Procrastination Nation

I had big plans for this week -- I had taken the week off from work to prep for Malibu so by the time
Thursday (today) came - I could relax and enjoy my last day in Boston for a month.  What do they say about "Best Laid Plans" - well, it happened.  At this moment I am drinking an iced coffee, waiting for my laundry to be done with a list a mile long of things that have to be done.  But in the end  - the last 7 days were pretty flipping awesome - It made me work thru some emotional head games, see most of my family & friends and best of all, see my brother Fernando  (www.fernandovarela.com) sing at Radio City Music Hall live during the America's Got Talent Show on Tuesday. #GOFORTE

Let's start with my last day at work last Friday.  You would think that I would be beyond excited to be out of work for 5 weeks.  And I was! But the whole week I have been emotional - crying ALOT, feeling super uncertain about being out of the office.  Friday was a disaster - I felt like I was leaving forever.  A friend had pointed something out to me earlier in the week - this whole experience leading up to Malibu made me feel that I was saying goodbye to my old life.  THAT IS SCARY!! Goodbye to my old life! Urgh - that was totally it. I was definitely saying good bye to my old life at work. No longer would they dictate when I work out, what I eat or when I leave.  How was that going to go over come September? I have always put 150% into my work and would I still be able to do that? If I don't would they fire me?  This was everything that was going thru my head.  I talked to one of my best friends, took a deep breathe - and walked out of work on Friday, it's all out of my hands now.

Saturday started pretty early - One of my oldest & dearest friends was turning 40 and her b-day celebration was in New York that night. Onto the 8:45 am train to New Rochelle, I go.  I met my mom, sisters, brother-in-law, Aunt, Uncle & cousin for a quick lunch at my FAVORITE pizza place for my final slice.  I get ready relatively quickly and make it to the bar on Katonah Avenue in the Bronx by 3 pm.  Already tired. But as always, I love a party so the night was great -- and long (I got in at 4:30 am - Yikes).  The whole experience was still surreal to me and  reminded me of a time when I made another drastic change in my life.  I grew up in the Bronx and in 1999 decided I needed a change.  Cue a conversation with my brother, Julio and I decided to move to Boston for a year.  13 1/2 years later - I am still here.  Being in the Bronx on Saturday, felt like it was 100 years ago.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  If you would have told me at age 24, that I wouldn't be living in the Bronx and living in Boston - I would have told you were you out of your f**king mind.  Just as if you would have told me 1 year ago I would have been going to the Biggest Loser Resort, I would have laughed at you.

Drove back to Boston on Sunday afternoon, quick nap before a charity dinner in Boston that I help organize.  Slept all day on Monday.  (Please notice I still have not done a thing for Malibu).

There was a time on Monday night I was going to play sick and not go to NYC the next day BUT am I so glad I didn't do that.  My younger brother Fernando is on America's Got Talent this year and he made thru to NYC and was going to sing at Radio City Music Hall for the first time ever on Tuesday night.  No matter how tired I was - I needed to do this.  Tuesday morning up at 5:30 pm - T to Milton, my brother Julio and my nephew Miguel pick me up and we are off to NYC.   Has anyone ever watched the Amazing Race?  Because I feel like that was what this ride was like.   We needed to be in NYC by 1 pm in order to change our vouchers for tickets. But everything that could go wrong -- 1 hour worth of traffic on 95 - check; stopped by a Connecticut Trooper for a speeding ticket-check ; construction in parking lot of rest stop so no drive thru - check; ridiculous traffic on the Triboro Bridge because of construction - check.  We finally make it to the city and get our tickets.  Now we are just waiting begins.  But with all crazy things that happen in life, sometimes it pays off to get thru the tough stuff - my brother's friend from high school, got us 4th row tickets for the show. YAY!!

I could go on and on about this experience but I will say this - going to sleep at 2:30 am on Tuesday night and waking up at 9 am on Wednesday, driving back to NYC and being so deliriously exhausted WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT.  Fernando has been working so hard for 16 years and it is all paying up.  Forte is going all on the way on http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/ - Watch their performance - talk about inspiring. Ok enough with the big sister pride.

Which leads me to today - I have ALOT to do today - my flight leaves at 8 am tomorrow morning.  But I do some of my best work last minute.  Goes all the way back to the 7th grade paper I wrote on slavery in 15 minutes while eating my oatmeal - it got published in the grammar school newspaper.

Overall, while I didn't get everything I needed to do this week done in the time I thought it would, I am going to get it done.  I guess I can equate it to my journey, yes it is a taken a long time to get to the Biggest Loser Resort - I am going to be there in 4 days.  Its never too late:)