Monday, July 26, 2010

Week 18: Back to The Big Apple

After an amazing respite in California over the weekend, landing in NYC on Monday was truly surreal.  It's amazing in this day and age, how quickly we can be in two diverse and distanced places within a matter of hours.  Even more amazing is the variance in lifestyle: it's almost like having a split personality - four days on being an irate, fast-paced New Yorker followed by waking up the next morning in California for three days of a smile on your face and a song in your mouth, compliments of Katy Perry.

Monday: Plane rides all day, arriving back in NY I had to do something to get the "airplane feel" out of my body - so I caught up on late-night television while on the StairMaster.

Tuesday: Yankees game (against the LA Angels) - a horrendous loss on the Yankee's side.  But, secretly, I couldn't be broken-hearted since the Ms. Bay Area side of my personality had recently experienced the superiority of the West Coast less than 24 hours prior.

Wednesday: Full blown sweatfest in the gym with the ADD circuit and suspersets.

Thursday: Elliptical in the morning, and jaunting around lower Manhattan in the afternoon.

Friday: In preparation for the night's event, an East Village Pub Crawl, I hauled myself into the gym for some cardio.  Then, I prepared my innards with appropriate alcohol-absorbing foods...like french fries.  There was a tornado warning when we departed for the pubs, but it cleared by the time we got out of the subway.  Oh the joys of being underground for an hour in air-conditioning.

Saturday: An early morning run to sweat out the residual beer, then a full day at the beach, playing in sand and surf, with colossal overhead waves, left over from the monsoon the night prior.  Nothing like diving through a crashing whitecapped tidal wave and having it pull off your bikini bottoms to get the whole self involved in a strenuous physical feat of recovering your dignity while surviving Mother Nature.  Was still amped up after we returned home, so I hit the gym again for weights and promptly passed out at 10pm.

Sunday: Rested all day with sore muscles and happy heart.  Couldn't sleep however - I think the early evening sessions of working out are the trick to having a good night's sleep.  At least, I'm too tired to do anything else and my body is screaming for recuperation.  Instead, I was screaming for some kind of exhaustion.

Next up: The last week of July.  Where did the summer go?

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Week 17: I've lost track of time...thank God

Losing track of time means I'm obviously not living with any idea of what's coming next.  Some might find this disconcerting, but I say: Hallelujah!
Present concentration, restored.

(Had to start this post actually on Monday last so I could remember what happened!)

Monday: Workout with a friend - a new circuit at the gym that involved supersets...supersets being two strength-training exercises rolled into one smooth movement, like a lunge with a shoulder press.  A surprising amount of sweat cropped up all over the place...and continued well throughout the day.  An evening in Queens performing a staged reading proved very successful...especially the subway adventure out and back.  First, an evangelist assuredly pronounced to the Queens-bound passengers that Jesus was coming and "Anyone with two boyfriends...will not be going to Heaven."  The return trip was even more humorous, as waiting underground for the #7 train for an hour left me feeling like I had just paid $2.25 to sit in a sauna with my clothes on.  Funny, no?

Tuesday: A day with torrential thunderstorms, threatening the Shanghai Symphony and NY Philharmonic Central Park event.  However, it held off and we camped out under an overcast sky, listening with thousands of others to Bernstein, Tchaikovsky, and Gershwin until it grew dark.  Running early in the morning doing speed intervals wore me out...those supersets left me supersore.

Wednesday: Well, at this point, I forgot to write down what I did this day, so let's assume it was successful in terms of having fun and forgetting about time.

Thursday: Packing and running around completing errands before my weekend home.  Some time was spent in the gym too, I think.

Friday: Up early and on planes all day.  Walked miles through the CO airport on my layover to get some exercise and stretch my legs.  Hello, moving walkways, I'm traveling without your help.

Saturday: An early run with superfit, super-duper friend K.  After a night of wining and dining, the fresh CA air was almost too good to be true.  The bridal shower surprise turned out to be successful as well.

Sunday: A surreal day, with visiting the Farmer's Market, enjoying some time with beloved friend J and soaking up much needed sunshine (apparently I'm "pasty"), and being home...away from "home".  Did not look forward to the trip back to NY, oddly enough.  I think my soul has been needing some West Coast rest.  Prospects for returning were tempting.

Ironically, the losing track of time made me feel like I had never left California - it was so easy to slip back into the charmed life of a Bay Area resident - almost too easy.  It left me thinking about the future for a few days however, and getting back to the present would take up time next week....

Monday, July 12, 2010

Week 16: The Year of Fun

Walking home late one evening with some friends, I was struck by the idea of how much stress I had accumulated over the past year, and how I was still feeling anxiety over the remaining year of graduate school, the future search for a job, the future financial securities...basically concentrating so much energy into the future, that I was neglecting the present.  In fact it occurred to me, as I looked down at my summery flip-flops, that I had forgotten how to be present.  Here I was, listening to light-hearted laughter over the day's antics, breezing down Broadway under a full moon, surrounded by smiling, joyous people, and my concentration was only stopping in for a little check-up on the subject of conversation before jumping back into thoughts about what I needed to prepare for the next day.

I stopped myself in the street as a bolt of inspiration hit me and proclaimed to my friend Laura, "I am going to have fun. Everyday.  Starting now."  And with that, I ran towards the nearest scaffolding and launched myself onto the highest bar I could reach and gave a leaping split kick into the air.

(I honestly cannot tell you what came over me, but witnesses will testify that I had just imbibed a delicious concoction commonly known as "Bubble Tea"...known to induce glee and satisfaction within 15 minutes of digestion.)

Since that inspired revelation last week, I have stuck with the quest: A year of fun.  Everyday.  Something fun.

It's changed my life so far.

Monday: Recovering from the Fourth of July barbecue for the residents.  100 plus people, two charcoal grills, one social director in a sarong, and an evening of three fireworks displays from the rooftop.  Running commenced to cover the cost of the hot dogs.  Evening consisted of an inspiring presentation of a youth refugee film screening at the House.

Tuesday: The hottest day on record.  Decided to tromp about in the park at 3pm and sweat the heat out.  Funnily enough, I cooled off so much I slept like a baby that evening.  Also had to bid farewell to a great friend who was returning to the Netherlands.

Wednesday: Running in the evening to cool off.  Complete with a romp through some late-night sprinklers.

Thursday: Ice Cream Social and a mini-dance party in honor of the return of a beloved friend from the Czech Republic.

Friday: Party in honor of National Sugar Cookie Day.  Spent the day sauna-like in the community kitchen, whipping up some homemade cookies for the event, and then decorated the pub.  Danced and socialized til the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday: Energized from the week, went on a run and did some Rocky-esque log tossing in the wooded area of the park.  Then rode over to East Harlem to catch up with a friend and explore the neighborhood.  Nothing like Puerto Rican hoots and hollers to raise the self-esteem.  Gracias, papi, but no, I did not drop your heart in the street, nor will I bend down to get it for you.

Sunday: The World Cup finals.  Spain pulled through, though it took them long enough.  Rehearsal for a staged reading at Ripley-Grier studios made me feel like a real NYC actor.

Thus far, the commitment to fun has proved to be the best idea I've had in....well, ever.  Try it out for a week - seek out something fun everyday - and you tell me just how much it rocks. 

Monday, July 5, 2010

Week 15: Hot Fun in the Summertime

A heat wave has hit New York.  I'll try and describe the sensation of a heat wave.
Imagine waking up with humidity and 90 degree heat.
Rather, imagine lying in a pool of tepid water, with your clothes on, and taking breaths of stale, warm air.
That's what it's like to lie on your bed in the morning at 7am.
There's really no better motivation for not eating than excessive heat and oppressive humidity.

Monday: Stairmaster for 20 minutes.  Luckily the gym is air-conditioned.  Unluckily, the effect of a cold shower after a workout will not last for more than 10 minutes.

Tuesday: Yoga to the People - a donation-based studio that caters to the hip, broke crowd of deodorant-free students.  I kept slipping off my mat from all the sweat dripping off my body.

Wednesday: Walking around the city, sweating my armpits off.

Thursday: Rest day.  This means finding a cold, dark room and staying there for as long as possible.  My mini-fridge was a quick alternative.

Friday: Wandering around The Met for 4 hours - cold, airy, and lots of marble.  Perfect antidote for the weather.

Saturday: Cold, dark room search.  Unsuccessful.

Sunday: Organizing a resident BBQ - 100 guests on the roof, two grills which I sweltered over for four hours, and three different fireworks display from our terrace view.  It was like a day at the spa: healthy food, relaxing atmosphere, and a sauna.

This week: mission to find a pool.