Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Avon Walk recap
Last weekend Midge and I walked 39.3 miles with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. We also each raised over $2000 in donations. Today Ben, Arlo and I were walking around in Manhattan and my knee started hurting. It was killing me last weekend. So I found myself wondering why the heck I'm considering walking those same 39.3 miles again next year. ;)
These first couple pictures are from the halfway mark and the finish of Day 1. We officially walked 26.2 miles that day, although I might argue it was longer, plus there's the .9 miles that I walked from the MTA to the opening ceremonies... We were re-routed to avoid delays with the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. Midge and I didn't know each other all that well, but after 2 days and 40 miles, I think she's great! :) It was a wonderful experience doing this walk with her. By around mile 24, I was hurting. For some reason I hadn't realized we were going to be walking on city sidewalks with all the other yahoos that are in the city on a Saturday!! I had figured we'd walk the length of the city by the rivers a couple of times and be done with it. But no. We walked up the west side, down 9th Avenue, through the West Village, Soho, over the Brooklyn Bridge, back over the Manhattan Bridge, meandered back and forth up the east side. There was so much pedestrian traffic and so many stop lights that I'm sure we would have been done about 2.5 hours sooner without so much stop and go. But we made it!!
Day 2, a little slower, and we made it!!! :)
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| October 15, 2011 |
These first couple pictures are from the halfway mark and the finish of Day 1. We officially walked 26.2 miles that day, although I might argue it was longer, plus there's the .9 miles that I walked from the MTA to the opening ceremonies... We were re-routed to avoid delays with the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. Midge and I didn't know each other all that well, but after 2 days and 40 miles, I think she's great! :) It was a wonderful experience doing this walk with her. By around mile 24, I was hurting. For some reason I hadn't realized we were going to be walking on city sidewalks with all the other yahoos that are in the city on a Saturday!! I had figured we'd walk the length of the city by the rivers a couple of times and be done with it. But no. We walked up the west side, down 9th Avenue, through the West Village, Soho, over the Brooklyn Bridge, back over the Manhattan Bridge, meandered back and forth up the east side. There was so much pedestrian traffic and so many stop lights that I'm sure we would have been done about 2.5 hours sooner without so much stop and go. But we made it!!
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| October 16, 2011 |
Day 2, a little slower, and we made it!!! :)
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| Finished! |
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Relaxing with a good cup of tea
Days like today I don't have much time to sit back and relax. Work is busy, work is being done in our apartment (Tropical Storm Irene water repairs), Arlo needed a little more parent time at playschool coop, Muta needed some company while locked in the bedroom during apartment repairs, etc.
Whew! Now Arlo is napping, Muta is napping, Ben is at the studio, the workers are done for the day. I still have piles of work to do. But first--it's time for a cup of tea. :)
My friend Dana made this mug for me in 1999. It's been my favorite mug since. It's drizzly and gray today, so some decaf tea with a slice of lemon is exactly what I needed.
Weekend weather forecast
The weekend weather forecast looks good so far!
Let's hope it holds and rainy, gray Thursday and Friday get it out of their system in time for a lovely Saturday! I've got a long walk ahead of me this weekend, and I'm hoping this forecast is right! :)
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| Screen grab of local weather, from weather.com |
Let's hope it holds and rainy, gray Thursday and Friday get it out of their system in time for a lovely Saturday! I've got a long walk ahead of me this weekend, and I'm hoping this forecast is right! :)
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Walking for a cure
In June of 2002 I walked 39.3 miles over the course of two days, with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. The actual walking part of it wasn't incredibly difficult, although 26 miles in one day is pretty far! But walking with a sign on my shirt that said "in honor of my mother... Patricia Lieber June 30, 1949 - June 11, 1992" that was the hardest part.
I walked alone, except for the people I met along the way. And I must say it was an incredible experience.
This weekend I'm going on that same fundraising walk, another 39.3 miles. But this time I'm thrilled to say that I'm walking with my mom's cousin, Midge. She also lost her mom to breast cancer. I'll have a ribbon in my bag with the names of everyone I've known who has been affected by this horrible disease.
Here's to hoping the end is in sight, and that my child and his generation won't feel the affects the same way we did. I'm "in it to end it!"
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."
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| Jonathan Mak |
I know we've been hearing a lot about Steve Jobs lately because of his recent passing, but wow, the guy has a pretty inspirational story! Of the quotes I've read, this one really stands out to me:
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Dont be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
A few days ago I was thinking of my life, what I'm doing, the big picture, etc. I found this document that I wrote nearly 4 years ago. At the time I printed it up and posted it around the house.
i want to be a
french speaking
yoga teacher
artist
mother
who makes extra money
doing something practical.
I still don't have my life all figured out, but a few years later, I guess I still feel sort of the same way. I'm closer to some of these goals, further from others. But it's time to reassess and get moving on it! Yeah!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Look who followed us home...
On Sunday we were walking home from Ben's studio, when this cat decided to join us.
Arlo LOVES cats. He meows at them, he meows when he sees a picture of one, he cries when he has to leave the room if there's a kitty there. Getting him to take naps and go to bed at night was a major chore when we visited his grandparents!
So on Sunday when this very friendly cat started following us, taking him home just seemed like the right thing to do. He is very skinny, was very hungry, and very dirty, but seems to be in pretty good health. We are taking him to the vet at the end of the week. We've posted online about finding him and will check for a microchip at the vet, because it would be very sad if he somehow lost his collar while escaping from a loving home. But considering the large number of stray and feral cats in this area, I find it unlikely he really has a home to go to.
He is fitting in very nicely with us and sleeping a lot. It must be hard to be a cat on your own in the city.
Arlo was meowing in his sleep last night. It was the cutest thing. And he meowed first thing when he woke up this morning. I think Mr. Kitty Cat (unnamed as of yet) has found a good home with us.
Arlo LOVES cats. He meows at them, he meows when he sees a picture of one, he cries when he has to leave the room if there's a kitty there. Getting him to take naps and go to bed at night was a major chore when we visited his grandparents!
So on Sunday when this very friendly cat started following us, taking him home just seemed like the right thing to do. He is very skinny, was very hungry, and very dirty, but seems to be in pretty good health. We are taking him to the vet at the end of the week. We've posted online about finding him and will check for a microchip at the vet, because it would be very sad if he somehow lost his collar while escaping from a loving home. But considering the large number of stray and feral cats in this area, I find it unlikely he really has a home to go to.
He is fitting in very nicely with us and sleeping a lot. It must be hard to be a cat on your own in the city.
Arlo was meowing in his sleep last night. It was the cutest thing. And he meowed first thing when he woke up this morning. I think Mr. Kitty Cat (unnamed as of yet) has found a good home with us.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Compost
One of my main goals right now is to reduce my family's impact on the environment and to try and make our lives a little more sustainable. We recycle, we don't buy plastic bottles unless absolutely necessary and we try to buy used items when it makes sense. The next step is composting!
According to GrowNYC, 17% of NYC's waste is food scraps, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Food also isn't easily able to break down in a landfill. I realized that our garbage output would be greatly reduced if we started composting. If I had a backyard, it would be fairly easy to figure out. But in the city, living in an apartment building, composting takes a little more planning.
I decided that a worm bin isn't right for us (sounds like a messy plan with a toddler--and where would we keep it?). Our apartment building tried a compost bin last year, but it was misused, and thus short lived. So our only option is composting off site. For now we're holding our food and plant scraps in the freezer and bringing them to the Green Market once a week. It's not the most convenient plan though, so I'm looking into joining a local garden, someplace we can bring our compost whenever we wish, rather than on the once a week schedule for the Green Market.
If you're wondering what food items are okay to compost, or want more info about composting, please look at the list below and check out the GrowNYC website.
WHAT TO COMPOST:
YES: fruit and vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal, etc.), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg and nut shells, pits, cut or dried flowers, houseplants, potting soil
NO: meat, fish, bones, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, dog or cat waste, kitty litter, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants / soil or biodegradable / compostable plastics
According to GrowNYC, 17% of NYC's waste is food scraps, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Food also isn't easily able to break down in a landfill. I realized that our garbage output would be greatly reduced if we started composting. If I had a backyard, it would be fairly easy to figure out. But in the city, living in an apartment building, composting takes a little more planning.
I decided that a worm bin isn't right for us (sounds like a messy plan with a toddler--and where would we keep it?). Our apartment building tried a compost bin last year, but it was misused, and thus short lived. So our only option is composting off site. For now we're holding our food and plant scraps in the freezer and bringing them to the Green Market once a week. It's not the most convenient plan though, so I'm looking into joining a local garden, someplace we can bring our compost whenever we wish, rather than on the once a week schedule for the Green Market.
If you're wondering what food items are okay to compost, or want more info about composting, please look at the list below and check out the GrowNYC website.
WHAT TO COMPOST:
YES: fruit and vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal, etc.), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg and nut shells, pits, cut or dried flowers, houseplants, potting soil
NO: meat, fish, bones, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, dog or cat waste, kitty litter, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants / soil or biodegradable / compostable plastics
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Vacation!!
Sometimes when life gets hectic I end up cutting some corners here or there.
Sometimes my eating habits suffer, I don't do enough yoga or get enough sleep (or all three!).
Sometimes I sound like a broken record, but working from home truly is both a blessing and a curse.
It's been absolutely amazing being able to be home with Arlo and watch him grow and change, being able to take care of him and be there through everything, while still having an income. One of the major downsides, though, is that since I can work from home, I can work from anywhere. I've worked from California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and even Hawaii. Every one of those trips has been wonderful, but I haven't had a work-free vacation since August 2008.
So our trip to Montréal this past week was absolute heaven. It wasn't until a few days into our trip, when we went to our friends' cottage on a lake in the mountains (no internet), that I really finally let go, unwound and realized just how much I was carrying with me. And once I got to that point, it was bliss. I know that being a mother is going to be a balancing act--juggling work, marriage, the needs of my boy, and my own needs too. And this incredible vacation was exactly what I needed!
I haven't felt so calm, so settled, so determined in a really long time. It was nice to come back to the city with new resolve. You can bet it won't be three more years before I leave that work phone behind and take another real vacation!
Sometimes my eating habits suffer, I don't do enough yoga or get enough sleep (or all three!).
Sometimes I sound like a broken record, but working from home truly is both a blessing and a curse.
It's been absolutely amazing being able to be home with Arlo and watch him grow and change, being able to take care of him and be there through everything, while still having an income. One of the major downsides, though, is that since I can work from home, I can work from anywhere. I've worked from California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and even Hawaii. Every one of those trips has been wonderful, but I haven't had a work-free vacation since August 2008.
So our trip to Montréal this past week was absolute heaven. It wasn't until a few days into our trip, when we went to our friends' cottage on a lake in the mountains (no internet), that I really finally let go, unwound and realized just how much I was carrying with me. And once I got to that point, it was bliss. I know that being a mother is going to be a balancing act--juggling work, marriage, the needs of my boy, and my own needs too. And this incredible vacation was exactly what I needed!
I haven't felt so calm, so settled, so determined in a really long time. It was nice to come back to the city with new resolve. You can bet it won't be three more years before I leave that work phone behind and take another real vacation!
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