Summertime in the City

I didn't really think that I would be spending a week in Salt Lake City (well I knew, but you know), and I didn't expect to spend the first day all alone. Sounds sad when I put it that way. I arrived in Salt Lake City in the morning, only to find out that the other person is a no show. Her flight got canceled because of a mechanical issue and the part for the plane had to be shipped from Canada. Go figure.

I eventually got my bearings, and set out. While SLC isn't quite NYC, it still has a downtown. The handy dandy tourist magazine had a section you could pull out and outlined all the major areas of downtown. Temple Square, the Gateway, Main Street, Broadway West, Broadway East, 100 South, and City Creek. I was a little surprised to read about the 35 places to "party". I suppose it's because SLC has this bias set against it considering that the main Mormon Temple sits around the corner from my hotel.

I made my way over to the Gateway - the outdoor shopping mall - to find food and maybe do a little shopping. I took the light rail which conveniently runs for free within the confines of downtown. I like free! I ate a nice salad at Rumbi Island Grill - a place I've never heard of - and enjoyed a piece of mango cheesecake. Good thing I did a lot of walking too!

Then, I figured that since I am here, I would go and visit Temple Square. It is Salt Lake City's #1 Tourist attraction after all. I took the free 30 minute tour led by two sisters of the Latter Day Saints. In all fairness I did find the tour interesting, though I don't quite understand the religion. I can't quite wrap my head around it. I saw the Assembly Hall, the Tabernacle, and the Conference Center. I watched a movie about Joseph Smith in his namesake memorial building since I had nothing better to do. If I muster the energy tomorrow, I might go see the Tabernacle choir sing in the morning. We'll see about that one.

The conference starts tomorrow. Salt Lake City + statisticians = fun! ;-)

New Workout

So I've ventured to a new kind of workout this week. I was getting tired of the same old routine in TurboKickbox at 24 Hour Fitness. I'm tired of the instructor, tired of the same routine every week, basically I just needed something new. Enter 24Aqua.

I guess I never really saw myself as doing water aerobics. I've done some water ballet in the past, but that is more like synchronized swimming than anything else. Water aerobics is all in its name--Aerobics in the water.

Then there's the question, who wants to get into a public pool with a bunch of strangers in their swimsuit, especially if they are shy? I do!

Quite frankly, the Water Aerobics class I take is not outside; it's in an indoor pool with the deepest point dipping to four feet. Therefore, unlike other public pools, there aren't too many onlookers besides the people in the jacuzzi.

I must admit that when I think of Water Aerobics, and when I asked around the office, the first thought in mind was senior citizens. Kind of like Jazzercize. You imagine older folks in their workout gear and sweatbands feeling the burn. This class isn't quite like that. The evening water class is mostly composed of middle aged women trying to get a good workout. There's no judgment just burned calories. Supposedly you can burn 350-550 calories. Woo hoo! Sounds like a good deal to me.

Park musings

Sometimes you just need to take some time and relax. Let your mind slip away from the ins and outs of every day life, and just kickback. It's nice to just spend time with friends who are in the same mindset -- wishing to enjoy the day.

Yesterday was a perfect example of such an afternoon. My friends and I ventured out to Tilden Park in the Berkeley Hills. We sat on the picnic blanket I picked up from Target last summer. The day was practically perfect. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, not too hot, with a pleasant breeze. The original idea was to go on a picnic, but the idea of food at the time kind of fell through. No worries. Armed with magazines and other assorted reading material, not to mention an arsenal of things to catch up on, hanging out on a lazy summer afternoon was just what we needed.

While we were at the park, there was a wedding taking place up the hill. We could hear the string quartet and brass ensemble playing. Luckily, we were not in plain view, so as not to distract from the main event – the wedding. In fact, we the topic of weddings kept coming up in the ebb and flow of our conversations that afternoon. I have a co-worker who just got hitched, and another two who will have their nuptials in the coming months. I don’t, however, have any close friends who are engaged. (Not yet anyway).

I suppose it’s coming to that next milestone in our lives. Friends and acquaintances who fall in the same age group are stressing over fonts and invitations, having their final fitting, taking engagement photos, and of course getting hitched. It’s almost surreal to think about, but at the same time very real. And who knows, I could be next.

Once the sun finally descended behind the trees at the park, we drove to Indian Rock (I think that’s what it’s called) and took in the spectacular view of Berkeley, the Bay, and the Bridges. Quite amazing. Then we ventured to Gregoire’s, a hole-in-the-wall establishment offering a set menu of French cuisine for takeout. Seems like a misnomer to call French cuisine takeout, but that’s what it was. And it was excellent. Visit them online Gregoire Restaurants.

Joyeux 14 Juillet!

Vacation time is over...

But the memories will last a lifetime.

Going on late afternoon promenades. Discovering the adventurer Bear Grylls. Commandeering the streets of New York at midnight. The sweet taste of a Chippi. Savoring the wonderful flavors of every meal. Battling the minuscule beasts - the deer tick. The Scarface parking lot attendant. The Summer Murder Mystery movie. Capturing over 1000 photos. Enjoying life.

The vibrant energy of this household is something I treasure and embrace. Though at times a bit chaotic, I can feel the family's liveliness pumping through the house. Random outbursts into showtunes and melodic interludes. An abundance of food being prepared and devoured nearly all in the same breath. Artists' scrawls and gamer strategy. There is never a dull moment at this address. Calm comes in sweet little doses. The true spirit of a large family, overflowing with love, never skimping on kindness.

I'm thinking that most people my age wouldn't spring for a ticket to got to the South Coast of Massachusetts for a week. I would imagine trips to Cancun, Miami, Hawaii, etc. But I love it here when I get the chance to just hang out. Plus we caravaned to New York City. It's like a two-for-one deal.

My sister bought this great plaque inscribed with "Families are like Fudge... Mostly sweet with a few nuts". I love catching up on the latest family gossip, hearing about stories of my mom and auntie's family growing up, and my cousins' crazy uncle. The best tales are always the unbelievably true ones. Life truly is like a box of chocolates - there are sweet cremes, sticky and chewy ones, and of course the nutty variety... and you never know which one you're going to get.

Ah, family.

Bear Grylls

During my stay here, my cousins and I discovered a new show on the Discovery Channel - Man vs. Wild starring the crazy and daring adventurer Bear Grylls, née Edward Michael Grylls.

We watched a couple of episodes last night around 1 in the morning, with the first scene of him drinking his own urine in the Australian Outback, in order to combat dehydration. I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. I won't lie, it was disgusting, but something about the pure horror of it kept us intrigued and interested, trying to see if he would survive.

Basically, the premise of the show is that he gets dumped in the middle of nowhere at some geographical location, such as the Australian Outback, the Colorado Rockies, the African Savannah, and the Florida Everglades. He has nothing but the shirt on his back and possibly a few supplied in tow, such as a knife and flint stick. Everything else comes from pure wits. Every episode is a harrowing journey, and almost painful to watch. And yet, even when things look dire, he makes it out. It wouldn't be much of a show if he didn't make it out.

So far, we've seen him drink his own pee, bite off the head of a live frog, kill and roast a turtle, eat live earthworms, swallow whole maggots, and wrangle a baby alligator. I'm sure that's just the beginning. He's quite an amazing adventurer or a truly fearless idiot. Either way, he's quite entertaining to watch and imitate his British accent. Check it out here: BearGrylls.com

Hello New York!

After a three year absence, I made it back to New York! It was just as I left it the last time, only the weather was quite muggy and the sky constantly threatening to rain. It did sprinkle here and there, but no torrential downpour until we were outside of Manhattan.

My sister had never been to New York City, so we took the liberty to show her around, our first stop being the beautiful Grand Central Station, then 5th Avenue and 42nd Street - or the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. After that, we moseyed over to Broadway to check out Times Square. We walked down to Rockefeller Center, through the drizzle and scurried back to the hotel in the rain to make it back for dinner.

There's just something about New York... it was like I was there yesterday and finding things was like the back of my hand. I love the fact that it is set on a grid, making it very easy to find locations just from giving street and cross street names. We also went to the Met to see some Impressionism, strolled through a section of Central Park, and stopped at the Moma to check out Van Gogh's Starry Night. We made the obligatory stop at the World of Disney New York, and ate lunch in Little Italy. We took the Subway down to Ground Zero and remembered respectfully and mindfully at the Visitor's Center right next to the site. Finally, we hurried to Union Square for some shopping, and dashed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We motored around the city on full speed - almost like real New Yorkers, except that we were totally tourists. Since we only had one full day in the city, we didn't make it to the super huge Macy's or the Statue of Liberty, but all the more reason to come back!

East Coast Living

Here we are in New Bedford, MA. We arrived early this morning, with the sunshine nearly blinding our eyes. The flight was smooth, and while the middle seat of the non-upgraded plane wasn't the most comfy, it wasn't bad. I slept the entire way, as Wild Hogs didn't exactly entice me to stay awake. And although it was technically 4:45am on my body clock, the fresh air, and sight of familiar faces was enough to jostle me awake.

I'm officially on vacation. No work, no worries, all fun. I can sleep in without pangs of guilt and eat until my hearts desire. I know that probably isn't the brightest plan, given all my efforts of working out these past few months, but hey, why not live a little? My cousins and sister are fantastic cooks, able to prepare a beautiful spread, enviable by anyone.

There's a party tonight to celebrate my cousin's exist from the teen world, and into his twenties. Ah, to be surrounded by college kids again, haha, as if I'm so far-removed from that sort of environment. There's going to be shrimp, pad thai, chips and salsa, chutney, roasted potatoes, and I think that's just the beginning. There are two kinds of cakes and I'm sure there's to be plenty of fun.

While I'm here, I'd like to hit the beach. Or at least something vaguely resembling a beach. Also, I'd like to take every open opportunity to practice taking photographs. I've already taken some nice nature shots, as well as some up close portraits. Given that I'm still jetlagged and in denial as to how tired I really am,
I think it'll take me another day to get my act together completely. I'm excited though. I get to have more subjects than just my two silly puppies. They are still my favorite subjects though.