Friday, June 29th, 2012

Good morning!  This is how it starts (top) and finishes (bottom) :)

This weather is truly horrendous. 

I hope you all have a great day!

Thursday, June 28th, 2012
Central Park East - somewhere around 7am

Good morning!  Summer flowers are in full bloom here in Central Park - and it was another nice day to boot.  It was a wonderful morning - saw so many of my friends along the route.  Sometimes I like rain because I can walk alone and be with myself in the quiet.  Most days, though, I like my routine of stop 'n chats all along the way because it makes me feel connected to something other than the graduate school.  I don't always want to feel like I live on Graduate Student Island.  In efforts to not feel like I live on GSI, Brian and I went to a show in Brooklyn last night.

Now, I thought it would be a lovely evening.  Relaxing, with a nice dinner, followed by the show.  Does anything ever planned by Jennifer Oyler turn out that way? 
.....

The answer is No.  Things have a way of going screwy when I plan them despite my best efforts to not let that happen (i.e. planning ahead, etc...).  So yesterday I took the doggies for a long walk in the Park before meeting Brian at his work in midtown.  We decided to go in to Bk for dinner to maximize non-touristy explore time.  Well first, I just made a Jen Oyler mistake - got on the wrong train.  Transferred after 1 stop to end up at the A train.  OK - the A will get us there fine.  We get on the A train, oh this is nice, where should we eat, I'm excited, how was work, etc...

BAM

The A train becomes Express with no warning.  Thanks for that MTA.  We end up deep in Bk and decide to get off.  Shit neighborhood - something like little Haiti.  Brian's walking around in his suit and tie and I'm just waiting for white boy comments to begin.  We are afraid to get back on the subway for fear that we will be expressed back thru our stops to where we don't need to be.  So we used Brian's phone and WALKED.  I'm talking WALKED.  40 blocks or so.  Feet were killing.  Brian's shoes had HOLES in the bottoms.  Holes entirely thru to the sock.  By the time we got there we had 15 mins.  Of course the area was adorbs w/ tons of great restaurants packed w/ people drinking and eating.  We scarfed pizza then head in to the show. 

I'd expound on the show but I don't have time b/c I have lab meeting in 37 minutes and I haven't even showered yet.  It was great - Brian loved it and even said it was worth the trouble. 

We stopped at Tasti-D lite on the way home (it was tasti and delightful), and then when we got home and incredible thing happened.  Bear was left alone from 5:30-11 barricaded with Sofie in the kitchen with toys.  He did not shit or piss.  Magical.  I don't even know.  (Either that or he/Sofie ate it). 

Sorry, that's gross....

....but plausible.

Either way there was nothing to clean. 

Good luck to Brian today.  He is presenting at his firm's meeting.  So proud. 

Have a great one!

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Central Park East - 7:20am

Good morning!  Another beautiful day here in NYC. 

62 degrees & sunny and I'm relishing every second of it.  They've started with the snuggling as you can see above.  Sofie has been so sweet with little Bear - it's very cute to watch.  Tonight Brian and I are going to see a show in Brooklyn at 8pm.  I'm really exciteddd to get out of the Upper East and go do a little BK exploring :) 

Updates will follow

Have a great day!

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Central Park East & home - sometime after 7am

Good morning!  It's amazing how much the weather takes a toll on your mood, sometimes.  The last couple days I've been waking feeling exhausted, cranky, and a bit hopeless over finishing this rotation and moving on to where I'll actually be doing my thesis.  This morning, on the other hand, I woke refreshed, energetic, and positive.  The past couple mornings have been depressingly hot and muggy.  Headache-inducing, sticky, energy-zapping.  This morning was around 61 degrees, no humidity, and partly cloudy (but in a good way - see above interesting cloud pictures). 

This weather has me craving fall already.  Let's get on with the summer, people and on to other, more useful seasons! 

Have a great day!

Monday, June 25th, 2012
Central Park East - 7:05am

Good morning!  It's official...I hate this time of year.  I'm perpetually sweaty and greasy, waking up and going outside makes you ill with the humidity, and you spend your time praying for summer thunderboomers and downpours to cool you the F*** down. 

This morning was one of those.  When I awoke, I walked out of my nice, air conditioned bedroom into heat and humidity.  However, on our walk Sofie and I were graced with intermittent downpours and a churning, yellow/green/black/gray sky.  It was actually quite nice.  That's all I'm going for - just a few degrees here!  Bear spent the morning snuggling with Brian - I needed a little girl time with my girl and Brian worked a little with Bear.  It's amazing how much that little man slows me down on my walks!  I can't wait til' I can let him off-leash like Sof!  Well, I'm off to get some breakfast and shower off (if only to be sweaty again in 5 mins). 

Have a great one!

FRIDAY, June 22nd, 2012

Good morning!  Bear peed in the lobby before we could get him out of the door today.  So at the blessed hour of 6am I had to run back up 3 flights of stairs to get paper towels to clean the mess up.  To top it off, we were already running late because our AC was cranked so high we literally couldn't hear my alarm.  By the time we got to the Park, Brian and Bear couldn't continue on the whole walk with Sofie and me so they turned back a little after hitting the Alice in Wonderland statue.  He also turned back with my camera so I have no Central Park pictures for you this morning.  I do, however, have a picture of something which visually does not look maybe so appealing but that was increîble!  I meant to type an accent over that i.  I don't know what that other accenty-looking thing is.  This, my friends, is a swiss chard, leek, and gruyere tart.  It's got eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, leeks, guyere, a LOT of swiss chard, heavy cream, and garlic scape.  It's made on a bit of light, flaky pastry dough. 

I can't wait to come home for lunch just so I can eat the leftovers (I will promptly be in a food coma following that ordeal). 

Bear had 3 accidents yesterday and 1 this morning - no good little man!  I think he had found something he liked to go on, so I've removed it in the hopes that he will get it out of his tiny pea-brain that this old comforter is not where you piss.  Oh well.  I think he's still doing well.  He gets that when he is taken outside he's expected to go.  He knows that is what gets him a treat and all the lovies.  He just doesn't yet get that going inside is bad.  So we've got part 1 of the 2 part down.  Going outside = good.  Going inside = bad. 

Excited to see Mom & Dad today! 

Have a great one!!!

Thursday, June 21st, 2012
Central Park East - 6:55am

Good morning! 

This is awful.  81 degrees at 7:45am?  I was getting so used to the weather we had during the start of June that I forgot what East coast summers are actually like.  Hot.  Humid.  Nasty.  At this point I'm just counting down the days until vacation in Oregon where it will be nice and cool.  There are some things that will be on the list of things to do while there: 

1.  Visit w/ family
2.  Stand-up paddleboarding (I've never done it but really want to try.  You can learn here but...I'm not so sure I want to submerge myself in Hudson River water).
3.  Oregon Coast trip  - Possibly stay a night?  The hiking, beer, food, candy, and scenery are great and the doggies will be in heaven.
4.  White water rafting - Maupin down the Deschutes?
5.  Corbett St. Fish House (Probably the easiest thing to do since we'll likely be there multiple nights).  On the sublist of this is the coconut rum torte.
6.  Go out with Sarah in her hood. 

AHHH....I can't wait.  Just counting. down. the days. 

Have a great day, everyone!