On the Bagel Store

Missed Traditions.

Every time a Jewish holiday rolls around (including next month), I become nostalgic for the familiar treats I once took for granted: Brooklyn-baked challah bread, everything bagels with fresh lox, and my grandmother's once-famous matzah ball soup. Perhaps on account of altitude limitations (though, others claim it's the Coloradan water), I have yet to find suitable replacements, and frequently lug back two dozens bagels with each visit back east.  Enjoy!

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On Debbie Downers

Misery Loves Company.

The New Yorker in me gets down with the Debbie Downers around town, although they are few and far between in these parts.  It’s true what they say about Denver, Colorado: the sun is (nearly) always shining (rumors claim 300 days per year!), the grass (while airing on the side of desert-brown) still glimmers greener pastures, and everyone is friendly almost all of the time.  And while – at heart – I’d just as comfortably ignore my fellow sidewalk patrons and grocery store attendants, it’s a lifestyle that even the most urban misfits can get used to.  A year into my new habituation, my step is softer, my smile frequently on hand, and my NY-mentality open to daily pleasantries.  Enjoy!
 
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On Meeting the Beatles

Many Firsts.

When friends and acquaintances ask me to "pick the song" for the nextfewminutes/hour/orevening, my usual dumbfounded response is to redirect the responsibility back to them since my musical knowledge is excruciatingly limited.  When frequently asked for the second time, I demonstrate these limitations by admitting that until this very year, I'm not sure I'd successfully recognize a photograph of Lenny Kravitz (gasp!), let alone an actual musical prelude, and so really, you should just pick the song.  And upon insistence, I'll ultimately go for The Beatles (or Bob Dylan) because I know just enough to play it safe, and then I quickly (and proudly) turn to my actual area of expertise: prime-time television and literary novels.  Enjoy!

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On Simplicity

Wedding Etiquette 101.

After reuniting with east coast/high school friends to attend a Maine wedding this past weekend, I reflect on nearly two decades of friendship and growth.  Watching the long-time couple finally tie the knot after 16 years of dating, I recall in great detail the first night it all began.  The bride was as smitten then as on her wedding day, and the groom as coolly reserved and committed as he was at fifteen. The ceremony was perfect, with a picturesque view of the New England harbor and their joyous future that lies ahead.  Enjoy!


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On Anti-Anxiety

Deep Breaths.

Two weeks ago, I ventured (via rail) to the top of a fourteen-er, which (in Colorado speak) means a mountain that reaches up to 14,000 feet high.  Perusing the gift shop during the hour leading up the trip, I loaded my wallet and purse with overly-priced altitude preventatives: oxygen cans, anti-nausea pills, multicolored lollipops, and several liters of water.  Prepared for the worst, I took deep breaths during 125% railway inclines (according to the conductor on the loudspeaker, who sprinkled his facts with unfunny altitude-related jokes), with little thought or care for the view that waited atop.  As the train came to a halt and doors opens, my anxiety dissipated as quickly as the spectacular light-headed world took hold.  Enjoy!

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On the Waiting Game

Dis-Connect.

Recently, after finding myself growing increasingly impatient with electronically-distracted companions, I've made yet another conscious decision to disconnect from technological disturbances.  A harder feat to execute than envision, I pass the time by willing myself to wait patiently for my turn (on lines, in conversations, in between meetings) rather than tune out from the once-beautiful world around me.  Enjoy! 

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On Aging Romance

Wilted Commitment.

To maintain a deepened sense of love and commitment across a lifetime of ups and downs is to recognize the dedication and sacrifice that will ultimately be called upon.  The rewards, in return, will make decades feel like hours, minutes like seconds, and the moments in between like distant memories.  Enjoy!   

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On Sober Transactions

The Naked Truth

Before real life and responsibility set in, we wine and dine new lovers and friends with the carelessness of tipsy excitement and freshness, ignoring the inevitable seriousness that will (eventually) intrude.  Honesty is relinquished through the easy haze of drunken banter, as relationships transform from perfect stranger(s) to imperfect companion(s).  Enjoy!

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On Difficult News

Expecting the Unexpected.

The phone rings as per usual on a day that has yet to define itself from any other.  Salutations are exchanged with undetected hesitancy, until the difficult news is (finally) shared.  A combination of silent pauses, uncontrollable tears, and unanswerable questions interlace with a memorable fluidity that will eventually be recalled in greater detail than actually exists.  Momentary calmness takes hold until dial tones resume, and lives are irreversibly changed forever.  Enjoy!

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On Fine Print

Reading In Between.

Amidst a (winding-down) summer packed with Denver-bound visitors and multiple trips back east (-to attend weddings, family dinners, and attempt an unrequited fix of New York City), I (finally) find myself with a few hours to do anything I please, and I choose the only obvious choice: begin (reading) a new novel.  My personal library fills with promises of endless entertainment, as I run through the list of usual suspects - Eggers, (Z.) Smith, Chabon, and Auster - debating whether to leap into contemporary angst or visit old friends in the Victorian era.  Enjoy!

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On Out-of-Towners

This blog will resume on Monday, August 20th, after a week of out-of-town guests!

On "Rest Hour"

Summer Camp, circa 1990's.

During summer camp "rest hour" each day (--the hour before lunch when campers retired to their bunks to play cards, take naps, receive snail mail, and ultimately rest) anticipating breathes were held and fingers crossed as Unit Directors popped in with a handful of hand-written treats.  Names were called and envelopes dispersed, as disappointment settled in for those (nameless) less fortunate, until the next rest hour (the very next day) when the cycle would begin again.  Enjoy!

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On Elopement

The After(-the-Fact) Party.

The appeal of elopement relates to eliminating the wedding woes associated with mitigating everyone else’s opinions about how, when, in what, and in front of whom one should walk down the aisle of marital commitment.  And yet few people take the private plunge, at the risk of alienating the very guests whose ideas and ideologies will eventually be heard, whether the audience is one or one hundred.  Enjoy! 

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On Old(er) Age

Looking Forward.

We look back on our youth with the optimistic perspective of those who've let time and distance heal (most) wounds, forgetting quickly the trials and tribulations of *that* particular age. Yet in the moment, we (tend to) see only what's directly in front of us, searching for the same momentum we believe we once had, failing to acknowledge that every decade had its pros and cons, the good with the bad, the key to which requires balancing the old with the new, the true with the false, and the past with the present with the future.  Enjoy!

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On the Goodbye Kiss

Sans Romance.

Unlike most people with a higher tolerance for the physical salutations than I (aka a handshake, hug, or kiss on the cheek), I prefer to awkwardly wave goodbye from a distance (or high five out of contact-necessity) than hand out affection on an as-needed basis.  Protective of my salutary greeting reserve, this archaic philosophy presents ongoing anxiety-provoking anticipation, as I typically conform to the comfort-levels of those around, revealing only after-the-fact my preference for objective personal space. Enjoy!

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On Parental Advice

Ignite or Ignore?

Statistically speaking, even the most  unintuitive parental figures are likely to shower us with enlightening advice at some point (in our lives).  Whether we seize their words of wisdom or ignore them depends on the complicated layers of familial relationships, the depth (and nature) of (our)  self-perception, and the (un)predictable circumstantial characteristics. Enjoy!

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On Back in the Day

25-Cent Chips.

After school play dates in the 80's and 90's consisted of 2-hour excursions to the 11th street playground (Prospect Park, Brooklyn/NY) between March and November, followed by ice pops from the corner (grocery) store, the flavor of which varied solely based on which store you happen to stop into on that particular day.  On colder afternoons, twenty-five cent potato chip options wasted five to ten minutes more, until promises to share flavored snacks were exchanged between knobby-kneed friends, and the five block walk from 11th street to 16th (and from 9th avenue to 7th) resumed with little notice.  Enjoy! 

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On Superman vs. Batman

Superhero Fanaticism.

While my own obsession with superheroes has never quite reached Comic-Con status, I can certainly appreciate the wave of comfort and admiration felt at the sight of Superman rescuing Lois Lane or Batman and Robin collaborating with ease.  Whether in dark-rimmed glasses or brightly-colored leotards, fantasies of swooping rescuers suggest the limitless of imagination, and the complex personae available to us all.  Enjoy!

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On Internet Courtships

Sent Mail.

The latest facebook message/email/chat arrives and butterflies flutter inside and out, as personal information, flirty anecdotes, and inquisitive questions are exchanged between less-than-strangers.  And so begins the internet courtship, where eye contact is replaced by stimulating texts and witty banter, and virtual first/second/and third delay the eventual introduction that too frequently disappointments.  Enjoy!

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