Missing the moon

I was sitting in the laundromat on Tuesday evening, having just settled down in front of my whirring machines with a book, when my phone announced that I had received a text message. I don't get many of those, as I don't have a texting plan, so I looked at it right away. It was from my friend Meg, who wrote: "Go outside and look at the moon RIGHT NOW". That was it. My curiosity was piqued and I went outside to find the moon.

Except that I couldn't! I couldn't find it at all! I was on the corner of 130th and Lenox and looked in all directions, searching for it. I thought perhaps it was behind the buildings, so I crossed the street and started walking south toward 125th, where there are some empty lots and therefore a better chance of seeing the sky. I walked with my eyes to the sky, surely raising questions in the minds of the people I passed. I got to the corner of 125th & Lenox and still couldn't see it! I was really frustrated, because if Meg sent a text with that command, it must have been a good show. I returned to the laundromat, annoyed with the tall buildings and the wispy clouds that were likely hiding the visual prize I sought.

According to Meg it was a full orange harvest moon, quite a site to behold from her vantage point on the Brooklyn Bridge. An hour and a half later, leaving the laundromat, I found it. The clouds had moved away and the moon had risen high enough so as to clear the buildings. It was definitely full, but had returned to its normal color.

A $330 piece of plastic

My dental hygienist finally talked me into getting a mouth guard to protect what's left of my teeth. I've practically worn my poor teeth down to stumps, so it was really high time to shell out the $330 for the damn thing. My employee benefits at Columbia are generally good, but the dental and vision insurance options really suck. Anyway, I've got it now and it actually stays in my mouth! I've had the over-the-counter ones that you mould yourself that are the size of a football player's mouth guard, and I always spit them out within minutes of falling asleep. This one actually snaps when I put it on my teeth...it fits that tightly. It's perfect.

Must see summer movie

I spent the vast majority of this chilly weekend in the warm company of my friends Meg and Erika, who are probably going to read this post because they were so amazed that I have a blog! Here's a little shout out to you!

Anyway, I always enjoy myself immensely in their presence and this weekend was no exception. Sunday included a Five Napkin Burger (you really do need them all) at Nice Matin at brunch, then a lovely outdoor show put on by Erika's production company at Summit Rock in Central Park, then a giant Cafe Au Lait in a bowl (the way it should be done!) at French Roast on 85th & Broadway, followed by a failed attempt to see Superbad and a successful consolation movie called "Two Days in Paris".

I had no idea what this film was about or who was in it, but I went along for the ride anyway. Meg and Erika are pop culture mavens and generally know what they're talking about when it comes to quality film, theater and television. I ended up laughing so hard that I cried! It was incredible. I left the theater with an aching face, which is always a good sign. The main male character, Jack (Adam Goldberg), was the most New York New Yorker ever! He was neurotic and terrified of terrorists and germophobic and on and on, embodying all things that crazy born-and-raised New Yorkers are. It was hilarious. All three of us were like, we know that guy! They assured me that we weren't going to end up that way, although if you saw us in 10 years, maybe that won't be true anymore... Ha! His girlfriend, Marion (Julie Delpy), is a Parisian who lives in New York. They've been together two years and had to stop by her parents to pick up her cat on their way back to New York after a vacation in Italy. The parents are of course crazy, ex-boyfriends are all around, Jack doesn't speak French, there's a crazy terrorist (played by Daniel Bruehl, this great great German actor that really looks crazy!) at this burger joint...it's just good fun. If you get a chance to see it, do it! Later while riding the subway, I remembered the scene that made me laugh so hard (it took place in the Paris Metro) and again had tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm sure I was earning some looks from the other straphangers, but eh. Who cares? It was funny! Go see it!

Stolen moment

I stole this moment from a couple who live just across the street from me. I often see them in their apartment, but this was the first time I'd seen them sitting together in the window. I couldn't resist taking the picture, even though I felt like a voyeur. Isn't that a sweet scene?

Summer lament

Tonight New York is covered in fall. I can't exactly describe it, but after the rainstorm around 5 PM, the place cooled off dramatically and it is actually what one might describe as "chilly" after all those nights of 75-80 degrees plus high humidity, where you stick to your bedsheets and can't bear to have skin touching skin anywhere on your body. There will be no fear of that tonight. I love sleeping on nights like these, when there is a legitimate need for both a sheet and a light blanket, when your nose is slightly cold and you have to snuggle up to your (egg) pillow for a little warmth. The remainder of the weekend will be in the low 70s, which is closer to late September than late August.

I feel the summer ending in other ways as well, mainly because my social calendar has suddenly cleared. Summer is all about being out, particularly in the city. There's nothing keeping you indoors or at home, as you can run about the city without a coat or even real shoes to hassle you. New York in summer is always a little bit wild, and that's the best way for me to describe the last six weeks, if not the entire thing: out until 5 AM on weeknights, drinking at least one alcoholic drink five out of seven days a week (if not more often!), runs in nasty humidity in Central Park, the beach, picnics, laughing until my cheeks hurt, dancing all night, my new jean miniskirt, sweat rolling down my back while reading on a bench in Union Square, riding the Cyclone at Coney Island, spontaneity, summer flicks, visitors crashing on the couch, my birthday.

Now though, things at work have ramped up to intolerable levels (left the office tonight, yes Friday night, at 8:30 PM and have to work over the weekend in prep for the software launch on Monday) and while my boss still strolls in at 10:30 AM every day, I don't feel like I should follow suit due to an all night bender, the last of which was Monday. There has also been a massive shift in my people. Some have left the city permanently, others are off on vacation, others will return as fall really takes over, others perhaps next year. Their absences are keenly felt. The upcoming classes at Teachers College looming ominously in front of me inspire only dread, as I see them prepare to dominate my life for the next two and a half years. While some of these factors are already in play, others won't be for another couple of weeks. I'm sure that summer will come back to pay another visit on New York before surrendering to fall for good. I'll be ready when she comes for one last drawn-out hurrah.

Favorite summer moments

13.1 miles of fun

I made my half marathon debut on Sunday morning in the NYC Half Marathon. New York Road Runners, the group that organizes almost all running events in the City, reports that the weather was a cool 71 degrees with 61% humidity and clear skies. Honestly, it was a perfect morning for running. The days before had been ridiculously hazy, humid and hot, so we lucked out. The race was essentially eight miles in Central Park, starting at 85th and the East Drive and then five miles on the streets of the city down 7th Avenue through Times Square to the West Side Highway via 42nd Street. The last three and a half miles were on the West Side Highway toward Battery Park, which was a long killer stretch of flat, flat road. The entire time I could see the World Financial Center towers, which were about 800m shy of the finish line, and they just seemed soooo far away.

I woke up that morning at 3:30 because my throat hurt so badly that I didn't want to breathe or swallow anymore. Luckily that subsided until after the race. I find that running is a natural fix for whatever ails you, at least for the duration of the run. If my nose is stuffy, it magically clears up while I'm running and then clogs again after I'm done. It my throat hurts, it stops until after I finish. This has got to be part of that fight & flight instinct.

Runners had to arrive by 6:15 AM although the race didn't start until 7 AM, so there was a lot of standing around. Amazingly enough, Ronit managed to find me, so we stretched together and passed the time. NYRR had sent us tips on how to manage racing in the heat, and one of the tips was to eat a packet of salt before the race. I hadn't managed to get any packets the night before, but Ronit had, so she produced one out of her sports bra for me (yes, we're close) and I swallowed it just before the start to prevent dehydration. Now, you all know how much I love salt (inherited this from Dad), but this was so gross! My stomach didn't like it at all either, seeing as how it was hungry and all I gave it was salt. It was like, "where are the fries that go with that salt?!?"

7 AM rolled around and we did that accordian thing in the corrals that happens before races because every one is jockeying for the best start position. I didn't even hear the start, but I knew that once we passed the 4000-4999 corral that it was really underway. It took me over seven minutes from when the clock started to cross the line, but I didn't know that because I don't have a running watch. The first six miles were quick...four of them were at a nine minute pace, including those that encompassed the giant hills at the north end of the park. The next two in the park slowed down to around 10 minutes, which is what I should have been running all along and I coaxed myself to the 9 mile marker before I gave into my hip pain and walked a little bit. Miles 10, 11, 12 and 13 were really hard and I walked in each of them. This time it was because my legs were tired and not just because I didn't want to run anymore, which frequently happened during my long training runs (you know, how it is -- I wouldn't even be that tired physically, but I'd walk a big hill because I just didn't want to run it). I was able to pick-up the pace for the last little bit (like 200m) and didn't collapse at the finish or anything! I finished in 2:11:41, with an average mile pace of 10:03. My goal was to run 10 minute miles, so I'm really happy with my efforts.

After winding my way through the chute, I stretched out under a tree in Battery Park and picked up my stuff so I could free my feet from their shoe prisons. Ronit managed to find me again while I was sitting on a bench changing into my flip flops. She's good like that. Her parents, sister and two "brothers" (dogs named Beamer and Audi) had come to cheer her on, so we hung out with them in Battery Park and they gave me a ride uptown afterward. Her dad got a picture of us, but I haven't gotten a copy yet. Once I do I'll post it.

The only picture I have to offer is courteousy of my dad--he called on Sunday night to congratulate me and asked me what my feet looked like, as I always get nasty blisters and have giant callouses. When he asked, I decided I'd take a picture and share the state of my feet with anyone and everyone on the world wide web. Check it out:
Scary right? Ha! I've already been to the pedicurist and taken care of it. My feet look much more normal now.

Do I think I'll do another one? Um...not sure. I'm definitely going to continue with 10ks and think that I would enjoy doing a 10 mile, but 13.1 again? Maybe. Ask me next year.

Screens!

I promised pictures of my screens about a million years ago, and here they are. I still need to paint them black, but that'll happen. Someday.

My landlord came up to check them out and was thoroughly impressed, although he did tell me to caution anyone sitting in the window not to lean on them, lest they then fall out the window because the screens are only held in place with two staples each. That's Sergo, always watching out for the wellbeing of others.