the same outcome. It’s all about destiny.

The best lines of the night:

Locke - "my condition is irreversible"
Jack – "nothing is irreversible"

Ohhh Jack, forever trying to be the savior. What dedication it must take to never want to give up. What a character.

Let's see what answers LOST will have for me next week. Stay tuned!

Are you LOST? Are you ready to be found?

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:16:00 +0000

Redemption, loss, second chances, love, angst, these are a few of the things that make up one of the best shows on TV. Tonight is the season premier of the last and final season of LOST :( This is when all of our nagging questions will be answered (hopefully).

There are so many reasons why people stick with this show. It’s the mysteries, the love triangles, and all the human drama that touch us in some way or another. In some ways, you can identify with all of the characters, it is that kind of show. It makes you ask yourself, what would I do? If I was stranded with strangers (or are they) on an island and struggling to survive. Would I be the same person or would I be who I always wanted to be?

Everyone has his or her favorite characters, mine is Sayid, played by Naveen Andrews. Before the island he was a veryyyy bad man, did unethical things, but on the island, he saved people and helped, he was looking for redemption. Will Sayid find it? We will see.

But, by far my favorite story line is the love story of Desmond and Penny. Being the hopeless romantic that I am (blog about this coming up soon), I fell for these two. They spend their lives trying to find each other. Below is one of my favorite Desmond and Penny scenes from the episode The Constant. After eight years without any contact, Desmond calls Penny from a freighter. If does not hurt that the phone call was facilitated by my main man, Sayid.

Video: Desmond Penny Phone Call Benzer: desmond, lost, penny

I love LOST. It is one of those shows you have to be committed to. You cannot be a casual LOST fan, either you are in it or you are not. I would say being a LOST fan is a lot like being in a relationship. How you might ask? Well, thank your lucky stars because I am going to break it down for you :)

Most LOST fans did not fall in love at first sight. It took some time, some build-up for the infatuation to turn into love. Things like these do not happen overnight, so if you are one of those people that believe in love at first sight, you are either full of crap or you are simply not a LOST fan.

Now, as I was saying…

Falling in love with LOST was a gradual process. Either someone introduced you to the show or you just happen to come across it by chance (like most great love stories). Your interest was piqued, you have never been introduced to a show like this before, and it is one of a kind, so you decide to try it. It is a lot like love. At first, it’s an adventure and there are so many new experiences. You just want more and more. It becomes a little of an obsession! I watched my first season of LOST on DVD, while on vacation in Florida, in December! So instead of lounging by the pool, I was popping in DVD's one after the other in my aunt’s house, while my mother kept asking me what the hell I was watching. She still does not get it. It's ok mom, even if you don't understand it, just accept it, it will be easier for the both of us.

So after you watch the first couple of seasons, your new love must go on a long business trip. You get a little sad. You think about how LOST will be when it gets back, what new surprises it will have for you.

When it comes back, it is better than you remember it. So you are back in it, devoted, hanging on every word, euphoric, you talk of nothing else. After a date/episode is over you call your best friend and tell them all about it. You are on a natural high.

Then there comes a point, like in most relationships, when LOST starts to lose some of its luster, it frustrates you, plays with you and leaves you guessing. You start to wonder if all the time and effort you put into the show was worth it. You debate this with your friends, you go online looking for answers (lostpedia). Like a good trooper you hang in there and tell yourself that not all shows are perfect, you are going to give it a chance; because it's not like you are an easy walk in the park either.

Slowly the shows takes a new twist (flash-fowards) and it was like in the beginning, you are even more devoted than ever. Then out of nowhere, the show must go on another long trip and it keeps you again longing for your great love.

Which brings us to today, this is when your relationship is faced with the moment of truth. This is the day that all LOST fans have been waiting for. The day when you wonder if you and the show will take it to the next level. Will LOST be everything you imagined it to be? Will it answer all of your questions or leave you disenchanted at the altar?

Tonight is the start of the end. I do not know if to be sad or excited. I am excited to see how the writers are going to end it, but sad to see that my love affair with LOST is almost over. It is bittersweet.

I hope in the end it is all that I imagined it to be and more. Will I be found or stay LOST? I don't know at this point which is better.

Ohh Bobby...

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:33:00 +0000

In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. These are their stories…

This is the story of Leydi and Bobby Goren…

In my first post, I promised a post about my huge crush on Vincent D’Onofrio. Many of you know that know me well, might have heard me express my adoration for Vincent (we are on a first name basis) or have heard the story about the time I saw him on the corner of University Place and 9th Street.

Every time I tell people I have a crush on him, they look at me with this weird look on their face, like I just told them I like animal porn (which I don’t, just in case you were wondering). Their first question is really?? Why is it so hard to fathom? Vincent is hot!!

I remember the first time, I saw Law & Order: Criminal Intent and met Detective Robert (Bobby) Goren. My crush started out slowly, he seemed to know everything about everything! He knows about science, literature, psychopaths, world cultures, sign language, poetry, this guy can be a college professor! But here he is beating the bad guys at their own game, all with a library card! Come on, how can you possibly not be drooling at the mouth?

As my crush grew, I watched more and more episodes of CI and was disappointed when NBC moved the show to the USA Network. Cable prime-time, where shows with a cult following, but not too much of a wide appeal go to live. I feel the episodes have gotten better since they have been on USA, better story lines and more interesting twists. As the show has progressed, Bobby has put on a little weight and his hair has grayed a little. It’s OK Bobby, I still love you!!!

So on Sunday nights, you can catch a Bobby marathon on Bravo, while I get a little bummed when it’s a Det. Mike Logan (Chris Noth, better known as Mr. Big) centered episode. They also give re-runs on WE and Channel 9, so I can get a Bobby fix practically anytime I want. For me it’s especially thrilling when I start an episode of Criminal Intent and its one I have never seen before, I am like a kid on the last day of school, grinning for all its worth :)

So for those of you who have not heard the Leydi and Vincent D’Onofrio’s story, here goes...

It was a warm autumn day.

I am at the Chase bank on the corner of University Place and 9th Street as I am taking money out of the ATM, I hear one girl say to her friend “look it’s that guy from Law & Order” as I hear this, I could not get out of there fast enough, I thought it was Sam Waterston (D.A. Jack McCoy - Law & Order) or Christopher Meloni (Det. Elliot Stabler -Law & Order: SVU, who is also pretty hot) but to my delightful surprise it was Vincent!!!

I crossed the street, he was eating a bag of nuts of some kind, waiting for the walk signal (like a good citizen) and I go up to him and say “OMG its Vincent D’Onofrio” and he smiles and says “Hi”!

The light changes, he crosses the street and I start walking to my office (I was on an errand for my student worker job) and I want to kick myself for telling Vincent that he is Vincent!!! I couldn’t say something like, I am your biggest fan or I love your show? Nooooooooo, I make a complete ass of myself.

So Vincent, if one day you read this and on the off-chance that you remember the clumsy college kid with posters in hand, that was me! And I just want to say I am your biggest fan and I love your show!!

Here is a clip of one of my favorite Bobby Goren moments. Enjoy :)

Fist Pump

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:40:00 +0000

Ohhhh the Jersey Shore... My latest guilty pleasure. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion, but I am kind of sad it’s over. Will there be a Jersey Shore 2?? With all the popularity of this season, I see no reason why MTV would not capitalize on it.

At first, I did not understand what all the hype was about and then I saw the first two episodes back to back and I was hooked!

So here is my personal opinion on all the Jersey Shore characters:

Angelina - Who travels with their clothes in black garbage bags? The so called Kim Kardashian of Staten Island only last a couple of episodes. She was too good to go to work at the T-shirt shop after getting into a fight with her married boyfriend that she had only dated for a couple of months. You don't go to work; you cannot stay at the house, so poof, Angelina you are gone...

Pauly D - Guido with a capital G! Blow-dried and gelled hair, tanned and back tattoos of Cadillac logos with the Italian flag colors. His hair looks so stiff it could possibly withstand a bullet. Pauly D did not create much drama on the show, but there was definite sexual tension between him and J-Woww.

Vinny - The only guy that does not tan, gel his hair or workout. A self-proclaimed mama's boy who loves to fist pump. He has to have an eyebrow problem, most of his facial expressions involve that they move up and down drastically in some way. I could just never understand those sweaty armpits, totally disgusting.

Snooki - Ohh lord, what can I say? I want to like Snooki, she's so small and desperate looking. She looks like a hairy yorkie. I just felt sorry for her most of the time. Especially after she got punched out by that gym teacher. She tried so hard to be liked by the guys in the clubs, but never would get a guy to call her back or sleep with her. If you cannot get laid at the Jersey Shore, they way this group was partying, there is definitely a problem. And what the hell is up with the "bahhhhhhhhh" she always utters after she feels sorry for herself?

Sammi "The Sweetheart" - "The sweetest bitch you will ever meet" That is her opening line. She wears hair clips that are pretty scary looking and does not go anywhere without a pair of booty shorts. She first holds hands with Mike, then makes out with him, realizes he's not her type and makes out with Ronnie the same night and likes him better. Her and Ronnie fight constantly and apparently has a "Fred Flinstone" big toe.

Ronnie - The Rocky Balboa of the show. He knocked out a couple of random people that were starting fights with him. He has a really bad temper but has a soft spot for Sammi. He promised he would not fall in love at the shore, which proved not to be the case. Will the relationship last? Probably not. These two squabble so much over the silliest thing, I doubt they will last past this summer.

J-Woww - My favorite Jersey Shore cast member. I don't know, I guess it because from the beginning she states who she is and rarely deviates from it. Those huge boobs are distracting and she dresses like a stripper in the champagne room out in public, ohh and she will rip a guy’s head off after she has sex with him. What great qualities :)

The Situation - And finally the character you love to hate. I am still trying to figure out if this is how Mike acts in real life or if this was all for the show. If he is for real, what girl would honestly look at him for more than two seconds? He is so obnoxious, back-stabbing and totally full of himself. The way he tried to hook-up with Sammi even though he knew she was with Ronnie was pathetic. He will definitely have his own reality TV career. He should be called "The Personality".

This show is obviously an exaggeration of Guido and Guidette party lives. There has been a lot of backlash from the Italian-American community regarding the portrayal of Italians on the show. The cast members say they do not represent all of Italian-Americans; they are just having a good time at the shore.

Well it was a good time watching this hot mess!!

Are you ready for "Snookin for Love" ???

Do you dare to dream?

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:44:00 +0000

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." - Excerpt from I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

We should all have dreams that are as noble as this. We should be able to dream those idealistic dreams even if the world around us sometimes proves us otherwise. We should also be able to freely live out those dreams even if others oppose you.

Forty-six years after Dr. King delivered the speech that almost every American (I hope) knows some of the important lines to, I still want to believe that what he preached will one day be reached in this country. For all to be treated as equals, not on paper but through actions. In this great country of ours that is a microcosm of the world, millions have come willingly or unwillingly, but in the end the dream is the same, to be free and to be treated as an equal.

My own immigrant experience is not very different from others that have come to the United States looking for a better life. My parents may not have fully understood at the time Dr. King's speech or how it would affect them, but I can assure you that they dreamed the same thing. My brother and I dream the same dream and hopefully his children and my future children will still dream the same dream.

If we begin to take the idea of equality for granted, then what was the point? What was the point of so many risking their livelihoods to protest, what was the point in my parents bringing me to this country?

Like a true idealist, I still dream...

I have a dream that one day I will live in a world in which conformity will not beat out the creation of new ideas...

I have a dream that one day the color of my skin, the accent in my voice and the curls in my hair will not be factors in judging my character...

I have a dream that one day we can all really live in peace and love...

I sound like a hippie :) but...

Do you dare to dream? As you ponder this question, I leave you with this final quote from Dr. King.

"Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of beauty or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Measures of Man, 1959.

Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:15:00 +0000

I am going to try something a little different this year.

I will NOT make any traditional resolutions for 2010. Why you ask? Like everyone else, most of my resolutions have been:

I will start exercising
I will eat healthy foods
I will not procrastinate
I will stop worrying

For the past twenty years I don't think that I have ever kept a resolution past Valentine's Day.

Think about it, you start the new year of right, or so you think. You join the gym, you bring salads to work, you skip happy hour, but then February starts and its gets reallyyyyyy cold, so you might skip the gym once or twice and then you won't go for a week. Valentine's Day comes around and if you have a date you most likely will go to a nice place and eat your surf and turf, have a bottle of wine and have dessert too, so there goes resolutions one, two and three.

After a couple of days, when the flowers die and you have eaten all of the Godiva, you start to worry that you won’t fit into those skinny jeans that cost you $125. There goes resolution four and to be honest there goes the rest of the year and you think to yourself, you know what? I will just get them next year.

In attempts to not be a total loser, I will be more practical. I will tweak my resolutions to look a little like this:

I will try to walk at least 30 minutes a day... when its not too hot, too cold, raining, snowing, or drizzling
I will not eat Big Macs... regularly
I will not watch a lot of TV... Unless its DVR, because that doesn't count, I am skipping commercials thus only watching quality television
I will try and not be so snarky... unless the comment is just so funny that I just have to say it

Now just typing that was liberating.

We as people are way too hard on ourselves. We live in a world were everyone is trying to outsmart the other, be hotter than the other and have more money than the other. We make bad choices and then feel bad for ourselves and think that on the eve of the New Year we can erase all of those extra glasses of wine and that time you ate a whole pint of Haagen-Dazs with unattainable resolutions.

Let’s face it, some of us are fat slobs that watch way too much TV and then worry about it. Well, I will not be that person! If I will be a fat slob, I will at least enjoy myself and have that extra drink at happy hour. You only live once!

But seriously, I will make resolutions for myself everyday I wake up. I will make decisions that are good for me and those I love, but if I happen to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and eat that Big Mac with large fries for lunch, I won’t worry about it. I will just get them the next day. I will not wait another year.

So, join me! Throw out those old resolutions and ring in the New Year knowing that every day is a new day and every new day is new chance to get it right.

Happy New Year Everyone!

First Post

noreply@blogger.com (Leydi) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:41:00 +0000

I have been thinking of this blog for a while now. At least for a year, but for some reason, I never got around to it. I don't know if it was laziness, nerves or what that kept me from writing, but I hope that once I get started, I won't be able to stop...

For the last couple of days I have wrestled with what I would post about. What would be a good first blog, what would be good enough to start a legacy? I had a million thoughts. Should I write about my adoration with Vincent D'Onofrio of Law & Order: Criminal Intent fame (there will be a post dedicated to this, don't worry :)? My recent trip to Cancun? My hate of the snow and the cold? Resolutions for the new year??? After thinking about it I decided to dedicate this blog to three people that have been pushing me to start this damn thing!!

Carolina - My fabulous friend. She is smart, witty and cute as hell, can't be on time for the life of her, but she still rocks!! Carolina is a young mom, entrepreneur, and writer. By reading her own personal blog http://carolinapichardo.blogspot.com you can see what a great writer she is. Ohh, before I forget, here's another plug, her other endeavor YUM - Young Urban Moms, get it Yum, Yummy. :) http://www.youngurbanmoms.org

Wes - My RA little brother :) When I met Wes back in August, I didn't know what to think? Who was this waspy kid speaking better Spanish than me?? As weeks went by, we would talk about the problems of the world, what we as human beings can contribute to this cruel world. What not to do on a date. Golf. People I don't like, because Wes likes everybody, and that is the truth. Religion. Poverty. Living in far away lands and everything in between. Lately, our conversations have centered around putting thoughts down and making ourselves accountable, for the sake of ourselves and not others. The following clip will describe a little bit of Wes in about five minutes. We watched this video two times, back to back. Its funny and thoughtful, just like my little brother Wes. Class of 99 - Wear Sunscreen

Last, but not least, Eddie - My best friend and boyfriend. Poor Eddie, he has had to hear about this thing forever and ever. He will send me reminder emails after I say something funny or witty telling me that my latest ramblings would be a good idea for a blog. I secretly think he wants me to start this thing so he does not have to hear me go on and on and on. Now he has to do both, hear and read :) Love you babe!! Eddie is the smartest and funniest person I know. Under the dry humor is someone with a gentle heart and boyish smile. He is always full of interesting conversation, he challenges me to be a better me and I am eternally grateful.

Carolina, Wes and Eddie, this is to you. Thank you!