The Meme ABC's

The Letter A
Are you agnostic? No, thank God.
What is your age? Ugh.
What annoys you? Authority!!

The Letter B
Do you like bacon? Yes, turkey bacon tastes so much better than that other stuff…healthier too!

The Letter C
What is your favorite candy? Chocolate anything.
When was the last time you cried? It’s been a little while.

The Letter D
Do you daydream? Yes.
What is your favorite kind of dog? Jack Russel terriers are pretty cool.
What day of the week is it? Wednesday.

The Letter E
How do you like your eggs? Scrambled.
Have you ever been in the emergency room? Yes.
What’s the easiest thing to ever do? Laugh, as I’m learning more and more every day.

The Letter F
Have you ever flown in a plane? Yes.
Do you use fly swatters? Yes. I remember my grandmother having several fancy ones; with flowers and cool colors.
Have you ever used a foghorn? No.

The Letter G
Do you chew gum? Yes. Doublemint and Winterfresh being my faves!
Are you a giver or taker? Both.

The Letter H
How are you? Pretty good.
What color is your hair? Dark brown

The Letter I
What is your favorite ice-cream? Butter Pecan.
Have you ever ice-skated? Yes, I even blogged about the experience! Read about it here.
Do you play an instrument? No, even though I’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano.

The Letter J
What is your favorite jelly bean? Jelly Belly Lemon Drop. Yum!
Do you wear jewelry? I always wear earrings and a cross given to me by my mom.
Have you heard a really hilarious joke? Yes.

The Letter K
Do you want kids? Yes, I hope to have them one day.

The Letter L
Have you ever been in love? Yes.

The Letter M
What is your favorite movie? There are many. Take a look at my profile to see what they are!
Do you still watch Disney movies? Yes, and I’m not ashamed to admit it! LOL
Do you like mangos? Yes.

The Letter N
Do you have a nickname? Yes, all of them deriving from the first letter of my name: L.
What is your favorite number? 8. There are many meanings to that number.
Do you prefer night or day? Day, probably.

The Letter O
What is your one wish? To be truly happy.
Are you an only child? No. I have two brothers, one older and one younger. I'm the only girl and the quintessentially misunderstood middle child! Blahhhh!
Do you wish this year was over? Yes, as there is something that can be learned from reflection.

The Letter P
What personality trait would you look for in someone you wanted to date? Affection, commitment, honesty and the ability to make me laugh.

The Letter Q
Are you quick to judge people? Yes, usually. It's a bad habit.

The Letter R
Do you think you are always right? Not with everything.
Do you watch reality T.V.? Not really.
What is a good reason to cry? Allowing yourself to connect with your emotions.

The Letter S
Do you prefer sun or rain? Sun please.
Do you like snow? First snows, yes. Once it gets all dirty and disgusting, no.
What is your favorite season? Spring

The Letter T
What time is it? 7:15 P.M.
When was the last time you slept in a tent? Not since I was a Girl Scout. I was about 11 years old.

The Letter U
Are you wearing underwear? Yes. Vikki’s are my faves!

The Letter V
What is the worst veggie? Okra…SLIMY! Ewwww!
Where do you want to go on vacation? I’ve been blessed to travel to many places, but the place I would love to re-visit: Paris! And I was happy to discover that the French really aren’t that mean!

The Letter W
What is your worst habit? I’ll have to think about that. LOL
Where do you live? In the greatest little city in the coolest big city in the world…Brooklyn, New York!

The Letter X
Have you ever had an X-ray? Yes.
Have you ever seen the X-Games? No.
Do you own a xylophone? No.

The Letter Y
Do you like the color yellow? Yes, my room is a very light yellow. It’s a color that emits happiness!
What year where you born in? Let’s just say: I was born between Watergate and the dawn of Disco!
What do you yearn for most? Many things: Financial security, love, contentment. And a couple of things I vowed not to talk about.

The Letter Z
What is your Zodiac Sign? Taurus, the most violent sign of the Zodiac. I’m not violent by any means, but admittedly I do have a bit of a temper.
Do you believe in the Zodiac? No, but it's fun to read.
What is your favorite zoo animal? Penguins. They’re dressed for every occasion!

A Quiet Brooklyn Christmas

As a kid, Christmas was the time of the year that I relished in; for me it was all about snow days and winter break. I can remember getting into my neighbor’s car and having her drive us kids (her own children and my brother and me) around to the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn to see the houses that were adorned with lights and lawn decorations. But the true light of Christmas emanates from the houses that were filled with love and that was completely the spirit that was my mother’s house this Christmas.

The greatest gift I had on Christmas was the woman I call mother. It seems for as long as I can remember, she would work on the holidays to bring home a little extra money to be spent on our home and on our family. And although I understood her need for a few extra pennies in her paycheck, I couldn’t help but feel like we were being robbed of valuable family time. So this Christmas, I insisted that she take the day off and spend it with her family as I know her client and his family are sure to survive one day without her. I got a call from her at approximately 9:23 a.m. this morning telling me to get up, shower and get my butt over to her house to help with the Christmas preparations. It is a moment of sheer awe every time I see it; watching my mother whip up all her culinary delights –- baked macaroni and cheese, rice and peas, sautéed veggies, candied yams, potato salad, stuffed turkey wings, baked ziti -- a virtual cornucopia of edible ecstasy!! We cooked; we cleaned and prepared the house for the onslaught of family. Two of my mother’s four sisters and their children, her neighbor and her family, along with my two brothers came by to share in the noise and joys of the season.

After blessing the Christmas table we all sat and commenced to eating, drinking and being merry! And it was after dinner and while having dessert, that my mother quieted the family and began the ritual of giving out the gifts –- the part of the evening I’m sure the kids enjoyed the most. It was my job, besides clearing away the dishes and preparing take away plates for the guests, to cheer on everyone as they opened their gifts. After the frenzy of ripping plastic and opening boxes, there were sweaters, Barbie dolls and crystal ware to be found among the mounds of shredded wrapping paper. It was at that point that Natalie, my mother’s neighbor, reached under the tree for one last gift and handed it to me. “L, this one’s for you!” “A gift for me? I had no idea!” It was a wonderful surprise that I hadn’t been expecting. And before I even opened the gift, I crawled over to my mom (as I was on the floor with all the kids) and gave her a kiss, thanking her. I was at this point that I recruited my cousin’s daughter Khalia to help in opening my gift. We ripped away the wrapping paper and to my surprise and astonishment; it was a digital camera that I had been eyeing and raving about for months! My reaction was startling – even to me! Picture me, doing this! I was so excited and happy that I think I scared the little ones! LOL!

This is my new Sony DSC-W70 Cyber-Shot digital camera (taken with my now ancient Fuji FinePix digital camera) and I am so excited to open myself up to yet another branch of creativity! The picture above was actually the inaugural photo, taken mere moments after taking the camera out of the box! Its a bit blurry, but I kinda like it!

Needless to say, it was a wonderfully quiet Christmas that I shared with my family and here's to hoping that you all -- my Blogger family -- enjoyed the same fortune. Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas From All Of Us Here At "The Family Guy"

His First Word

Something that I would imagine is music to every mother's ears! Enjoy!

To Skate Or Not To Skate...

That is the question I asked myself last week. It seemed up until that point I had been living for other things besides my immediate joy, focusing more on the notions of stress and work. I had been talking about going ice-skating to friends for quite some time and I finally decided last Friday that strapping on some skates would be a wonderful way to find a little joy.

I remember the first time I went ice-skating. I was 13 years old and it was during a trip to Rockefeller Center with some friends from school. I can recall being excited in just preparing to go on this trip. I remember telling my mother that I needed to find the "perfect outfit." We canvassed the mall until closing one night after getting home from work and school. I had to look hot (Ok, I know y'all must be asking yourselves: what exactly did a "hot" Leepak look like at 13? Think Ronnie Devoe from New Edition -- short jheri curl hairdo, squinty eyes and pink Gazelle glasses whose lenses covered half my face…ahhh yes, the excesses of the 80’s!! Yes folks, it was tragic and completely true. Everyone has their awkward adolescent stage and that was mine. And what makes this even more tragic to think about: I have pictures!) I believed myself to be somewhat "fashion forward" in wearing a seafoam green sweater set -- complete with leggings (now don't laugh...leggings were a big deal back in 1986!) and a seafoam and white hat and glove combo. Thinking back, I probably looked like an oversized Crayola crayon –- monochromatic and WRONG!! But I, of course thought I looked cute and would fit in perfectly with the teenaged junior high school crowd that I would be around. I remember having a wonderful time.

Fast forward 20 years and here I find that the excitement was still visible. Granted I didn’t go out shopping for a special skating outfit and it wasn’t a maneuver to expand the lines of friendship, but it was my chance to put all of the worries of my life aside for a while and just float happily along. I called in my reinforcements, also known as Deo. I figured what better way to experience life than to have a good friend travel the journey with you –- or in this case, glide on artificial ice and share in a fall (and a laugh) or two. And so at approximately 5:25pm with my daily hours billed and my desk cleared, I turned off my computer, left the office and met up with Deo for our adventures at Wollman Rink in Central Park. After meeting up, Deo and I hopped on the train and made our way to Central Park via Fifth Avenue. There is something so inherently stellar about this Manhattan thoroughfare -– Tiffany & Co., F.A.O Schwarz, and the Trump Tower –- it’s one of the many jewels in the crown that is New York City. As Deo and I got closer to the Fifth Avenue entrance we were slowly being overwhelmed by a caustic smell; also known as manure unleashed by the old and tired horses that perused the grounds. It seems like these impertinent sights and smells are as much a staple of the park as the park itself.

We were lucky in deciding to come to the rink on this particular evening as we were given free admission as part of a promotion sponsored by the Bank of America. So, we smiled and listened to the shpeel (and took the cheesy bank brochures) given to us at the door and then went in to rent our skates and a lock for our things. It was a bit of a surreal experience to have ice skates on again after so many years. But we strapped on our rentals and made our way to the ice. The first words out of Deo’s mouth as we came out onto the rink were: “I’m scared and I’m not afraid to admit it!” I honestly was a bit nervous myself as falling and chipping a tooth or breaking a bone was my biggest fear. But I’ve been conquering all sorts of fears, big and small, as of late and this was just another one to get past. With that, Deo took my hand and we braced ourselves for our first wobbly steps on the ice. After shaking off our initial nerves, we glided less than gracefully around the rink. We blended into the scene with the crisp New York air hitting our faces, Christmas muzak streaming into the night and fellow skaters smiling and laughing all around us. It essentially was a Norman Rockwell painting come to life.

This is me after gliding around the ice for about a half an hour. And while I was waiting for the Zamboni machine to finish clearing the ice, I was practicing a triple Salchow in my head that would make Dorothy Hamil and Michelle Kwan proud!

This was the most relaxed I had been in some time. Considering all I’ve had on my mind for the past few weeks were deadlines and trial preparation checklists, this was a welcomed relief. And although we initially started out as a literal shoulder for the other to lean on, at one point Deo and I found ourselves looking at each other from across the ice. I was glad that he was there to share in yet another New York experience with me. I called my friend Justine to ask her to join us, but after pounding the pavement for a few weeks, she was preparing herself for a job interview. So, although she was not there to glide along with us, I know she was there in spirit! You'll be there the next time Jus!

It was an hour before closing and after skating around the rink and spending what seemed like my life savings on a hot dog and two itty bitty juice boxes, I was ready to head home. My ankles hurt (I'm so out of shape!), my hands were cold and my search for a little joy was fulfilled.

Henry Ward Beecher once said that the art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. And just as I did as an awkward teenager, I was able to find joy and happiness in my friends and a pair of rented ice skates.

Christmas On Wall Street

As people rushed home to wrap gifts spent with their hard earned cash, I took notice of this as I past: The New York Stock Exchange illuminstrates the spirit of the holidays!! Capitalism at it's best and brightest!!

Under Construction

It has been said that where there's joy, there's quality--quality work is where someone is enjoying the process. And I find that I am so enjoying the process of working on this blog, that I seem to have overloaded my creative wires. I am currently working on quite a few posts at the moment. It seems like life's experiences come and go faster than the ink flows from pen to paper. So, I've decided to collect myself and all the experiences I want to share with you all and work on both these promising projects. So if you can bare with me, while ignoring the hammering and drilling (and read what may come before or after this post), it would be greatly appreciated.

I Heard A Bird Sing/Dark December

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

--Anonymous