slowing it down and building happiness

I took a personal day from work today because things have started getting crazy and I saw myself arriving at burn-out mode as fast and as a NYC Taxi! I decided to spend the day doing my favorite solo activities:
Blogging
Running
Cooking
Taking Walks
and Reading.

These five days off are much needed. The pace and lifestyle of NYC are really getting to me. I know that I have to stay here for at least two more years, so I've found ways to cope. Spanish guy and I fixed up our apartment so that we feel more at home and cozy when in the house. The issue was that it was a great location (Central Park), but the apartment was a bit sad and cold, so we warmed it up by smoothing out the walls (its an old building) and adding fresh new color and curtains. Next we'll redo the floors.

Another issue I had is not having a community. I'm still working on this, but I've reconnected with old friends and started taking a Flamenco class with my girlfriends. We have the long flowy skirts and all, its great! I also spent a few evenings with 15 of my old gym friends. That was cool because they are DEF a different breed from what I'm used to. Theres still a lot more to do in this area in my own neighborhood, but I'm confident that I can work it out.

I feel like I'm in charge of my own fate and life, so who will make change if not me?

In the meantime, in order to slow my life down a bit, I'll enjoy the small moments like this one, just sitting in a cafe writing a blog.

Premature NYC Snow

As snowflakes fall prematurely in NYC, I'm stimulated by the beauty all around me.

I made hot chocolate from scratch after my evening spent in the company of winter.

 Love and serenity are hidden in the small moments that surround us. 

Convenience-- living in the City

Ever since moving to Manhattan, I've realized how inconvenient my life was before-- it took me about 45min to get to and from my local supermarket. Now, I have a D'agostino, Whole Foods, Food City and Associated Super Markets with a few blocks of where I live. To get to any sort of nature, it was about a 50min walk. Now, its a two minute walk to Central Park and a ten minute walk to River Side Park. Before, I had three trains to choose from to make it into the City for work, and they were all packed like Sardines-- I was STRESSED!  Now, I have FIVE trains lines that run through my area and I ALWAYS get a seat! This is like LUXURY for a NYer!

The inspiration for this blog came when I just googled where my polling site was and I found out that its in the school right up my block! How convenient! How could I NOT vote!? When in Brooklyn, I had to walk and walk to make it to my polling site!

Election day Blog to come this evening.

The breaking point with Facebook

During this hurricane recovery, I've been so disappointed and disgusted with comments and posts that I've seen on Facebook that I decided to stop using it as much as I used to. I don't want to be a part of that culture of judgement and ignorance. I need to surround myself with positivity. I didn't delete my account, I just took the app off my phone so I have less access to it during the day. It has become too much for me. TRUTH!

Disaster in the developed world

I had the honor of being asked to be on the radio last night to talk about the effects of Hurricane Sandy from my experience. Of course its a devastating experience for so many. Lives were lost as well as homes, and its been a huge ball of stress and frustration for so many. But like 911, my community came together. People had no inhibitions about speaking to strangers and exchanging smiles. I went to my local Mexican Restaurant last night and we started a small chat with a couple from downtown Manhattan which referred to themselves as Downtown Refugees, this auto-reference spurred great conversations, laughs and an appreciation to the fact that we have resources to return back to our homes and to rebuild. We live in the most developed country in the world, yes this is a horrible thing that happened to us, but lets put it into perspective-- our buses were running within two days, other countries don't even have buses.

I have family that lives in Red Hook, Brooklyn, they lost their home, it was condemned because of the flooding, its horrific, but we have the resources to build back up, faster and stronger than most.

Lets find hope in that and work together. Help each other. Grow together.

My heart goes out to all those affected directly and indirectly by this storm. xo.

Celebrating Through the Aftermath: Halloween & Hurricane Sandy, NYC

Yesterday was Halloween and although my city is still recovering from one of the top five worst natural disasters ever recorded in the USA, myself and my loved ones still managed to celebrate this alternative holiday. 

CUPCAKES were baked

PUMPKINS were carved and painted

BASKETBALL was watched

CANDY was eaten

And HALLOWEEN was celebrated