katestine | Entries tagged with apt

2019 was the year I explored Brooklyn. Starting with my prenatal classes, which took me to Prospect Heights; my hairdresser moving to Crown Heights; a bachelorette party in Greenpoint and Williamsburg; mommy-group took me all over Bed-Stuy and Park Slope and everything in between; and swim lessons in Tribeca (that's extra-northern Brooklyn). I even did a photo shoot in East New York. It was a good thing: my sons will forever call themselves "from Brooklyn", so it was time for me to stop being a borough snob.

I had a baby, which is to say I made a new human whom I love to bits in ways I never knew possible. I struggle with acting consistently, every day, with that deep love, but it's so there. (Like when I ignore the noises he's making to get my attention to instead update the Intarwebs.)

We did a bit of travel. I had a sleepover with my girlfriends in cool Brooklyn; we went to a wedding in Long Island; my reunion in Cambridge at a fancy hotel; most of a week at the shore and with my in-laws; a pre-back-to-work Disney cruise to Bermuda (loved Bermuda, have already picked the cruise I want to do there next, and the Disney part grows in my memories); and then a long trip in December with the older boys, including a cruise to Mexico and Honduras (loved our port stops, loved our room, started booking our next RC cruise while on board) and New Year's Eve at Disney (less of a fan, even though we rode a new Star Wars ride and had lunch at Be Our Guest).

My father-in-law died. I'm really glad we saw him in August, so that we could get that final reminder there was no him left by the Alzheimers.

We got wallpaper and new furniture for our bedroom, which looks gorgeous.

I can't believe I read less in 2019 than 2018, but I hit points in August and December where I just didn't want to read for weeks. OTOH, I also had long runs of non-fiction only, so I dunno what it all means. 37% were non-fiction, less than 2018 oddly enough, but it felt higher quality. My favorite book I read all year was the second, American Nations by Colin Woodard; he also wrote my favorite pirate book, The Republic of Pirates, but I can't bring myself to read any of his other books. I really really enjoyed Pat Conroy's South of Broad and Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue. Enjoying The Golem and the Jinni lead me to read The City of Brass, which I enjoyed much more before I learned S. A. Chakraborty is a white chick from NJ. For the first time I can remember, I didn't read a graphic novel all year, possibly because I forgot to look for new Ben Aaronovitch comics. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and 97 Orchard were also both excellent.

I have no idea how I did on last year's resolutions, to be more mindful of the mental states/cope of my nearest and dearest and to go easier on myself when I am imperfect.

Back in September, right before Jewish New Year, the universe started beating me over the head with the message to be more generous. I've had some success with my gratitude practice, but I've been terrible at turning my recognition of my own blessings into grace and kindness. I'm trying really hard this year though and it's already paying off. My other 2 resolutions for the year are to actually put some work into my face blindness, because I think it's hurting every part of my life, and to at some point during the year, either get back to a bodyweight squat or have a weight that starts with 11. I don't really care which I get.

Crossposts: https://katestine.livejournal.com/1397815.html

Apparently I'm repeating a post from 2 months ago.

Sore throat, again. I believe it's just bc I'm phlegmy from summer allergies, which I didn't even know existed until I had them. bah. I think I'm giving up on running a half marathon this year if I can't stay well enough to train up to a 6mi run. It's so funny to me that I could bang out an untrained 4mi on my old turf but can't manage 3mi in our current neighborhood.

Which is extra-relevant because we put in a bid on an apartment last night. We weren't in the market, given that we moved to this rental last November and like the landlord very much. Unfortunately, there aren't enough apartments in our neighborhood, so we felt like we should jump on this apartment. I'm not entirely certain I want to spend the rest of my life in this neighborhood - although this will be my third move in 2.5 years so it better be my last for at least a decade - but the layout is near-perfect and it's roughly everything I want, if I have to raise my son in NYC.

Anybody want to (dis)recommend their mortgage lender? The broker told me the seller has a mortgage with Wells Fargo, so we're checking with someone there, recommended by a friend who just bought. I get the impression that the individual you work with is a big part of your experience, on the front end. I also know at least one of y'all has had horrific experiences with their lender. I assume bricks & mortar lenders charge a slight premium but are more reliable. We don't anticipate any financial difficulties - who does really? - and we're putting down 20% because we're nervous nellies like that.

This week, I finally get to do all the rescheduled primping from two months ago. yaay NYC.

It's hard talking about our move 6 weeks later, because it worked out so well that I can barely remember why I was concerned about it. I'm even having trouble remembering why I hated the old apartment, even though it had a poor layout for a family, not enough rooms, not enough storage, and highway noise. The current place is still too small, with less storage (one less closet and smaller kitchen) and an extra flight of stairs, but it's 3 bedrooms further from the highway with a better layout. I think the biggest difference is that we never intended to stay in the old place long, especially after we discovered I was pregnant - I cried when we renewed our lease, but I couldn't contemplate moving with a 5 month old who didn't sleep through the night - whereas I could see staying in our current place for at least 3 years, maybe 5-6, which means we can buy Ikea furniture to organize it.

Jon's ex found this place for us, really. Which was actually one thing that made me more nervous about it than I might have been otherwise: she's clever in ways that my friends and family are not, which scares me because I know her incentives are different than mine, so I couldn't figure out her angle. It's two doors down from her place, with the exact same layout etc. as the apartment where she and Jon moved to Brooklyn when they left Manhattan. Moving here - and deciding to stay for several years - also forced me to accept that Brooklyn was not a temporary stop. I still don't have a single friend in Brooklyn, but I like the yoga studios and being able to see lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty when I run. (Ask me again in real winter when the sidewalks aren't shoveled.) I didn't like that Jon intended to buy the exact same Ikea furniture that he had in his old place with his ex, but we've compromised and gotten furniture that better suits our needs.

The move itself was also the ~~most congenial~~ least unpleasant I've ever had. Veteran Movers may or may not have given us a break on the move when they saw the baby, the military history books, and the climbing gear. Or it might be because they didn't need a truck, because we only moved half a block. 5 movers took 9 hours to pack AND hand carry all our things down one flight and up two. Funniest moment of the move was when one of the guys asked if my dad was a Marine, because he was sleeping on a bed frame with no mattress. Unfortunately, they were not very good at packing/moving: they didn't tape things shut, the boxes weren't packed tight (so they can't handle being piled on each other long without collapsing), and I haven't had the courage to unpack the silk rug my brother handcarried from India. Unpacking has been a bitch because many things were not labelled well. Still probably worth it.

The baby doesn't like being in his own room and my stepson still retreats to his mother's apartment for peace. There's still boxes in every room and I wonder if we'll ever able to entertain here. Still glad we moved.

Good, quality time with my father's family over the weekend. It's been >5 years since I saw all of them in one room and I'm glad we had a big party for my cousin-who-is-in-terrible-health's 70th birthday. I found new depths in several of them and I WILL see more of some of them.
A great workout with my sister, where I heard about what's up with her and shared some of my thinking. She also said I look better than I did two weeks ago, which is something.
Going in the bouncy castle with my niece and watching her get comfortable with it.
Going on a nature walk with my stepson, convincing his dad into vaulting over a log, and crabs afterwards. I wonder if knowing how to eat boiled crab is more common for Philadelphians vs eating lobster for Connecticut Yankees.
My first visit to Red Hook Fairway, which is SO AWESOME. They sell corn nuts and low-sugar papaya in the bulk section, $10 lobster rolls, cold brew coffee concentrate, and house brand fig & saba ice cream.
Going to bed basically on time. The baby likes it when mommy (zomgthat'sme!) goes to bed on time, so I do almost every night. It kinda messed with me last night though that I didn't immediately fall asleep: I'd forgotten that it's supposed to take a while, if you're not sleep deprived.
The baby also like salads and salted-but-otherwise-plain avocado. Yum!
Finding the right article and two books about pregnancy (Emily Oster's book and Exercising Through Your Pregnancy) that helps me understand the process and appreciate it. The big revelation for me was that pregnancy isn't linear: things that suck now probably aren't going to continue getting worse for the next 8 months and some of them may even get much better.
Well, except fitting in my clothes. Which isn't even really true: the pants I bought pre-cruise (i.e. after I'd conceived but before I knew I was pregnant) are more loose today than they were the day I bought them. Oh, and while I was buying them, I discovered Old Navy has really cute maternity clothes, which I'd been admiring and wishing I could buy. AHAHAHA!
People contacting me about jobs that actually sound fun, because I networked months ago. It's been hard to have faith that lightning might strike, after all the false starts.
My handsome husband making me the delicious breakfast sandwich I've been craving all weekend. (He'd've done it anyhow, but food "for the baby" works even better than "for the bride".)
My handsome husband noticing the fridge wasn't working and getting it fixed, while I was busy flirting with a hot chick online. um.
My handsome husband taking responsibility for getting my dining table fixed.

Last night was my last night in my bed on the UWS and Friday is the move. I wish I'd taken a picture of the old place when I finally finished it (in December 2012) because it's going to be a while before I live anywhere nearly that comfortable again. The bathroom and kitchen at the new place aren't as new (not surprising since it's a rental) and there's less space, so I'll probably have to send some of my furniture to storage. I'm not sure we'll have space for any but the largest of our bookshelves :(:(:(

Anyhow, it has a walk-in closet, except that it's all shelves. The more I look at organizing sites/stores, the more I realize they are oriented toward converting hanger-space to shelf-space, whereas we have the opposite problem: we own lots of suits and other clothing that should be folded. We'll remove one set of shelves, hopefully without breaking anything that'll give the landlord an excuse to claw back our security deposit. Any suggestions on how to best use wire shelves? My old apartment had shelves that were perennially messy, with piles of sweaters flopped everywhere. I'm thinking maybe vinyl floor tiles to provide a stable surface and shelf dividers, or maybe this product.

~~Originally written 5/23/13~~

I'm interrupting the Venetian stories to complain about HOW HARD it is to find housewares. Spoiler alert: Jon and I went registry shopping on Sunday, which was a truly irritating experience overall. Particularly annoying is that we went to Bloomingdale's and couldn't find any sheets that had patterns. I like sheets that have patterns bc my current sheets don't have a pattern and so every spot where I didn't get a stain out in time is highlighted. Jon claims that most sheets don't have a pattern, bc you just cover it with the duvet, but what if you like to have messy sex? Or the natural outcome of messy sex, orclings? Augh.

This is leaving aside the whole question of, are they soft? While walking around Bloomingdale's, I found deliciously soft sheets. Jon says I can't have them, bc they cost eleventy thousand dollars each. I bet it's because he made me go to Bloomingdales, rather than Macys or Bed Bath & Beyond, where my last two sets of sheets came from. anyhoo, is there some trend to comfy beds or something? I thought LBro was crazy when he bought himself a $3k mattress (not exaggerating), but (a) then he bought an almost as expensive one for our sister and (b) OperaBoss just told me she spent $2k on hers, and I bet it wasn't made by American elves in a factory in Connecticut.

The sad part is, the sheets are one of the few parts of the registry where I have any say: setting up house with a son of Hestia, it's not like I'll be using anything else we buy.

I may be at a sci-fi con, but that doesn't explain last night's dream. ( aliens )

( analysis )

I wasted a lot of time in the preceding two weeks trying to get out of town for MLK weekend: it's been 5 years since I =didn't= go to NH for ice climbing and Mt. Washington that weekend. In the end, I probably got enough social-time, if not enough adventures.

Friday morning, I finished up my networking profile for its debut at Restaurant Week lunch with OperaBoss. The lunch was good: Esca remains one of my fave picks for RW because the price is lower than their usual and they include signature dishes in the RW menu. ( what I ate ) OperaBoss wanted to see Silver Linings Playbook and I'd blocked off the afternoon for being drunk, so we went. (I was not drunk.) The movie was tough at times and I desperately wanted to check my watch, but in the end, I agree with every good thing I've heard about the movie: it really is a love story for our times.

I'd changed into my pjs and was set for a quiet night in when I got a text from a sorority sister asking if I was up for happy hour in my neighborhood. She and I accidentally got back in touch 5-6 years ago and I'd randomly invited her to my party: we talked about her post b-school adventures and it should be interesting to see where life takes each of us.

Saturday was supposed to be a glorious full day of tidying so the cleaning lady could clean; while I did spend some time distracted by an Amazon sale, I have no fargin' clue where the rest of the day went. oops. By Sunday morning, I managed to open a pile of mail and get enough of the surfaces cleared for things to be thoroughly cleaned post-party. There was more than one task that I told the nice lady, "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it" where she ignored me, asked how I wanted it done, and did it. I don't pay her enough.

My parents were in town for some G&S, so I had brunch with Bbro and his gf. We mostly talked about CrossFit (he tried it for the first time that morning) and Disney (he's going the same weekend as DOWF and can't understand why I won't cancel a trip to DC to go with him).

By the time I got dressed and tried to go for a run that night, Jon arrived, and wanted to go running too, which is good bc it was full dark by the time I got home and we were accosted by a EDP. *sighs*

Monday we had dim sum with Buzz Lightyear in Chinatown. Jon headed home. I'd planned to go home to prep for Tuesday's interview, but couldn't turn down a chance to see the Intrepid with a former Navy guy. Definitely more interesting than if I'd gone with OperaBoss. In the end, Tuesday's interview was a walkover, but that's whole 'nuther story.

Sometimes I feel bad about being so fatalistic about scheduling but then a plan gets thoroughly doominated despite heroic efforts. Drama caused 3 of the original 5 non-me organizers to drop out, most of the other attendees couldn't make it, and then the one who was supposed to bring his peeps was grounded by his mistress, so we were down 3 + 2 part timers. Which made it easier to switch from karaoke to Marie's Crisis Fri evening. WHICH WAS AWESOME. They were playing Ave Q when I walked in and we snagged the het parties' tables away from the bar. (Jim? stopped playing so some dude could re-arrange furniture even.) MissC came in with her sister, with whom I turn out to have a ridiculous amount in common. Like, we should be bestest buddies or something. MissC has found a new drink for us, a dry Manhattan. Jim? is my favorite accompanist I think - and not just bc he talked Pongo out of his shirt that one time - but it was sort of good that he played weird things I don't know like Hair and Pippin bc then I got to talk to MissC. By the time he started playing stuff I do know, I was sloshed and not long after, I lost my ability to sing shows I'd seen earlier this week. And then we went for burgers. I nearly got into a fight with some drunk South African chick, but even her friends thought she was being belligerent. Well, they were also weirded out that all three people at our table were touching/kissing each other, but there's no accounting for taste. Also, I deeply appreciate that my companions would totally have let me fight the drunk chick on my own, while discreetly taking care of legal details. BC THEY ROCK.

Considering I only had 1 bourbon & 7up, 1-2 dry "Manhattans", and 1 McSorleys light?, I think it is so unfair that I had an epic-style (in quality not quantity) hangover the next day. I did 2 loads of regular laundry and 3 loads of delicates, which was alas only about a quarter of what I needed to get done on Saturday. Ran 5.6mi in the park, to make up for my inability to get my booty running last week, which turned out to be a terrible idea. Apparently running 4mi at a time for a few weeks does not prepare me to skip 2 weeks and then run 5.6mi in one go. oops. Then I washed my hair and skedaddled to Chinatown for a facial. Annie upsold me to the twice as expensive package by saying, "It helps with the wrinkles in your forehead." My ma recently installed a new anxiety button. Awesome. Er, the other Aw word. I meant to come home and work on the to-do list s'more, but instead watched Breaking Bad 2.01 and surfed wiki. oops.

I got out of bed on time on Sunday, but decided I was too sore to take a private skating lesson and did I want to walk 15mins each way to stiffly skate for 30mins and anyway, it would be very bad if everyone came over and my place looked like... that. On the plus side, I went through about a month's worth of mail. On the downside, I got sucked into Arrested Development, so I was sitting in my pj's with papers and climbing equipment all over the floor when the family showed up. oops. My handy uncle fixed my dishwasher in <1 hour while I fluttered about making space for my grandparents. After everyone had a Peking duck roll from the stash of food they'd brought - it's like they know me - my mum suggested brunch. Instead, my aunt discovered I have a Lush nearby and off my mother, she, and I went. We tried everything in the store and my mum walked out with R&B leave-in conditioner and Ultrabland cleanser. Better, after watching them in Sephora, Papyrus, and Barneys, I have notes for future Christmases muahaha. Then we had lunch at Ollie's and met my father and Bbro at my apt where the latter stole a backpack and his gaiters. After they left, I wrote and read a chapter of Willpower. I wanted to go straight to bed and I was tired enough to be falling asleep at lunch, but no such luck. I should've tidied my apt so I could have someone over for (takeout) dinner, but instead updated my workout logs and joined a new MMORPG, before taking some Tylenol PM in hopes that I could quiet all the stuff in my head. ah well, there's always... yeah.

The best thing about the weekend was how ordinary it was - nothing death-defying, just stuff people do when they're on vacation - and yet it was incredibly wonderful. I took an egg cheat and had breakfast in a perfectly ordinary diner; after having been in so many places trying for that ambience, it was amusing to have (delicious!) eggs and coffee in the real deal.

Frommer's guide to NY state lists "Black Mountain" as the best hike in the southern 'dacks; ( it was at least my best )

The nearest Zagat-rated restaurant was 42mi away, so after showers, we went to a random restaurant I found in the local ad supplement, with the superb name of The Lobster Pot. Bc really, any summer when you haven't eaten lobster outside is wasted. I was a wuss and had the lobster tail, which was fine. I also had a bikini-tini and proper clam chowder. It was a random choice - and it was exactly right. (Like so much of the trip.) Then we played pirate-themed mini-golf, which was superb: I was really awful at it and laughed and made faces when my ball did untoward things. Then we got ice cream at Stewart's and got a night cap and everyone was just so friendly/helpful/nice. Yaay travel!

Sun morning we woke to thunderstorms: so much for the boat ride. Instead we went to Lake George's best vegan restaurant, a burger shoppe, where I had a veggie burger. It was not awful, although my companion had to save me from the amount of jalapenos I'd eaten. Wandering through town, we happened on the Adirondack Winery, the worst winery I've been to in my life. ( Read more... )

I'm personally very proud of the logistics of this trip bc the transportation went so smoothly, even though I overestimated the driving times. Which meant that Sun night, I had time to hit the gym for balance work and order Chinese food. Mon, I ran an extra mile during my run bc I felt so good. I did all sorts of things I'd been dawdling on, like finishing my book about Darwin and finally cooking seitanic jambalaya.

I've had Veganomicon since before the experiment started, bc I'd been planning to cook for Lbro, but I don't have time for LJ, let alone cooking. It was the most intriguing recipe in the book, bc I *heart* jambalaya and it's a good, filling lunch. Cooking was rather dramatic: I forgot to scale down the recipe so even though I didn't have enough beans, it was still threatening to overflow the pot. Halfway through, I realized it finishes in the oven, so I ended up using a casserole dish for the overflow. The rice took far longer to cook than expected, so I had to keep checking it, which also involved balancing the amount of water between the two pots. At one point I started ladling water from one container to another, but it was spilling, so I grabbed for the handle to move the pots together. That would be the metal handle that had been in the oven for 40mins. OWOWOWOW. I ran my hand under running cold water for 3 10min intervals (between checking the food for doneness), but I'm afraid my long-suffering gf heard me whining about it our whole conversation.

Pongo was kind enough to do the research and tell me the Macys fireworks would be over the Hudson this year. I don't know how I've lived in this building for 6 years and never seen them before. ( The Long Ka-boom )

Funny enough, the real act of hubris wasn't airily stating last Saturday, "I don't get colds, I have a fabulous immune system!", it was working a full day on Monday, even though I could tell I was getting sick, bc I was to take Friday off to go climbing and it would be unprofessional to take a sick day and a climbing day in one week. I thought the cold might be a day or two longer than the usual 1.5-2.5 days, totally do-able if I was climbing on Friday, right? *sighs* By Weds it got much worse, such that both Evil English and TWH told me I looked like death warmed over; my boss said, in what I later realized was a kind concern rather than grouchiness at my day off, that perhaps I should spend a day in the infirmary, rather than on the rocks. I wouldn't've gone to work on Thurs, except I knew my boss had things that had to get done. On the plus side, I got to have dinner with TWH's mum, so in one week, I met =both= her parents. I win!

This cold is a doozy. I read on the couch for a few hours on Fri, then slept the rest of the day and felt worse. My sister claimed she was coming over to borrow my camera, but brought over Fish for sitting. I was vastly amused that she was wearing head to toe black, including booties: this from a woman who complained I dress like a witch. HA!

Her borrowing my camera also meant I had to get the Ecuador photos off, which kicked off some productivity. I have 240 photos from my two weeks there, once I deleted the bad extra shots. 32 are from the 2 hours I spent rafting; 2 are from Antisana *cries* I'm half seriously considering buying a helmet cam. Someone looking at the photos would think I spent most of the time in markets and/or eating :( Next week I'll upload the other half of the shots to Flickr, tell my fellow adventurers, and give Snapfish a try. ( computer productivity ) Then I can buy a new computer and Sims Medieval, although maybe I should finish my Rainier photobook first.

AISOT, TWH and I had a lovely week together. Contrary to her dire predictions, I still have tons of tea - in part thanks to my dear Dr. Froshling - although my kettle gave up the ghost Fri night. My Roku arrived on Weds, so we got to bond over the first three episodes of She-Ra, which has held up far better than, say, Babylon 5, even though it's 25 years old. Cuddling on the couch as we watch tv rocks! and is much easier on sick people than activities that make me gasp ahem. Also, I discovered it's possible to have Alice's Tea Cup for breakfast on my way to work if I just get up early enough. whoa.

After she left, I tried going for an easy run, but didn't even make it half a mile before I doubled over coughing. It was in the high 30s, but apparently my lungs are really sensitive. Lack of ~~audiobooks~~ exercise is driving me crazy -- and I have no idea how I'm going to run a half-marathon on Sunday given that I haven't run a mile in 10 days now.

I read a lot less than expected too. I'm only halfway through the first chapter of the new T. E. Lawrence bio after 3 weeks :( I still can't understand why I don't think twice about paying $20 to go hear the author chat at the NY Historical Society (with Kissinger and Adam Gopnik), but won't pay half that to buy the book rather than borrow it from the library. Especially since I've only understood Kissinger one of the three times I've heard him speak. bah. I did however discover MI-5 and made it through three episodes this weekend.

Yesterday my mum stopped by to drop off food - and then called a few hours later to invite me to late afternoon brunch at Nougatine. ( ah, family ) She's also talking about bringing my 4yo cousin for a play date, if not sleepover next weekend. Speaking of which, the Roku turned out to be an =excellent= babysitter for my father, who adored MI-5 as much as I do (thriller! with no bad language or kissing!). In the end, not a terrible weekend after all.

I didn't get around to watching Restrepo before I went to hear the directors speak on Friday, but I'm glad I went anyhow. Buzz Lightyear warned me it was more reality tv than The Hurt Locker, which I also haven't seen. I think this is what they were going for, using a different style of storytelling. I don't remember if it was Junger or Heatherington who said, "I want to keep the real world on the agenda," but he was right.

I've actually been thinking a lot lately about what we say in these, our personal journals, and the extent to which it reflects who we are. I think I spend a lot of cycles considering the outside world. I worry how insular my opinions have become from reading blogs with whom I agree for news, rather than primary sources, but at least I'm trying. Sometimes I read other journals where there's so much sturm and drang about local issues or even just personal drama and wonder if these folks think much about Egypt or Iran or the economy or Social Security or healthcare reform or municipality credit ratings and just don't write about it.

Anyhow, they had an astonishing statistic that whereas 0.1% of the US population served/is serving in GW2, for 20-30yo men, it's 10% and we the people need to think about how that cohort experiences life differently. They had other keen insights that made me so very glad I attended.

I had one of the best brunches I've ever eaten Saturday morning, at a teensy place at 81st & Amsterdam called Recipe. They have a jam of the day and I started with short ribs and poached eggs. It's owned by the Thai place next door, which is perhaps why the spices and fixings were so clever. They seem to have a great bar, which is why I tried to go back for dinner Sunday night.

Afterward we went shopping and I found everything I was looking for at Filene's: I got an outrageous pair of snow leopard print leggings, a new everyday handbag, a spare umbrella, 2 pairs of wool tights, and 6 pairs of 'hose, which is very important now that I wear dresses and skirts. Hurrah! I still don't understand why 6 hours of shopping - including trying on suits - left us so exhausted, but we went home, ordered Indian, and collapsed.

Usually when Mistress Mary Poppins comes to visit, we undertake some apt project, but this time, I simply went through a month of mail, tried on Gilt purchases, and coiled cables. It still went a long way to making me more sane. And, best of all, I got lots of quality time with MMP.

I had a serious case of the crankies last week and it was remarkable how, 24 hours later, most of that just disappeared. ( My third date with Saba ) He's a very, very nice guy, but I came home feeling very conflicted and couldn't sleep until 2. *sighs*

This weekend was psychotic, even by my standards. My tv stand was delivered on Friday by Jensen-Lewis, which caused no small amount of agita bc they wouldn't offer me an afternoon delivery slot bc I live uptown. So my mum spent the day in my apt and came down to have a late lunch with me. During the course of the day, I discovered I'd left my wallet and keys in my apt bc I'd been so discombobulated that morning. yikes. Had some lovely drinks at Morrell's after work before heading to Ct.

Sat we went to my fave consignment shop, Whole Foods, and CostCo before going to my grandparents' for Tet. I made off like a bandit, acquiring a new under-suit shirt, a new set of hangers, and orange juice. New years was much less awesome than expected bc no one was invested in being there, so everybody got there late. I was not unhappy to leave early.

Sat night I went to a birthday party at Bottino that was more elaborate than some weddings I've been to. I wish I'd known to wear designer duds rather than jeggings and a pair of boots; at least I didn't wear my Wescoes? I was seated with former cow orkers so it was mostly dull, although I enjoyed discussing race and identity in America with a Jamaican-American and another bi-racial gal. Maybe intellect isn't everything in social situations.

When I got home, my doorman asked if I was ok, which confused me - does he ever ask me that question and I say no? I got up at 4am bc I'd rather get up early than make my bed. Probably just as well, bc I was sleeping terribly bc I'd drunk enough the night before to lose my ability to thermo-regulate. d'oh! Did two loads of laundry and barely made my van.

I don't know if Catskills ice is really that much more awesome or if JBeau just rocks that hard, but I had a much better day of ice climbing this time. ( Read more... )

I was thoroughly wiped out when I got home - and discovered my sister sitting in my lobby. Turns out my mother was running very late, quel surprise, and they brought the tv to my apt about 15 mins after I got home. We spent an hour or so setting things up and fine-tuning the furniture. I think the living room was more balanced before I got the tv, but I watched the halftime show on 42", so yeah. Already, I can tell I'll be much more comfortable watching stuff from my couch rather than at my computer, which is problematic bc I was already having issues with not ever wanting to get up from my couch when I had just an iPod. If I stop posting to lj, it'll probably be bc I'm glued to my couch.

I first got this meme last year from regyt, thewronghands, and seawasp. I didn't post my response bc I ran out of time, but when the meme came around this year, I still had the text file -- and was surprised how many of the things I'd wanted I'd gotten.

( I am blessed )

This year's list was tough, bc there are do-able things I want but I hate when people ask for stuff on their livejournals and besides, it's the surprise! that counts, as mjperson found out.

local sex, or at least cuddling in front of a tv
jackets that fit through both the shoulders and waist, tops that look nice under jackets or by themselves
the name and location of a store with helpful stylists that sells business attire
silk-cashmere blend v-necks in neutral colors to replace the one I was wearing when I wrote this post that really has too many stains to be seen in public
a wool dress, preferably flattering
(Guess what was on my mind when I was working on this list. I think part of it is, I have more toys than I know what to do with, whereas the state of my closet bothers me on a near daily basis. Most of my other problems, I know how to fix.)
a mailing list/blog/community for petite drag kings
a cute steampunk costume for Frolicon
an animated icon of that Penny Arcade about LKH readers^H^H^H^H^H^H^Husers
my phone to stop lying to me about when txt msgs arrive
longer legs. It would really help if this could be delivered as soon as possible on Christmas Day, bc I'll be using them well before dawn.

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Current Mood: grateful

I will never catch up on sleep if my body sabotages me every time I do get sleep. Sun night I slept a long time, even if it required medication to get me down. Last night, I kept saying "I'm tired" to people with whom I spoke on the phone, so I went to bed when I finished my last call at 9:22. Lay in bed, tired, trying every trick I know, but couldn't fall asleep for a while. Finally I fell asleep - only to wake at 4am. *sighs*

At least I got a box completely emptied and waiting at the front door? Anyone want photo paper or business cards for an inkjet printer?

...only to get a message from my running buddy that she'd gone to bed too late and wasn't sure if she'd be up for morning running. *sighs*

Which is just about the only exercise I'm good for this morning. Is there something about deadlifts? Chad's transcription of Mark Rippetoe says only 1x5 in so-called Rippetoe Beginner A: I always assumed that was a typo, although by that point in the workout, I usually feel so tired and I'm already running so late, I'm willing to warm up the deadlift, do a good set of 5 reps, and get outta there.

Yesterday, I did Outdoor Athlete's D1 workout. ( numbers ) At the time, it didn't feel particularly hard at all and I felt bad that I was deadlifting less than I had 2 weeks ago and zomg I'll never make it up the mountain yada yada. I felt really tired by the time I got to work, like I didn't want to move for a while, which is sort of okay for a day of office work, except then I started feeling too tired to think, which is not so good. I don't get this: I wasn't sore! I ate fruit immediately after and piles of protein throughout the day! Except now I am sore and definitely don't want to think. *sighs* My mum suggested I'm not getting enough rest. *throws crockery*

Current Mood: tired

Fri night's karaoke was as much of a boondoggle as you'd expect from the phrase 2-for-1 drinks in Times Sq. The place was loud and filled with uncouth men. ugh. We repaired to our prior karaoke joint, which squeezed us in. There wasn't enough making out, but I got to sing "The Internet is for Porn" and the ever-fabulous

janicestine found a cache of tv show themes. As I meant to say on Twitter, from now on, it is now required that we sing the Batman song every time we go to karaoke. It's listed under "TV shows".

I feel bad that I didn't get more done this weekend, even though all we did on Mistress Mary Poppins' last visit was not even finishing one box of filing. ( We ) got rid of 6 boxes this weekend. And although there's still stuff all over my living room, for the first time I think it's possible I could invite my boss to a party on Dec 10.

More important than what we actually did was two principles she taught me this weekend. When we opened one of the untouched t-shirt boxes, I found a favorite shirt I've worn maybe once, bc I can never find it. Now that I've gotten rid of all the shirts I don't adore, I'll be able to find it. (When I've had a chance to wear this shirt around my favorite outer boro deviants, I'll tell you what this principle is now called in the Kateiverse.)

Sat evening, we got haircuts. Maybe I should've also gone to Bumble & Bumble when my usual gal was unavailable, but the dude on the phone assured me Timothy is awesome. He didn't take too much off and said my hair's pretty healthy even though I haven't cut it since April, but the end result wasn't party hair.

The organizer called Sat's gala dinner the largest collection of 7-summiters in black tie. ( talking about expeditions, rather than climbing ) I wish the pictures that showed off my back muscles had good expressions too :(

Sunday night, I climbed in bed at 6, took some Tylenol PM at 8 -- and was still loggy at 7 this morning. Boo.

I just wanted to go to bed Fri night, but instead went to the gym for a PT God workout. I'm still weaker than I expect, but it was fun watching three of the trainers fooling around: they were betting on the old one's ability to press x and the other one is apparently a cardio king and there's something about if the Yankees won this wknd. Fun times. I need to get back in shape enough to bet on it.

I finished a quarter of what I wanted on Sat, which is extra-depressing since half the list was holdovers from last weekend. *sighs* By staying up until 1 (and getting up at 5), I was able to do all my shredding, after going to Staples to buy a new one, along with other filing supplies.

Going through all my health-related records of the past 10 years, I discovered that August after I graduated, I went for a body-composition test at a spa - and they told me to lose 12-20lbs. At the time, I weighed 1-3lbs less than I currently do. (I haven't weighed myself in months, and don't plan to start now.) what the fucking fuck? Granted, at the time I had 34% body fat, but still.

In other wtf news, I also found out I've apparently been seeing my primary care physician once a year, mostly to get diamox and pt prescriptions. And every time he tests my cholesterol and every year it's the same, so consistently that I wonder if his thingee is broken. And yet... there was a year when he told me it was too high and he wanted me to come back for tests. I think not.

In a very last minute sort of way, I ended up seeing RED with a friend. I'm so glad I took StMac's advice to see it. It's very well made, with romance and comedy and guns, car chases, and explosions. I think it'd be a perfect date movie. And afterward, we had caramel milkshakes from Shake Shack and I was gratified that my companion agreed that they are so good, it's better not to remember they exist.

While climbing Sun, I thought of what my therapist (among others) has been trying to tell me, about not getting so hung up on details and just let things happen. We top-roped 7 different climbs near the beginning of the carriage road and every time I finished one, I couldn't remember how I'd done it to guide the next climber. ( I climbed very hard and fell a lot, but made it to the top ) The best part of the day though was when JBeau dropped us off at the bus station and said to me, "You're climbing strong: I'd like to put you on the sharp end on some 5.4s and 5.5s, just to see how you handle something on which you might fall." Sweet!

Got home from dinner last night to a call from my sister, who sounded exhausted. It didn't take much convincing to talk her into running tmw morning, instead of 6 hours after the call.

I'm still putting things in my calendar from all the usual places, but every weekend in September is taken, with most days taken from the next 3 weeks -- and I still feel like there are some Jewish groups that won't sent their calendars until after the holidays. yeargh.

There're many events I feel ambivalent about, and now that I no longer feel pressured to go out and meet people, I'm not sure if I want to go. I still have an intellectual crush on Niall Ferguson, but do I really want to see him at the NY Historical Society, doing what made his name, talking about the original Warburg? I could go see a private preview of Never Let Me Go, which seems to be the hot intellectual movie of the fall -- but it feels like a retread of The Island and anyway, I could be working on my filing. The Library has a bunch of book-related things that sound, well, depressing.

I asked my sister if I should still go to galas - they're not cheap and then there's the dresses - and she said, "Yes. So you can be my wing." So that's that. 'course, she's not going to the American Alpine Club, but hey, this is my year to get ~~roasted~~ introduced to the membership. And I am going to hear some milblogger speak at the local conservative tng, even if he is younger than I am and has written for the National Review Online. I can't bitch that they don't do enough foreign policy if I don't go, right?

On the plus side, the AMNH seems to have an upcoming exhibit on the brain, which is made of squee!! The only really question is, which of my favorite scientists will I invite as my +1 to the private viewing.

Then there's the upcoming Broadway season, which sounds fun. I need to make time to see some shows this coming year.

Y'know how a lot of yoga studios have a "go to yoga every day for a month" challenge? I'm kinda doing that, except for tidying. Yesterday was the first day I've missed, although I put in extra time on Tues and will put in extra time tonight. I could be sad that I missed and that I'm still working on post-trip/daily detritus, or I could remind myself that I gave myself permission to use this whole week for catch up and note that cleaning my inbox is good too.

And last night was so totally worth it. I'd forgotten just how lively downtown is, even on a Weds, even when it's past my bedtime. I love my neighborhood - but it's good to be reminded of all the wonderful things a subway ride away.

Current Music: The Rescues - "Break Me Out"

My mother was very sick Fri night, so I was guilted into going to ABT's performance that night. While I've been avoiding ballet for the past few years, I've been going to Lincoln Center for ballet for almost 30 years, so when I say Fri night's performance was incredible, I know what I'm talking about. ( text ) My sister commented I was very lucky to see Kent in her last season and I can't disagree.

I kept the entire weekend free so that I could climb with GMac whenever he was available, but he didn't get back to me and then his 5yo was misbehaving, so yeah. This is part of why I want to learn to lead: it's much easier to last minute find an experienced second than to spend 3hrs on the bus and $40 to get to the cliffs and find no leaders available.

Instead I spent Sat doing laundry and other things that had to happen before the cleaning lady came. Decided to run as a warmup to lifting, but didn't feel like switching shoes, so I ran with the Vibram Five Fingers for the first time. It hurt no more than my traditional sneakers - I got shin splints at about the same time as usual. I attribute this to the POSE seminar I attended last year. I also ran it the lower loop a minute faster than usual, at a sub-10min pace, although my times have been so erratic lately, I can't tell if it was the POSE running.

The farmer's market is finally getting interesting, although by the time I got there, the beef and turkey vendors had gone. Bought bass - not sure if it was striped or sea - and broiled it with sliced squash. I couldn't understand why Julia Child said to put a touch of white wine in the pan, until it came out half uncooked: put it back in the oven with the white wine and it came out aromatic and delicious (and cooked). Simplest, tastiest thing I've ever made, although not terribly filling.

I thought lifting would be okay, bc I wasn't climbing the next day. ( HAHAHAHA )

Speaking of plans gone awry... I wish my hrm had still been working, bc I'm sure my profile for Sun's hike would've been fascinating. Did Breakneck Ridge to Cold Spring, a 7.5mi I've done in the past. However, even though I haven't been hiking since, um, Grand Teton last August, I decided to repeat the first half mile 3x. The first half mile, that gains 1100' over half a mile. Um. ( how that went ) The hike was exactly what I needed though. I was getting pretty snippy last week and it was glorious to spend 8 hours with nothing beeping at me, no one demanding my attention, with my biggest concern being the hot spot on my arch, navigation, not running out of water, and putting one foot in front of the other.

Oh, and I found blueberries and raspberries on the trail. YAAY! Even though I was tired, I felt grubbier, so I walked the half mile down to the beach, stripped to my underwear (despite the large numbers of children), and dunked in the Hudson. Had a beer and a cup of clam chowder before heading back to the city.

I'm proud of how productive I was this weekend, bc of all the weekends for which I've been beating myself up, in which I wasn't productive. ( brain hacks ) I'm about half an hour's work from having the place tidy enough for family or people trying to get in my pants to visit, which is good bc I have a houseguest and a date this week.

It was doubly good bc my sister invited herself over for dinner last night. I suppose I could've gone to her place or a restaurant, but I couldn't really walk, so yeah. We had Turkish and it was the first time anyone else has ever eaten at my new dining table. She had a lot of stuff on her mind and I'm particularly glad that she was very straightforward about asking for what she needed, bc it felt good to give her something helpful, but I'm terrible at guessing what people need emotionally. I went to bed happy knowing that I'd done good things this weekend.

the buckles on my new shoes
when the barista gets my macchiato just right so the caramel and espresso blend
that cute guy in a nice suit
being able to afford nice shampoo (process, not outcomes)
getting rid of ugly bras I never should've bought and finding nice ones underneath

Else what's a heaven for?

2019 Year in Review

Mortgage bleg and an explanation

Change is the constant

13 Things That Rock

Closet organizing bleg

Shopping is hard; let's do math!

The Posleen are Yankees, right?

A weekend at home

It took me an entire weekend to earn 3.5 shinies

In which Kate does ordinary things

Pickett's Cold

My High Contrast Life, part eleventy-seven of many

How I Got a TV for Tet

What I Want for Christmas

Notes of morning ramblyness

Things I Do When I Don't Go Climbing

Everything worked out this weekend

No wonder I don't have time for local booty

Ballet, Hiking, and Tidying

5 things that make me happy today

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February 2025

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