About to Start Another Chapter

King Sized Bed at Francis Marion Hotel=GOOD, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

You know the old saying, "TIme flies when you're having fun?" Wise words. I'm stunned how fast these last few years have gone by in a blur. We've gone through alot and. After the kids were born I changed jobs three times and about to transition to yet another one (and as a career change kind of). We've moved to another state and built a new home. The kids have made new friends and seen new things. I watch as they outgrow their old clothes and the closet has gotten cluttered with old shoes that don't fit anymore. One has become a girly girl who loves princesses, unicorns and rainbows. She is as sweet as they come with a vivid imagination. The other is a headstrong little boy with a deep voice, but can melt you with his smile.

These past two years working from home has really allowed me to see these changes. Some are more subtle than others, but I don't think I missed anything. I'm grateful for that. I really love my children.

This year (because of Isa's late birthdate) they will be both starting school. Nicholas in preschool (he'll be four by August) and Isabella into kindergarten as a six-year-old. They seem excited about it and will be entering daycare very soon. It'll be good practice for them. I'm glad they'll be starting at the same time.

Like all brothers and sisters they quarrel, but it ends quickly. They're very close to each other. I don't remember me and my siblings constantly kissing and hugging each other. I like that they do. She's protective of him and actually takes care of him on occasion. She'll dress him, help him to the bathroom, straighten out his room when it's messy. Such a good sister, but I hope he doesn't rely on her too much as they grow older. They may be going to daycare as early as next week and me off to work again.

I know I'll miss them during the day. It'll be worse for me when they go to school. Consider it an early Empty Nest Syndrome. I've been attached to the hip to them the past two years and it'll feel weird that I go back to a regular job with regular hours and working in an office again. Bittersweet, right? They're growing up, but I'm glad I was there for their early years.

Must. Keep. Going.

running, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

I'm a self professed desk jockey. I'm no longer in denial. At 40-years-old with two small kids and a paunch I admit I let myself go. Whereas I used to enjoy a fast(er) metabolism a few years ago I've watched that steadily slow down. Meanwhile I've watched my friends fight the good fight and hit the gym regularly and stay active. I'm ashamed of myself.

Last Fall I got it in my head I would start to get more in tune with my aging bones and do something about my blood pressure, weight and overall health. Proud to say I stayed strong during the holidays with very little breaking of my goal and managed to lose a respectable 15 lbs. during the hardest season of the year. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, El's birthday and a variety of parties and other events never stood a chance. By simply watching what I ate, cutting down on salt and carbs, and drinking plenty of water (and cutting out sugary drinks) I was able to lose it. In January during my checkup I still had higher blood pressure, but my doc was pleased with my weight loss.

For my 40th El got me a treadmill and I would once in awhile get into a groove with it and stay on it for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. I admit it got boring and luckily Ron's Christmas gift of an iPad helped me get through it via Netflix. A couple of weeks ago my sister, Cher, coerced me to walk/run the Cooper River Bridge with her. What a shock to the system!

Six miles of steep inclines with a freezing headwind and a blown out pair of Nike AirMax's sent me a clear message. I needed to get more serious about the health regimen. Soon after I recovered from that run (I ached all over in places I never knew I could ache from) I took to the task of researching better running shoes based on what I felt during that run.

After spending almost an hour and a half trying on multiple brands and styles I settled on a pair of New Balances with the proper bounce in the heel, support on the sides and better overall fit. I was done with Nikes and shoes based on looks. I could give a rat's ass if my shoes were fluorescent orange and green with pink hearts on them if they fit well. Shins still ache on runs, but feels nothing like that first run on the bridge.

I've done well with trying to squeeze in a run almost every night after the kids are put to bed. The cold night air suits me. I'm alone (unless El joins me) and it feels like a good way to unwind at the end of the day and get some solitude. I know where my limitations are now (I'm not naturally a runner) and have adjusted my pacing to keep my heart rate up, but not kill myself (thanks Cher).

I don't think I'll be running the Cooper River Bridge like my sister and I imagine I will still slow her down this coming weekend, but pride be damned. I. Must. Keep. Going.

T.M.I.

Plugged In, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

For awhile now I've considered killing off my Facebook account. Between smartphones, iPads, laptops, desktop computers, LinkedIn, Facebook, my blogs, YouTube and the random Google searches there isn't much left in the way of privacy. Is there such a thing as being TOO plugged in? Is it just me or does anyone else feel the web has developed so much these last few years and our lives have become too dependent on it? Or rather that we think we NEED it?

Yes, its convenient at Christmas time when you need to get your shopping done. Sure it's great keeping up with family and friends via Skype. But I think people become desensitized because of too much accessibility to everything. I don't want to get know what some people search for on the web.

It used to be that the early days of the internet were BBS'es of postings from people you knew. Then it became a cool way to write letters, chat (via IMs) and buy music (and eventually steal it). Next it developed into a means to watch your favorite movies and TV shows, shop online and video chat your family and friends.

Now people have to be careful about spouting off about their jobs on Facebook lest they get fired for it. Or building an online persona for everyone's approval. I recently read online about how Facebook has created a need for a "reward" response by users or how some judge the quality of their lives based on the postings of others. Whatever happened to just being able to walk into a business and submit your resume in person and speaking to someone? Whatever happened to just calling someone to say "hi"?

It seems a lot of proper personal interaction has been lost because of the web. Things are too easily accessible through the maze of networks, hardware, software and wiring. And we're paying for all of it.

I think this came to me after I decided to kill off my "smart" phone. Almost $160 a month so I can post on Facebook? To know when my next spam email of Viagra comes in? To update where I'm eating at via Twitter? Really? I just needed a phone in case someone actually needed to get a hold of me.

We've created a blackhole of "need" for ourselves by plugging every aspect of our lives into the web. I'm slowly figuring out where I can trim away some of this need and regain some of my privacy back. Call me if you need me.

Craving Curry

Since we left Florida intermittently we've been craving Indian food. Although we have two places directly across from each other in West Ashley near us we've never pulled the trigger to try either. We sampled the food from Taste of India during the IndiaFest last summer and it was good, we noticed it was significantly higher at the actual restaurant. Being supporters of the hole-in-the-wall eateries we are always on the lookout for something good. Usually what we research and eventually try is decent it's rare we get scared of a place. Things we take into consideration when determining if we plan to patronize a place: Does Yelp, Chowhound to Trip Advisor recommend the place? Does the actual ethnic group the place represent eat there themselves? Is the place crowded or are the parked cars outside part of the staff? Once there how do we critique the place? Of course, most obvious is the food any good? Is the staff helpful, well informed and efficient? How does the interior look? Presentation is everything. Something I learned from working with Paula Deen is the appearance of the bathrooms acceptable? Weird, but very telling. She always said if a place can't keep their bathrooms clean and well stocked what does it tell you about their kitchen? With all that said here is what we found out about a recent visit to North Chuck's Bombay Bazaar Indian Restaurant. After research it seemed clear the food was well received by the locals and well priced. With its lunch buffet you could sample a variety of the places's cooking without blowing the wad. Today it featured some standards expected of Indian cuisine for the general public. Chicken Tikka Masala, curried goat with potatoes, Andoori Chicken, Basmati Rice and the typical assortment of condiments. Overall the food was good. It definitely satisfied by craving for some spicy Indian cuisine. The green chili sauce was tasty and the Tikka Masala and goat was delicious over rice. The Tandoori Chicken was pretty dry and looked like it had been sitting too long. For $8 it wasn't bad. And now the cons. They really gotta clean the place up. Like I said I love the hidden gems scattered about, but damn you have to make sure the place is spotless. Water damaged ceiling tile, dismal lighting and not-so-friendly staff hurt the overall ambience. My inquiries to walk me through the different featured buffet items was forced and not very enlightening. The worst part? The bathrooms. Small black flies competed in grossness with the overpowering smell of urine. No paper towels and filthy tile from 1985 was flat out nasty. This was probably one of the worst restrooms I've ever used (and I've seen some nasty ones). I'm just glad I ate before I went in here. I felt dirtier walking out than walking in. Would I go back? Maybe if I was really craving it. And I would rather take advantage of the $5 to go box instead. Sitting in was pretty depressing.