New York
Christian’s Art debuts at Rockefeller Center
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 | Family, Seasonal | 0 Comments
Congrats to my nephew, Christian, whose art made it to the big city! When we were in Texas last week for our Holiday celebrations I showed Christian the photograph I have on my phone of the Rockefeller Center tree and he was pretty impressed. Krista told me that he was telling her about it as she was tucking him in that night. That’s when I knew he should be a contributor to the art displays at Rock Center.
So I requested he whip up a sweet little drawing that we could showcase at Rockefeller Center. Thanks to Ness for getting his art put on this Christmas display right next to the elevators that take her to work. Enjoy!
Fall Photos of Beautiful NY State
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 | Adventure, Fun, Photography, Seasonal | 0 Comments
Ape for Apples
Just a quick post to link to some photos showcasing the outdoorsy fun we’ve been enjoying during this lovely season: Fall!
An Apple Picking We Will Go
Over the weekend, Justin and I went apple picking, wine tasting, stopped by a dairy for some fresh bread and cheese, and even spotted a baby black bear! It was awesome! I also go to sleep in on Saturday, which was brilliant and much needed.
Setting Up Camp
Rugged Campers With Our Air Mattresses
The weekend before last, we went camping with some friends (Olivia, Alex, and Marisa) in Clarence Fahnestock State Park. We also brought along Ruby and Eve. Olivia was accompanied by her pup Winston. Good times – even if our Hyundai was a little weighed down!
We sat around the campfire until the wee hours of the morning. We hiked. We roasted marshmallows. Good times were had. Marisa and I saved the day by jogging two miles down a windy road, mostly uphill, to locate our car. Yah, we’re tough.
Enjoy the photos!
Five days until mine and Justin’s fifth anniversary!
Camping Out in Taconic State Park
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 | Adventure, Friends, Fun, Positivity, Puppies, Travel | 0 Comments
Camping in Taconic State Park
The Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Justin and I loaded up our two pups and headed north with the intent to camp. Naturally, we made no campsite reservations what with it being one of the busiest camping days of the year and all. We hoped to grab a spot at Taconic State Park. Oddly enough, luck was on our side! Not only did we receive the last available dog-friendly spot, our neighbors never showed up! We ended up having a fairly private campsite at the far end of the park near the singular puppy friendly hiking trail. Yay!
Check out our photos and videos >>
View Justin’s video – The Running of the Pups! YouTube | Vimeo
Should you go, this stuff is definitely worth checking out:
The now abandoned Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center which has been purchased with the intent to transform the property into The Knolls of Dover (I found video and photos inside the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center).- Rosemary’s Texas Tacos – This woman has bright purple hair and zany makeup! The tacos were okay, the sweet tea was delicious, and the interior decor was other worldly. Check out Rosemary’s Myspace for fun images and general insanity.
Bash Bish Falls State Park – super beautiful falls! This park was a perfect stop for us because we were able to take the puppies on a little hike before driving all the way back to NYC. Check out the park’s website or read an article about it if you’re up for it.- Taconic State Park – of course! It was nice and peaceful, and I expect we’ll head back someday! Check out the park’s Wikipedia entry. :)
Thoughts while riding the E train
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 | Thoughts | 0 Comments
I’m going on my 3rd year in New York right now, but somehow it never seems like I live here. It’s always felt extremely temporary somehow. The thought occurred to me tonight as I was riding the subway into ‘the city’ and feeling the humidity, even though I was many feet below the ground in an enclosed metal tube. I was mentally chastising myself for being surprised at how humid is was with, “What do you expect? We live in a place surrounded by the ocean.” As soon as I had that thought it felt fake to me.
After 2 years in New York, I still don’t feel as though I have ever lived here. Why is that? Is it because I know in my heart I am biding my time? Probably. Moving to NYC is something I did out of coercion—maybe persuasion is a better word. At any rate, I accepted it because I was looking to make a change in my life anyway. Chicago was the city I’d set my sights on, but America’s first city offered me a job, I already had family here, plus my sister was requiring me to go where she did, and Val!’s plans certainly included New York. There was no great reason not to move to New York.
I wonder if the feeling of living a transient existence and just waiting, waiting in limbo, would be the same regardless. I know Texas is in my eventual future, but I’d still like to feel settled and cozy in the interim—like I belong to a place and it to me. Like I have a positive, loving relationship with my current city, as cheesy as that may sound. New York, why are you so elusive? Is it entirely my fault?
I see it from the periphery. I see how cool New York is, how interesting it can be, and what it offers that no place else really does—something for everyone. It’s easy to rebuke NYC for being so hard-nosed, so unfriendly, so not midwestern/southern. I just want, for the rest of the time Justin and I are here, to love it like other people openly love it. I just don’t know if I have it in me.
Side note: On the way to see FIT’s Gothic fashion exhibit today, a black man was handing out a newspaper. The cover said “Racism! Hatred!” He tried to hand it to an Indian man walking right in front of me that did not take it. As I approached, he quickly pulled the magazine away from my sight and back toward himself. Strange, but that happens more than you’d think here. There are religious propaganda spreaders that hang out near Queens Mall preaching that God is black. They approach anyone that looks like a minority, but when I (or another white person) walks by, they back away or turn to someone else. In a way, it’s a bummer. What if it was something I wanted to know about? It’s not like I’ve got religion in my life. ;) Oh well, no biggie.
FIT’s exhibit was amazing and highly, highly recommended. If you like black, lace, Gothic style, or are just curious, you absolutely must check it out! I might write more on this at another time, as I am planning to drag Val! back with me… in full regalia. :)
Top Ten Ways to Tell Fall is Coming
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 | Seasonal | 0 Comments
My summer violin classes are about over!- Everyone knows Autumn means harvest time for vineyards and wineries and I was just reading about a winery that is opening in Manhattan in the fall.
- JetBlue is having their annual Fall Fare Sale (ends tomorrow though!)
- Fall clothing collections are already being displayed in stores and on websites (BananaRepublic.com anyone?)
- You can already begin planning what you’ll do for Halloween this year as innumerable parties and parades have been scheduled already! What’s better? Halloween is on a Friday this year! Get crackin’ on your Halloween planning.
- It’s already getting dark earlier. Have you noticed?
- Football teams are in their Fall training camps (c’mon, people, don’t ya know this?… Didn’t go to high school in Texas, then, didja?)
- The long, golden shafts of sunlight are beginning to appear in the afternoons, ushering in the beautiful, magical feeling of Fall.
- It’s getting down to the 40s in the Catskills at night and some leaves are already changing! Feel free to read more about the seasons in the Catskills.
- Everything in Texas is good and dead from the looong, hot summer.
Ponderings in the Shower
Friday, July 4th, 2008 | Thoughts | 0 Comments
Written July 2, 2008: I moved to New York City so I could become complacent with my life. My life here is no bigger or smaller than it’s ever been – neither more nor less important.
In a way, it *feels* a little bigger because of this enormously populated, exaggeratedly important city. Everyone knows of it, speaks of it, longs to be here for one reason or another even if they’re at the furthest corners of the world. Movies are filmed here, books are written here, tv shows are shot here… It’s definitely recognizable, and being even slightly affiliated with a place so well-known and lusted after makes my life feel just a millimeter more significant.
But in other ways, I am much more isolated in this cut-throat, self-serving, me-first sort of city. I lost it the other night, crying to Justin and wondering if I’d ever have any real friends again.
July 4, 2008: Happy birthday, Michieru. Hope you’re making the most of it!
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