Blather

As I write this my cat is kneading my bare leg with all ten of his stubby little front claws. Itake it to be a painful commentary on its firmness, or lack thereof. Getting in better shape is one project that's fallen largely by the wayside as I've spent most of the summer "resting" my ankle. I'm going hiking the first week of August no matter what, so hopefully the problem joint continues on its current path of slow but steady improvement. I go back to the personal trainer on Thursday but I'm going to be good and wear my hated ankle brace.


This summer is turning out to be much busier than I anticipated which is good, but also frustrating in that I haven't gotten things I intended to done. And it's not going to happen this week because my parents and brother are in town starting tomorrow. Which I'm totally excited about because my dad almost never comes into the city (not that it's not nice to see the others as well).


I went to a party in Bushwick on Friday night and on the subway ride home, sat across from an African American guy wearing a Canucks hat with the stick-in-rink logo. That's something you don't see every day in Brooklyn. Maybe he's from Vancouver originally? Either way, it was awesome.


The weather has been decidedly bearable so far this year. I went to the beach on Saturday and it was gorgeous. The weather that is. Coney Island isn't gorgeous but it's good enough for me.


I'm reading Amanda Vaill's Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins right now. I wanted to learn more about how his Judaism, and his at times conflicted feelings toward it, influenced his work. So far though I'm mostly learning more about his sex life (knowledge I could generally have lived without as it hasn't been much related to his choreography thus far).


And that's about it. Hopefully more interesting stuff to write about in the near future as I realize that was all less than fascinating.

Enjoying Spring

The weather here has been a bit schizo--one day it's gorgeous and the next it's cold and raining--which has been totally tiring. But Saturday was a totally lovely day, so when a friend texted to suggest having a picnic in Central Park, I was all about that. I went to the post office first and spent 45 minutes on line--oh the joys of NYC post offices on Saturdays--only to be told that they couldn't help me, so I was pretty cranky. But getting to the park cheered me right up.

Because I don't live near Central Park I kind of forget to go up there regularly. Then whenever I do get there I remember how fantastic it is. It's not the same as being able to put on a some hiking boots and go trekking through the woods but it's still pretty damn nice.

Decorations Everywhere

So while my Christmas shopping has rather stalled--I like giving people gifts but hate the actually shopping which I'm no good at--but I have been wandering about trying. Today, after leaving work, I walked up 5th Avenue wandering among the tourists. Now I realize that tourists are supposed to drive New Yorkers up the wall at this time of year, and I admit that I avoid Times Square like the plague--although I pretty much do that the rest of the year as well--but I totally get where the tourists are coming from in December. New York City is pretty much the best place in the world at Christmas time. Yes, it's super-commercialized, but it's also beautiful and there's music and dancing and magic everywhere. It was like a wonderland when I was a kid.

So anyway, I walked up past Saks, and while I wasn't interested in waiting in line to see their fabulous windows, I did get few photos.

And one of my favorite decorations, the star hanging over the center of 5th Avenue.

Needless to say, the decorations in my house are a little less flashy. Several of the ornaments on the tree were gifts from my mother, and I love them because they remind me of my family's tree. Also, my roommate and I have somewhat different taste in ornaments--hers being flashier than mine--so I'm glad to have a few homier ornaments.

Made with volcanic ash from Mt. St. Helen's--gift from my sister

One of a couple yarn cat ornaments--they have to go up high because Bonnie thinks they're toys.
Snowmen are a big Christmas theme in my parents' house.

And just to end with something totally unrelated, here is Pyramus happily hanging out in a rather too small shoe box that happened to be close to the radiator.

Cavorting Santas

I'm not sure what's going on, but I really wish I'd had my real camera as opposed to just my cell on me today because there were Santas all over the place today, including a Jack Sparrow Santa and a Wonder Woman Santa (no pictures of those--sorry). I first saw them walking down 14th Street in Union Square, but on my way home I walked down St. Marks and they were all over the place.

My favorite group, though, was on Second, between 8th and 9th. They were standing in a circle singing, dancing, and hooping.


New York is so the best place in the world in December.