Art in Brooklyn

Todd, Sofia, and I went to Dumbo on Saturday to check out the Dumbo Arts Festival. Todd loves art. He's introduced me to a lot of galleries in Chelsea and festivals throughout the city that I never really explored on my own, and this was my first time going to the Art Under the Bridge festival (as it's officially called). Sadly, we didn't end up seeing as much actual art as we would have liked.

There were a lot of interactive and kid-friendly things to see right at the start of the festival, and we spent a good chunk of time at each. Sofia spelled her name with pillows shaped like letters, then she helped spell mine and Todd's, too.




We checked out a balloon-powered paper kite, and played in the playground. And, of course, there was much fun to be had throwing rocks into the water. By the time Todd's friend caught up with us, we were all ready for hot chocolate at Jacques Torres. Nearby was an incredibly patient and creative woman doing little girls' hair with every imaginable sparkly accessory. By the time she was done, each looked like a princess.


After that, we went and looked at some more actual art. It was a fun day, but more diverse and less specifically art-centric than I expected.

Zip Lining Photos

For my birthday, Todd treated me to a zip lining adventure at Spring Mountain in Pennsylvania. We went through East Coast Outdoors, a company a friend opened. They set up hikes, canoe trips, and other excursions for urbanites, and this was our first trip with them.

Zip lining is amazing! It took place at a ski resort who expanded their business by adding zip lines down the mountain. We started by taking a chairlift up to the top of the mountain. There were seven zips to take us down the mountain, and in between were ropes course–types of bridges and other obstacles. The zip lines offered more of an adrenaline rush, and the bridges tested our balance and perseverance. They were a lot harder than they looked.

Here we are, geared up and ready to hit the zips.

A view of our first zip. I was scared to do the first one. It's so counter-intuitive to step off a platform 50 feet off the ground.

Todd looks ready for anything.

And I just look sassy.


At one point we repelled down from one of the zip platforms and had to climb a rope ladder to get up to the next one. The guides invited us to race if we wanted to, and Todd and I went for it.

It was a close one. Todd had height on his side, but I was much faster off the ground. In the end, as you can see from my finger, I was Number One.

Another one of our between-zip-challenges was to cross this unsupported bridge. We did two of them over the course of the day, and they were so wobbly that we really used every muscle in our bodies to hold our balance and stay upright.

Our longest zip was longer than three football fields lined up end to end. The fastest one had us going over 45 miles per hour. It was amazing from start to finish, and I want to do it again!

Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen

Those of you who supported my idea for a Betty Page haircut with bangs are officially the only people who think it's a good idea. I polled a bunch of friends at brunch a couple of weeks ago, asked a few friends at work, and queried Todd. Not one person thought I should do it. I am still itching for a change, so then I started thinking about cutting off some of the length and maybe getting a bob like either Heidi or Mary Kate below.




For the record, I still can't find anyone who thinks this is a good idea. Todd, Dylan, and Sofia all vote no. Shannon, who is growing her hair out, says I'm stealing her hair goal. But a shorter do will be faster to blow dry and, therefore, I'll be more likely to actually do it and have it look good. I'm probably going to do it even though no one wants me to. It's just hair.

A Great Birthday

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so great!

After sleeping in and enjoying the fact that Todd was home again, I spent the first part of my day with Anne. We had a decadent brunch at Max Brenner: Chocolate By the Bald Man. Tell me, who could have a birthday brunch at a place with chocolate right in the name and not indulge? I fully went for it and ordered the chocolate chip pancakes with carmelized bananas. So, so bad, but so so good. We walked off one 1/100th of one bite after lunch by visiting Anthropologie. I love that store but almost never buy anything because it's just so expensive. Veronica and Mike treated me to a gift card to there for my birthday, so Anne and I browsed around and tried to figure out what I'd buy. I found several dresses to covet.

That night, Todd, Dylan, and Sofia took me out to Mama Mexico for a birthday dinner. We had amazing guacamole and all manner of tasty Mexican food before a mariachi band serenaded me with "Happy Birthday" and I opened my presents. I got Pride and Prejudice and Zombies from Todd and The Witches of Eastwick from Shannon. Sofia and Dylan gave me a beautiful notebook to use at work, and Mom sent a computer lamp and gift card to supplement my Anthropologie shopping. There were earrings from Rena and a magazine subscription from Tina. It was a haul! Throughout the day I also got many, many messages from friends and family over Facebook and email, and the whole day made me feel very loved and not at all like an old lady.

On My Own

It's funny how quickly a person can get used to something. I lived alone for almost a decade; well, alone with Camilla, that is. Todd and I have lived together for only a few months and already I feel out of sorts now that he's out of town. He left earlier today for luxurious Dayton, Ohio for work, and I feel like I'm rattling around here on my own.

After he left for LaGuardia, I read A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, a graphic novel Todd bought recently. I watched disc one of the second season of Mad Men. And now I'm watching my first ever episode of Hoarders on A&E, which I keep hearing about but hadn't seen until tonight. Camilla and I are hanging out as we did many nights on our own over the years, but now it's not as much fun.

I'm looking forward to Todd's return.

The End of Summer

We have closed summer with a bang over here. The weather has been sublime (unlike 98% of summer), and we made the most of it.

Yesterday Todd, Dylan, Sofia, and I went out to Coney Island where we rode everything from the Wonder Wheel to the Thunder Bolt to the Cyclone. The Thunder Bolt made me a little dizzy and gave me a headache, but I loved the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone. We also feasted. Everyone but me ate at Nathan's Hot Dogs for lunch; I'm not a hot dog person, so I was able to resist the calorie fest, but I made up for it later with an ice cream cone on the beach.

Today we took the bike out for a ride; it was one of the few rides this whole summer. Between busy schedules and terrible weather, we didn't really cycle as much as I'd have liked, so it was especially good to ride around again before the weather gets too cold. We went down through Central Park and back up through Riverside. The weather was beautiful, and we all loved it. Well...for the most part: Dylan really out grew his bike this summer and made quite a fuss about it being too small for him. We'll definitely need to upgrade before next summer rolls around.

Now the summer is over and work begins in earnest. This Thursday is my first night of back-to-back classes, and one professor gave pre-homework, which I think is a drag. It's neither surprising nor uncommon, but I still wish profs would let us enjoy the final week of break. Alas.