What a relaxing week -- cooking, runs, yoga, laughs, naps, and sand between my toes.  Thanks to Em & Jenn for keeping me company and to John for the hospitality.  I returned to NYC late Friday night to ease the transition, and had a fantastic Saturday at the Greenmarket, followed by some lounging in my backyard (a.k.a. Washington Square Park) and a visit to the Rhum Rhum Room with @daisy17, @cocktailspirit, later joined by Jordana & Daniel.  After that, a trip to Brooklyn for a cocktail soiree hosted by @paystyle and Vanessa with @selenawrites also in attendance.  Finished out the night back at the Rhum Rhum Room.

Sunday was a dim sum bachelorette brunch for Deb L. at Jing Fong followed by a nap, and capped off with a trip to Town Hall to see Rachel Maddow & Ira Glass with @cocktailspirit.  After Mad Men, it was off to bed for a good night's sleep for the week ahead.

When's the next vacation?  Ah yes, mid-October for a long weekend in L.A.  Watch out, West Coast!

After a long weekend in the woods of Maine, I'm now off to the beach -- Kismet, on Fire Island -- for the remainder of the week.  Even if the weather doesn't cooperate, there will be plenty of relaxing to do.  See you on Sunday!

Just a taste of what awaits me over a long weekend in Maine -- lobster, lake, friends & family.  Off to the woods, y'all.  See you when I return.

that I can be a little impatient?  Oh yes, I did. I'll let you hear it straight from the source in the meantime.

- It's refreshing to see parts of your friends' personalities that are new to you that amaze you -- in a good way.

- Having a dinner party that lasts until the wee hours makes you truly appreciate how terribly lucky you are to have such good company in your life.

- A friendship with someone who you've known for well over 20 years is a special thing, and should be treasured.

- Sometimes, when your expectations are lower than low, you can be surprised, and end up smiling.

Pear brandy served at the end of an amazing meal at Eleven Madison Park.  See a thing of beauty and another thing of beauty, discussed earlier.

Over the past few days, I've had more than one conversation with people I know about what they imagine their future life to look like, either with or without a significant other.  I think about this quite a bit -- I see a bright, open apartment with a yard or roof deck, space to entertain comfortably, a kitchen that allows me to cook with others.  I imagine a very social lifestyle, somewhat like what I have now -- having people over, going to outdoor concerts, visiting museums, going to restaurants -- even when there are kids (hopefully) involved.  I don't see myself living in the suburbs or keeping to myself.  Maybe this is unrealistic with a family, but I don't think so, and it is what I strive to create in my life.

It becomes problematic when there are two people in the mix -- if they don't share the same view of their ideal lifestyle, there will always be friction.  It's certainly easier on one's own.  But, what I'm realizing is that, family or not, I have the power and the ability to make my life what I want it to be -- so stay tuned, folks, there may be some changes in the works.  They won't take place right away, but slowly and steadily, I will add on the the life that I have to create the life I want to have in the future.

I haven't been getting nearly enough down time lately, so when I received a last minute invitation to head out to West Hampton this weekend, I jumped on it.  I took a stupidly early train on Saturday which afforded me a full beach day -- and the weather couldn't have been more gorgeous.  Just what the doctor ordered -- sand, surf, friends, laughter, and dinner on the grill (which was ever-so-tasty).  Looking forward to my full week of relaxation -- up to the cabin in Maine for a long weekend followed by several days on Fire Island -- at the end of the month, but have quite a bit to do before then . . .

 

I was just writing to remind you that sometimes I like a quiet night at home.  Maybe just one or two a week. Don't get me wrong -- I love getting you through triathlons, cocktail conferences, and your ridiculous work/social schedule, but I do need a certain amount of sleep.  And downtime.  That couch you have is quite comfy, and I know you enjoy cooking meals in your kitchen.

I don't mean to be demanding or anything.  I tried to send you a warning sign earlier this week, with all the sniffling and sneezing, and you let me rest a bit, but then you started right back up again with the workouts and the going out and the not enough sleep thing.

I truly hope that we can work something out on this front or I may just crap out on you altogether. 

Love,

Your Body

PS -- Your Soul says hi, and is putting in a request for weekly yoga in addition to more downtime

xoxo

As I sat last night cracking into a bowl of lobster knuckles at Mary's Fish Camp, I once again came to the realization that I don't ever want to date someone with whom I am not completely comfortable stuffing my face with the most primal, messy food around -- ribs, lobster, etc.  In fact, I'm starting to think that should be a requirement in the first few dates.