Bumping into 'people'

I co-blogger just wrote to me how much she loved about New York the fact that you meet people at the most unexpected places... New York really is a place where you meet the must unexpected people at the most unexpected places. Check this out, just last week my friend Grego bumped into none the less Mr. Rafael Nadal! In the theater! Watching Phantom of the Opera! Like every other tourist or Broadway lover New Yorker (except that he is Español). I mean for Christ sake, my friend bumped into him, what? Like five days after this guy had won the gold medal at the Olympics! Grego said he was so nice and friendly and had no problem taking a picture with him or letting him put his arm around for the picture.

I know he's human and so am I, but this guy is number one ranked in the tennis world, he won the longest Wimbledon match in history just a few months back against another cutie/awsome Roger Federer, and as far as I am concerned he deserves the excitement, some noise and a post on this blog.

Here is the proof that needs to be framed, Grego, I hate you just ‘cause it wasn’t me how bumped into him!

Remember to introduce yourself

Me: I am not good at this!
La Peque: Why?
Me: I managed to make the guy come sit right next to me, have perfectly funny, smart, witty conversation, I give him my name and I get his, for Christ sake I find out he’s a Civil Engineer and yet I do not give him my number! Arrrrgh!
La Peque: What, why??
Me: I don’t know!! I had my business card right in front of me, on first zipper of my bag that was seating right on top of my lap, am I brained damaged or what?
La Peque: Definitely, and that’s it! Tomorrow you stay late at work, so that you can catch the exact same bus, you are giving this guy your number I don’t care if you have to stay late every night until you see him again, I don’t want to hear this BS again!!!
Me: eeerrr OK totally!

The story of how I met this guy is actually kind of funny, we had bumped into each other twice on the bus home, the thing is that both times I had done the same thing to him, he was seating on the aisle seat and window one was empty, I had made him stand up so that I could get the window seat. See, we both know a big secret that short people don’t find as important as we do; on that row of seats, there is more leg room than everywhere else on the bus. So the second time around I did the same thing he smiled at me, I was kind of embarrassed by this so I said:

Me: Sorry, more leg room…
Him: I’m not smiling because of that, is just that this is the second time around you’ve done this to me
Me: really!?
Him: I remember you (he blushed) and I know is because you are so tall…

I was flattered, he was so cute, and the whole way home we went talking none stop, a funny very light conversation, where none of us even introduced each other, God shouldn’t I know this as a rule!? Introduce yourself, introduce yourself!

So I saw him again yesterday and as you can see, I managed to get his name, not his number nor give him mine, but I will, I promise! Even if it takes me another month to see his cute face on the bus again, because I love you Peque but there is no way I’m staying late at work for a guy!! (ok maybe one or two days, just to see, hihi ;-)

PS: Feeling better already, some things just hit me harder than I would like but, pa’lante! Thank you Kish!

So this is what it feels like...

This is what a divorce must feel like, it drags and when you think the water has calmed down, some new drama arouses something new to fight about.

I was watching “Under the Tuscan Sun” the other day and I couldn’t help relating to the main character. Not in the way that she suddenly founds out that her beloved husband didn’t love her anymore and out of the blue she had to move out of their house and start a new life when she though she was perfectly happy; I relate to the after part. Our relationship deteriorated with time, and it became impossible for the both of us to survive the way things were going. None of us got in it thinking that we would fail, I though that was the one that would stick, you know, forever. I gave everything I had in me to make it work, and it didn’t.

Now it’s been more than a year since we separated, I moved out, and we kind of went our ways. At the beginning it was very hard to deal with the fact and we kept seeing each other. We got into an undefined relationship that was neither here nor there and finally ended up hurting us even more. The separation has taken a toll on the both us I guess, somewhat ugly things about each other have been unveiled, and the person I though loved me the most besides my mother and sisters all of the sudden seems so strangely unfamiliar, doing things almost purposely to hurt me yet claiming still all of this love for me. It just makes no sense what so ever all of the mixed feelings your get, you just don’t understand how we are the same two people that laid eyes on each other one day and said “I love you”.

In the movie the best friend of the main character tells her “I am afraid you might be in danger of never recovering”… I feel as though I might be in danger as well, and that scares me. I could not peel myself from bed all day yesterday, I felt as though my whole body weigh a ton, so heavy with sadness, and the realization once again that we had screwed this one so badly, that I am alone in a foreign country, that I can not go back to my country crying like a little girl to my mother’s arms and with so little to show for the time I’ve been here. I though this might just be how a divorce feels like… One more fight with this person and I my heart will not be able to heal ever.

Also in the movie, the main character finds herself buying a villa in Tuscany, “standing at a crossroad” and making a decision of starting a new life there. Granted I don’t have the money to buy anything close to a hole in the wall anywhere! But silly little dreamer in me hopes that my upcoming trip to Europe brings me a new opportunity. Part of me kind of wants to start fresh somewhere else, maybe get a job in a foreign country, face another language barrier, and become part of a new culture… I guess it is time for me to make a life changing decision, any suggestions?

Beijín 2008, INCREIBLE!!!

Jueves 08.08.08 a las 3:00 PM aprox.
Yo: Puedes venir y hacemos la reunión pero no creo que te pueda prestar mucha atención.
La Peque: Por?...
Yo: Es la inauguración de los Juegos Olímpicos y tengo que ver eso!
La Peque: No te lo puedo creer!!! Que la inauguración sea mas importante que nuestro viaje! Nos faltan muchas cosas que decidir!...

Jueves 08.08.08 a las 8:08 PM
Dos chicas en un pequeño apartamentito de NJ, arriba de una cama y gritando sin importar que todos los vecinos nos oyeran, el conteo regresivo que marcó la inauguración de los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijing 2008, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…1 AMAZING! No hay otra forma de describirlo.

Jueves 08.08.08 a las 10:00 PM aprox. Y durante los comerciales
Yo: Con limón o sin limón?
La Peque: Con limón y date pronto que ya casi va a desfilar Rep. Dominicana
Yo: Coño pero párate de esa cama y ven a ayudarme a preparar los tragos!!
La Peque: jiijijijiji Ni loca!

Tengo que dedicar este post a los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijín 2008, que inauguración! increíble el colorido, la música, los conceptos, los chinos votaron la bola! En todas las inauguraciones de las olimpiadas siempre se me hace difícil pensar como el país que sigue podrá hacer algo mejor. Atenas fue magnifico pero la verdad es que China me dejo con la boca abierta. Las instalaciones se ven súper increíbles, el estadio olímpico, el Cube para la natación. Wao.

Y hablando de natación, muchos de ustedes no saben, pero fui nadadora en mi país por muchos años, nunca llegue a nivel ni siquiera panamericano, pero si competí en varios invitacionales internacionalmente y la verdad es que adoro ese deporte. De hecho ahora que estuve en la Republica fui a la piscina donde practica el equipo al cual pertenecía, con mi amiga Lore, ex nadadora también y compañera de categoría conmigo. Ese día nadamos con el equipo master, que son nada mas y nada menos que muchachos que nadaban junto con nosotras hace varios años. La pasamos increíble ese día y me di cuenta cuanto extraño nadar, me sentí completamente dentro de mi elemento. Cuando estas ahí en el carril, cruzando de un lado a otro la piscina, tu sola con tu cuerpo y tus pensamientos, reflexionas, te relajas… me acorde de cundo me retire… Tercer semestre de la universidad, 30 créditos, incluyendo Física Introductoria… Mi frustración y mi cansancio eran tan grandes que no puede seguir en el equipo, mi mama me llevaba luego de los exámenes de física a la piscina porque sabía que era mi forma de calmarme. Fue la primera de D de varias en mi vida como estudiante, una que nunca olvidaré…

Pero siguiendo con las Olimpiadas, señores si pueden no se pierdan la natación, Michael Phelps es mitad pez, estoy convencida, y si se perdieron en relevo 4x100 Libre en el que los Estados Unidos se llevo el oro entren a http://www.nbcolympics.com/ y vea ese video. INCREIBLE! La natación sigue esta noche Phelps va por su tercera medalla de oro en su misión de ser el primer atleta del mundo en conseguir 8 medallas de Oro en unas olimpiadas. Good Luck Michael!