Take It Easy

Some days you just owe it to yourself to take it easy. Whether you are sick, stressed out, or just experiencing general malaise, there are moments in life when you need to listen to your body and know that it is time to honor yourself and take it easy.

If you are anything like me, this is easier said than done... 

So, that said, here is my recipe for taking it easy...

Some light reading--but of course! My (Just Downloaded) Choice: 

Meg Donahue's novel How to Eat a Cupcake 

Tea--and lots of it! Nothing beats a warm, comforting cup of tea. My favorite is Harney and Sons, followed closely by Stash, out of Oregon. 

Connecticut Tea: Harney and Sons Earl Grey

Be dog-like: Our dog knows how to appreciate the moment; the sun, his dinner, a stroll, his ball. He is always in the moment. On afternoons, when the warm sun streams through our living room window, there is a twenty minute period each day when it hits the uppermost part of the back of the couch. Frenchie always makes it is purpose to lay here for the entire twenty minutes. Nothing can move him from that spot. He basks in the sun until the very last moment when the very last sunbeam moves out of reach. Now, that's the way to be...

Frenchie, enjoying his local park

Sleep: Repeat after me: It's not overrated. 

Let sleeping dogs lie...

Here's to taking it easy...

Memory Lane

I was talking to my Nana this weekend and she was talking about the walks that she used to take with my Poppop. My Poppop loved the walk. Prior to when he needed the assistance of a cane to get from place to place, he would walk everywhere. I remember him waking early to walk the boardwalk at the shore when I was little. He would always return with The New York Times and donuts from the bakery that I only ever knew as "The Donut Shop." Much later, when he and my Nana moved into an assisted living home, he walked the nearby college campus grounds. Still later, when my Nana worried about his health and steadiness, she would drive him to the local mall and he would walk for hours passing not yet opened suburban stores. Whether he walked under the beating sun along the boardwalk or under the false fluorescent lights of the local mall, he would always wear his "cap," as he had quite the collection. I still maintain that this was the New Yorker in him where walking, like breathing, is inextricably linked to life. It's funny the things that wind up being the most indelible memories when the people that you love pass away. My Poppop loved the Yankees, but I never find myself particularly sad at Yankee games. My Poppop loved to read biographies, yet you'll probably never see me tear up while standing in a bookstore in front of the latest politician/celebrity/historical figure's biography. Walks, however, sneak up on me. I walk constantly, since, like I said, walking might just be the official New York City pastime, and for some reason, on some walks, there is the memory of my Poppop "pop""pop"ping up. So, here's to my Poppop, who I happened to think about today as I walked home...

A Photo Essay of My Walk:

Happy Reading and Happy Remembrances...

The Power of Memoir

A door that demands to be heard in Barcelona, Spain 

The last unit of study with the freshman in my school is on memoir writing. I love teaching writing, as my students have so many incredible stories to tell.

I run this class like a writing workshop where we listen to music (today was classical guitar!), write, and ultimately sit in a circle and share out a line or the entire piece. The stories that organically emerge are ones that are powerful and transformative. I also think that it is cathartic to slam thoughts at a non-judgmental piece of paper and then, perhaps, tentatively, begin to share.

This morning, one of my students came running in and said, "I know what I am going to write my memoir about!" She wound up sharing two paragraphs of her piece at the end of class: Over the weekend, she witnessed a man violently beating his girlfriend. She stood in the window and watched, begging her mother to call the 911, but her mother said it was "none of their business." Breathless from her passionate retelling, she paused to say softly, but with a firm resolve, "I will remember this the rest of my life. I know I will."

In addition to teaching memoir, I am currently midway through my latest read, which is also a memoir. If this book were in paper form, the dog-eared pages would look like an accordion.

Anna Quindlen is an author with whom I have a superficial relationship, as I have only read one of her books and here I am diving voyeuristically into her life. That said, this is a memoir that has gripped me from the first page. As she looks back on her life, she writes about the importance of friends and of love, and the unimportance of things and of status...but I have read many authors who proclaim these same virtues. For me, what makes this book special is her ability to share those mundane moments we all experience which, though her mundane may be different than my own, still resonate powerfully.

The two images from her life that have struck me most so far were first, her description of her relationship with her husband:


"We're not two hearts that beat as one (In any marriage I've ever known in which two hearts beat as one, the one is his. Here's to you Abigail Adams.) Instead we're two strong minded people who have divergent talents and habits. Gerry loves the fall and hates the heat; I prefer the summer and I am sanguine about humidity...He balances his checkbook, and I'm pretty sure that everything will come out okay at the end of the month.


...He's mainly Irish, which means loyalty is somewhere between a physical reflex and a neurological response. He holds a grudge against anyone who has done me wrong. He may not remember our social schedule or the name of some of our kids' friends, but he never forgets who wrote a bad review of my last book. And woe betide that individual if they ever met him at a cocktail party. I like that in a man. Actually, I love that in a man."


Now, while I am not a big fan of attributing certain qualities to people based on heritage, the overall message was powerful. That, and I had to laugh as I thought of how the opposite, often cacophonous rhythms of M. and I are often what makes it all work.

The second part of this memoir that really resonated with me was Quindlen's description of her girlfriends, as I feel so lucky to have the people in my life that I do. I found myself nodding as I read this:


"Ask any woman how she makes it through her day, and she may mention her calendar, her to-do lists, her babysitter...But if you push her on how she really makes it through her day, or, more important, her months and years, how she stays steady when things get rocky, who she calls when the doctor says, "I'd like to run a few more tests" or when her son moves in with the girl she's never much liked or trusted, she won't mention any of those things. She will mention her girlfriends. The older we get, the more we understand that the women who know and love us--and love us despite what they know about us--are the joists that hold up the house of our existence. Everything depends on them."

Once again, while I am not a big fan of the gender-binary look at women and men that Quindlen carries throughout her book, I really love her message. She goes on to share a hilarious anecdote about the friend she has talked to nearly every day since high school and how her husband frequently asks her, "What on earth do you two talk about every day?" and how this reminds her of being in high school with her dad asking her, "What on earth do you two talk about every day?" I laughed out loud as I thought  of M. asking me, "What on earth do you two talk about every day?"

As I read on, I am looking forward to more tidbits of wisdom and mirrored experiences. This is a book in which Quindlen reflects on various stages of her life, and I imagine as I reach those disparate stages in my own life, this is a book I will return to again and again. Memoir, in the least, is a reminder that we are not alone. Our experiences are shared and, as Quindlen asserts, we should appreciate all of the candles and cake in our life and not worry too much about all of the other stuff.

Happy Reading!

Summah Summah Summah Time...

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!! Despite one minor annoyance, this weekend was lovely! The weather was picture perfect and it was a great kick-off to summer!

I definitely recommend Miss Timmons' School for Girls. The plot was compelling and full of intrigue. From the opening page, the reader is drawn into the events of a night in the narrator's past...As characters come forward, readers are swept into a journey to figure out what happened to the body that mysteriously washed up on the shore one fateful night. A fascinating read filled with vivid and lyrical language. This was my poolside read on Saturday, as I lounged with the fam catching up, eating cupcakes, and enjoying conversation and the warm sun. I also got some great new recommendations from my librarian sister that I am excited to read and share.

A poolside cherry chocolate cupcake with the fam

Woke up to a delicious brunch at M.'s family's house on Sunday. The brunch was a tasty juxtaposition of sweet and savory flavors. For sweet, there was apple stuffed French toast, freshly baked banana bread, and a colorful fruit salad in Memorial Day weekend-appropriate colors--delicious and patriotic! For savory, there was the most flavorful yet light crab quiche. Yum...Yeah M.'s mom is kind of Martha Stewart--minus the financial scandal and prison time!

After brunch we headed out to enjoy the charms of a quaint New England seaside town. After a lovely stroll around the town (where I dreamed of future beach houses!), we had a glass of Rose on the dock with M.'s parents as we sat overlooking a peaceful harbor filled with passing sailboats.

Love beach roses!

Sights along our beachside stroll...

Seaside cottage?? Yes, please!

A red, white, and blue Adirondack chair to commemorate Memorial Day

My train ride home reading, which continued the beach house dreaming...

This morning, back in New York City, M. and I went to brunch at one of our favorite neighborhood places, and enjoyed a stroll around a quiet, almost desolate (well, by NYC terms) city. All in all, a lovely weekend and I hope that all of your weekends were just as restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating! Welcome Summer!!

IPhone photo with turn-around camera feature=Distorted head shapes and sizes! 

Friday Footnotes

Last week's Friday Footnotes were a little late. This week's Friday Footnotes are a little early in anticipation of a long weekend of fun...

Here's what I am loving on this Memorial Day weekend Friday...

The Official Kick-Off of Summer...Planning to head out of the city for the weekend to spend some time with the family lounging by the pool and, perhaps, sneaking in a wine tasting and a picnic at a local vineyard. 

Plans to Make my First Visit to a New York City Beach...Believe it or not (those who pay any attention to pollution in New York City will probably believe it), I have never been to a local beach. A friend is organizing a beach trip this Memorial Day and I am excited to sit on the subway for a long time in order to see what an authentic NYC boardwalk looks like...

Yeah, I'm guessing it won't look anything like this San Diego beach...

Brunches: The book I just finished pokes fun at brunch calling it an activity that one should only do when they are too old to do anything else. I wholeheartedly disagree as I love brunch and brunching. Looking forward to a couple of brunches on this summer weekend opener...

Frenchie's face when he realizes we are going to Connecticut: It is hands down his favorite place and he makes it known when he jumps into his carry-on bag to head home...

He might look sad here but...

P.S. Last night's Pony Bar excursion has me excited about our new local watering hole...

Happy Friday and Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy your barbecues, beach trips, and books!  

A Story of Fulfillment

Absolutely in love with my latest read...

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman is delicious! I have seen a lot of criticism about the book, but, despite its flaws, it is an engaging read and I really enjoyed the unraveling of the tale. The two sisters in the story, so decidedly different--one sister a philosophy graduate student working at a book store and engaging in activism for Save the Trees, the other a twenty-something MIT graduate building an empire in Silicon Valley during the dot com boom--allow for themes of the tension between consumerism and fulfillment to unfold through the stories of their disparate lives. While there are a lot of plots within this story, I personally found that each character's sub story contributed thematically to Goodman's explorations of what fulfills, what satiates, and what happens when personal fulfillment is not satisfied. Loved. Loved. Loved.

Neighborhood Happenings...

Always excited to try new additions to the neighborhood landscape...

Via...

Tonight I am heading out for a quick drink at The Pony Bar to see what all the excitement is about! The Chelsea location is a hit, and the owners are seemingly hoping to create the same buzz on the UES. While I am more of a wine kind of gal than a craft beer lover, this kind of selection is tempting no matter what your drink of choice.

I am also already in love with the large wine cask barrel tables, which remind me of one of my favorite drinking establishments in Seville, Spain--El Rinconcillo--the oldest operating tavern in Seville.

Happy Wednesday...we are more than halfway through the week, my friends! :)

Train Travel Titles

Sometimes I feel as though I spend my life on trains; subways, MetroNorth, Amtrak, Shoreline East. If the scenery is nice, train travel is relaxing and even enjoyable; however, holiday weekend departures on trains out of New York City deserve a circle in Dante's hell...I already have a minute-by-minute plan as to how I am getting out of the city along with the millions of other people who are involved in the urban desertion that commences Memorial Day weekend. I wish I was kidding, but I am not. The train tickets are bought and sitting on the desk so I can avoid the long ticket lines. I have an end of the day "action plan" for my route out of the building and down to Grand Central. We have a contingency plan for the great suitcase handoff--whereupon, M. will meet me with a suitcase that I cannot possibly lug to school. I even have food rations and water supplies present and accounted for. I won't even get started on the dog travel plans...all I am going to say is that our dog has a terrible flatulence problem when he is feeling relaxed, and, for some reason, cramped, confined train travel makes him feel like he has just completed a three hour bikram yoga class...

While I am still reading The Corrections, I have also picked up another novel in anticipation of the long weekend ahead where I will be engaging in some train travel and, therefore, some intensive reading sessions to pass the time and fall into a fictive world where masses of people are not crowded into my personal space.


Miss Timmins' School for Girls by Nayana Gurrimbhoy, is a novel that I thought was going to be a lot like another favorite read, The Secret History, but this murder mystery novel set at a boarding school is taking a decidedly different turn. I am really enjoying it so far and will have updates on both of these books after my weekend of travels.

Happy reading...

Adventures on the F Train

It is not often that I take the F train, but a providential turn of events, or rather, subway work on the 4, resulted in a Saturday evening adventure on the F train down to Cobble Hill. This weekend was the LitCrawl in Brooklyn, an event where different bars, universities, bookstores, and restaurants host readings of various new(er) authors, or even acted out scenes from books for a live (drinking) audience.

M. and I headed to 61 Local to catch the latter end of the event. First of all, the crowd was eclectic and entertaining. I have never seen so many literary tattoos. Second, the venue was great. There is something about the space of a Brooklyn bar that is just so refreshing after the cramped spaces of Manhattan. Third of all, the beer was delicious. I had the Six Point "Brownstone" and it was dark and hoppy. Beyond all of these surface aesthetics, there was the focal point of the evening: The books! And...even better...the authors! I dream of the day when I my books will crawl...!

Here were a couple of my favorite profiled books:

Moby Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page by Matt Kish: I mean, that is sort of white whale worthy feat in and of itself, no? 

The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide by Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor: Really cool picture of tattoos inspired by books.

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I felt decidedly uncool whipping a camera out. 

Now I totally want to go to the San Francisco version of this event, which happens in October; however, if I can't make that (which will probably be the case), I will happily attend the September 15th Manhattan version...I guess I'll just have to deal with the cramped spaces...

Happy Reading! 

Friday Footnotes (On Saturday Morning)

Yesterday was busy, busy and therefore, "Friday Footnotes" needed to be done over Saturday morning coffee! It is a gorgeous day in New York City and I am headed out for a walk in a moment, but in the meantime, here are some things that I am loving on this lovely day:

LitCrawl Brooklyn "Where Literature Hits the Streets:" Heading to Cobble Hill tonight to hear some book readings while sipping on some cocktails! There is nothing I love more than events that surround books, readings, and wine!

Image Via

Paper Source: The other day while taking a different route home from work, I discovered that one of my favorite paper stores is coming to a neighborhood near my place of employment in June...Yay! That said, since that won't happen until June, I figured that this afternoon, before I head over to the LitCrawl, I will make a stop at the Brooklyn location. In love with this bicycle gift wrap! Until I have the patience to make my own, like this adorable Etsy shop craftsperson, I will stick to Paper Source's cute paper...

Speaking of bicycles, how fun is this necklace I ordered from this Etsy shop?!

San Francisco: Just booked my ticket to San Francisco for almost exactly a month from today! Yay! Time to start planning... :)

Currently Reading: Jonathan Franzen The Corrections. I'll let you know how it goes!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Laughing in the Face of Death

When one of my coworkers told me that his friend had written a best selling young adult book, I thought, that's cool. Little did I know that the book was The Fault in Our Stars and the author was John Green. I am definitely going to need to encourage my coworker to have a dinner party with him. Oh, and then invite me.

On Thursdays in my classroom, the students engage in independent reading. In order to practice what I preach and what not, I often read with them, and I always try to read a young adult book that I can then recommend. Last night, I downloaded this book on a whim, thinking that it might be a great book to connect to Romeo and Juliet. This book unexpectedly had me both laughing and crying within the same intake of breath. It was a quick read. It was well-written. It was hilarious. It was heart breaking. What more can you ask for?

Read it.

The Puppetry of War

Today after school I went to the play War Horse at Lincoln Center as a chaperone on one of my coworker's field trips. Let me tell you, the puppetry in this play was amazing! I am probably the last person in the world to see this Tony Award winning musical that has been out for quite some time now, but, regardless, I was impressed. The horse, geese, sparrow, and people puppets were so incredibly lifelike that you really felt as though you were watching the horse as he embarked on his near impossible journey to survive and be reunited with his "boy." There was something so very Steinbeck's The Red Pony about this play. Well, except for the Speilberg ending.

Afterwards, the actors came out to answer questions from the students, which was a really cool theatergoing experience.  Apart from the fact that this was a highly entertaining play, it was a production that was solely for students involved in a program that Lincoln Center runs for New York City school students, and this made the audience experience really unique. There is nothing like watching a teenager react with childlike wonder, laughter, and genuine tears as they enter the transportive world of the theater. One student began in a whisper that crescendoed to an emphatic and loud plea of, "No, no, don't die" during a particularly climactic scene. Another student turned to me midway through the performance and said, "Ms., are you crying?" with a look of incredulity, only to then turn back two minutes later, tears streaming down his face, to say, "I guess I can't make fun, huh?" Sharp, loud  intakes of breaths at dramatic moments, screams at gunshots fired on stage, and a litany of hilarious audience comments littered across the play dialogue made for an experience of heightened reactions, furthering your own excitement as you were swept up into the delight of youth. 

I now want to read the book by Michael Morpurgo. While I was impressed and delighted by the puppetry, the special effects in general, and the relationship between the boy and his horse, I am curious to read the novel to see how I feel about its depiction of war. The play, as staged at Lincoln Center, while definitely encountering some of the realities faced by children growing up during war time, was perhaps with its happy (and highly unrealistic) ending a little disturbing within the context of war. I would love to teach a set of books on war and peace and really ask students to critique the dominant narrative of heroes and honor and loyalty in regards to war. There was so much in the play that, left unquestioned, merely inserts itself into a narrative that I would rather disrupt than promulgate. So I guess what I am saying is: Go see this amazing, amazing play, but be sure to have a discussion afterwards that involves more than a dialogue about horse movement and puppetry. 

My Nemesis: The Crosstown Bus

On days when the weather is not pleasant, my walk home through Central Park does not happen and I inevitably end up riding the crosstown bus. The crosstown bus and I have a volatile, unhealthy relationship; he takes my money, he always runs late, he lets multiple people get on and off as he pleases. Yes, it is definitely a far cry from romance and chivalry. As such, I am constantly looking for ways to make my time with him bearable. Here are some strategies I will pass on for those that find themselves lingering in similar relationships...

Catch up on all my favorite blogs! 
Daily reads currently include:

Smith & Ratliff: I love this blog for (downtown) city tips

Cupcakes and Cashmere: One of the first blogs I ever started reading regularly and therefore it is part habit, part sentiment, and part the lure of beautiful photography

Sacramento Street: What can I say? I always love reading blogs written by people who live in tiny, city homes!

Mr and Mrs Globe Trot: I adore this couple who took off and traveled the world for half a year. M.?? Doesn't that sound fabulous??

This is Glamorous: I LOVE her pictures! There's nothing like ultra glamour and a fantasy world when you are navigating the big, bad bus.

Read!
Just finished New York Trilogy. Ummmm...wow. This is not to say that I did not love it, because I did. However, I feel like reading it is sort of akin to my experiences with MOMA. Sometimes I go and I stare at Lichtenstein and think, "This is genius." Other times I go and I see a hanger bent and stapled to a wall with chewed gum surrounding it and I think, "W.T.F." Be prepared for both moments.

Listen to Music:
Okay, at this point you are probably thinking, Hmm...how original. I never thought to do any of this. And to that I would reply: I never said this was going to be a revolutionary way to deal with bad bus commutes.

Make Happy Stops Along the Way...
Today's happy halfway point: A visit with my friend and her adorable son. He showed me his new trick. My friend preceded his trick with: "Now some people teach their children the alphabet, but this is what I have taught my son to do:" [Cue Music] Let me tell you, not much is more hilarious than a one and a half year old fist pumping.

Happy Tuesday!

Francophile

Obama was in town today. As in President Obama.

This made for a disgustingly awful crosstown commute this morning. I know I have talked about my love/hate relationship with New York City...well, this morning definitely fell on the detest side of the spectrum. Since both ABC and NBC are close to where I work, barricades surrounded my school in the morning, which means that I taught TWO students first period. Getting an afternoon iced coffee two blocks from work was nearly impossible, which means that I was pretty cranky by the time seventh period rolled around. Oh, and it took me over an hour to get home. Ask me what kind of mood I was in by then...I dare you.

Perhaps this is why I am currently wishing that I lived in France. A lavender field filled countryside; bike with a basket, navy blue and white striped skimmers, rolled white pants and a beret. Or, perhaps, a balconied Parisian flat; soft pastel pink sky over the Seine, crumbling books in cluttered bookshops, baguette and wine at a sidewalk cafe. After a stop for a macaroon this afternoon at Laduree...hey, that is necessary after my very presidential commute, I am totally dreaming of Paris and can't wait to read this book:

While the book reviews thus far are pretty mixed, I am definitely going to give it a try! I also can't wait to attend a book reading that advertises with an invite stating, "We'll have Rose and macaroons for the occasion." Don't have to ask me twice...

Happy Monday! 

Water Taxis, German Beer Gardens, and Picnics in the Park

Although one never wants to wish time away...it is increasingly difficult not to find myself counting down the days to Memorial Day Weekend. White pants and barbecues, summer s'mores and fire pits, sandy beaches and strawberry banana smoothies are calling my name... The weather was gorgeous today in New York City and I am spotting more and more maxi dresses and sandals...yup...summer is on its way in. I can feel it!

M. and I headed to Brooklyn Saturday via New York City's latest transportation craze: The water taxi. The views were stupendous, the wind was in our hair, the salty water spray was splashing up against our faces...well, eww...that part was actually disgusting, but you know, the rest was great. We took the ferry a couple of stops making our commute to Williamsburg an amazingly fast 15 minutes. 

Once we arrived, we stopped at Smorgasburg. I know, I know, I just went last weekend you say. Well, M. had never been and I felt that his life would not be complete without sampling the delicious food there. It had nothing to do with my intense craving for another Asia Dog...

While there, I also got this amazing lemonade. It sounds simple, but my cup of lemon lime basil lemonade was out of this world...

From here, we headed to Radegast for an authentic German beer in the beer garden. One turned into two and, when a couple of my friends who live in Brooklyn came to meet us, that turned into three and well...the night progressed from there. M. and I were laughing because this beer hall has authentically captured the German beer hall spirit and ambience. We reminisced about our trip to Munich back when we were wee twenty-two-year-olds. We arrived in Munich and all of the hostels were booked so we had to stay at this bizarre "hotel" that was way above our budget at the time. We went out that night to Hofbrauhaus and had a few of their gigantic beers and then realized we had both had a little too much and couldn't find our way back to our weird hotel. After some distress and wandering, we finally made it only to find that, in this bargain hotel, they turned out all of the hallway lights after midnight. After stumbling our way back to our room, we fell asleep and woke up the next morning to find a cot blocking our door. On this said cot, was a young man passed out with green shaving cream all over his face. We never did figure out what to make of that, but happily checked out early that morning whereupon we headed to a hostel that was in a convent and I won't even get into how strange that experience was...

After a nice long run this morning, M. and I headed up to the park for a picnic. Frenchie contentedly played with his ball and M. and I ate and enjoyed the scenery. 

All in all, a lovely weekend...Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there!