I like it. I make interesting discoveries ALL THE TIME. Like this one: If I work all day on writing, it's totally okay to take two hours off in the afternoon. With those hours, I can do whatever I'd like. No guilt. Yesterday I went for a run around Lake Merritt with Clara (running you ask? Why, yes, I used to be a runner. I hadn't run for so long that I couldn't find my iPod and I put my bra on backwards. The run itself was great. I'm easing back in slowly, so I'm doing the Couch to 5K again, and in the first week you only run 8 out of 30 minutes; the rest is walking. But I still call it a run, and I can FEEL it today).I also did errands, and just hung out.
And today I used those two hours to take a nap. A lovely, lazy nap, something I wish I could do every day of my life. I'm almost done with the completely delightful DIRTY LIFE: On Farming Food and Love, by Kristin Kimball (a girl from Manhattan who falls for a rather… eccentric farmer and moves to the country to farm — to me she's the female version of Michael Perry — the subtext is different, but the voice is very similar, a love song to things usually unsung). I read it in bed until I drifted off, listening to the sounds of the high school football field, the ice cream truck, sirens (always sirens in the city). Miss Idaho formed herself to one side, and Waylon (none of the cats except Digit are allowed in the bedroom to sleep at night, but naps are the exception) pressed up against the other.
Lovely. Now I'm rested and refreshed, and I can't decide whether to a) write some more or b) clean up my office, which looks like a tornado hit it. I think, on reflection, I'll do the latter. It's been depressing me, but I've been too busy to fix it. I'd also like to tidy some things in the back yard, put away some things that already got hit with the first rains, but that might be a little ambitious.
It's perfect here today — I think that's why I'm reflective and why I have that fall cleaning urge. It's really, really fall and I want to clean things and buy new pencils and bake a lot. Made delicious banana muffins yesterday, and I think I've eaten six of them today (they were really small, and BOY running gives me an appetite).
And I keep telling myself I will NOT break into the Halloween candy. I believe that resolve will last until six pm. Probably.
Some pics from the trip that I just took off the camera:
Me at the Jane Hotel, again trying to show how impossibly small the room is. That's the whole room there. The mirror makes it look bigger.
Views from the High Line, the old raised train tracks on the West Side that has been turned into a lovely public park.
I love this piece of art at the end of the High Line.
Brownstone and pumpkins.
Church door in Chelsea.
Interior shot of the Jane.
Now, to Organize Things!
Pencils! Yes, the perfect symbol of fall! I enjoyed your NYC pictures. What fun!
Oh, wow I think I *really* need to read this book. I just gave up living in Seattle to move north to a farm in Rural Alberta with my love.
It’s definitely a new way to live. Nothing like I’ve done before.
I need to go back to NYC. Been too long. Of course, it’s been even longer since I’ve been back to Spain, so I really, really need to go there first.
And I’m bummed I missed you at Rhinebeck!
I bought that book in Rhinebeck, and read it in one day! Excellent book! Were you at the sheep and wool festival?? And didn’t tell your loyal readers??
those muffins were YUM. gotta make my jane reservation soon, m’thinks. and really…is the bed smaller than a twin? just thinkin, thinkin, thinkin
Oakland running festival March 26-27, 2011. 5k, Half Marathon, Full marathon and Marathon Relay.
Hint Hint!
Also, nothing better for a gloomy day than a couple of furry friends and a good book.
NYC is my birthplace- I now live in OH and miss it a lot- thanks for the great pix of home!
I love that you went to New York by yourself because I want to do the same thing. Did you feel safe by yourself? Was it intimidating getting around? Was it your first trip, or had you been before? I think I’ll start planning my trip now–what a great place to stay.