Give Kids the World

New York City is home and will always be my favorite place on earth, but let me tell you about another place that is incredibly special to me...

Give Kids the World is a nonprofit resort in Florida that exists to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It is made of magic, pixie dust, and wishes. And ice cream!

New kicks

I think that the experts advise replacing your sneakers after about 500 miles. Once upon a time, that meant I was going through 3-4 pair per year. Until this weekend, the pair I'd been wearing had been around for more than a year. I don't know how many miles they had on them, but I think they were ready to be retired.

Choosing new footwear is never easy. For many years, I made my decision based on two factors -- do they come in a cute color, and do they come in my size? (It isn't polite to ask a lady her shoe size, but let's just say that if I ever find myself without a home, I could probably live quite comfortably in one of my shoe boxes). While I'm sure my feet looked great, this method is not really the best for providing the best foot support.

A few years ago I went to JackRabbit Sports (a great running store in NYC) for a proper shoe fitting. The staff at Jack Rabbit is fantastic. They know their stuff and they really want to put you in the right shoe. They videotape you (well, your feet!) on a treadmill to analyze your gait and find the shoes you need to stay comfy and injury-free.

Hey, that's a snazzy color combo...

For my dad on his birthday

So much of me
Is made from what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart

- Elphaba, Wicked

Today is my dad's birthday. He would have been 62 (and probably not all that happy about it), but he passed away nine years ago. People say it dealing with a loss gets easier with time but really, it just changes. 

There's a much longer story to tell, but it is not an exaggeration to say losing my dad had a major impact on my life. I was 23; technically an adult, but really still a baby. I had a little bit of a warning, but it was still a huge shock to the system. I was told he might have 6 weeks to live, but 11 days later he was gone. As the oldest child, I took care of many of the details. There are some things I would change if I could, but I think I did the best I could.

Time has passed, life has moved on, and I am finally at a point where I can control the tears (mostly) and focus on the happy memories. I also find myself thinking about the things that he has missed, both big and small. I am sad that I never really got to have a relationship with him as an adult. I know that my adult relationship with my mom is incredibly special and so eye-opening. Now with some perspective, I really appreciate all of the the things my parents did for me as a child. I would give anything to be able to tell my dad "thank you". 

Promenading

New week, new route -- the Promenade! I felt like changing it up a bit. Just call me Daisy Miller...

Sometimes it is a bit annoying to live all the way at the edge of Brooklyn (Manhattanites: think East End Avenue -- faaaaar over), but there are some advantages. Super easy access to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade is one of those things. The Promenade is a lovely stretch of a thin, park-like space overlooking the East River and the Manhattan skyline. It is parallel to my beloved Brooklyn Bridge Park, but higher up -- much higher up!

At last...

The About Me page has been updated. Sorry for the delay!

I am thrilled and flattered that new visitors click over to my blog every day, and I know that the About Me page is often a first stop (it is for me when I'm reading your blogs!). The old page was really meant to be a placeholder, but it went neglected for too long. Not that you didn't enjoy seeing my dog in a reindeer costume...but I think this version is a bit more useful.

Thanks for visiting!

Business travel

The stars at night
Are big and bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
-George Strait

Yee-haw and howdy! Right now I am writing from the comfort of my totally adequate business traveler hotel near the conference I am attending. I wish I was attending one of the super fun blogger conferences that have been going on lately, but this is work related. Not quite as much fun. (Also: the only person who has said "yee-haw" or "howdy" so far is me. It is possible I know nothing about Texas).

I travel a bit for work, and while I am lucky that most of my trips are day trips (Amtrak and I are very well acquainted), every so often I get the pleasure of spending a few days in a new city. Business travel isn't usually the most fun. Oh, the first day is OK -- you're excited to get to your destination, you check out your hotel and it kind of feels a little bit like you're on vacation...but that usually only lasts about 24 hours. Now the honeymoon is over, and I miss my doggy, I miss my time zone, I miss my comfy bed.

While I'm counting down the hours until I head home, I thought I'd share a few of the tips I've picked up that make business travel (and maybe all travel) a bit easier:

1. Pack light

This is definitely a hard one for me, but I find that when I travel, I never regret the clothes I didn't take; I do regret stuffing my suitcase to the breaking point and having to lug it on planes, trains, and automobiles. Check the weather before you pack, be realistic about your needs, and REALLY think about your shoe wardrobe. Those suckers are heavy.

These aren't mine, but I do love my pretty pink suitcase
Photo credit: Love Pink

Taking the night off

Fact: rainy weeks feel 1000% longer than regular ones.

Though it feels like it should be at least Thursday already, the calendar tells me we are only halfway through the week.

I really wanted to be a hardcore athlete and get out there in the rain, but I was feeling pretty wiped after a long day at work. For those who went out and logged their soggy miles today, I salute you.

I was happy to veg on the couch for a bit and catch up on some bad TV. 9 o'clock rolled around and I still hadn't done anything about dinner. I wasn't particularly hungry, so I wasn't really in the mood for anything -- does that ever happen to you? But I knew I need to eat something, otherwise I'd be awake in the middle of the night ready to eat my pillow. When no other plan materialized, I went with my favorite old standby: PB&J!

Take photo, THEN take bite. Food blogging is tricky.

I made mine with my favorite German Dark Wheat Bread and just a tiny bit of raspberry jelly...and ate it in bed. The rain was still falling outside, but I was nice and cozy inside. Sometimes taking the night off is a very smart thing to do.

Tomorrow it is back to the routine. Probably. It can't rain forever, right? ;)