THIS IS HAPPENING

I caught a fairy

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I woke up Sunday morning and turned on the TV for CBS Sunday Morning and got nothing. I down graded our cable plan weeks ago to just high speed internet. We knew this was coming, but I just didn't think it would be so sudden and dramatic. We have to hook up an antenna to get the local TV channels. In the meantime, I ended up watching CBS Sunday Morning through the CBS News app on the Roku. When the show ended, I sat on the couch with my coffee mug and thought "now what do I do?" Turns out I've been devoting a lot of my Sundays mindless watching crap on TV and when I no longer had over three hundred channels to scroll through, I didn't know what to do with myself. 

I really have to pack. I've really done nothing but clean the trash out of my backpack and I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Cold Spring Harbor to attend a conference on nuclear organization and function. I keep saying this to myself over and over because I think that maybe if I say it enough times I'll actually be smart enough to attend this conference. I am feeling intimidated by my conference selection. Then I remind myself that I am not presenting a talk or a poster. My whole job is to go and learn. Relax and learn! That's really about all I can do. It's in a pretty isolated area and is very much a sleep, eat, conference kind of conference. I'm still a little anxious about it and I am having a hard time planning out my wardrobe because I don't understand weather. But also because I'm not just packing for this conference. 

I am also packing for a few days in Maine. Friday morning, I'll leave from the conference to meet Talaura at JFK . From there, we'll fly to Portland Maine where we plan on Thelma and Louise-ing (minus the dramatic suicide) up the Maine coast. My goal is to eat a scallop the size of my hand and take some pretty pictures. Maybe I'll work on acquiring a Maine accent. It's moose season, so I'm expecting to see a moose and I might even step into Canada. I've packed my passport. Hey! That's one thing I've packed. I'm still trying to figure out how to pack shoes or what shoes to even pack. 

I don't really know what if anything is going to happen in this space this week. I may get a chance to tell you about the AIDS Walk and how it rained like usual, but then the sun came out just as we all started to walk. I may mention something about how we had to pick something we all wanted to watch from Netflix and the Cabbage saw the Anamaniacs and said "Oh, I love the Anamaniacs!" This is probably my most favorite thing she's said in forever. I don't know. I don't know if any of those things will get blogged about. It all depends on free time and brain power. I just thought I'd give everyone a heads up in case a week goes by without me posting here and the few readers I have get all worried about me. Don't worry about me.

THE GETAWAY

Goodbye @chromeplatedgirl and goodbye New York 😢

"Goodbye @chromeplatedgirl and goodbye New York 😢"

There used to be a time when I traveled where at the end of each day, I'd sit down and write the day's events in my journal. It was a good habit that I've neglected this summer. While we were in Alabama, by the time the dinner dishes where dealt with and the Cabbage was put to bed, I barely had enough energy to get through a cocktail before calling it a night. Every day was filled to exhaustion. I suppose I could make the same excuse for this trip to New York. I mean, just on my last day alone, I ended up walking a little over 25,000 steps. This trip was a spur of the moment splurge and I didn't really prepare myself for journaling. 

Here's an un-ordered list of things I saw:

• Fort Tryon Park
• subway rat
• The Wild Party
•  Pier 84
•  Boyz II Men and Nick Canon
•  Chinatown
• what's left of Little Italy
• the Morgan Library
•  the original manuscript of Alice in Wonderland
• the Highline
• the Roosevelt Tram
• Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Schmakery
• Congee
• Ramen
• that guy wearing an American flag tank with a matching bandanna on his head carrying a pineapple. 

It seems like a short list, but part of my time was spent in a conference. Of course I saw old sites like Times Square. There's no missing The square when you're headed to a theater. I hung out for a few minutes in Bryant Park and passed by Columbus Circle. There were so many new sections of New York for me this time. I walked from the Highline to Chinatown which took me through parts of the Village I'd never seen. I emersed myself into the tactileness of New York. I ended each day with sore feet and a body sticky with sweat and city grime and I did not care. The best part was getting to see Talaura's new home. I met her dog park buddies and saw the place where every Tuesday, she picks up her CSA veggies. We'd pass people on the sidewalk while walking Sarge and Talaura would tell me how that's so and so and they're currently in this or that. Her neighborhood is full of people involved in the theater in some way. I was star struck and giddy and so impressed. I am happy for the life she's created and is cultivating for herself.

When I sat on the plane to leave New York after my very first time visiting, tears dripped down my chin. I was overwhelmed by the grandeur that is New York and joy of spending time with a good friend. The same thing happened as I said goodbye to Talaura at the airport after my second trip to New York. That was understandable. It was an emotional trip, the trip that Chris and I had planned to take together. The Statue of Liberty was where we held the first leaving of the ashes ceremony. I assumed these tears were warranted, but a passing things. Eventually I would get used to saying goodbye to Talaura and this great big city she calls home. So I was surprised as the tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over as my plane taxied down the runway.  I chalked it up to being tired. Also the s'more cookie that Talaura shoved into my hand before pushing me off the bus was now gone, eaten while standing in line at security. There was also someone sitting near me who was making the plane smell like a boys' locker room. 

I know really the tears are there because I've just said goodbye to a piece of my heart.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

For some people New York City is a one time vacation destination. They go and see all the tourist things like Times Square, the Empire State Building and the MET. They become part of the large crowds of people walking around while staring up at the tall buildings. Then they go home and tell all their friends that they had a great time, but would probably never go back. Too much hustle and bustle. Too many crowds. Too much walking. Then there are those of us who visit New York and fall in love. That city has a way of getting under your skin and there have been times while strolling through a neighborhood where I think I could totally live there. I've been to those touristy areas. They are crowded, but they are wonderful. I found that the trick to the Empire State building and the MET is to get there right when they open. You'll have the MET mostly to yourself and a ten minute wait to ride the elevators up to the top of the Empire. Times Square does make me twitchy though.

I've been pining for a trip to New York for months now. I keep thinking about Central Park and little corners yet explored. Mostly I've been thinking about spending some time with Talaura. She's come in this direction so often lately. I feel like it's my turn to go to her. Talaura's New York is my favorite. She knows the best small museums and knows that these kind of museums are my favorite. She lives on the complete opposite end of New York now then the last time I visited and has a new home. These are things I want to see. I want to sit in her new home and convince Sarge that he loves me and talk and laugh with Talaura. This is something I have been craving and Michael even told me last month to buy a plane a ticket, but I hesitated. Money and finding the right time made me hold out. 

Last week Talaura and I were doing our usual chat thing when all of a sudden she said "OHMYGOSH! I won! I won!" I quickly replied with "YAY!", not really knowing what she won, but happy she won something. Well, she won two free passes to BlogHer '15 which happens to be taking place in New York next week. Then she asked me if I wanted to hop a plane to New York and I made probably the most impulsive decision I've made since purchasing the scooter. I bought a plane ticket to New York so fast, it made my head spin. I had zero plans to attend BlogHer this year mostly because I couldn't justify buying a ticket when we were going to Alabama for a family vacation. So I am thankful for the opportunity to hang out with some women that I really admire and love. But I'm super duper thankful for Talaura for giving me this opportunity and I'm thankful that I'm going to get to squeeze her in gratitude next week.

That's a pretty big thing to be thankful for. Here's to a great weekend and a super duper Thankful Friday!