Archive for August, 2011
Every month I try so hard not to write about running, but it is pretty much all I am doing these days. I’ve gotten up to about 15 miles on my weekly long run and have a 16-mile run coming up this Saturday. Crazy to think that that on top of the 15 miles, I still need to run another 11.2 miles. I guess that’s what I will be preparing for over the next 60 days before we run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C.
Last night, I attended the book signing event for Decorate, the new book by blogger, Holly Becker. Holly runs decor8, a home decor and design blog. I’ve been following decor8 for years and was excited to get my hands on a copy of the new book.
The book signing was held at the Anthropologie store in Soho, and I’d estimate that as many as 100 people showed up for the event. I purchased my book and then waited in line to get it signed. I had fun talking to BKLYN Contessa (Hi Nicole!) and her husband, David, while we waited. Cookies, wine, and sparkling water were passed around while we all chatted and exchanged business cards.
Holly was lovely and friendly when we made it to her. She has been on a grueling book signing tour across the country and this was her last stop. I am impressed she was still so upbeat and sweet.
I am also very impressed with the book. In the past, I’ve been disappointed by blog-to-book attempts, but Decorate is beautiful, professional, detailed, and huge — 288 pages of design ideas! I can’t wait to read every page!
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Look at that amazing sky! I guess that is our reward after weathering a hurricane tropical storm. I took this photo looking south from our roof this evening after all of the rain was done. For most of the day, the sky looked like it does below:
Travis and I went to sleep around 11 pm last night thinking that we would be awoken by heavy wind and rain. We did have a rough night, but it wasn’t because of the storm. We had removed our air conditioners and shut all of our windows to be safe and our apartment got extremely hot and humid. I was sweating all night and seriously contemplating going outside to brave the storm just to get cool.
I woke up around 8 am to the sound of our roof door banging. I made Travis go up and latch it and he got soaked. We were sure that the storm was just starting to get bad, so we turned on the news (Andreson Cooper on CNN, of course — he is the news) and settled on the couch for what we thought would be a day of storm watching. I was at home during the Brooklyn tornado last year and that was frightening — fierce wind and sideways rain. We never got that much excitement with Irene. There was some flooding and downed trees across the city, but overall the storm was less severe than everyone had thought. It was just about over by 11 am. I went on the roof and took the photo above of the downtown Brooklyn skyline covered in fog.
By the afternoon, it was still a little windy and sprinkling on and off, but I guess everyone in Park Slope was stir crazy. Travis and I joined them in the pursuit of open restaurants and coffee places. We ended up at Five Guys and got some food. Crusher was happy to not have to live off of non-perishable rations all day.
Overall, the hurricane was disappointing, but that is definitely a good thing. I know that other areas were not as lucky. For the most part, it will be back to life as normal in NYC tomorrow.
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Have you heard? Hurricane Irene is coming to New York City!
The storm is supposed to get here over-night tonight, and right now they are saying it will be a Category 1 hurricane. I am not too worried, but I got a little more concerned when Mayor Bloomberg announced the MTA (public transportation) shutdown and the mandatory evacuation of the low-lying areas. Those two things have never happened in this city before! The city is taking Irene seriously!
Believe it or not, Travis and I headed out with Team In Training for our group run this morning. I am glad we did. The rain hadn’t started and I am glad I got a workout in before the storm starts in earnest. I also took it as an opportunity to take some pre-hurricane photos. We ran from prospect Park, over the Brooklyn Bridge, through lower Manhattan, and then up the West Side Highway. The sky was ominous, with fog covering the tops of the tall buildings, and it was very humid, but there really wasn’t any wind.
Above is a shot looking south-ish from the Brooklyn Bridge to Governor’s Island. (There was supposed to be a huge, 3-day Dave Matthew’s Band concert on Governor’s Island this weekend, but it was cancelled.) The sky looks stormy, but the East River and ocean seemed quite calm.
This is the the Hudson River. We ran along the West Side Highway once we got to Manhattan. I had anticipated rocky water and waves, but the water was completely calm. There were lots of exercisers out on the path, but less cars than usual on the road.
I really didn’t notice much hurricane prep. A few shops were taped or boarded up like the one above, but the vast majority were not. We saw some families packing up cars to leave the city, but no one seemed panicked. All of the restaurants and bodegas were still open. I stopped at Walgreens to get extra water (for the run) and there was a long line. People were getting snacks and drinks and toys for their kids.
Once we got back to Brooklyn, it started to rain. (Actual hurricane water touched my skin! omg!) The rain didn’t seem to deter Brooklynites, though. Our blocks were crowded with people shopping, getting coffee, and generally just hanging out. I don’t think many will be leaving the city. We walked past this official evacuation center on our way home. (It is the high school on 7th Avenue and 4th Street, by the way.) The police were just hanging outside the entrance, as calm as could be. I think they were amused when I asked if I could take a photo of the sign.
Travis and I are taking the storm seriously, but not buying into all the frenzy and hype. We have plenty of food and water, and we moved things away from the windows. We may lose electricity, but I really think that is the worst that will happen. I think the city is over-reacting about how much damage the hurricane will do, but I understand that they have to play it safe. As Travis keeps repeating from Mayor Bloomberg’s press conference: “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”
We will be safe. I’ll report back after (and maybe during) the hurricane.
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I work from home. I have been doing it full time for over two years. I know that many home workers recommend setting a strict schedule, waking up early, showering, and getting dressed and prepared the same as you would for an office job. I choose to do the opposite.
One of the luxuries of working for yourself is setting your own schedule, so I do. I wake up a little after Travis, do some house chores, then get right to the computer and start working. I don’t get dressed up in business clothes in order to sit at my computer all day alone. I am usually wearing workout clothes or jeans. Due to this very lenient dress code and my year-long marathon training adventure, the majority of my recent clothing budget has been spent at Lululemon.
I am fine with my casual wardrobe. It means I don’t have to do a lot of ironing or spend a bunch on dry cleaning. But this fall things may need to change a bit. I have a number of professional events coming up that will require some nicer outfits. Because I dress professionally so infrequently, it wouldn’t be smart to invest in trends. I need just a few quality, basic pieces that I can pack for conferences or wear to networking events.
One of my goals is to look like Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) from Covert Affairs. I’ve only seen two episode of the show, but she always looks professional, yet hip and pretty. Plus, as far as celebrities go, I think Perabo is a reasonable equivalent to my coloring and (goal) body shape.
These photos of her aren’t very impressive (they are all I could find online), but her outfits are always basic, but with just a tiny bit of style (like a colored blouse or belt, or cool jacket) and great shoes. Annie Walker was my inspiration for this set of J.Crew basics I wrote about for Ace recently:
Very plain, but slightly updated with the cropped trousers and silk blouse. I think I could pull off any of these pieces and mix and match them with what I already have in endless ways. Practical!
A huge trend for fall is leopard print. I am usually not an animal print girl, but I am trying to be open minded. I put together this collection of possible leopard accent items for a post on Ace:
So, as you can see, I have been doing my research, and last weekend, I put it to the test. Travis kindly accompanied me on a shopping trip with the goal of getting a few nice outfits that I could wear to the upcoming BlogHer Handmade conference. I focused most of my shopping energy on J.Crew and I found a few key pieces that I absolutely love!
The NY Times style section listed their five things you need for fall. Here are my suggestions:
Such basic pieces, but I am a basic girl. I’ll add some flair with some jewelry or a jacket and pair the pants with tops I already own. Lady-like and refined is the goal.
What are your suggestions or top picks for your fall wardrobe?
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FYI: I know that I am a bore for sticking with J.Crew, but it is just so easy! If you visit the Soho store, ask for Caitlin. She is one of the personal shoppers there and she is amazing. She helped me with sizes and was the one who suggested the high wasted jeans. I never considered myself as someone who would utilize a personal shopper, but she was very helpful (and her services are free).
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Yesterday was the second annual Battle of Brooklyn race held right here in Park Slope at Prospect Park. The 10-mile race consists of running around the park three times, each time climbing the steep north hill. oof.
You may remember, I ran the race last year and didn’t have the best experience. This year was much better. I was smarter about my race prep by eating plain food yesterday and spending the evening on the couch. I felt good during the race and had a plan of doing each loop of the park slightly faster that the last. I guess I was a little overly optimistic, because my plan worked for the second lap, but then fell apart on the third. I just could not run the third lap faster and was totally spent and sore by the time I made it to the finish line. I’m happy that I pushed myself, though, and I did manage to take 4 minutes off of last year’s time. Hooray!
Travis was on the sidelines cheering last year, but this year he was in the race. He did awesome, like usual, and finished about 14 minutes faster than I did. Afterward, we got our traditional post-run egg sandwiches from Dizzy’s Diner and then Travis had his first ice bath. FYI: “Cryotherapy (“cold therapy”) constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown.” Travis loved it! I see many ice baths in our future.
More info: Travis and I are training for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 30th with Team in Training. We are also raising money for the Leukemia & Lymhoma Society to help find a cure for blood cancers and provide services for patients and their families. If you’d like to help, check out our fundraising page. Thanks!
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Summer is nearing its end and it has me thinking about how I could fit in a beach vacation before it is all over… I can’t, of course, but all of the daydreaming about beaches made me revisit photos from our honeymoon.
Travis and I were extremely fortunate to receive a trip to Hawaii from his parents for our honeymoon in 2003. We were 22 and I had never flown over an ocean before. It was an excellent trip, but the excitement and stress surrounding the whole wedding event and the desire to really get started on our life together made it hard for me to truly relax. But, we managed to sit on the beach (and read Harry Potter 5), drink smoothies, eat pineapple, go to town for ice cream, and basically have a lovely vacation.
I scanned the photo above from my scrapbook. (We didn’t have a digital camera or even cell phones in 2003!!) It is one of just a few of me in a bathing suit, because (of course) I hated my body and thought I looked fat in my bikini. I think my brain may be broken. I wish I could go back in time and take approximately 1 million photos of myself in that bikini!! The really sad part: I am sure I will be thinking that same thing about my 30-year-old self in eight more years…
Back to the vacation theme… to the best of my knowledge, I think that our honeymoon is the only vacation trip that Travis and I have taken on our own. The rest of our “vacations” have been spent visiting family (which we truly love to do and really enjoy) or moving across the country. I really can’t complain because we did take a super-fun trip to Disney World with Travis’ family last summer, but I would still love to have some vacation time alone with my husband someday. Paris or Italy would do nicely…
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Peaks and valleys. You have to have the valleys in order to enjoy the peaks, right? Well, I have been in an enthusiasm valley for the last two weeks…
Travis got me those colorful flowers on Friday to lift my spirits. He says he likes to get sunflowers because they remind him of Kansas. Very sweet.
A lot of my bummer mood has to do with my marathon training. I still feel like I haven’t made any progress and the workouts seem harder than ever, even when I try to take it easy. It is frustrating. Everyone seems to have some sort of solution for me, but basically it all comes down to, “just run faster.” Like as if that hasn’t been my goal all along… I haven’t been a fun person to run with lately. One of my patient and kind Team in Training coaches really summed it up: I need a WIN. I need to have a success that I can feel good about in order to fire up my enthusiasm again. I hope it happens soon.
Work has been very similar… working everyday to get as much done as possible, but never quite accomplishing enough. BUT, the awesome news is that Swap-bot members are pretty great. Many have been helping us with our Team In Training fundraising in exchange for a little swag pack of Swap-bot goodies. I am mailing out 30 more packages today! wow!
It rained all day yesterday, so I just stayed in, rested, and tried to be kind to myself. Hopefully, this week will be an enthusiasm win!
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This is just one part of the “Flaming Cactus” installation by Animus Arts Collective at Astor Place. I saw it while running during Summer Streets last Saturday and I pretty much love it – a collection of fuzzy rainbows in the middle of the Village. They are made with multi-colored zip ties wrapped around light poles.
Want more art? If you missed the Alexander McQueen “Savage Beauty” exhibit that just closed at the Met, watch this video summary narrated by the curator. I hope the exhibit travels. I would LOVE to see it again.
What art are you enjoying this summer?
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I’ve already complained about it plenty, but jury duty put me way behind on my work. The smart decision would have been to spend the weekends getting caught up, but we had already packed them full of running and fun-having.
So, how did I spend the second half of July?
And in other big news… Today, I bought a ticket to the Altitude Design Summit. The conference is happening in Salt Lake City in January. This is the third year of the creative, online entrepreneur event, but it will be my first time attending. I am excited! It is a really fashionable event with big name (in the blogging community) speakers and fun sponsors (like Kate Spade). I am looking forward to comparing the event with BlogHer handmade, which I am attending in September.
Are you going to Alt Summit? I’d love to meet up!
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