Monthly Archives: September 2014

One Red Arm

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Yes, just one of my arms is a little red, and that’s okay because it was a result of an awesome day.

I picked up a bike from KickStand Bicycle Shop near my place and rode down the East River to meet up with Lisa at South Ferry. Our plan was to bike up the Henry Hudson Parkway along the west side of Manhattan. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect considering the day before was rainy.

To no surprise it was busy down at South Ferry and parts of Battery Park, but once we got out onto the path, it was smooth sailing. We were pleasantly surprised how quiet the path was the whole way uptown. We rode with ease along the path, past the little outdoor cafe at 42nd Street, the Boat Basin at 79 Street, and finally stopped for a snack break at 125th Street.

Courtesy Lisa Fort @toolmarks

Courtesy Lisa @toolmarks

Once back on the path, we continued our conversation, pedaling easily until we approached the George Washington Bridge. Here we experienced a couple of steep hills bringing us up to a higher elevation from the river.

GWB

GWB on the way back down

Once we biked past the bridge at 188th Street, we had to do a little weaving to get to Inwood Park, however we didn’t quite make it into Inwood Park, but somehow beside it… We weren’t sure quite how to navigate from there, so we turned ourselves back downtown.

At the end of our path

At our turn-around point

By this point we were in need of beer and food, which we enjoyed at The Boat Basin. We sat out on the front patio, with a view of the sailboats in the marina, and facing the gorgeous sun – hence the red arm. 🙂

Downtown view

Downtown view

Our journey took about 6 hours in all, including biking and lunching. Once we reached South Ferry again, I left Lisa to take the subway home. I had to bike up the east side again and I wasn’t sure if my butt could stand it! It did however, all the way to 42nd Street and 1st Avenue at which time I had to dismount due to UN Assembly street closures.

After I dropped off the bike, I stopped to get my pint of Ben & Jerry’s and crashed on the couch at home. What a day!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, biking and talking with Lisa. We saw some beautiful landscape along the river and crossed another outdoor adventure off our lists!

Three Sightings in a Week

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So I know I’ve been pretty quiet the last couple of weeks. In all honesty, I feel like I don’t have a lot to say, but I actually do. New job. Husband away in foreign country. Fall, my favorite season. Friends. Running.

But on my list of what people like to hear – because they’re not usually an everyday occurrence … celeb sightings. I’ve had three sightings this week. All in very different places but all comedic people, funnily enough.

The first was last week during one of my numerous Central Park training runs. As I was in my last mile, I ran by this guy from a TV show who I recognized immediately. Curly haired, short, white dude. No idea what his name is, or what show he was on…

The second was on Monday, and it was so exciting! My colleague and I were leaving one of our school sites, walking and debriefing. In my mid-sentence, she says – “wait a minute”… and I look right beside her to see Jerry Seinfeld getting miked for an interview maybe, or maybe his show Comedians in Cars with Coffee since there was this gorgeous old Mercedes parked just to the right. So we keep walking and then I stopped and asked her like a 16-year old – “should I go and ask for picture?” Well, I answered my own question… I walked back to where the small group were standing and talking, and asked a big dude if I could snap a shot and he said it was fine. So I did! I should have asked him to say something to my Voxer group while I was at it.

Jerry on West 83rd Street

Jerry on West 83rd Street

My third sighting was today, on my way home from acupuncture in the Gramercy area. I was walking past a little playground and saw this woman on her phone, pacing by a stroller. I looked at her because I thought she looked familiar, then she looked at me because I was looking at her. She kept talking and I kept walking. It was Rachel Dratch, who plays Debbie Downer on SNL. I contemplated taking her pic, but I didn’t want to be a creeper hahaha!

So I imagine that will be the end of my sighting for some time. Three in a week was a lot of work. 😉

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stupidcupidblog.com

Last Summer Race

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Tomorrow morning marks this summer’s last race of the season for me. I haven’t participated in any races since my 5k in Ireland so I’m ready to get out there with a group of people and run through Flushing Meadows Park. Tomorrow is NYCRuns Queens Half Marathon. While I’m not particularly excited about probably waking up to my alarm on a Sunday morning, it’ll set me up for an energizing day.

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I’m also very ready for my fall running calendar to take effect, a few more races on my list than in the summer. Looking forward to it! What’s on your fall list?

 

#tbt #36 – No Words

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Thirteen years ago the skyline looked different. These two beams in the distance have represented a change in recent American history for the past several years.

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Staten Island vs. NFL Football

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On the weekend my friend, Lisa and I met up for a day of NYC mini-exploration. The original plan was to bike up the Hudson Parkway, but the forecast said 80% of rain so we changed our plans. Instead, we went to The Met and wandered around, looking at some art and talking.

So amongst our conversation came the news that Lisa had purchased two Denver Broncos vs. NY Jets tickets preparing plans for an out-of-town friend. As it turns out her friend won’t be able to make it so she asked me if I wanted to go with her. Dang! It’s the same day as the Staten Island Half Marathon. I had been wanting to run Staten Island to complete the 5-borough half series with the NYRR. Immediately I had a dilemma – do I run the Staten Island half or go to my first ever NFL game with Lisa?

Initially my response was that I’d do both, however logistically it probably won’t work.

The race starts at 8:30am. I’d be done around 10 and would have to trek to either her place or mine to shower and change. Getting to either place would take just as long as the other, at least an hour. Then to get from my house or hers to the stadium would require getting to Penn Station then getting on the NJ Transit battling the masses to the game.

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the-life-of-krista-marie.blogspot.com

Could I do both? Could we make it there for the 1pm start? Potentially, but I think it might be a little crazy to try. We will see though, I’ve done crazier things.

#tbt #35 – It’s September Again

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This was the first day of school in over a decade that I was not greeting a new set of students.

How did it feel you ask? Kind of glorious to be honest, but mostly bittersweet.

When you spend year after year setting up a classroom then teaching, nurturing, evaluating, etc – and then you decide it’s time for another chapter in your life to begin, you really reflect on the countless hours of work and preparation you put in.

Was it worth it? Sure. Did I love it? At the time, yes. Do I regret leaving? No.

It was definitely time for me to make a change. Don’t get me wrong – leaving an amazing staff was tough, but I knew I needed to move on. If I had gone back into the classroom this year I anticipate I would have burned myself out long before March – the usual time of year when burnout for me occurs.

This September marks a change in my life, a welcome one. Maybe in a few years I’ll return to the classroom, refreshed from making that necessary change. We’ll see.

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