I went for a "run" this morning. I'm trying to go at least three times a week; today was my third time this week! That second run sure was brutal. Today seemed a little better; I even ran for six laps instead of four! Wow--there's no stopping me now!
Today's was also kind of brutal, but not for the reasons before. It's that darn sun beating down on me. I don't really miss going to a gym, except when I think how nice it would be for some fans above to cool me down. The wind that comes by every so often isn't quite the same. I was sweating before I even got to the track! (It makes sense, considering I have to walk a few blocks to the track and I can sweat just walking to the subway in this awful humidity!)
The last two times I ran I felt pretty tired the next day when I had to go to the Crew; I'm hoping that doesn't happen today. I'd hope that my body gets used to the running and won't be so run down by it but energized. Because working at the Crew is pretty awful but even more awful when I'm tired. Oh, I forgot to mention that on Monday Susan Sarandon came into the Crew. She was just chatting away with our manager and personal shopper, talking about how she was buying stuff for her two boys and that she was working on a film that her son would be doing camera crew work on. Ya know, they're just everyday people like you and me!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Park Perks
There are moments when I forget I'm in this crazy city when I'm in Central Park. The park is the place to go for reading, walking, relaxing, eating, running, watching, having a picnic, anything you want to do. And that's even more so when it's summer. Yes, it can feel over-populated at times, but it's generally well worth it.
And that's how it was last night when Stefanie and I and some people from the ward made the trek to the Great Lawn and listened to the New York Philharmonic....for free! It was totally amazing! Stefanie and I got there a little late (I thought it was at Sheep's Meadow, but it clearly wasn't there and we had to trek up to around 81st) and had to try to find our group among the thousands of people there. Well, it's maybe not thousands, but the Great Lawn is huge; it's home to three baseball fields so maybe that gives you some perspective. And we had to find one tiny group in all those people with the only help being that they had a bunch of black, brown and a Happy Birthday balloon to mark them. So we had to snake our way around people and their blankets and food; some people really went all out, bringing small tables with candles and wine and glasses and plates and real food.
This is what we brought...
And man were they good. They almost rivaled the homemade chocolate pudding with whip cream that someone else brought.
Stefanie and I and the group we sat with:
And want to know the coolest part of the night? Yes, the 1812 Overture was pretty cool, as was The Stars and Strips and Purple Haze, but it was nothing compared to the fireworks that were put on display after the concert. I'm no classical music buff but I sure am a fireworks buff, and man did they look cool going off above the park and city! I can't wait for the Fourth!
And that's how it was last night when Stefanie and I and some people from the ward made the trek to the Great Lawn and listened to the New York Philharmonic....for free! It was totally amazing! Stefanie and I got there a little late (I thought it was at Sheep's Meadow, but it clearly wasn't there and we had to trek up to around 81st) and had to try to find our group among the thousands of people there. Well, it's maybe not thousands, but the Great Lawn is huge; it's home to three baseball fields so maybe that gives you some perspective. And we had to find one tiny group in all those people with the only help being that they had a bunch of black, brown and a Happy Birthday balloon to mark them. So we had to snake our way around people and their blankets and food; some people really went all out, bringing small tables with candles and wine and glasses and plates and real food.
This is what we brought...
And man were they good. They almost rivaled the homemade chocolate pudding with whip cream that someone else brought.
Stefanie and I and the group we sat with:
And want to know the coolest part of the night? Yes, the 1812 Overture was pretty cool, as was The Stars and Strips and Purple Haze, but it was nothing compared to the fireworks that were put on display after the concert. I'm no classical music buff but I sure am a fireworks buff, and man did they look cool going off above the park and city! I can't wait for the Fourth!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Better late than never
So I just got back from my first "run" in two months about an hour ago. And man was it tough! I can't really believe it's been two months since I last ran; actually I can believe it because I was struggling after my first two laps. Jeez, am I really so out of shape?
The answer was a resounding yes as I made my last lap around the track. But it wasn't always like that. When I started running my first time around I felt so invigorated! My body was moving and my heart was pumping and I was enjoying it. Maybe it just felt nice to be outside in the fresh air, which is always preferable to the inside boringness of a gym, and to have a purpose to it other than getting to the subway, or getting to work on time, or getting home quickly to get to the bathroom (my bladder always seems to strike right when I get into the elevator and can barely contain itself the six-floor ride to my apartment).
This was also the first time I've ran on the track at night. The night scene is much more happening than the morning scene. Whereas in the morning there's just the runners and joggers, the occasional grounds worker, and that's about it. But at night it comes alive! There's people playing basketball next to the track and the field inside the track is being used for soccer play (my neighborhood is heavily hispanic so soccer, or football as they would call it, is pretty huge). The track itself is populated with much more people and outskirted with small teams getting ready for their turn on the field and families watching. I definitely like the vibe, and coupled with the nighttime it's pretty cool (I've always been a fan of things done at night; night football games at Cougar stadium are the best!).
But it was still a brutal run there at the end. Maybe brutal is too harsh a word, but my thighs were hurting like I had walked up fifty flights of stairs. Perhaps I was running differently, lifting my legs in a ways I hadn't done before. Who knows why, maybe it's just me being out of the "running" loop for so long, but my thighs have never hurt that much after a simple run; not even after I ran my non-trained-for 5k's. So somethings definitely up. It was probably the not stretching before hand. The real test will be how I feel tomorrow...
And with that I'm going to take a shower, because man do I STINK!
The answer was a resounding yes as I made my last lap around the track. But it wasn't always like that. When I started running my first time around I felt so invigorated! My body was moving and my heart was pumping and I was enjoying it. Maybe it just felt nice to be outside in the fresh air, which is always preferable to the inside boringness of a gym, and to have a purpose to it other than getting to the subway, or getting to work on time, or getting home quickly to get to the bathroom (my bladder always seems to strike right when I get into the elevator and can barely contain itself the six-floor ride to my apartment).
This was also the first time I've ran on the track at night. The night scene is much more happening than the morning scene. Whereas in the morning there's just the runners and joggers, the occasional grounds worker, and that's about it. But at night it comes alive! There's people playing basketball next to the track and the field inside the track is being used for soccer play (my neighborhood is heavily hispanic so soccer, or football as they would call it, is pretty huge). The track itself is populated with much more people and outskirted with small teams getting ready for their turn on the field and families watching. I definitely like the vibe, and coupled with the nighttime it's pretty cool (I've always been a fan of things done at night; night football games at Cougar stadium are the best!).
But it was still a brutal run there at the end. Maybe brutal is too harsh a word, but my thighs were hurting like I had walked up fifty flights of stairs. Perhaps I was running differently, lifting my legs in a ways I hadn't done before. Who knows why, maybe it's just me being out of the "running" loop for so long, but my thighs have never hurt that much after a simple run; not even after I ran my non-trained-for 5k's. So somethings definitely up. It was probably the not stretching before hand. The real test will be how I feel tomorrow...
And with that I'm going to take a shower, because man do I STINK!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Happy Birthday Dad!
Just want to give a birthday wish to my dad--Happy 58th Birthday!! You're great and I miss you!
Labels:
birthdays
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Celebrity sightings
Working Saturdays at the Crew pretty much suck. It's never-ending people and complete craziness on the sales floor. You can't fold a shirt without it being demolished a minute later. Needless to say, the perks aren't that great, either. Getting paid is more of a necessary by-product and not really a perk. Knowing about the latest fashions also isn't a perk because one, I don't care or know all the much about fashion and two, it's not like I can afford any of the stuff at J Crew (even with my discount!) So the only perk I can think of is getting to see celebrities in the store. Marky Mark says he's helped Julianne Moore and Sally Field, which is kinda cool.
My first celebrity sighting at the Crew was Abigail Breslin around the holidays. She was shopping with her mother and (I think) grandmother. Not totally "wow" but still cool. Then I saw, and talked to and got a dressing room for, Sarah Paulson. She's been in Jack & Jill and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but if you have to list what they've been in because people give you that look of "Who's that?" then it's not a very "wow" celebrity.
Next was Jeremy Piven, who had his back turned to me when I walked past him and when I heard him talk I had the thought, "That sounds like Jeremy Piven." And it was!! Am I good or what. One time when I was walking to work from the subway I walked by Seth Green. And just in front of J Crew I saw, and I swear it was him, Daniel Day-Lewis. Me and the guy walking in front of me both had to do a double take and look behind us to make sure it was him. I'm ninety-percent sure it was him.
I've also seen Patrick Dempsey and Al Gore (not at the Crew), Carson Kressly, Kevin Bacon (also not at the Crew), but none of them hold a candle to the celebrity that came into the Crew on Saturday--Julia Roberts. Miss America's Sweetheart, Oscar-winner, mother of three and wife of a cameraman Julia Roberts. The news swept thru the Crew pretty quickly, and when I heard from one of the personal shoppers that she was upstairs I waited anxiously for her to come back down, not sure how I had missed her arrival and her having to walk past the cash registers to get upstairs. And even though it was crazy busy and I was helping people I was determined not to miss her when she walked out.
But I got lucky enough to be working at the register right next to the one she was rang up on. She bought....I'm not even sure; t-shirts and such. Her ring was gorgeous and she looked beautiful--much more so in person than in the movies in my opinion. She wasn't all made up and glam but looked like anybody else shopping on a Saturday. We try really hard to not act all googley and paparazzi-like when celebs come in; no special treatment and no gawking. But this was Julia Roberts and she did get some special treatment--she didn't have to wait in line but got to go right to a register where an associate was quickly found to ring her up. So even though celebrities really are just normal people like me and you who buy clothes and happen to make a ton of money, they are just a little bit different
My first celebrity sighting at the Crew was Abigail Breslin around the holidays. She was shopping with her mother and (I think) grandmother. Not totally "wow" but still cool. Then I saw, and talked to and got a dressing room for, Sarah Paulson. She's been in Jack & Jill and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but if you have to list what they've been in because people give you that look of "Who's that?" then it's not a very "wow" celebrity.
Next was Jeremy Piven, who had his back turned to me when I walked past him and when I heard him talk I had the thought, "That sounds like Jeremy Piven." And it was!! Am I good or what. One time when I was walking to work from the subway I walked by Seth Green. And just in front of J Crew I saw, and I swear it was him, Daniel Day-Lewis. Me and the guy walking in front of me both had to do a double take and look behind us to make sure it was him. I'm ninety-percent sure it was him.
I've also seen Patrick Dempsey and Al Gore (not at the Crew), Carson Kressly, Kevin Bacon (also not at the Crew), but none of them hold a candle to the celebrity that came into the Crew on Saturday--Julia Roberts. Miss America's Sweetheart, Oscar-winner, mother of three and wife of a cameraman Julia Roberts. The news swept thru the Crew pretty quickly, and when I heard from one of the personal shoppers that she was upstairs I waited anxiously for her to come back down, not sure how I had missed her arrival and her having to walk past the cash registers to get upstairs. And even though it was crazy busy and I was helping people I was determined not to miss her when she walked out.
But I got lucky enough to be working at the register right next to the one she was rang up on. She bought....I'm not even sure; t-shirts and such. Her ring was gorgeous and she looked beautiful--much more so in person than in the movies in my opinion. She wasn't all made up and glam but looked like anybody else shopping on a Saturday. We try really hard to not act all googley and paparazzi-like when celebs come in; no special treatment and no gawking. But this was Julia Roberts and she did get some special treatment--she didn't have to wait in line but got to go right to a register where an associate was quickly found to ring her up. So even though celebrities really are just normal people like me and you who buy clothes and happen to make a ton of money, they are just a little bit different
Labels:
celebrity sightings
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Stars, cars, mountains and hair
Now that I'm back in the city, this is what I miss most about being back in Utah:
STARS
I was standing in my brother's backyard one night and just stood there staring at the stars in the sky for like ten minutes. You see, I don't actually see stars in the city, there's too many city lights competing. Even when I'm on someone's roof for a party stars are pretty rare to see. So when any of you are out at night be sure to wish on a star for me!
CARS
This one seems pretty obvious; you have no idea how much of a luxury it was to be able to get into a car and be in control of where I was going. Also, I could control the temperature, the smell, the music, the people I rode with. The fact that it was raining my last two days there didn't worry me because it was a short walk from the back door to the car--no walking in the rain with an umbrella that gets blown up by the wind. And, it's a great place to store purchases bought throughout the day instead of carrying everything around like a bag lady!
MOUNTAINS
This one seems kinda obvious too. But I always get this feeling of awe and amazement when I drive along Bangerter and see the Wasatch mountains in the East and the Oquirrh in the west. Being in the city is great, but it's very much closed off; there aren't open spaces where you can see everything. So I'm always just looking at the next few blocks ahead of me and at the tall building around me. Mountains and space are awesome!
HAIR
I definitely miss the way my hair looks in Utah; it's not made for this moist, humid air in New York. It's not as if my hair holds curl very well anyways, but now it's practically nonexistent--it's always flat and frizzy!
Man did I eat well when I was in Utah (eating out is also a luxury that I don't partake of here in the city). A few times I booked get-togethers with friends a little too closely and ate way too much food in way too short a time. Where I ate: 5 Buck Pizza, The Red Iguana, Red Robin, Village Inn, Sconecutter, Chili's, Cafe Rio, bbq at Wal-mart, hot dog/chips/nachos at Delta Center (I refuse to call it Energy Solutions Arena).
But more importantly, I did some awesome things: was greeted at the airport by a "Welcome Home Aunt Julie" sign being held by Ivy, Elliett and Moses, saw cousin Rachel and her new baby Kitt, attended a book signing, went to the last Jazz game of the post-season (which caused me to miss the actual signing of my book!), went to Pammy's baby shower, hung out with Lindsay-loo, celebrated my brother's 29th birthday with cheesecake and ice cream, lost my sunglasses, watched CMT, had face time with my luvah, played Yahtzee with two cheating boys!, hung out with my dad, bought pink shoes, saw Tina and David's adorable daughter Teue, got a new driver's license, felt really cared for and missed by my friends at Wal-mart, and all around had a great time! I know I'm forgetting tons of things, but my memory really is that bad.
So now you all have to come out and visit me!!! I have a new couch that is much more comfortable, and non-smelling, than my other one so you'll even have a place to sleep that's not the floor!
STARS
I was standing in my brother's backyard one night and just stood there staring at the stars in the sky for like ten minutes. You see, I don't actually see stars in the city, there's too many city lights competing. Even when I'm on someone's roof for a party stars are pretty rare to see. So when any of you are out at night be sure to wish on a star for me!
CARS
This one seems pretty obvious; you have no idea how much of a luxury it was to be able to get into a car and be in control of where I was going. Also, I could control the temperature, the smell, the music, the people I rode with. The fact that it was raining my last two days there didn't worry me because it was a short walk from the back door to the car--no walking in the rain with an umbrella that gets blown up by the wind. And, it's a great place to store purchases bought throughout the day instead of carrying everything around like a bag lady!
MOUNTAINS
This one seems kinda obvious too. But I always get this feeling of awe and amazement when I drive along Bangerter and see the Wasatch mountains in the East and the Oquirrh in the west. Being in the city is great, but it's very much closed off; there aren't open spaces where you can see everything. So I'm always just looking at the next few blocks ahead of me and at the tall building around me. Mountains and space are awesome!
HAIR
I definitely miss the way my hair looks in Utah; it's not made for this moist, humid air in New York. It's not as if my hair holds curl very well anyways, but now it's practically nonexistent--it's always flat and frizzy!
Man did I eat well when I was in Utah (eating out is also a luxury that I don't partake of here in the city). A few times I booked get-togethers with friends a little too closely and ate way too much food in way too short a time. Where I ate: 5 Buck Pizza, The Red Iguana, Red Robin, Village Inn, Sconecutter, Chili's, Cafe Rio, bbq at Wal-mart, hot dog/chips/nachos at Delta Center (I refuse to call it Energy Solutions Arena).
But more importantly, I did some awesome things: was greeted at the airport by a "Welcome Home Aunt Julie" sign being held by Ivy, Elliett and Moses, saw cousin Rachel and her new baby Kitt, attended a book signing, went to the last Jazz game of the post-season (which caused me to miss the actual signing of my book!), went to Pammy's baby shower, hung out with Lindsay-loo, celebrated my brother's 29th birthday with cheesecake and ice cream, lost my sunglasses, watched CMT, had face time with my luvah, played Yahtzee with two cheating boys!, hung out with my dad, bought pink shoes, saw Tina and David's adorable daughter Teue, got a new driver's license, felt really cared for and missed by my friends at Wal-mart, and all around had a great time! I know I'm forgetting tons of things, but my memory really is that bad.
So now you all have to come out and visit me!!! I have a new couch that is much more comfortable, and non-smelling, than my other one so you'll even have a place to sleep that's not the floor!
Labels:
mountains
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I'm back!
Yes, I realize that it's been two weeks since I last posted. I had meant to come back on my birthday and finish the post, but then my life was overtaken by the Tribeca Film Festival, which I just finished on Sunday. I'll get to that later.
I'm one of those people who make a big deal out of birthdays. Everyone should have a day that's just for them and is totally awesome. I'm big into the dinner and cake and ice cream and going to a movie and making that person feel special. But when you're the usual planner of things, your own birthday usually gets overlooked because it seems wrong to plan your own birthday and nobody else makes as big a deal out of it as you would. But I must say that my family--mom and Emily--have really been great with my birthday the past couple years. I know it's the distance this year, and the making up for the terrible birthday two years ago, but I really do appreciate what they do for me. They sent me a package with gifts and totally awesome cards (with sound, one playing the Buffy theme song and one that was perfect from Emily) and chocolate. My dad sent me a check....and cereal. I'm not sure which one I was more in dire need of--money or food. Thanks dad!
My roommates were also totally awesome. Rosemary and Maria both made signs wishing me a Happy Birthday, one placed on my door and the other on the back of a chair with presents surrounding it. And a huge shout out to Marky Mark for planning my birthday dinner. I don't know how the job got placed on him, except that he's been in the city for four years and knows a million more places than I do in the Lower East Side, which is where I wanted to eat since I would be coming from Tribeca (yes, I will get to that in another post). He found a great Italian place, Three of Cups, in the village where I had some awesome ravioli with pink sauce. No, I don't know what pink sauce is, but it was pink and so I got it. Mark then took us to Whole Foods where he bought me a birthday cake--which was made of dark chocolate and pretty much to die for.
And the capper to my evening was a phone call from Ivy, who didn't want to go to bed without first telling me something, "Happy Birthday!"
I wish I was a better storyteller, but I have a hard time remembering what happened last night let alone what happened two weeks ago! Maybe I should make notes for myself as things are happening....
A big thanks for all the phone calls, texts, wall posting, presents, posters made (Paula and friends back at Wal-mart) and singing voicemail messages. I appreciate Rosemary, Maria and Mark for making it a special day for me when I'm so far away from family and friends. It was definitely a great birthday! Only regret--I didn't get any pictures of me on my birthday!
Labels:
birthdays
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
