On a New York State

...of Mind.  Back from Brooklyn next week, this blog will resume on Tuesday, July 3rd! 

On Misleading Misdemeanors

Cops & Robbers.

My pre-teenage dabbling with thievery consisted of casually slipping Revlon lipsticks (shade: Coffee Bean) into my premature purse (or was it backpack?) as my 13-year-old heart beat louder than it should for someone my age.  Other friends were more courageous than I - eye shadows, candy bars, and bathing suits (!) - as I marveled aloud at their newly-acquired loot, with both admiration and compromised morality.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Regret

Alternative Solutions.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." And if we're actually (or eventually) able to gain clarity of the opportunity that lies ahead, choosing whether to seize that moment or, instead, dabble between the possibilities of the unknown is another story of an invention yet to be discovered.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Digital Destruction

A Picture's (or Novel's) Worth.

I won my first kindle yesterday (through a raffle in Las Vegas) and my reaction is bittersweet.  On the one hand, my four and a half hour flight to New York next week will be lighter than ever (or so my co-workers assure me).  On the other hand, my travels will deprive me of the opportunity for camaraderie around shared literature choices -- I can often be found in chapter three of The Great Gatsby, chapter two of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and a non-committal skim of Fifty Shades of Grey - a threesome that's bound to draw attention.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On 300 Days of Sunshine

Oy Vey Dot Com.

I blame my own anxiety battles not on my Judaism (see today's article) but on the context of my fears.  A native New Yorker who - less than one year ago - relocated to the wild, wild west (aka Denver, Colorado), how can one expect me to soak up the picturesque Rocky mountains, blue skies, and 300 Days of Sunshine when bears, coyotes, and mountain lions roam the very same monumentally-inviting terrain?  On the flip side, trap me in an non-air conditioned (New York City) subway car, underground on a 100-degree day with angry, overworked fellow natives and I’ll find 300 ways to stay calm, avoid eye contact, and stay out of life-threatening trouble.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Psychics 101

Channeling the Energy.

On a recent "ghost" tour of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (the supposed inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining), the tour guide (Meryl) recounted tales of unexplainable "energy," allegedly responsible for midnight whispers from empty hotel rooms and child-like squeals in desolate hallways.  Half the tour members (specifically, myself and my parents) rolled their eyes in disbelief (and boredom), while the other half-believers enthusiastically asked inquisitive questions about the moods of the energy, and shared their own encounters from another dimension.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On "Ex" Best Friends

BFF For Now.

One can only hope that the break up is half as amicable as the make-ups that preceded it, as the ex-factor, modern day fairytale (hopes to) go. Yet between facebook stalking, new beaus, and sappy post-relationship love song predicaments, it doesnt take a Magic Eight Ball to figure out that the outlook-not-(looking)-so-good.  But an ex can dream, can't (s)he? Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Words Per Minute

One...Two...

There were the fast-readers, who always finished standardized tests first, were consistently three chapters ahead in (the driest of) textbook assignments, and who effortlessly summarized Shakespeare sonnets as if it ain't no thang, and then there was everyone else.  I fall into the latter group (only semi-proudly so), and as I currently creep my way (at a snail's pace) through my first read (ever) of The Great Gatsby, I find myself back in my middle school mentality, competing (and falling extremely behind) my imaginary classmates who are already skimming the optional analyses while I have yet to actually meet Mr. Gatsby (in "fictional" person), two and a half months in.  I blame (not myself but) our unforgivable reliance on technology (torn between our eventual introduction and mingling with the waitstaff of Dowton Abbey), while simultaneously forcing myself to read as little as a single paragraph (as I did long ago) so that one year from now I can (finally) participate in the dinner party (class) discussion.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On (Another) Conference

...in Las Vegas!  This blog will resume on Monday, June 18th, after I return, hopefully with more money.

On the Fun Stuff

Sorta.

I went through five desk jobs within the first four months out of college (once I returned home from sleep away camp, of course) because having spent every internship-worthy moment between coursework at said camp, I was spoiled against the angst of sitting in front of a computer for an unimaginable number of hours in a row.  And so I continued to evade assistant-ship roles by making plans to flee New York for Denver, Colorado (which never happened, at least not then) and found creative ways to make a living (residential life staff at a Pennsylvanian university, babysitting, and eventually grad school) until it couldn't be avoided any longer.  And so began my first taste of "the fun stuff" ... in publishing.  (I quit one year later, to date).  Enjoy!

Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Two Sides

(Of) Every Story.

We (re)write history the way we want to remember it, forgetting (too frequently) that there are (always) two sides to every story.  And if we're lucky enough to revisit both perspectives - days, months or years down the line -  we hope to acknowledge that although history repeats itself, people can (and do) change.  Enjoy!   

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On the Facebook Dilemma

Where to Draw the Line.

My relationship with facebook has certainly changed over the last few years, but not that much. Used as a lens into other people's lives (new baby! relationship! engagement!), I (also) can't help but self promote my (own) onbeingunrelated blog on these very walls, without which readership would decrease a whole 2 percent (which I most definitely cannot afford). But every once in awhile the debate over whether to drop off the face of this virtual planet creeps up, as (baby) solid food milestones are boasted about and breakup baggage is waved before our semi-hungry eyes, taking away from the original allure of what brought us to this book of faces in the first place.  And so the facebook dilemma ensues... Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Marriage Proposals

Two Million (Youtube) Views.

Speaking more from youtube fanaticism [see link above] and less from actual experience, I imagine that regardless of where, when, and how one's marriage proposal eventually takes place, the decision to declare ones intent to spend an entire lifetime together is as perfect as the two people (are for each other) in that moment.  Whether choreographed or spontaneous, questions are asked, rings exchanged, and decisions made that irrevocable change what lies ahead.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Fearlessness

I Am Not.

Fearless - I am not, but you can always count on me to try the very things I fear most.  For some, coming along for this experience is less than a pleasurable one, as I tend to face my fears kicking and screaming (and crying) as loudly as I can.  But if you can endure the noise, sweat, and tears, I promise to snorkel in deep, dark waters (*too scared to actually swim near the fish, no one told me about the possibility of sharks), skydive indoors (*I have my limitations, outdoors being one of them), backpack at high altitude (*with an emergency pack on hand for the myriad of altitude sickness signs and symptoms), and move across a country way too far from the people I love most (*and fly home monthly in between hours of emails, skype, and chat).  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On Post-Breakup Navigation

Where to (Re)Start?

Moving out - (and moving on) - is easier said than done.  But the alternative - a life of entrapment over enlightenment - is worse than pangs associated with post-breakup navigation.  And so we take five deep breaths and one day at a time, and find the stamina to (re)start from the beginning again.  Enjoy! 

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]

On My (Best) Friend's Visit

Showing my friend around; this blog will resume tomorrow June 5th, 2012!

On Book Club Crowds

Too Little or Too Much?

Bonding with others over a shared love for the same literature, authors, chapters and happy (or otherwise) endings is like finding a (novel) soul mate amongst a sea of a thousand strangers.  Favorite quotes are exchanged, new titles recommended, and semi-familiar passages emailed during lunch hour.  Enjoy!

[Blog Reminder: Click on Subtitle Above for Article.]