Mid-Winter 

Upper West Side 

The past couple of weeks have been...exhausting?  discouraging?  annoying? Something along those lines, I guess.  Work has been unbearable.  Sleep has been elusive.  I feel brittle, like a branch that has no give.  I have more questions than answers.  It hasn't been the easiest of seasons.

But. There have been some bright spots.  You wanna know what they are?  Good, 'cause I'm gonna tell you:

• This album by The Milk Carton Kids. Minimal acoustic loveliness. The more you listen, the harder you'll fall.
• Late-night Rummikub games with my roommates at the kitchen table.
• Updated resumes and phone interviews.
• A couple of new creative projects on the horizon (looking forward to something is a key to happiness, don't you know?)
• Back-stage moments before Improv shows. Energy is high, music is loud, and camaraderie is palpable, as we group-hug and say, "I got your back."
• Any activity that forces me to be fully present (aka unplugged) - the gym, reservoir runs, voice lessons, etc. I so appreciate these breaks from the whirlwind.
• New hair color.  Because sometimes a girl needs a MediumReddishBrown change.
• Dark chocolate with sea salt from Zabar's.  Because chocolate is a healthful necessity in the dark days of winter.
• Speaking of dark days - they're fading: there's a sliver of sun left lately when I leave the office each evening. Sweet daylight. I'd like to see more of you, but I'll take what I can get for now.

Things I Loved This Week

I loved...

...pretty much everything about this video. And...

...these cookies.  Orange and chocolate make good bedfellows. And...

...that Parks and Rec is back and better than ever.  Missed you guys!  And...

...that the incomparable Ed Helms has a new movie coming out. And...

...I LOVED that it's no longer completely dark when I leave work in the evenings.

Enjoy your weekend and this lengthening light!

Run Down, Built Up

Apropos of nothing; I just like that this place exists

I'm ten days into a cold that just won't quit. All the juice and tea and OTC meds I've consumed haven't done a whole lot to remedy the situation.  I'm feeling awfully run down.

And so I'm going to the doctor in a bit to demand some drugs. Because enough is enough!  This cold is not coming to Europe with me.

But enough about what's running me down lately; here's what's running my motor and making me smile:

1) Soap - Totes addicted to this late 70's/early 80's sitcom, starring Billy Crystal, Richard Mulligan, Kathryn Helmond, and well - everyone.  Everyone was on Soap, or so it seems.  God bless you, Netflix, for giving me access to all 4 seasons on-demand.

2) Chocolate Mate - I'm trying to avoid coffee/caffeine as much as possible.  But mate (rhymes with latte) tea is a good substitute while I wait out this cold - lots of flavor, not a lot of caffeine.  God bless you, South America, for giving us the miracle of mate.

3) Sara Bareilles' new album - this is my current go-to music for bopping around the apartment while I'm getting ready to go out, and also my evening homeward-bound commute soundtrack. God bless you, Sara, for knowing your way around a piano.

4) I'm also loving how nearly every hostel listing I've looked at in Krakow describes their facilities as "homely." God bless when things get lost in translation and make funny.

5) Speaking of funny, Subway Douchery nearly always makes me laugh.  It's funny, 'cause it's true.  (This older post is my all-time fave.)  God bless people who fly their freak flag on public transit, for the amusement/horror of the rest of us.

6) I heard the heat switch on in my apartment this weekend.  Building management controls when the heat is on (cold months) and off (warm months), and this weekend I heard the tell-tale clanks, rattles, and hisses that signal the radiators and heat pipes have come to life again after their summer dormancy.  God bless cooler temperatures and winter accessories. You're my favorite, and your future is now.

Five for Five

Happy Cinco de Mayo, todo el mundo!

Once again, I don't really know what we're celebrating on this holiday, apart from margaritas.  But then again, margaritas are reason enough to celebrate in my book.

For added measure, here are five other things I'm celebrating and giving thanks for today:

1) "Freaks and Geeks." I missed this all-too-brief TV series when it debuted in 1999, but I'm making up for lost time by burning through the boxed set now. It's so, so, so good!  High school portrayed in a way that is real and poignant - but not sappy - and with wit.  The characters are relatable and endearing.  I'm completely crushing on Bill Haverchuck, tall gangly geek par excellence.

2) "Chocolate Underground" Stonyfield Yogurt. Slightly sour, slightly chocolate, this may not sound like a great combo but somehow it works.  Plus, it reminds me of my favorite sweet-treat from the Netherlands, adding another whole layer of emotional comfort to chocolate.  And summer-time bonus: stick it in the freezer for an hour! Yum, and again I say: yum.

3) My Pandora "Days of Wine & Roses" radio station. Based upon this song (by Mr. Frank Sinatra, who else?) Pandora spins a toe-tapping play list which makes my work day a little more peppy and hope-ful.

4) Pink Jersey Sheets.  They're pink, they're soft, they're snuggly, they're the perfect spring-time sheet weight.  That's pretty much all I have to say about them.  They just make me happy.

5) Neighbors.  Love 'em.  Loved walking in Riverside Park with JJ on Sunday afternoon so that we could debrief our Saturday nights.  Loved running into my Hebrew teacher at the gym on Monday.  Loved meeting with CJ at the 'bucks between our places to talk through the week's events.  Love feeling connected and known in the place that I live.