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

the great debate

I don't think I ever liked Diet Coke. Friends swear by the stuff, no Diet Pepsi substitution allowed. I, on the other hand, will only drink Diet Pepsi. Ever since I had back problems and was on a cocktail of drugs, I crave bubbles when feeling nauseated. One of my friends suggested I try Diet Pepsi - I have been a fan ever since. At my peak, I was drinking two a day. Now I hardly ever reach for the silver can. I don't keep it in my fridge and rarely crave the syrupy bubbles. But yesterday was one of those days. After a wedding weekend full of fun, late nights, epic dancing and possibly one to many cocktails, my head and stomach called for the stuff.

Last week, before the weekend festivities began, the bride, the groom, some of their family and myself went to a Mets game. My first ever. I had the best time...Citi Field is worthy of buying a ticket in itself. A fun summer activity to be outside on a beautiful night. Pepsi is obviously a fan too!

Citi Field

road-trip bliss

Last weekend I went south. To the the Delaware shore, that is. A road-trip I love to take to be with some of my favorite people. This trip to the beach I was joined by three co-pilots who kept the tunes pumping and our navigation on target, and the mind from going crazy as we inched along the Jersey Turnpike. Sitting on the sand, Maryland crabs, swinging on the swing set, playing games with a cocktail or two - my kind of heaven. I knew I was happy because I was relaxed. Relaxed enough to think about life and how I live mine. I thought about what holds me back, what keeps me going, what I struggle with, what I am comfortable with. A lot of thinking, right? The list goes on and I will not bore you with the details but I did come up with a few ideas that I will share with you as they develop. The first one is to drive across the country. I know...you are thinking, well weren't you just complaining about traffic?! Yes, but this would be different. I would take lots of time to use the opportunity to stop and see people along the way, stop to see Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, drive along route's I never knew existed. Just me and the road. I have dreamt of doing this for years, but the opportunity never presented itself. Mind you, this is an idea and I have responsibilities to keep searching for a job. But I want to start acting upon my ideas instead of just writing about them. The rest I have yet to figure out. Details, details. You will be the first to know whether bearfoot is going west. Until then, maybe this can be our little secret...I haven't yet shared this genius thought with my parents. Wish me luck!

thoughts

In case you needed a bit of a Monday pep talk, here is something to remember for the week and beyond.

The last thing you want as a leader is to have clones of yourself...I’m never satisfied. The biggest threat for anything and anybody is complacency. As soon as you believe that you are on top of the game, you probably have lost it."  - Peter Löscher, President and CEO of Siemens.