Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!





Monday, October 31st, 2011
Central Park East - 6:55am-7:55am

I'm sure you've heard about the storm that went down the Northeast corridor this weekend and screwed up a lot of people's Halloween (not to mention a lot of other things).  I couldn't believe how trashed Central Park was today!  There were downed tree limbs and caution tape everywhere - it was kind of exciting.  That's why you got so many pictures today - lots of things to take pictures of!

Happy Halloween, everyone and have a great day!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Midterms Thursday


Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Central Park East - 6:55am

Hello hello hello.  As you can see - it was dark and rainy this morning.  It doesn't matter, though, because I will be D-O-N-E with my midterm by 5pm this evening!  I've been really busy studying for the past 2 weeks (Biochem was last week and now Immunology).  All I can say is that I will definitely be celebrating this evening (unfortunately not too much since I have to present all my week's data with Gregoire tomorrow morning at 9 am).  Either way...at the end of this day I'm going to feel like these Zimbabweans felt at Paul Simon's concert after this test is over:  (This is a link to that song/concert)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqrKejQTynk
I highly suggest you watch - you can't be anything but happy afterwards.  Paul Simon is an incredible musician and this is a particularly wonderful song and atmosphere.

Have a fantastic day!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Presents came in the mail from Nan! As you can see, she is enjoying herself thoroughly  :) 

Good morning

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Central Park East - 7:25am

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Hello Tuesday


Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Central Park East - 7:20am

It has been rough getting up at 6:30 when it's been more and more chilly and dark every morning.  My alarm goes off and I just want for it to be a joke - it can't possibly be 6:30am already!  It's so dark and it feels such a shock for my cozy, warm body to be out in the cold!  But then I drag myself out of bed because I know that once I get out and start my hello's with the doormen and see the sunrise in the park that it's the best part of my day.   

Brian & I are going to the New York Academy of Sciences tonight to see a documentary about teaching evolution in schools.  Check it out - it should be pretty interesting.  And I've heard the NYAS is an absolutely beautiful place so I'm excited to see it for the first time.  A wonderful way to procrastinate studying for my Immunology midterm on Thursday!
http://www.nyas.org/Events/SciEdDetail.aspx?cid=c4989f4d-7f1f-4b81-a479-255b9fe75cc2

Have a great Tuesday! 

Monday, October 24, 2011

Welcome back!


Monday, October 24th, 2011
Central Park East - 6:55am/7:30am

I got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise this morning in the Park - great purple and pink colors (as you can see).  It's a good thing that it was a lovely morning here in the city because I really didn't want to leave the Mohonk Mountain House at the end of the Immunology retreat!  I had a great time up in New Paltz, NY.  It was an absolutely beautiful place to stay - they were much further along in fall than we are here in the city.  The leaves were all pretty much turned and it was much chillier.  Hopefully Brian, Sofie, and I can head back upstate at the end of this week to camp Halloween weekend before it gets too cold.

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!  And I wish my little sister good luck on her A&P practical today (though I'm sure she won't need it)!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A sight for sore eyes

Wednesday, November 19th, 2011
Central Park East - 8:00am

It was so wet out today this was the only picture I could get that wasn't blurry and/or dark.  As soon as we got home from our adventuring, she ran to the bedroom and jumped into my unmade bed to rub herself around in the covers and dry off.  Central Park juice is all in my bed now (sheets need washed - asap).  You won't be getting any posts from me for the next 2 days (Thursday & Friday) because I'm headed up to the Mohonk Mountain house for the annual Immunology retreat.  Should be an interesting few days! 

http://www.mohonk.com/

It looks pretty awesome - hopefully we get a break from listening to talks and get to enjoy the surroundings a little bit!

Have a wonderful day!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011


Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Central Park East - 7:51am

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Mud everywhere

Friday, October 14th, 2011
Central Park East, 7:25am

Central Park was absolutely destroyed this morning.  As you can see from the picture, there is caution tape over all the lawns and there is about an inch of slippery mud over everything.  There must have been one hell of a storm last night!  Needless to say, Sofie is a big mess. 

Have a great, fabulous, wonderful Friday!  I'm off to start Biochemistry test #1 so wish me luck!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dreary morning

Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Central Park East, 6:50am

It was a DREARY morning here in NYC.  Chilly, rainy (misty), and dark until about 7:30 this morning.  I know some won't understand this, but I enjoy rainy, dark mornings.  I've contemplated this before.  I've thought perhaps it adds some dimension of diversity to otherwise similar mornings.  I have to think about putting boots on, I have to think about getting an umbrella and maybe an extra pair of socks so my feet aren't wet at work....you get the picture.  Now that I'm writing this it seems a little pathetic that thinking about planning for the rain adds excitement to my daily life.  I also enjoy seeing people getting angry, splashed, etc..  They have a word for that in German - what is it? Schadenfreude!  I like this term but don't think it's actually an accurate way to describe how this gives me pleasure.  I more so think it's funny to watch people get all worked up about something that they have absolutely no control over.  "I CAN'T BELIEVE it had to RAIN today!  I have to walk OUTSIDE!  Why would today pick today to RAIN! This is the WORST DAY!"  Watching this occur actually causes me to experience feelings as dramatic as complete giddiness.  I usually laugh out loud. 

Today Central Park was literally empty because of the shitty weather.  There were the die-hard runners and bikers.  A few select people were walking their dogs.  The young, pretty, Asian girl with the 2 beautifully athletic German Short-haired Pointers was out (I see her every day - sometimes twice a day).  I was mentioning to my Dad that I have this dream of owning one of these breeds some day and he said that they run like deer.  That's a perfect way to describe them - they run and jump like deer.  I digress - back to the point.  When I was walking the loop near the Great Lawn, it was completely silent.  Sofie loves the rain and so was darting here and there and attacking the wet, decomposing leaves.  The only sound I could hear was the jingling of the tags on her collar.  Then I noticed that I wasn't just happy over this soggy morning - I was feeling elated!  It was cold, my cheeks were feeling pink, it was silent.  I guess it just goes to show you, that even in bad situations (it's raining, cold, and dark), if you're doing something you love, your mind is open to the good that arises.  In this case it was that the morning was nice and quiet, and the weather was making me feel somewhat animal-like because it was so stimulatory on my senses.


I've dragged on long enough now.

Have a wonderful morning everyone and enjoy the rain!  (and by everyone I mean the 3 or so family members that read this).  

Wednesday, October 12, 2011


Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
Central Park, the Great Lawn - 7:05am

Have a fantastic day everyone! 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Loving fall

 Muddy paws of the little rapscallion
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Central Park, the Great Lawn, 7:25am

Sorry I missed my post yesterday.  I was feeling like sleeping in a little :)  The leaves are just beginning to fall and change colors and I'm already taking pictures left and right!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Wladyslaw Jagiello: King of Poland!

Friday, October 7th, 2011
Central Park, The Great Lawn - 7:00am

Happy Friday!  Everyone have a great day!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Back to the Great Lawn



Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Central Park, the Great Lawn - 7:45am

Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Adventuring over to The Great Lawn



Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Central Park, The Great Lawn - 7:25am

The Great Lawn is really a cool place.  I was emotionally scarred from the last time I went over to those parts because Sofie jumped up on a man while he was walking to work.  She was muddy and wet and certainly not what you'd want jumping up on you at 6:45 in the morning, but he made the mistake of waving his jacket at her.  In dog language (more specifically puppy language), waving a jacket is not a sign of impending doom or an aggressive threat.  It is "LET'S PLAY!" loud and clear.  So she ran back to jump up on him with even more playful fervor than at first.  The man proceeded to yell and swear at me about how I couldn't control my f***ing stupid dog.  I was feeling emotional that day and cried a little on the way home, which exacerbated my feeling of humiliation and made me vow to never go back to the Great shitty Lawn. 

Well today was different - I decided I'd recovered sufficiently from the incident and I'm glad I did because there were tons of dog-lovers over there!  In addition to that the Great Lawn is a superb spot to take pictures.  Expect some more from that location in the near future. 

Enjoy this beautiful day, everyone!!!!!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011


Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
Central Park East - 7:35am
I never get tired of these Alice in Wonderland Plaques!  Everyone have a fantastic day!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Every day is a new day to enjoy AUTUMN!


Monday, October 3rd, 2011
Central Park East - 7:17am

Have a fantastic day, everyone!!