Winter Break

Well, even though it was back to work after the New Year, for me, this has continued to feel like something of a break. Graduate school classes do not resume until the end of January and so I am loving the amount of free time that I feel like I have all of a sudden. My weekends are my own and my weeks are not consumed by the graduate school paper writing/reading and the work related task tango. It is a much needed break!

I have been taking this time to enjoy my amazing city and have done some really great things over the past couple of weeks. I think that my favorite outing was last Saturday when M and I went to Ann Hamilton's "Event of a Thread." I had to laugh because sometimes there are moments that reflect those only-in-New York City kind of experiences and I felt like this was one of them. It seemed like everyone from friends to people I follow on Instagram headed to this art exhibit last weekend. We waited in a two hour line to get in--it was so long that it looped around an entire city block. As we marked our movement forward by acknowledging when we rounded another corner, we laughed at the garbage cans on each corner filled to the brim with empty Starbucks cups--coffees consumed in effort to keep warm as people waited. Again, only New Yorkers on line for an art exhibit could generate that much post-consumer coffee cup waste.

The exhibit was well worth the wait. First of all, the building the exhibit was housed in was beautiful and a stunning visual feast in and of itself, but beyond that, the interactive display was both fun and thought-provoking. Bathed in alternating squares of light and darkness, the exhibit was filled with giant swings that were rigged to pulleys. As people pumped their legs back and forth to swing on the giant swings, the pulleys moved a giant white curtain that hung in the middle of the huge room. This was in addition to various other theatrical elements; carrier pigeons, people dressed in military gear, and an opera singer who made her appearance at the close of the night.

All of the cool commentary on war and the loss of of innocence aside, this exhibit was just so much fun. I realize that the art purists out there would probably disagree, but I think that there is nothing better than interactive art exhibits!

Twenty Thirteen

Happy New Year! I loved ringing in the new year with people I love over great food, sparkly champagne, and donning sequins and newly shiny manicures and pedicures. New Year's night also brought a lovely addition of unexpected guests, which embodies a perfect sentiment for the new year where I always hope for surprises and nights composed of friends old and new. It has been a great year and I am grateful for all of the fun, beauty, joy, and love that 2012 brought. Here's hoping that 2013 is even better.

Here are some lovely memories from 2012:

Travel: 2012 brought me to Spain with one of my favorite people where I also got to meet up with friends I met in Cambodia. One of my absolute favorite days in Spain was in Seville where my friend and I wandered the beautiful, windy cobblestone streets, had a delicious lunch outdoors in the warm sunshine, strolled into the oldest tavern in Spain for a drink, window shopped tiny, adorably curated shops, and enjoyed conversation (and the occasionally lost moment) in the Spanish sun.

2012 also brought what has, so far, been M and I's most amazing trip. Ireland was absolutely gorgeous; from exploring the sights and tastes of Dublin, to some of the most amazing hikes I have ever done in the beautiful Irish countryside... it was an amazing memory and one I feel blessed to have had with M.

Oh... and let's not forgot an incredibly romantic whirlwind day in Paris...

Heading to San Francisco to study on a National Endowment for the Humanities grant was an incredible experience. Beyond studying, exploring wine country, meeting new friends, and spending the weekend with my friend who flew up to meet me made for a fabulous way to end my 2012 school year. 

The Year of the City: I was talking to a girl the other night who has recently moved here from Australia and she was saying how overwhelming it has been to move here. I shared with her that I felt exactly the same when I first arrived, but that people always say that it takes 6 months to adjust and then you are sold on NYC for life. I couldn't agree more and it is hard not to look back at this year and not be grateful for all of the wonderful adventures, perfect days, and incredible opportunities that this city has offered. The city's presence weaves in and out of so many of my favorite memories from this year and for that I am grateful for living here. 

Breakfasts with M: I say this each and every year and, once again, I am so grateful for those moments that I have with M almost every morning. Whether it is a long leisurely weekend breakfast or a ten minute check in before the day begins, I am so happy for those special moments that sustain me in so many ways.

Teaching: Yes, it is hard. Yes, it has its moments when I am tired, frustrated, and drained, but it also has rare and powerful moments of thanks, gratitude, appreciation, learning, and self discovery and so, for that, I am thankful.

Learning: 2012 brought me closer to the completion of my degree, but more importantly, graduate school has become such an integral part of my identity. My university community and the friends I have made there are something that I am so incredibly thankful for. Beyond this, I am so thankful that 2012 and this milieu is a time in which I have the opportunity to live my life very much as I choose. I sat with my Nana on Christmas day and I was talking to her about an email I had recently received from a professor about an exciting academic opportunity that I have in April. My Nana, who chose to be a homemaker, was wonderful at her job. She raised five children and has always been a source of inspiration to me for many reasons. It was funny to sit with her and talk on Christmas about how different it was for her growing up than it has been for me. She talked about my great aunt, who also loved to learn and be in school, and how hard it was for her in the late forties and early fifties to do all of the things that she wanted to do. She told me about my great aunt's experience working her way up to become a dean at a prestigious university and then how, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had to hide the fact that she was getting chemotherapy in order to keep her job. As she spoke about all of my aunt's adventures (climbing Khathmandu, traveling all over the world, etc.) I think back to how we always viewed her as "crazy aunt P." when we were little--probably, in part, because she was not the "typical" woman of her era. Either way, as I listened to my Nana and thought about how much I personally admire both of them and their chosen paths, I think about how incredibly lucky I am to live in a time when both paths (or neither!) are perfectly acceptable. 

And, of course, the most important thing: In 2012 I am so grateful for the love in my life--M, family, friends, dogs! I feel so incredibly grateful, inexpressibly even, for all of the amazing and supportive people in my life. Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude. 

And, what would the new year be without some "resolutions?! I hope to keep more of 2012 coming and then, of course, I have my goal list that I always keep private but that I hope will continue to get little checks marking off progress and completion on this wonderful journey through life.

Happy New Year!