Charleston in Pictures

A beautiful sunset

Karl and her camera.

As this picture indicates, us "city folk" did a lot of sitting around on the boat (while Ian and Kate did all of the work...).

Ian, and his skipper, Kate.

In the evening's glow, Mark and I on the boat as it pulled away from Charleston Crab House.

Sisters on the boat.

Mark on the boat as Ian pulls away from the Marina.

Karl took her seat at the bow.

On Sunday, we hit the choppy waters surrounding Charleston on the O'Connell boat...with Captain Ian at the helm.

Ian and Karl toast the great weekend

Ian and me...

Cousin, wife, husband, cousin :-)

After dinner, we stopped by a wine bar that came to Charleston by way of New York--or Paris. If it wasn't for the onslaught of seersucker and floppy hair, I'd of thought I was home!

Michael and Ann, post-dinner at Pane e Vino.

Rachel and Ian-- Pane e Vino (Kate's sister's restaurant on Warren Street) on Saturday night.

Mark and I relaxing on the deck

Soon, we (kinda) fixed the undertanned problem. Here's Mark after a day in the sun--reading on M & A's deck.

Mark, Ian, and I. I was a little underdressed (and undertanned) for the beautiful Charleston crowd.

When we made it to Charleston, we had a nice dinner with Ann, Michael, Molly, and Ian--and then Ian took us out to town for a drink.

Mark takes a go at the game---he was better than me.

A trip down 95 just isn't complete without a stop at CRACKAH BARREL (and it's golf-tee peg game)

Out With a Bang

I have to take back that easy-breezy last-day-of-school mentality I so glowingly wrote about this morning.

I just returned from the "principal's office" where I engaged in a psudo-exit interview-slash- hour-long heated lecture/critique/overall psychotic babble with the boss-lady.

The last time I left "school" with this much resentment was in 5th grade when we were forced to face Ms. Jordan's rath one last time (she was consequently fired).

Yeah, it's that bad.

Last Day

Today kind of feels like the last day of school for me. The sun is out, I'm wearing shorts (yep, shorts), and I've packed up my desk (in an extra-large Tiffany's box, no less--they sponsor a few of our races). All I'm waiting for is my popsicle, my report card, and the final bell to ring so I can be released outside--away from teachers, books, and dirty looks (how does that song go again?). But this time, I don't have a three-month vacation ahead of me. It's more like three days--but I'll take it.

It seems as though my departure set off a bit of a trend. In just a few weeks, two of my co-workers will be enjoying the last-day-of-school feeling, too. This department will dwindle down to two full-time employees (when I started, we were about ten strong). It kind of makes me feel better knowing that I wasn't the only person who was unhappy (okay, miserable) working underneath a manager who can only be described as a manic, obsessive, psycho control-freak. Hopefully, the departure of three employees in rapid-fire succession will make the powers-that-be take notice and take action.

But I can't concern myself with those details anymore. I'm outta here. Sianora. Hasta La Vista. Peace out.

Now, where's that popsicle?

Happy Birthday, Muthe!

May 25th will forever be marked as one of the greatest days in the world.
Why?
Because it's the day my beautiful, smart, talented, generous, and funny "muthe" was born!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIZ!

We love you!

Sneak Preview

One of the many projects I'm currently working on is a piece about runners with interesting jobs. Here's a sneak preview of one of those profiles. Mind you, this is RAW (meaning it's yet to be edited), so be nice if you're going to critique!

Father Jorge Fernandez can recall almost every second of the morning of May 2, 2005. He remembers waking up, throwing on his running clothes, and stepping into the cool, spring air to go for a quick five-miler. He remembers being approached by a group of teenagers. He remembers falling to the dusty ground and getting kicked hard in the head.

He remembers waking up in the hospital, his body—fit and taut from nearly three decades as a runner—bruised and aching from his injuries. A broken nose. A cracked rib. A smashed jaw. A punctured lung. Gaping wounds in his forehead. Enough trauma to keep him locked in intensive care for nine straight days.

One thing Ferndandez doesn’t recall about that morning was dealing with thoughts or doubt and despair. That’s because he didn’t have any. True to his vocation, Fernandez, a Colombian-born member of the Yarumal Missionaries and a parochial vicar at Our Saviour Parish in the Bronx, is a man of deep faith. He thrives on positive thinking and the power of prayer. He willed himself to recover. He received solidarity and strength in the prayers and thoughts of thousands.

“I received so much support from the people of New York. Because of that, I was able to heal quickly,” says the 42-year-old Fernandez. “It helped, too, that I was in such good shape. That was the first time I’d ever been admitted to a hospital for more than one day in my life.”

Today, the only visible reminders that remain of the attack are two boomerang-shaped scars on his forehead and a slight bump on the bridge of his nose. Fernandez has returned to running—up to 70 miles a week—and racing (he completed the adidas Race for the Parks 4 Miler in 21:24). Next, he’s gunning to run the 2006 ING New York City Marathon in 2:45, although he concurs that it’s difficult squeezing in races that fall on his busiest day of the week.

“Many races, including the marathon, are on Sundays, when I have mass. But if I know that the mass will be at 11 or 12, I go to the race, I run very fast, and I come back to the church,” he says, explaining that last year, he was able to run eight NYRR races. “It works out. I just try to always be in good shape and ready to race.”

One of 14 children, Fernandez started running in 1979, enjoying a successful amateur career that took him as far as the Andes Mountains to race. Later, he ran amongst buffalo, elephants, and even lions in the semi-desert of northern Kenya, where he lived as a missionary among the Samburu tribe and became known as “God’s Runner.” And in 2001, he was assigned to be the vicar of Our Saviour in New York—where, of course, he continues to run while overseeing the parish of more than 350 families as well as serving as chairman of Yarumal Missioners, the first foreign mission society founded in Latin America.

“Yes, My job is demanding, but running gives my life balance" says Fernandez, “It keeps me in good shape, gives me an open mind, and makes me ready for anything.”

Gym Sightings

Chelsea Piers was a veritable breeding ground for celebrities yesterday:

...Aussie covergirl Gemma Ward looking lost in the locker room. She appeared to be on her way to the pool. My guess is that she was going to do no more than a 50-meter float, as her gangly limbs seemed incapable of much else.

...GQ EIC (that's Editor in Chief in magazine-speak) Jim Nelson dashing down the stairs. Had Karl not been with me, I wouldn't have noticed him, because he's just a scrap of a man. (He's no Graydon Carter, that's for sure...)

...Ms. Rose DeWitt Bukater herself, Kate Winslet, swimming laps alongside Bec. Bec reports that she has a "normal" body and a pretty face. No trainer or kids in sight.

I Can Feel the Sun...

This morning, as I circled Central Park on my bike in the 45-degree weather--my extremities numbing and my nose running--I warmed myself with thoughts of tranquil breezes, swaying palm trees, and the sun casting its hot rays down on my face. The high today in Charleston is going to be 80. I'd say that's worth a 15-hour drive any day.

Too bad I have to get through this work week (my last 3 days!) first.

Karl's Published!

Karl's little ditty about that funky smell that fills her nose each morning as she strolls past the New York Times building is featured today on gawker--the number one media and gossip blog in Manhattan, read by practically everyone in the city!!

Check it out here. The only thing they got wrong is her place of residency--no sister of mine would ever live in Hell's Kitchen!

Congratulations, Anna!

Yesterday, we celebrated Anna's graduation from Bentley College (with honors!). After an early morning spent at the Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park (where I had to interview one of the runners) and a lovely breakfast at the Sweet Life, Mark, Karl, and I trained up to Ramsey to pick up our car. I held my breath the whole way there, worried that the X wouldn't start after its 3-month hibernation in the garage. But despite being covered in a thick blanket of dust (fortunately washed away by today's rain), the X started right up and got us to Ridgefield in no time. There, we were joined by Uncle Joe, Stella, the 'rents, Leezie and Speed, Bec and John, Anna's college friends, and some Ridgefield neighbors. The food, of course, was delicious--we wouldn't expect anything less from Mario and Bubba!

That's Anna's opening up her presents, above. More pictures are below.

Bubba's amazing cake

Bubba toasts the grad.

Mario's turn to toast

Sisters + Cousin

Breakfast and the Times at the Sweet Life Cafe

Craig Mottram, winner of the Healthy Kidney 10K, takes his victory lap draped in the Aussie flag.

Craig Mottram at the Healthy Kidney in Central Park

Girls' Night In

Rent of a 2-Bedroom East Village Apartment: $2,000.00 per month
Sex and the City Box Set: $60.00
A coupla bottles of wine: $20.00

Spending time with two of your best girl friends on a gloomy (and potentially rainy) night*? Priceless.

*While Mark enjoys free rein of the apartment--and the TV/XBox--Keren and I are heading over to Nandita's for a girls' night in. A perfect way to end the week---and to get the weekend off to a great start! Happy Friday!

Please Don't Call it a Comeback...

I have great memories of making scrunchies by covering strips of elastic or stretchy tops of gym socks with colorful fabric (one to match every outfit!) But that was maybe 15 years ago, and I abandoned those funky hair bands right around the same time I ditched my slap bracelets and L.A. Gear high-tops. Now that the 80's are back in full-force (you can't walk down any street in New York without seeing a girl sporting black leggings underneath a mini skirt), I'm wondering: will scrunchies make a come back, too?

I hope not. Ever since I saw the classic Sex and the City episode when Carrie is aghast over Aidan describing the heroine in novel wearing a scrunchie, I assumed that any woman (in New York at least) would never, ever consider wearing a scrunchie again. It's not like I think SATC should dictate every fashion choice we make, but I felt as though this sentiment, like our love of nice bags and good shoes, was shared by women city wide. Sure, scrunchies are functional. And yep--they're super cute on those under the age of 10. But with regular ol' plastic "ballies", barrettes, and claw clips being as cheap and readily-available as they are, what's the point of tying your hair back with a clunky old relic like a scrunchie?

Maybe I'll ask the scrunchie-wearer I see on a daily basis why she's still holding on to hers. That, and the lycra t-shirt emblazoned with a particular patriotic logo that was really, really cool in 1997.

"Short" lived-celebration

It's official: Our superfast performances in last night's race can be attributed to the course being cut short by NYPD. Exactly how much they lopped off has yet to be determined, but I'd speculate at least 100-200 meters. Meaning, my sub-20 performance would actually be closer to 20:30 or so had we actually run a whole 5K. Still, 20:30 is about 20 seconds faster than what I ran on Sunday, so I really can't complain. So it seems like this whole racing instead of training approach is working out quite well!

Regardless of last night, I'm optimistic about the upcoming races. I had a lot of energy this morning at 5 a.m. when I got up for my ride. Instead of a brick (bike/run) workout, Mark rode with me to the park and we did one full loop around Central Park before he headed back home, then I continued on to do another full loop, and then a "lower-5" loop, which follows the same path, but cuts out a mile's worth of hills. I think I rode about 23 miles in all, and I'll tack on another six or so tonight. But Lance I'm definitely not...I'm still feeling like a slow-poke on the bike and continue to be passed by big-butts and grannies alike! I'll keep plugging away, and hopefully the more I ride, the better I'll get!

WOW.

Tonight, Bec and I ran in the AHA Wall Street Run 5K. We both did it for fun, but it seems as though "fun" for Bec is running at a 5:18-per-mile pace! That's the clip she held throughout the race as she cruised to a huge win in 16:24. Not only did she set the course record by about a mile, but she also was beat by just ten men--out of over 4,000 total runners. I was utterly humbled to be in her presence tonight, especially considering I finished a good 3.5 minutes behind her. (But I still managed to run my fastest 5K in years...though that's not saying much considering my lackluster post-high school running history!).

Afterward, we had a nice walk home as the sun set over the Hudson River--I'm so happy to have Bec back, even if it's just for a few weeks!

Early morning tomorrow (triathlon workout at 6 a.m.) so it's off to bed!

Mother's Day Weekend: A Look Back

Later on in the afternoon, we went to University of Maryland's Mother Day Brunch at the Golf Club. This was actually the third year in a row that I've gotten to gorge at this all-you-can-eat affair, so I feel very lucky! Thanks to Uncle Phil for treating us, and of course to my mom and Jeanie for giving us a reason to celebrate! Here are some pictures I took of Ella at the brunch. As you can see, I can't really get enough of her!

After our morning in VA, we headed over to MD and University Towers to continue to Mother's Day fun. Karl and Leezie were about to head back to NYC, but we managed to take this right before they got on the road. We all look a little worse for the wear, but we did have a nice time together, really!

Like mother, like son!

After breakfast, we had a little photo shoot out on the deck. Apparently, it was blue polo day---I didn't get the call :)

After the race, we celebrated Mother's Day with breakfast and prezzies at the Flynn's.

On Sunday morning, we woke up and ran the Angelkisses 5K in Chantilly. Despite not winning any of the thousands of door prizes they gave out after the race, we still managed to have a good time.

Corinne and I in Bethesda. Mark took this after we went to dinner at rockin' Rock Bottom in downtown Bethesda on Saturday night. As usual, it was so lovely to hang out with her. I got to see her again on Monday, this time in her new office building on Thomas Circle. We met up with Lonnie for lunch and then hung out in the sun for a bit before retreating back to her office. I'm extremely jealous of the free (and bottomless) fountain drinks in the state-of-the-art kitchen.

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

How fitting that the title of this entry happens to be the song that's playing on my iPod right now...and the theme of my morning so far. What do I want that I can't get? A cheap way to get to Charleston! Mark and I were planning a road trip down south next weekend, but due to our recent DMV disasters (and the 15-hour drive meshed with absurd gas prices), we are seeking alternate means of transportation. An overnight train ride seemed fun--until I saw the $400+ fare. Planes are quick, sure, but it's going to take me a looong time to pay back the $650 (each) ticket I'd have to plunk down on my credit card. I'm now looking into planes to any destination down south, where we can pick up a rental car and make our way to Charleston. Easier said than done--especially when we only have a three-day window of vacation time. And did I mention it's Memorial Day weekend? I'm beginning to think this mini vacay is turning into a rather large pipe dream!

If anyone has any ideas (or spare frequent flyer miles), please let me know!

So a priest, a taxi driver, and a banker walk into a bar...

This evening, I am venturing up to the Bronx (East 183rd Street, to be exact) to meet with a priest at Our Savior Catholic Church. No, I'm not seeking spiritual guidance. I'm actually interviewing the priest-- a Columbian immigrant and a top masters runner for a local team--for a feature I'm writing entitled "Fast Runners. Fast Life." Basically, the idea is to profile 4 top local runners who work as hard as they run. So far, I have a priest, a Mexican restaurant owner, a TV commercial producer/taxi driver, and an investment banker. I hope to get some good stories out of these folks, as I'm sure they have a lot of good ones to share!

Actually, here's a snippet from the producer/taxi driver:

I made the mistake of telling one woman where I lived when we drove by my apt.
She asked me if I owned it and I told her I did.
I got a $0.30 tip on that $12.70 fare.
She must have imagined I didn't need a good tip since I owned my apartment I guess.

Weekend recap

Mark and I shuffled into town last night at the ripe hour of 2 a.m. True to it's nickname as the city that never sleeps, NYC was abuzz with hot dog vendors, cabs, cars, and people zooming down the streets and sidewalks. We hailed a cab right away and get home by 2:20ish, but I probably didn't fall asleep until 3 as I was up doing the "graduation shuffle" desperately searching for my lost contact solution in my bags. For those of you contact-wearers who are as blind as I am, no solution+tired eyes=uncomfortable dryness and the potential of losing your contact(s), therefore requiring you to wear glasses that are about three years and five presciptions old! I finally gave up on the search and resorted to bed, making me very happy to find a stash of fresh contacts in the medicine cabinet this morning.

The late night was definitely worth it, though, as we were able to enjoy Mr. Flynn's retirement party until the bitter end. It was a very touching and fun evening that included a slideshow the company brought back from his 25th anniversary party eight years ago, and great speeches including one from Mr. Marriott himself who gave a very nice send-off. Mr. Flynn also delivered an excellent speech in which he spoke of reaching two brass rings in his life: one being when he married Margie, and the other when he started working for Marriott. There weren't many dry eyes in the house at that point! Later on, they gave out his gifts, which I was particularly interested in after seeing that the Mount was especially generous to Deegan at his retirement last week. Marriott did not disappoint--their coup de gras was a golf club membership and a choice of lessons, accessories, or discounted golf clubs.

The party capped a great weekend that also included visits with Corinne, Lonnie, and the NG Kids staff, Mother's Day festitivies in NoVa and Maryland, playtime with Ella, and the 5K run in Chantilly. I'm proud to say that Mark dropped about two minutes from his time in last week's race--and I ran about 1:30 minutes faster. It could have been that last week's course was long--and harder--but it's always good to see improvement. No Vegan treats this time around, though.

As I enter the final days of my job, I am pretty swamped with finishing things up. This week includes--but is not limited to--multiple interviews with local runners (a taxi driver, a priest, and a Mexican immigrant); training at my new position; another 5K race; and various season finales of my favorite shows!

Pictures from the weekend to be posted tonight.

Pictures! Finally!!

Meg, Keren, and I at Fiddlesticks on Friday night. Meg is leaving CosmoGIRL to tour Europe, and graciously thought of me when she resigned (that's how I got the job). As you can see, I'm definitely the World's Tallest Woman around her!

Patty and I at Zum Schneiders on Avenue C on Friday night. She's off to the Galapagos Island for the next 9 days--jealous? I am!

Last Weekend's Pics (Deegan's Retirement Party, Run for the Animals, and more)

Mark and I at the farm, ready to head out to Deegan's retirement party

The parents-to-be, Ashley and Joe

Michelle and Ashley (didn't get a good shot of the bump!)

Fun at Wheaton Regional Park!

Ella loved to swing!

Ella gets a push from Liz as Uncle/"Papa" looks on.

Mark gives Ella a lift.

Karl and Ella tackle the rocking horse.

Jeanie, Uncle Phil, and Ella take off on the train.

London Pics (finally!)

The Union Jacks line the street in honor of the marathon.

I was a little happier to pose---despite the cold, rainy day, the flowers here were in full bloom!