happy new year

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

- The Help

Merry Christmas to all

Wishing everyone blessings of love and peace this Christmas. May sugarplums dance in your head and joy fill your heart. Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

happy december

That time of year is here. Baby It's Cold Outside and Silent Night play in my apartment and a candle tries to make me believe that I have a tree in my living room. As I wish for peace on earth and goodwill to men, here are just a few things that I have come across in my daily footprint around the city that might just be the perfect gift for those special people in your life, including yourself. 

This iPad 2 case comes in 5 colors...people will think you are writing lengthy prose
 in your notebook instead of surfing J.Crew.com
J.Crew DODOcase for the iPad 2

If you are having difficulty reading this, then you need one of these for your new specs
(along with an appointment with your eye doctor)
Smathers & Branson Needlepoint Eyeglass Case

A little bling to add to the twinkling lights, these will make any outfit holiday ready
Asha by ADM Isis Earrings

For those friends & family with BIG ideas, a great stocking stuffer
Extra large sticky notes from Poppin

Donate, Shop or Dine through GoodSearch and they will donate to your favorite charity without any extra cost to you
Try GoodSearch & GoodShop this Christmas and give a whole lot more than your purchase

For the hostess with the mostest, this is a complete guide to entertaining
Martha's Entertaining

thanksgiving

I am thankful for the day, for the moment, for the now. May the blessings of love surround and keep you always. Happy Thanksgiving.

talk

Protests and occupying have my head spinning. The news is flooded with comments from every side, the streets are angry with signs bobbing and words shouting. I am still trying to figure out what is being accomplished, other than placing blame. I live each day with family and friends who support me, a home to keep me warm and the right to write this blog. But I wake up each morning with a choice: to be my own opportunity or my own enemy. If we believe in something, we are allowed to tell everyone from City Hall to the cat next door. But what is even more powerful is if we live our truth. Yelling a cause only makes noise and disruption only adds to the anger. We live in a turbulent time globally and nationally, economically and politically, with everyone pointing the finger at someone else. We need hope. Each one of us has the power to contribute. Enough talking. Let's leave the road blocks for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

"At the end of the day - whether you are a president, senator, mayor or on the steering committee of your local Occupy Wall Street- someone needs to meld those ideas into a vision of how to move forward, sculpt them into policies that can make difference in peoples' lives and then build a majority to deliver on them. Those are called leaders. And, today, across the globe and across all political systems, leader are in dangerously short supply." - Tom Friedman for The New York Times, read the full column here.

building blocks

I recently came across these blocks through a friend of my sisters who started the company. Walking by a toy store, I saw them in the window and I had to see for myself. Tegu is a different kind of building block. Old fashioned wood married with a magnetic core, the result yields towering castles or modest chalets  to come to life. And while you build yourself a house, you give children in Honduras the gift of education. Tegu inspires all of us to think outside of the box, building imagination with creative play. I think I might have to get myself some to put on my desk - just in case I need to be a kid for few minutes. 

fall in central park

11-11-11

Some say cursed. Some say lucky. I say 6 flags in a row, waving for our troops. Those who protected, those who protect and those who will protect, you are in our prayers and thoughts always. Thank you for your service.

remembering in person

I experienced the 9/11 Memorial last week. Past Occupy Wall Street, a pathetic vision comparatively, we made our way through the extensive maze of gates, checkpoints and construction with virtually no lines. The way they have designed the experience is brilliant, limiting crowds by requiring advanced ticket reservations. The effect allows for the eye to skim the horizon, to wander among the alley of trees and trace your finger over the names of the remembered. There is hope there. Hope for today. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for understanding. Hope for accepting each other as one. 

knock-knock

Squeak - Boo! Did I scare you? Happy Halloween. Hope you have a full moon evening with your ghosts and goblins. Maybe sneak a Snickers in that pocket too for the walk home. Sweet treats.

Ps. makeup session to transform into a cat = that's unemployment for ya' 

see the wonder this fall

Last weekend I celebrated Fall on Spring. I waited in line on Spring Street outside the green lacquered doors before entering the wonder world. C. Wonder opened its doors to an eager audience of prepsters and hipsters, celebs and paparazzi, uptowners, downtowners, out-of-towners. Together they stepped inside the lifestyle brand flagship store to a sea of goodies. Where else can you get a pink bike after shopping at the jewelry bar before monogramming a cashmere throw for your mother-in-law and spotting a Henley striped shirt for yourself? What I was most interested in was the home section in the back with everything from glasses to picture frames. Go C. for yourself.

thirty two

They met on a blind date. She was running late. He was thinking about the work on his desk. She wore a dress. He wore a suit. They met for dinner. Her blue eyes sparkled and his brown eyes smiled. Thirty two years later, he pulls her chair out at the table before she sits down. She leaves him a note before he leaves for a trip. They still dance among the stars, disagree while supporting each other, and hold hands driving to dinner. Thirty two years of sharing life and love. Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad. 

how do you roll?

Unemployment = budget. At least more so than before. Gone are the days of weekly manicures and caviar on toast points. OK, OK - there was never caviar nor will there ever be caviar...I mean a special spoon for fish eggs? I also would rather eat sand but I digress. As one who is normally cost conscious (although I do love a good foot rub), I am much more aware of a dollar here, two dollars there these days with change only leaving my bank account. Today I went to shop for toilet paper and was overwhelmed with the options. The ultra-plush name brand might as well be cashmere as each roll is twice the price. Down the aisle I went in search of a rougher deal. I settled for the Duane Reade brand, although I opted for "extra soft", on sale with my club card. Not only did I save $6.99, but I also got a laugh from their clever marketing tag-line. Let's see if you can find it in the picture. All in all, a win-win. Aren't you glad I got to the the bottom of it?

whatcha been up to?

It's been 41 days.  Friends look envious when I tell them the news. A congratulations followed by how nice to be able to sleep in, are the normal segways to what do you do all day? Clearly I have fallen short of my plans to drive across the country, fill you readers with endless wisdom from my daily finds or have a start date for my next career on the calendar. While I stick to the structure of daily alarms at 7am and desk time devoted to researching possible opportunities, the days quickly pass. 41 days. When I say the words out loud, I get panicked. 41 days of no work. I am trying to keep the anxiety levels down but productivity levels up. Productivity. The frustration hit an all time high yesterday and today as I sat staring at my computer. I know I could do a better job pounding the pavement taking every opportunity to find "it". But I am looking for that feeling. The legacy of Steve Jobs continues to remain in my thoughts as I search for that feeling of purpose. "Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

So until then, here is what I have been up to as I look for love:

1. I painted a wall in my apartment blue, thanks to the inspiration from my artistic sister who painted stripes in her hallway (I began with stripes - crooked stripes)

2. I painted the wall that I painted blue, back to white

3. Celebrating birthdays

4. Walks with friends

5. Cooking

6. A date

7. Going to the swings with Miss P

8. A movie by myself (with a little candy as my date)

9. A concert in the park with friends

10. Accepting a board seat on an important cause dedicated to research for spinal deformities (more on that to come)

11. Training and orientation to become a Big Sister of New York City

12. A train ride to DC

13. A car ride to Delaware

14. Sitting on some steps on Park Avenue

Hasn't been all that bad now that I think about it. Best part about those 41 days - spending time with those I love and admire, some near and some far. Looking forward to tomorrow. Another day to do something I love. I'll keep you posted, I promise.

structure

I need structure. In clothing, I feel best in tailored pants and a blazer or a shift dress. At my desk, I need a hard-back chair to focus with drawers and folders to keep my papers organized. You all know I love a spreadsheet with its rows and columns. Structure means contained and orderly, neat and controlled. So when I left my job two weeks ago (did I tell you that I was leaving?), I was excited to have a few weeks of freedom, to organize my time at my leisure. I was looking forward to spending the days catching up on stuff: cleaning out my closet, working on my blog, looking at apartments. I have a wish list to work through, including walking the Highline and going to a few museums. But the excitement was because there was a deadline, a defined few weeks. I was excited about a new job that I was planning to start in three weeks. Back to structure. But that opportunity is on hold at the moment due to internal discussions. And so, my lack of structure remains indefinitely. I am trying to create routine, a schedule to keep with each day, mixing both excursions in the city with networking and job searching. I must admit that I enjoy my mornings, sitting at Starbucks to read the paper and work on ideas. I am amazed at how many people mill about at 11:00am - who are they and why aren't they working? I am sure they ask themselves the same thing about me. I enjoy wearing my yoga clothes all day, free from makeup. I love walking everywhere, having the time to get from place to place. But I feel unproductive. Guilty. Without purpose. Unproductive because I have yet to find my next place of employment. Guilty to be at the gym at 2:13pm watching Ellen, when I should be making money. Without purpose because I am still searching for that feeling of belonging, that feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself. Perhaps my purpose right now is exactly that, finding purpose in every stage, in every day whether defined by structure or not. A woman stopped me today on the street and asked to borrow my phone. Her phone was dead and she needed to phone her mother. Within five seconds, the following thoughts bombarded my brain: was she going to steal my phone? Was she going to dial some number which would send all of my information to some computer in a van nearby? Was she going to run off with my phone in hand? And then I handed her the phone. She dialed her mother, told her she would be home at 9pm and hung up. She smiled, thanked me while looking me in the eye and wished me a great afternoon. Had I been on my way to work or running to the gym from work, I would have ignored her. Maybe that's what I should have done regardless. Except I was in no rush today. I was walking outside for fresh air, to clear my head away from my computer. The moment reminded me that there is life outside of structure. There is life outside of my own day. The woman had asked five other people before me who just walked by her on the sidewalk. But I stopped to listen. I crave structure. But I also crave interaction. And sometimes when I get in a routine, I forget to actually see, feel, interact with my environment. So tomorrow I will get up, make my bed, head to Starbucks and look around. Who knows what the day will bring? 

togetherness

Today is a day to remember those moments we have together, to cherish the hours, minutes, seconds each day brings. We honor those who lost their lives on a blue sky day without cause ten years ago. They left behind a world, a city, a family. Tomorrow is a new day and another opportunity to live without hate, without violence, without judgement. A new day to live with hope and resolve, with kindness and understanding. Every day is a day to come together. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you and your families. 

happy labor day

goodnight irene

He says it's over. The man who I spent the past two days with sharing breakfast, lunch and dinner. David, the weatherman, said that Irene is moving on. I evacuated the city to brave the storm with my family in CT where we waited for her to come. We had heavy rain and high winds, leaving the streets littered with debris and most of the town powerless. I drove back in to the city today and felt her strong force take hold along the avenues. Walking down the block, the wind nearly knocked me over. I could have sworn I felt hail. But for the most part, all seems to be in check despite the boarded up shops and deserted streets. They just announced that the Subways will be running as of 6:00am so no hurricane-day for the workforce. I know that while I sit in my dry apartment typing away under the glow of my TV, there are thousands without power and knee-deep in water. I hope the sun shines tomorrow and the recovery is swift. Goodnight to all and especially, Irene. 

shakes in all forms

SHAKE. DANCE. ZUMBA.

Last night at 8:23pm I was on the dance floor. There were about 20 of us with one brave guy in the front row. We were all shakin' our hips. Some shook like they were Rihanna's backup dancers, some pretended they were Rihanna's backup dancers and some just jiggled. I was somewhere between a wiggle and a shake. We were following our instructor Dawn, with her aqua sports bra and matching feather in her hair. She even had one pant leg rolled halfway up her calf. I looked around to make sure we weren't being filmed for her debut on Americas Got Talent. They call it Zumba. Dance with a Latin twist. The exercise class has gotten lots of press lately, even Kathie Lee and Hoda Zumba'd on national television in Rockefeller Plaza. So last night, I left my self-conscious at the door and to the back of the room I went. My cousin took a place next to me, she was a first-timer too. We looked at each other as the music began, shrugged our shoulders, gave a little high-five, shared a quiet burst of laughter and began our 60 minutes of groove. I looked in the mirror at myself and I looked ridiculous. But, not half bad either. After a day that was heading south quickly, something changed when the music started. My day ended as though I had just come in from dancing all night - I was sweaty and full of happy energy. I am going to go every week. You should go. Bring a friend. Don't worry about what you look like because you look pretty darn good to everyone else who is just looking at themselves anyway. Happy shakin'!

Note: they recommend you wear something else other than a running sneaker because the treads get stuck on the gym floor (I can attest). So perhaps Tretorns or a tennis sneaker, unless you have a pair of dance shoes in the closet?

love

I just came in from the rain and from seeing One Day. The movie was different than I expected. I tried to read the book a few months ago but had trouble reading a page before getting distracted. In the beginning of the movie, I was unsettled by the constant jumping through years scene after scene. About half way through though, I felt more connected to the story and by the end, my heart ached for the love between the two of them. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, the movie is a love story between two friends and the different paths they take over twenty years. If you are in the mood for a love story, bring lots of tissues. My shirt sleeves are still wet...and not from the rain. Speaking of love, a few weeks ago, I read a poem at one of my closest friends' wedding. Memories from the weekend continue to bring me smiles and make me wish we could do the whole thing over again. Especially on a rainy Sunday night. But the poem captures everything that I believe that love has the power to hold and set free. It is a love letter to the man I will marry. One day. 

Love 

by Roy Croft

I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can't help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.

110 stories

I just found out about this play, 110 Stories, a two night charity event with a star-studded cast to honor the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I have goose-bumps. Get tickets now. I just did.

You can buy tickets here. All net proceeds go to benefit the New York Says Thank You Foundation, whose mission is to commemorate the love and support given to New Yorkers by Americans from all across the country in the days, weeks, and months following 9/11, by sending volunteers from New York City each year on the 9/11 Anniversary in order to help rebuild communities around the United States affected by natural or man-made disasters.

Here is the description from the website:

"110 STORIES weaves first-person accounts - selected from hundreds collected right after September 11th - into a journey that recalls our wounds as well as works towards healing them. It’s the human side of history, without politics and agenda, giving voice to those who experienced 9/11 directly... a firefighter, homeless couple, cop, iron-worker, massage therapist, chaplain, K9 handler, a mother, an elderly bulldog, a South American photojournalist and others. Together, these accounts shine a light into the human spirit - revealing hope, humor and compassion in the midst of tragedy."

working happy

It's no secret that I love to organize. I color coordinate in different pouches to organize the contents of my handbag, I love a new notebook and make excel spreadsheets much to the delight of my father. So when this company came across my desk via blogs and a magazine, I drooled with delight. Pens in every color of the rainbow, clean lines and did I mention affordable? Check out Poppin for yourself. Even if you aren't in the market for a new stapler, the website might just tell you otherwise. Work happy.
PS. check out their blog too - great thoughts about keeping life (and work) in perspective.

island time

I headed to the ferry this weekend. The ferry that deposits me on a tiny island off the coast of Connecticut in the Long Island Sound. The island means summer to me. My entire family was there, dogs and nephew-dog too. The weekend was filled with togetherness, from sitting around on the porch to visits with cousins. We had a family run. Yes, I ran. Well, more like jogged but nonetheless I kept up. Or maybe they stayed back? Anyway, my body felt a little rickety and sore but as I was running, the feeling of freedom was worth every ounce of pain. And for the first time in a while, my limitations were mute. From running to dancing that night, I am certainly glad I have an appointment with my acupuncturist tonight.

George, Rudy and Moose

No weekend there would be complete without a drink and dancing (quantity subject to change on both) at the only bar in town. The dance-floor lights up, Saturday Night Fever style, and the DJ plays on into the night until the early morning. This weekend, only the sisters represented as brother-in laws were tired and brother not quite there yet in terms of age bracket. We had the best time (of course missing the men).  

I am experimenting with my new camera, a Nikon S9100, figuring out the various settings so bare with me. Just a few snapshots to get me out of this rainy day funk. I hope to be back in a few weeks for more dancing and running...missing island times already.

beach time with cousins

barefoot, island style