New!

Happy Monday! I finally splurged over the weekend and did something I've wanted for awhile. I was supposed to get it over Christmas with one of my good friends from home but time ran out. Now, however, I finally just took the plunge and I love, love, love it. I couldn't have asked for better placement, and I feel like it's something I've always had, which I always use as a good gauge for whether a decision was worthwhile. Now, let the workweek start off smoothly and I'll feel sparkly all over!

ack!

Sorry I've been so MIA of this little blog and you, my two readers! These layoffs are truly taking a toll at work and I've been slammed as the standard amount of work is now being spread around two less people within our little department. Thus, please know I am not abandoning you and intentionally taking from you tales of my ever-exciting New York life (HA!), I am simply running out of time to post daily...and the need for a computer at home seems all the more dominant, hm? ;) I hope everyone's Tuesday goes swimmingly and I will be back to post as soon as I am able!

busy busy

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Sorry loyal followers!! Today was a mad-rush of a day and it is not letting up yet! I just wanted to pop in and let you know I've not yet died though. I hope everyone has wonderful weekends ahead of them! I'll see you on Monday!

terrible blogger

 I have to admit to you, even with everything swirling around Facebook yesterday (and continuing on today) and so many sites down with descriptions on the how and the way of the reasons behind the lack-of-access, I really am not sure what these two Acts are threatening to do/remove/affect in the states.... I know, I'm an awful blogger. But I'm going to try to do some research...

Snow & sleet & clouds, oh my...

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Welp, apparently Winter is indeed upon us - coming up from the train last night I definitely was walking through lightly falling snowflakes, but they faded out as soon as they began and sleet took their place. Today it's just crazy-gloomy out there but much warmer than its been in the past thanks to the cloud cover! It's funny that I almost miss the cold - there's something sort of clean-the-slate and freshen-the-mind about coming outside into a temperature where every breeze (or gust) of wind takes your breath away. It gives a sort of focus to my harried brain for the walk to the train and the office and back again. It's a few moments where I can just have a clear mind focusing only on the sting in my lungs and my breath hanging in the air. The cloud cover makes a more humid tension in the air, the coat is a little too warm, walking feels a little too tiring, my lungs feel a little soggy. The crispness is gone, the shocking cold is no more. And my brain once again can tailspin and hop back-and-forth and ponder and consider and stop paying attention to the little things in the moment of now. I never noticed until I moved to New York just how non-stop my mind is. It's no wonder I overwhelm myself with the mundane everyday activities - my brain can turn anything into an either-or-worst-case-scenario-whatever-will-I-do-where-will-decision-one-lead-me-versus-decision-two tennis match with no end in sight. So, I rather miss you clear, cold mornings. Let's bring on some more sleeting rain so these clouds clear up for tomorrow, hm?

being human

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Transferring from the L train to the 6 train to come to work today there was a blind man on board, with his guide dog by his side. When I stepped on to the train, from the constant drone of the platform noise, all I heard at first was a woman slapping the seat upon which she was sitting and I bemoaned the fact that this could be a very long, loud ride. Until I saw the guide dog and realized the woman was saying, "You can sit right here" as she did her seat-smacking. She was letting the man know that there was plenty of room in which to sit for the commute. He thanked her and sat, and I watched how everyone around him gave a little extra room, made space for the dog to sit. Once we reached Grand Central, for the first time ever, I saw people wait and clear the doorway and allow this man and his dog to exit first. First. And no one on the platform pushed forward, no one tried to sidle in alongside him. Everyone just paused for a moment to make this man's exit just a little bit less chaotic. I just love it when the goodness of humanity shines through like that. It was rather wonderful to see.

chocolate!

I popped into the drug store today and was greeted by the Valentine's explosion that is the candy aisle between January 1 and the end-of-February. All those cheeky red, pink and white heart-shaped boxes. Housing oodles and oodles of truffles and wafers and nibs and bits of delicious, delightful chocolate. Which will all be going on sale on February 15 and in which I will be able to revel to my heart's content. Best time of year!

PS - Like how my random posts about working out are interspersed with random posts about my absolute adoration for chocolate and sugar? Yeah, me too. That's why odds are good I will never look like Jamie Eason, because life is just too short.

Fun Times

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There is a true benefit to living in a city as vibrant and, we'll just say it, famous as New York City. People travel here. People want to come visit New York from all over the world, and they do so, everyday; solo or with family or with friends, and in droves. So sometimes, when you're lucky enough to strike up a conversation with someone sitting close by in a restaurant, or a bar, or disembarking from one of the many tour buses that traverse Manhattan, you meet some great people.

One of my first roommates from New York and I met up this past weekend for brunch, and happened to have an empty table next to us at which two visitors from Australia sat. My former roommate, being a congenial sort of person, struck up a conversation with them, I joined in, and lo and behold, two insta-friends were made, an incredible few days were spent with them, and I was able to see this city and all the great things people can bring with them, with new sets of eyes. Do I now want to visit Australia? Oh yes, definitely. And I've been lucky enough to have made friends from the Land Down Under previously in my life, so that says something about this visiting duo, eh? Is it beyond lovely to not only have made great memories this past weekend but have made friends that will (hopefully, with proper tending and attention paid) last into the future? Yes, yes, and yes again.

It's funny now a chance meeting can make the world seem new again, and possibilities seem endless and exciting. But I guess that's what life gives you when you're open to whatever comes your way.

Monday, Monday!

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Sorry kids, I forgot about you yesterday. I blame floaty-medicine-head general-out-of-it-ness due-to-phlegmy-cough-and-sniffles. You're welcome for that image, by the way. But I'm back today on this glorious Tuesday finally feeling oodles better. A phone chat with my mommie dearest and a shout out to my college bestie both made for a very relaxing night last night and now I am ready to take the world by storm once again! That's what I do; didn't you know? I power down for a bit and then I'm back with a vengeance, ready to put the mantra "without me its just aweso" into practice. Of course, until then, it's work as usual. Although my Open House for the classes I'll be taking in February is tonight, so I'm very interested to see what that entails, and what they have to show to us. Happy Tuesday to you two readers of my blog, thanks for tuning back in to ensure I hadn't died!

rested

It really is crazy how much a little sleep benefits me. Perhaps this is a new pattern I'm entering - one night restless sleep, one night solid sleep, and so forth. Regardless, last night was a solid night's sleep and I awoke with a less-congested head, a less-sore throat, and a less-runny nose. A win-win situation all around, I say! Add to that the fact that the sky was the above-included beautiful, cloud-speckled shade of blue as I walked to my train, and it made for a rather lovely winter morning. (Didn't hurt any that it was in the 40's rather than the teens, either.) Happy Friday, all!

Thursday huh?

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As should be obvious by the fact that I am just now getting online to post and it is 5:30 pm, I had a rather long day. I still have a lot of work to do, and my head is pounding from this cold that just won't quit, and I'm feeling 100% opposite from the upbeat little sprite of a girl I was yesterday. Oh well. So goes life. The weekend is inevitable so I'll get the chance to sleep in sooner rather than later, and hopefully tomorrow will begin and continue with more motivation than I was able to muster today. I'm blaming it being the week back after a lot of long weekends, for my utter lack of energy.

12 hours of sleep...

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... makes me a new person! I've been in a delightful state of contentment all day today. It's been a busy one, and it was a measly 13 degrees when I woke up this morning so I can only contribute my calm mood to the solid nights sleep I got last night. I haven't much more to say, just savoring the satisfaction of the moment, really. It's important for me to grab hold of the moments in which I am perfectly content, not giddy but not melancholy, just in a moment of "now". Happy Wednesday!

Happy 2012!

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I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve weekend! I enjoyed myself although I am now dealing with either a head cold or allergies, and it is supposed to get ever-colder this week and possibly flurry this evening. Due to congestion and my allergy medication (which will hopefully kick in if that is indeed what I'm dealing with here) I am in somewhat lackluster of a mood. But as I've perused the world of blogs I've witnessed a lot of the resolution making that generally accompanies this time of year, and the one thing I keep coming back to is what I may as well make my resolution for this year. Which is? To stop dwelling on the past. I've had a severe struggle with moving on from past mistakes this last half-a-year, and now that 2011 is literally behind us, and we've moved on to a brand new year of 2012, this seems like the best possible time to actively force myself to stop thinking of the past. I say actively because I know I am going to have to very deliberately distract myself when I catch myself thinking about the things from the last year that just have no place being dwelled upon. Easy to say, so hard to do. So wish me luck doing that, and surely we can kick 2012 off right!