As most of you know, my big project was rolling out on 9/28. After a grueling night of work all seemed well by 5am when me, John and Jenny left the office. We deployed all of the designs and processes and restored databases to four regions around the world. It was now in the hands of the testers.
I came home to a "paralyzed" girlfriend lying in bed. The poor thing had major back spasms and could hardly move. It still amazes me how she made it home from the lower east side, on the subway. I took care of the her best I could and tried to rest my mind and body for the little time that I had to sleep. I needed to be on a status call at 10am. I woke up and checked my voicemail only to hear Jenny saying the testers reported Critical issues with the system and I needed to log in immediately.
I rushed to my computer and onto the conference call at 9:30am. The New York database was crawling and had severe errors, ones capable of invalidating all my work the night before.
I worked with Jenny and Eric to resolve the issues and after 4 hours we fixed them in time. The testers completed for all regions and gave official notice that this rollout was SUCCESSFUL! Oh man, I am so tired but so relieved that all my long nights and detailed plans paid off. WHEW!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sadly, It's Not Autumn Yet
It's been in the high 80's the last few days. So much for an early fall...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
My San Diego Trip
I had such an amazing time at home in San Diego. It was really wonderful being with my whole family and spending lots of time with them. I felt especially connected to each of them this trip. My dad and I had some fun going to the movies, watching dogs surf and photographing them as well as working on computers at home. To see all my photos from the trip, check out the tag "summer07" on flickr.
My mom and I had some really special time together, whether it was as simple as going to the Trader Joe's to restock on fruit, Rico's to get some tasty burritos or a long walk from Torrey Pines all the way down to La Jolla shores. I had a great time in all of our adventures! You can view all of those pictures under the "la jolla" tag on flickr.
La Jolla Cove
Rock Formation
Torrey Pines Beach
My sister and I had some real quality time this trip and I am so fortunate to come home when she is around. It's not every day that the whole family is together. We had some real brother-sister time this trip that I truly treasured. We had many trips to the beach, an bottle cap collecting evening at Fidel's Mexican restaurant that was kind of a bust. But it turned into us making nachos, grabbing beers from the fridge and going to San Dieguito park at night to enjoy the clear, starry sky. We also had a brilliant beach day at the newly remodeled Fletcher cove beach. That day was such a perfect beach day with the sun beaming down on us and perfect body surfing waves. I had such an incredible time just hanging out in the water with her and being water buddies. Finally, to top it off, filming her river dance video was just too much fun. All must see this one!
Nothing like a morning cup of joe
Yesterday was one of the most perfect days of my holiday. I spent most of the day at Torrey Pines beach with my mom and my sister and the weather couldn't have been better. The water was a nice 66 degrees but with the warm sun it was hard to feel the chill. The waves became much better as the tide rolled out and I spent the better half of our time there in the water. It was crystal clear, which doesn't happen often, and the waning sun scattered sparkles onto the water below. I decided to leave my surf board at home and just body surf with my mom and ahna. It was a good choice since the waves weren't big but they were perfect for swimming like a seal. I definitely got the hang of it in only a short time. I hadn't really done much body surfing in the past but it's a lot of fun and you only need your body! Easy! The trick is to tighten up your arms and legs and have your arms straight in front of you like you're diving. If the wave tries to push you from behind, tighten your abs to keep your body straight. If you catch a good wave, you can ride it all the way in which is something I've never done before while body surfing. It was awesome!
The view of the sparkling ocean was unforgettable and it was quite a spectacular way to spend my last day at home. I am going to miss the beach dearly as there are so many things I love about it! I have a theory that there is a difference between beach time and non-beach time. When you're at the beach, time just moves slower and you feel more relaxed. The water has a strange but wonderful effect of clearing your mind and body. Whenever I am in the water I forget everything else that is going on in my life and only focus on the moment I am in. When I get out of the water, all my worries, stress and outside thoughts are washed away with the waves. It is incredibly soothing and relaxing.
To top things off, we picked up Rico's for dinner. A big bean, rice, cheese and guacamole burrito assuaged my beach hunger. There's nothing like the hunger that one gets from being at the beach and playing in the water. I got four extra burritos to take back with me to New York. They just don't have this kind of quality out east. As I write this, the four companions are tucked securely in my backpack along with a small container of hot sauce. I can't wait to enjoy these with Michelle! I am also accompanied by 3 and 1/2 chocolate muffins from Costco which I am sure Michelle will help me eat :-)
Overall, my trip was incredibly restful, enjoyable, fun and full of family lovey. However, I can't help but think of the few things that I missed out on during this trip. I didn't get to satisfy my longing for chips from Fidel's. That can wait though. The big thing was not seeing Michael while I was at home. I called him numerous times but never received a response from him. I missed catching up with him especially since he mentioned in our last correspondence that a lot has been changing in his life. If you're reading this, Michael, call me so we can catch up! I miss you bro!
Before I left this morning, we had a big family breakfast which included yummy waffle's, tons of fruit and a nice breeze while we ate outside on the deck.
That's all for now, I am going to plug into my iPod and hope the flights will get me to Islip on time and in one piece. I am projected to get into Long Island at 10:30 then take a train to Penn Station arriving at 12:43. Hopefully I'll make it home by 1:15am but that's up to things I cannot control so I'll just hang out and hope it goes smoothly.
Aerial View of San Diego
And now to remember in pictures...
Moonlight beach view
Sub Palace Monster
The Fam
Speak with you all soon.
-Gabe
My mom and I had some really special time together, whether it was as simple as going to the Trader Joe's to restock on fruit, Rico's to get some tasty burritos or a long walk from Torrey Pines all the way down to La Jolla shores. I had a great time in all of our adventures! You can view all of those pictures under the "la jolla" tag on flickr.
La Jolla Cove
Rock Formation
Torrey Pines Beach
My sister and I had some real quality time this trip and I am so fortunate to come home when she is around. It's not every day that the whole family is together. We had some real brother-sister time this trip that I truly treasured. We had many trips to the beach, an bottle cap collecting evening at Fidel's Mexican restaurant that was kind of a bust. But it turned into us making nachos, grabbing beers from the fridge and going to San Dieguito park at night to enjoy the clear, starry sky. We also had a brilliant beach day at the newly remodeled Fletcher cove beach. That day was such a perfect beach day with the sun beaming down on us and perfect body surfing waves. I had such an incredible time just hanging out in the water with her and being water buddies. Finally, to top it off, filming her river dance video was just too much fun. All must see this one!
Nothing like a morning cup of joe
Yesterday was one of the most perfect days of my holiday. I spent most of the day at Torrey Pines beach with my mom and my sister and the weather couldn't have been better. The water was a nice 66 degrees but with the warm sun it was hard to feel the chill. The waves became much better as the tide rolled out and I spent the better half of our time there in the water. It was crystal clear, which doesn't happen often, and the waning sun scattered sparkles onto the water below. I decided to leave my surf board at home and just body surf with my mom and ahna. It was a good choice since the waves weren't big but they were perfect for swimming like a seal. I definitely got the hang of it in only a short time. I hadn't really done much body surfing in the past but it's a lot of fun and you only need your body! Easy! The trick is to tighten up your arms and legs and have your arms straight in front of you like you're diving. If the wave tries to push you from behind, tighten your abs to keep your body straight. If you catch a good wave, you can ride it all the way in which is something I've never done before while body surfing. It was awesome!
The view of the sparkling ocean was unforgettable and it was quite a spectacular way to spend my last day at home. I am going to miss the beach dearly as there are so many things I love about it! I have a theory that there is a difference between beach time and non-beach time. When you're at the beach, time just moves slower and you feel more relaxed. The water has a strange but wonderful effect of clearing your mind and body. Whenever I am in the water I forget everything else that is going on in my life and only focus on the moment I am in. When I get out of the water, all my worries, stress and outside thoughts are washed away with the waves. It is incredibly soothing and relaxing.
To top things off, we picked up Rico's for dinner. A big bean, rice, cheese and guacamole burrito assuaged my beach hunger. There's nothing like the hunger that one gets from being at the beach and playing in the water. I got four extra burritos to take back with me to New York. They just don't have this kind of quality out east. As I write this, the four companions are tucked securely in my backpack along with a small container of hot sauce. I can't wait to enjoy these with Michelle! I am also accompanied by 3 and 1/2 chocolate muffins from Costco which I am sure Michelle will help me eat :-)
Overall, my trip was incredibly restful, enjoyable, fun and full of family lovey. However, I can't help but think of the few things that I missed out on during this trip. I didn't get to satisfy my longing for chips from Fidel's. That can wait though. The big thing was not seeing Michael while I was at home. I called him numerous times but never received a response from him. I missed catching up with him especially since he mentioned in our last correspondence that a lot has been changing in his life. If you're reading this, Michael, call me so we can catch up! I miss you bro!
Before I left this morning, we had a big family breakfast which included yummy waffle's, tons of fruit and a nice breeze while we ate outside on the deck.
That's all for now, I am going to plug into my iPod and hope the flights will get me to Islip on time and in one piece. I am projected to get into Long Island at 10:30 then take a train to Penn Station arriving at 12:43. Hopefully I'll make it home by 1:15am but that's up to things I cannot control so I'll just hang out and hope it goes smoothly.
Aerial View of San Diego
And now to remember in pictures...
Moonlight beach view
Sub Palace Monster
The Fam
Speak with you all soon.
-Gabe
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A Night At The Beach
My mom, sister and I went to the beach this evening with a picnic and my surfboard. We watched the sunset from the edge of the west coast, staring out into the vast pacific ocean until the bright yellow orb disappeared over the horizon. It was a magical night and luckily I brought my camera to capture a few images to share. As always, check out the rest of my pictures on flickr
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Enjoying the peace and quiet
Being here makes me realize how chaotic, noisy and fast paced my life is in New York. Granted, there's an inherent feeling of relaxing with my time off from work but I've come to realize that escaping from the city is a necessary thing to do every once and awhile. It's been way too long since I've had a decent break from city life and it makes me want to do it more often. I am still enjoying all of the adventures that New York has to offer but I need to find outlets...which is not an easy task. I think the first will be an apple picking trip with Michelle in the fall which I've promised her for some time.
For now, I'm just going to soak in all the beach that I can and re-fill my relaxation tanks.
For now, I'm just going to soak in all the beach that I can and re-fill my relaxation tanks.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Del Mar Surf Dog Contest
Oooooh, it's SO GOOD to be HOME!!! I feel so relaxed here, especially after getting into the water and surfing. We ate at Rico's taco shop last night which is an all time favorite place of mine. Bean, Rice and Cheese with Extra Rice is my kind of meal!
So this morning, my dad and I headed down to dog beach to check out the Surf Dog Contest...Yup, Dog's surfing. Only in San Diego...haha. Without further ado, SURF DOG PICTURES! Check out the rest of the surf dog pictures and other pictures on my flickr site.
So this morning, my dad and I headed down to dog beach to check out the Surf Dog Contest...Yup, Dog's surfing. Only in San Diego...haha. Without further ado, SURF DOG PICTURES! Check out the rest of the surf dog pictures and other pictures on my flickr site.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
It's Sunday and I Don't Have to Work Tomorrow
I must say, it's pretty nice that I don't have to head in to work tomorrow morning. I could get used to this 3-day weekend thing which makes me even more envious of Michelle's every-other-Friday-off dealio; lucky girl.
So my birthday was INCREDIBLE but let's get to my CTW (Community Teamworks) event beforehand. I had a nice time helping out at Animal Haven down in SoHo. We paired up to walk about 6 dogs and learn more about the shelter. I have a few pictures on Flickr and this one here is of Looker the very excited beagle:
Afterwards, I went back to the apartment to rest up for my party night. Michelle had a triple chocolate cake waiting for me: dark chocolate cake, chocolate fudge frosting and chocolate chips covering the top. It was heavenly! At 7:45 we headed to midtown and met everyone at Carmine's on 44th (review coming soon...). We had a couple of late comers but it all worked out in the end. Steph was so sweet and baked me a HUGE loaf of chocolate banana bread which was DELICIOUS, by the way, especially for her first attempt. Good job on that one, Steph, I'll happily take another one of those off your hands :-)
I am so lucky to have so many people show up to dinner and drinks afterwards. A total of 13 people showed up to celebrate and I feel honored to have had their company on my birthday.
Michelle
Eliot and Aurora
Russ and Ashley
Steph
Mike
Dennis
James and Cassie
Darren
Aleksas
Dinner was superb and enormous but most of all, delicious! We ordered 3 pastas's and 2 chicken dishes. I really enjoyed ALL of the food but there were these potatoes on the side of one of the dishes that were sooooooo good. Michelle tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to eat one right away and I gladly did. They tasty lemony with a strong Italian flavor that was unlike anything I've ever had before. To finish us all off, or sink us, Michelle told them it was my birthday so they brought out the biggest sundae I have EVER seen. The name of it was the Titanic and rightfully so. It had chocolate pirouettes as steam pipes which were placed in mounds of whipped cream, many different types of nuts, chocolate and vanilla ice cream all on top of a chocolate torte. RIDICULOUS would not even begin to describe this dessert but it was exactly my type of food. It was such a great birthday dinner.
After we stuffed ourselves full, we walked up to 54th and 9th ave to a place called Valhalla. I looked it up on Yelp! and people said it was known for it's beer selection which sounds like my kind of place. We arrived to a fairly empty, rustic bar with candle light to read the menu. We all crammed into a bench in the back of the room and chatted away for the rest of the night.
On came Saturday. I felt really restless all day like I just wanted to escaped from the city to somewhere with little to no human interaction and where I looked gaze up into the starry night. Unfortunately, neither Michelle or I had the means to make that happen, no matter how wonderful it sounded so we had to improvise. We took a walk through the park and found a nice fountain to sit by and relax. There weren't too many people around and only an occasional pedi-cab or horse carriage strolling by. It was very relaxing and just a beautiful day to just sit outside, away from the apartment.
That night around 11pm we took the lift up to the 17th floor and went up on the roof. There were some nice chairs out there and a gorgeous, cloudless night to gaze up at. It wasn't exactly what I was envisioning since there was still a bright flood light, not to mention the hue of the city-that-never-sleeps beaming up into the sky. Nonetheless, it hit the spot and was very nice, especially the temperature!
Today, we lazied around again, trying to find something exciting to do but alas we were too late. We had a fun idea of renting a car and driving out to the very tip of Long Island but there were no cars left at the place near me. It was a fun, last minute thought but it just didn't work out. We spent most of the day inside but then finally ventured out to Riverside Park, which is someplace I've never taken Michelle. I've been there a few times when I first moved in but was more impressed with Central Park. I must say that a return visit really brightened my view of Riverside Park, especially when I was craving the smell of salty air and the rustle of water all around. We returned later on when the sun was setting and it was picture-perfect. I really enjoyed the park and am very fortunate it's so accessible.
My new desktop wallpaper:
As always, be sure to check the rest out on Flickr OR you can look at the thumbnails on the right side column (if you hadn't noticed them before).
So my birthday was INCREDIBLE but let's get to my CTW (Community Teamworks) event beforehand. I had a nice time helping out at Animal Haven down in SoHo. We paired up to walk about 6 dogs and learn more about the shelter. I have a few pictures on Flickr and this one here is of Looker the very excited beagle:
Afterwards, I went back to the apartment to rest up for my party night. Michelle had a triple chocolate cake waiting for me: dark chocolate cake, chocolate fudge frosting and chocolate chips covering the top. It was heavenly! At 7:45 we headed to midtown and met everyone at Carmine's on 44th (review coming soon...). We had a couple of late comers but it all worked out in the end. Steph was so sweet and baked me a HUGE loaf of chocolate banana bread which was DELICIOUS, by the way, especially for her first attempt. Good job on that one, Steph, I'll happily take another one of those off your hands :-)
I am so lucky to have so many people show up to dinner and drinks afterwards. A total of 13 people showed up to celebrate and I feel honored to have had their company on my birthday.
Michelle
Eliot and Aurora
Russ and Ashley
Steph
Mike
Dennis
James and Cassie
Darren
Aleksas
Dinner was superb and enormous but most of all, delicious! We ordered 3 pastas's and 2 chicken dishes. I really enjoyed ALL of the food but there were these potatoes on the side of one of the dishes that were sooooooo good. Michelle tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to eat one right away and I gladly did. They tasty lemony with a strong Italian flavor that was unlike anything I've ever had before. To finish us all off, or sink us, Michelle told them it was my birthday so they brought out the biggest sundae I have EVER seen. The name of it was the Titanic and rightfully so. It had chocolate pirouettes as steam pipes which were placed in mounds of whipped cream, many different types of nuts, chocolate and vanilla ice cream all on top of a chocolate torte. RIDICULOUS would not even begin to describe this dessert but it was exactly my type of food. It was such a great birthday dinner.
After we stuffed ourselves full, we walked up to 54th and 9th ave to a place called Valhalla. I looked it up on Yelp! and people said it was known for it's beer selection which sounds like my kind of place. We arrived to a fairly empty, rustic bar with candle light to read the menu. We all crammed into a bench in the back of the room and chatted away for the rest of the night.
On came Saturday. I felt really restless all day like I just wanted to escaped from the city to somewhere with little to no human interaction and where I looked gaze up into the starry night. Unfortunately, neither Michelle or I had the means to make that happen, no matter how wonderful it sounded so we had to improvise. We took a walk through the park and found a nice fountain to sit by and relax. There weren't too many people around and only an occasional pedi-cab or horse carriage strolling by. It was very relaxing and just a beautiful day to just sit outside, away from the apartment.
That night around 11pm we took the lift up to the 17th floor and went up on the roof. There were some nice chairs out there and a gorgeous, cloudless night to gaze up at. It wasn't exactly what I was envisioning since there was still a bright flood light, not to mention the hue of the city-that-never-sleeps beaming up into the sky. Nonetheless, it hit the spot and was very nice, especially the temperature!
Today, we lazied around again, trying to find something exciting to do but alas we were too late. We had a fun idea of renting a car and driving out to the very tip of Long Island but there were no cars left at the place near me. It was a fun, last minute thought but it just didn't work out. We spent most of the day inside but then finally ventured out to Riverside Park, which is someplace I've never taken Michelle. I've been there a few times when I first moved in but was more impressed with Central Park. I must say that a return visit really brightened my view of Riverside Park, especially when I was craving the smell of salty air and the rustle of water all around. We returned later on when the sun was setting and it was picture-perfect. I really enjoyed the park and am very fortunate it's so accessible.
My new desktop wallpaper:
As always, be sure to check the rest out on Flickr OR you can look at the thumbnails on the right side column (if you hadn't noticed them before).
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