Inhale DEEPLY

Just got my new eco-friendly yoga mat from Barefoot. It's natural rubber and jute. Did a few down dogs, pigeon stretching. Noticed my hands smelled like weed. You know, that weed! This might surprise some but I've never used weed. But this never stopped me from being able to smell weed from miles away. Weird. Maybe I can't tell weed from jute. Interestingly strange.

I just realized I come across as the biggest hippie eco-nut. I'm worse than Ed Bagley posting kambucha notes followed by a earth-friendly yoga mat high. Must go eat some red meat to balance the scales. Where'd I put my bottled water and fur coat? Nope, can't go that far without crumpling in hemp-loving heaves.

Holy Smokes!

Woke up to voices yelling at each other. I thought they were insulting each other. "Liar, liar!" is what I thought I heard. A little while later I hear glass shattering and shards raining down into the interior yard my window overlooks. Looking up I see smoke billowing out of a 7th floor apartment in the building just West of mine. Yikes! Glad to find out it was unoccupied. Scary. Great job by the fire department. They used the ladders in the front, three trucks, all the tools. Well, that was an unusual start to my day. Lots to keep the chatty neighbors busy with today.

Smoke and Fire

I was coming home a little late from work, walking from Columbus to my building. Yikes! There appear to be a lot of fire trucks ... and they're parked on my side of the street ... and I'm getting closer .... and they could be in front of my building ....


Phew. It looks like my neighbors building ... but wait ... a woman is outside just in flip flops, thin pants and a tank top.

It's Bennie, the super's wife. She had to run outside with nothing. I offer her my coat but Bennie runs outside with his coat. Smoke is billowing out of the basement. I move her away from the spilling smoke. I went home to grab a hat and scarf. I gave her those things but forgot shoes. I went home and grabbed some socks and sneakers. Back outside. Seems like all the neighbors are either outside or took their pets, in carriers, to the lobby next door. I think the fire is out now. Still waiting for the clear. But Bennie's wife starts hyperventilating, coughing. I go get the firefighter who gets teh EMTs. They help her and take her next door in the lobby to give her some oxygen. Everything is going to be OK.

FUNNY CHARCTER. This young asian gal in her late twenties sees the EMTs giving Bennie's wife oxygen. She says she needs some ... she'll be right back after she takes her stuff back into her apartment. She is in no way shape or form distressed, in pain, coughing, or looking peaked. When she comes back she is pretty insistent, she want oxygen. The EMTs are nicely asking her why, if she feels any discomfort. She's got nothing. She just feels she needs some oxygen, that she was in the building and should be able to get some oxygen. I leave at this point, my small role here is done. But recounting this story to a friend, who's a lawyer, he thought the young Asian girl might be asking for oxygen in the pursuit of some legal claim or such. And my filter was thinking she must have seen a cute EMT she wanted to spend some more time with. Brains work and filter information very differently :)

Saying Goodbye to 2008!

Welcome to my lame attempt at one of those yearly wrap-ups. I’m not sure if this is a unique experience, but when faced with the prospect of writing about what I did over the last year and what I was grateful for, I draw a blank, expect on the biggies that happened. There was fun in the dark at the Seattle International Film Festival, my first Orca pod sighting in the San Juan’s (whose name still confuses me as I think of the Caribbean), and beauty among cacti in Arizona. Some things, like the Orcas and the Dolomites at sunset, were moments of majesty. Other moments, like the old man in San Francisco’s Chinatown blowing snot booger globs out his nose, burned horrid images on my retinas that no alcohol binge could remove from memory. I hope you, like me, however, have more grateful, beautiful, and joyous moments in your 2008 than mucus moments.

So, instead of boring you with scary stats on how many operas, plays, and musicals I attended, (which could also scare me ‘cause all that money could add up to a trip to Barcelona) I will hit the Top Ten Reasons 2008 rocked my world:

10 .  Admitted that I can’t make it through Wagner’s Ring series without caffeine; and that Russians should never stage his work without warning the audience of sets designs that will induce suicidal thoughts … and you will have to look at those sets for four nights straight!

9.  Reaffirmed my resolve that food at sports stadiums will always suck.

8 .  Learned that having older friends makes me look younger; thanks. 

7.  Learned that my younger friends bring me knew experiences; thanks, too.

6 . Realized that sometimes it is the destination, not the journey, that matters.

5.  Recognized that who’s greeting you at your destination can matter more than the destination itself.

4.  Loved playing with other’s people’s children - I got all the fun of a convertible sports car with no real ownership responsibilities.

3.  Walking neighborhoods or nature with a friend was the best way to spend a free day as long as I wore the right shoes.

2.  Realized there are fates worse than unemployment … like moving to W’s new hometown or having a former Alaska beauty queen second-in-command.

1.  Felt truly blessed (as any secular humanist can be) to have fabulous friends ... and time to spend with them.

Let’s hope 2009 holds just as many memorable moments. I hope to spend more time with friends and reconnecting with those I’ve neglected due to time or distance. And if anyone knows of someone looking to hire a eco-pitbull looking to save our planet, and us, from our wasteful, polluting ways, send ‘em my way. Really, my bark is worse than my bite … and I look good in lipstick.

Flowers and Rain

What a Difference a Day Makes

Horrible sleep. Called the pharmacy and they still hadn't reached the doctor's office to clarify something with my prescription. When I went out to go pick it up, I noticed my health care card under my door! Yeah, someone found it and returned it. How lovely.

The day was gray but warm. The feel of the air and sky wasn't cold and harsh like the previous day. The warmer air and the variegated texture and hues of the grays were inviting, reminding me of summer storms. And the air, it smells so good before a rain, even in the city. I decided to pick up a pot of spring flowers to cheer me up. Lovely mini-daffodils, orange tulips, theses purple beauties that remind me of gerbera daisies, and a few pansies. A spot of happiness to brighten my home and heart ... for only $20!

Bedbug

I'm alive!
Seriously, apologies for not posting for awhile. I'll backfill. Came back from Phoenix and knew I caught some bug. Through a series of frustrating events, I got worse and decided to head over the Mt. Sinai's emergency room. I must say they are very nice there and quickly diagnosed that the sharp pain in my left chest was pneumonia, so I wasn't pulling a Woody Allen. Two lovely bags of IV antibiotics and three big bags of fluids later, I was feeling a lot better. So I'm home, trying not to cough myself silly, which has happened on occasion, drinking lots of fluids and feeling a bit better. More funny stories later. Yes, pneumonia does come with some funny stories, for example:

When you've been basically living out of your bed for a week, it gets rather close to the ant patterns made from the main entrance to the ant hill. I trek from bed to bathroom, back to bed, to kitchen for some cereal, which I drag back to my anthill bed to eat while watching Frontline. I'm sure ants love Frontline while they munch on picnic crumbs, too. Unfortunately there are times where leaving bed seems too much so I've strategically placed key items around my space for convenience - like my computer which now sits on my tummy serving the double purpose of a heating pad - nice! Remote - check. Ginger Ale - check. Thermometer - check. Comfy socks - check. Soduko - check. Tissues - damn, I'm out (actually I'm using a roll of t.p.). Well the sock will have to do; I'll do laundry later anyway. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Many hours later, what is that thing on my comforter? That better be a dried up GrapeNut from breakfast. Time to do the laundry. Damn, the t.p. roll was right there under the comforter the whole time :(

Williamsburg Take 2 & Coop Fun

Sidewalk Air and Rooftop People

Williamsburg is touted to be a trendy, hipster place to live. While there are some funky shops and restaurants, just moving several blocks away from the L, heading more towards the J and Z lines. You move from the world of bedhead hair, hemp & organic dyed outfits, and bugaboo strollers to payot fathers with their large families all dressed in black or the groups of Puerto Rican men gathered around card tables playing cards or dominoes. The graffiti art is rather pervasive and good in spots. I still don't think there is enough there to tempt me to move there.

This evening was my first coop board meeting. We have it on the roof deck. I love our roof deck. We have lovely planters and greenery, wood lounge chairs with cushion and great views to midtown across the Park. Everyone was so friendly. It was a rather quick and easy meeting but I did notice that I was probably the third youngest person there. One guy I had already met at the mailboxes who sublets a studio on 5 and my new neighbor in 1E are likely the only other tenants in the building who had to watch reruns of the Honeymooners. A few funny characters - the fun, gay guy who keeps us all moving (with reality check humor and sarcastic wit) while dressed fabulously in a vibrant yellow-green blazer no heterosexual could ever pull off without looking like a bad Don Johnson, the elderly maternal single former teacher who attends all the precinct meetings and reads the police blog, and the great Asian couple who moved there 25 years ago just to be closer to Zabar's! I love my neighbors. But now I'm more jealous of my neighbor in 1E. She bought a fabulous 1 bedroom with French doors and a great kitchen that sold for more than three times my place - and she's younger than me. Well, I find out the lady in 1F died recently and 1E bought her place to expand her apartment! Dag nabbit. But she's a lawyer so I assume I have more fun at work and won't go to hell in this life or an afterlife if it exists. I'm comfy cozy in my little studio. Excuse me, I have to go pull out my sofa bed.