the opera

Last weekend I went to the opera, my first time ever. My friend Donna got me a ticket to see Parsifal at The Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center. Since I had the afternoon free, I decided why not. Even though it was over 5 1/2 hours long. Yikes. Given the lack of sleep, I was afraid of falling asleep during one of the three acts. Fortunately I didn't nod off on any of my neighbors.



parsifal.

 

I really want to give a synopsis of the story, but I feel like I wouldn't do it justice or even get it right. It takes place in Spain. There's a boy that makes bad decisions, who grows older and becomes wiser. There's a king and the holy grail. Women are seducing men. There are knights and people in disguise. If you want to read more: go here.

 

The opera was sung in German, which I don't understand at all. Unless you count guttentag. They did have subtitles, which I didn't realize right away. I was conflicted on whether I should put them on or not. I decided no. I wanted to listen and watch, not read. Although, I'm sure I would have gotten more of the story if I read them. But you know, they didn't have subtitles back in the day. Maybe I'll read them next time.

 

the met.

 

I would go again, maybe see something a bit more well-known, like Phantom. But it's pricey to go to the opera, so it's definitely a once in a long-time thing. Plus, I don't feel old or fancy enough to go on a regular basis.



pretty lights.

Lincoln Center is really beautiful though. It was nice to go again. I admired the space inside and out. So far, I've gone to the ballet and opera at Lincoln Center. Next up is the Philharmonic Orchestra. Maybe next year. Then I'll be officially cultured.
 

lincoln center.

 

books (2013 part 1)

I've totally been slacking and haven't blogged in almost 2 months. Whoops.

 

I'm kicking off 2013 with a similar reading goal as last year. This year my goal is to read 45 books. Last year I had read a total of 42, with a few very long books thrown in there. My goal is only 3 more than last year, but I do need be realistic. Especially since there are a few lengthy ones I want to read. You may have noticed I haven't provided a book update until now. I'm not going to the monthly update like I did last year. It was kind of fun to do, but also got a bit stressful. Intermittently throughout the year, I'll provide an update on notable books I've read. I won't write about every single book, but only the ones that I feel the need to write about. You can always follow me on goodreads.com to see all the books I'm reading and how I rate them. 

 

Although I did write about all the books so far. I had something to say about them all I guess.

 

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

This was the first book I finished this year. I have a few H. G. Wells books on my kindle and figured I should read one of them. The author is into sci-fi and many of his books were turned into blockbuster movies, some of which I've seen. Of course the main character is trying to make his friends believe that he has time traveled. The whole concept of time travel has always been interesting and it was nice to read the book that inspired the idea of the time machine. Although I'm glad the book was as short as it was. I was expecting it to be more exciting. On a related note, I was watching Back to the Future recently and do wish I could selectively go back in time (or even the future) to see certain things (without interfering of course), like the 70s or 20s. Or even when NYC was not a city at all.

 

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

An unknown man walks into a school with a gun and the town waits anxiously for the outcome. Unfortunately there is also a snowstorm preventing assistance to and from the school.. It doesn't help the small town is far away from most things. The reader gets various view points from parents, cops, teachers and students to tell the story. There are a few suspects as to who the gunman is, but I was slightly shocked when I found out. I did think it was a bit of a stretch, but people get unhinged for a lot of different things. This was a quick read and I did enjoy reading it.

 

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell's 2nd book was as interesting as his first. He discusses the theory on how people or things become outliers. There are many successful people out there and there are certain things that are happening around the time they lived or the circumstances that had, that helped them become successful. For example, professional Canadian ice hockey players were lucky to be born during a certain time of year. They end up being the older and bigger kids, and therefore are groomed to be the best players. The whole idea is very interesting and Gladwell creates a strong argument as to how this works. Unfortunately, I need to get going on my 10,000 hours in order to be an expert at something. Whatever that may be.

 

Just Kids by Patti Smith

This was a memoir by Patti Smith, about her life in New York City and relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. I'm not too familiar with Patti Smith and her music (although it's highly likely that I've heard her music without realizing it), but it was a really interesting read. I'm always a fan of reading about people living in NYC in different time periods. She knew so many people that either were famous or became famous at some point. It was. I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of either Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe.

 

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

I read another Heather Gudenkauf book, shortly after the last one. Allison is the perfect girl in high school--great athlete, perfect grades, pretty and popular. And then she commits a crime so terrible, that she is shunned by all who knew her. Years later, when she is out on parole, she tried to reconnect with her sister and you learn more about the circumstances of her crime. Like her last book, this also rotates from various character's point of view, so you learn a little bit more each time you switch characters. This was a good read. Quick and easy, but a page-turner.

 

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

In the sequel to The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the story picks up after the seraphim have destroyed the chimaera. However Karou, one of the few remaining chimaera, is on a mission to avenge her people and fight against her true love. This actually took me about a day to read, even though it was somewhat lengthy. I do recommend reading the trilogy so far. Even though the last book in the series doesn't come out until next year sometime.

 

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Another disturbing book by Gillian Flynn, although it was hard to put down. Camille is asked to return to her small town to cover the story of a girl that has gone missing, the 2nd time this has happened. She has some issues of her own, which is apparent in the self-mutilation of her body. You learn that her family isn't very functional, especially her sister and mother. Of course, Camille is still dealing with the death of another sister from years previous. On top of this, she's trying to write an article about the missing girls. I don't want to ruin it, but it's definitely messed up and worth a read.

  

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

I had heard mixed reviews for this book. I thought the Harry Potter series was amazing. Way better than many series. I had slight withdrawal after re-reading them for the the 3rd when the movies came out. I know. It was hard. So of course I wanted to give this one a chance. I went into it, knowing that I can't reference Harry Potter at all. And it worked to some degree. In a small town in England, a councilman dies, and competing views over the "Fields", a local council estate, on whether it should stay within the town limits or be taken over by the nearby city of Yarvil. Barry's death impacts many townspeople and a range of themes, from drugs to rape and prostitution, adultery and class, and of course politics. It took me a little while to get into the book, but after a while, I did enjoy reading it as the characters developed and all the townspeople secrets came out.

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal

I read practically every Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley University and even Sweet Valley Kids when I was a pre-teen, so I had to read this as an adult. And yes, it was terribly written. I got sucked into the drama of the lives of Elizabeth and Jessica as 27-year olds. Like I said, the writing isn't great, but it had some good nostalgia. The characters I grew up with, have changed since high school.It was kind of amazing (not sure if this is a good or bad amazing) how close they are all still. And the drama. My goodness, I don't think as much drama occurs anywhere else, except in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and Gossip Girl. It was a quick read and I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't be reading any more of these.

 

Onto the next set of books!

9/45 books in 2013.

december book update

2012 is over and I read a total of 42 books. I recently read an article (which I can’t find) that said that Americans read on average 6 books a year. Six! I really hope that average goes up in upcoming years, but in the meantime, I’ll help raise that average.

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Another Dublin crime squad thriller. I am a fan of these. This book was obviously meant to wrap up November, which I dubbed thriller month. Detective Kennedy is out to solve the murder of almost an entire family in an abandoned half-built housing development in the outskirts of Dublin. The mother is the sole survivor and in intensive care. The evidence isn’t quite lining up and Kennedy is also dealing with his sister who is ‘off the rails’. In combination with the location of the murders and his family issues, long ago memories of one particular family vacation in Broken Harbor come to the surface.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

I could go on and on about this book. The timing of when I read this, devastatingly, aligned with another school shooting in Connecticut on December 14^th. In the book, Eva is writing letters to her estranged husband on what it was like to raise a son who ends up on a killing spree at his high school. Two years after the rampage, Eva is trying to explain to her husband how unlovable Kevin was as a baby and child, and now as a teenaged convicted felon.

This book, along with the events of the numerous school shootings around the country in the last 20 years, have spawned many debates—most prominently, gun control. I think there needs to be more focused attention on mental health and the media coverage. Yes, gun control needs to be way more limited. There are a lot of unnecessary weapons in this country. Honestly, who the hell needs an automatic weapon? There are also many kids (and adults) dealing with mental illness that aren’t getting the proper attention. And that needs to change. I recently heard on the radio that Lady Gaga has set up counseling for concert-goers. Which I think is a great move and I really hope many follow suit. Like I said I could go on about this, but this books give an interesting perspective on the unfortunate high number of mass killings out there.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Marriage Plot centers on Madeleine and the 2 main boys in her life during her time at Brown and after. Mitchell is a friend of hers from throughout college that’s been in love with her the entire time. His love goes unrequited and Madeleine eventually falls in love with Leonard and follows him to Cape Cod after graduation. But not before he has a breakdown due to his manic depression. Mitchell on the other hand backpacks throughout Europe and India to forget about Madeleine. The year of ups and downs for this love triangle was told very well and I do recommend this book.

Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

This book was a switch from the last one, even though the main characters were around the same age. Dawn who is one year out of college, is living in NYC and trying to get a job as a writer, unsuccessfully. However, after a year of temping she falls into a researcher job for a magazine to track down their Ten Girls to Watch from the last 50 years. She is also having trouble in love. But what 23 year old isn’t? Of course there is an attraction to a 30 year old, which was a little annoying from my 31 year old self. Of course a 30 year old guy would be interested in a 23 year old. The book was a quick read and if you are looking for something light and easy, this does the trick. Parts of it I liked since I could relate to my early years in NYC. Most of the book was predictable though—like most romantic comedies.

So I wrote about all the books I read this year. It was fun, but also stressful. I decided for this year I will only write about those books that I really really like. And if anyone is interested in any books I read, be my friend on goodreads.com.

42/30 books in 2012.

Lastly, to recap, I read most of the books I initially had on my short list.

-       The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

-       The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

-       The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

-       The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

-       Anthem by Ayn Rand

-       1984 by George Orwell

2012 in review

2012 has come and gone already. As with birthdays, every New Year’s Day, I’m amazed with the quickness of the last 12 months. I guess it’s true—when you get older, time goes that much faster.

Exactly a year ago I decided to do a sequel to my 30 Before 30 list and do 12 things in 2012. I didn’t quite cross everything off. It shouldn’t have been a problem since it was only 12 things versus 30 (and I had an extra month), but the year got away from me. The good thing is, I can keep checking them off—even if it’s in 2013 (or 2014, but hopefully it doesn’t take me that long).

See a quick snapshot of how the list went below. I technically only checked off half the items, but with #12 not too far from being done. Honestly I could have checked off some of the items off in the last week or so, but I was enjoying a week of laziness from work. So I didn’t get too far.

1. Go to 3 new states (27 left to go) and do something ‘local’ there (4/3)
2. Get a tarot card reading
3. Go to a music festival
4. Go on a blind date
5. Do a trivia night
6. Go to Atlantic City
7. Go to a spring training game
8. Take a cooking class
9. Go to the ballet
10. Go zip lining
11. Take a NYC bus tour
12. Send out 12 handwritten notes (8/12)

To recap 2012, I read 42 books, only traveled domestically and have now checked off 25 states, attempted to Boston Qualify yet again, started volunteering on a regular basis, went to the ballet (twice), ran the Philly ½ for the 6^th year in a row, and spent time with my great friends and family.

In 2013, I want to finish my 12 in 2012 list, try to read 45 books (I know, I’m a nerd), visit more states (a visit to Oregon is in the works), go to a new country, complete my 30 Before 30 scrapbook, start (probably not finish) a knitting project, complete some sort of running goal (not sure what yet thought),  and raise my credit score, amongst other things.

november book update

November was thriller month, with the exception of one book. I'm ending the month on a thriller, but haven't finished yet, so will let you know how Tana French's Broken Harbor goes next month.

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
Another free download. A relatively quick read (when my kindle wasn't acting up). I just needed to read something until my library requests came in. Apparently this is the first in a series of books about a DA investigating murders in remote Alaska. The location is cool and since I've been there it was nice to visualize. However, it wasn't summer, so the days are short and it's cold. I'm still not sure they will be able to have an entire series of murders in a small town. But it's fiction, so the author can do what they want.  Like I said, it was a quick read, but nothing too spectactular.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Like Gone Girl, this was written in a similar style, with alternating chapters of 2 different storylines. From the beginning, you find out a 31 year old woman's mom and 2 sisters were murdered when she was 7 and her her brother went to prison for it. After a difficult childhood, she hasn't been able to function properly in society. However, an odd group of people come forward to help her figure out the truth. The alternating story follows the brother and mother on the day of the murders. Eventually it everything comes together and you learn what really happened that night. Unfortunately, things don't completely get wrapped as nicely as I would have liked. I of course put Sharp Objects on request.

Defending Jacob by William Landay
This was another page turner. A boy is murdered in a town outside Boston and a classmate of his is accused. Throughout the trial, you are getting the point of view from the father, who happened to be the Assistant DA. Of course once his son is charged with the murder, he had to relinquish his duties. You see how Jacob's parents handle the stress of having their son accused of murder. They stand by him unfaltering for most of the process. The book really focuses on the trial and those surrounding it, not so much on solving the actual murder. There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book. You also never really get inside Jacob's head, so it's harder to see how this 14 year old boy is internalizing everything that he's accused of.

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
I had seen this book on a few different lists and saw some polarizing views of it. I read most of it over the Thanksgiving holiday. Each chapter is from a different person's point of view, but Sasha and Bennie are the central characters with each story. Each chapter was at a different time point and didn't go in chronogical order. You read from Sasha and Bennie's point of view in the first 2 chapters, and then you learn more about them from key people in their lives. There's some overlap with characters, with a few different storylines going on. I did like how they were all intertwined and made you wonder how things could turn out much later down the road. I also liked how most of it took place in NYC, so was able to relate to that closely. I didn't like how there was really no specific storyline. It was more a topline overview of key events and people in their lives.

38/30 books in 2012.

french food

I checked off one more item off my 12 in 2012 list. Not sure if I'm going to do them all, but I'll keep trying over the next month. But one more done.  

Last night I took a French Bistro cooking class. I had wanted to take a reoccurring class, but decided it was just a little too expensive, so decided to limit it to one class. I found the Home Cooking website and went with it. I figured French cuisine was a good way to start—the Julia Child way.

The menu included:

 

- Goat Cheese Soufflé
- Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Râgout
- String Beans with Pistachio-Shallot Butter
- Potato and Caramelized Onion Gratin with Gruyère
- Dark Chocolate Mousse

Mixing the mousse.

Our chef John led us through the entire process of making the dinner (which we got to eat later on). Throughout, he gave us tips and suggestions. I obviously diligently took notes for when I recreate this someday. Which will probably be never, or at least not anytime soon. We started off making dessert. John suggested that you always start with dessert and then you can put it aside for later.

Heating it up.

Our group of 11 assisted in trimming green beans, peeling pistachios, cutting onions, folding the mousse and soufflé, and of course drinking the wine. I attempted to cut potatoes with a mandoline, which wasn't a good idea. Luckily I didn't cut off a chunk of my finger. I also helped layer the potatoes and caramelized onions for the gratin. Cheese was also included in the layers—the way I like it.

The final layer.

 

Most things made sense to me. I must have picked up more info over the years of working and eating in restaurants. But I did learn a few things:

1 – Mousse and soufflé isn't as intimidating as I thought (although that doesn't mean I won't mess up the first time I attempt this)

2 – When cooking a full course meal, you need to be organized in the steps and order of each item throughout the process

3 – Always drink wine when you cook (ok, I knew that one already)

The final product.

We ended the night by eating what we made and it was pretty damn delish. I would totally take another class. Maybe next year I’ll try another type of cuisine.

26.2 hours for hurricane sandy

On Sunday, October 28th I was fully aware of the hurricane barreling down on NYC. Subways were going to close at 7pm and the likelihood of the office being closed was high. Early evening, I walked to a bar not far from my apartment to meet up with my sisters to catch the end of the Giants game. On my way, I called my mom. I figured she'd be worried and I told her everything would be fine. Of course the high winds were starting to make her nervous. Moms. It wasn’t a big deal. At least right then. After the game, I made my way home and picked up some essentials just in case this turned out to be a bigger deal than Irene. Like every other New Yorker, those essentials included pretzels and a 6-pack. I was ready to wait out the storm. Bring it Sandy.

Subways are closed.

Monday I worked from home which consisted of meetings and emails. The storm was approaching the NYC area and Eyewitness News was documenting the entire thing, but nothing too exciting at that point. However, things got interesting real quick once the crane collapsed near my apartment. That night and the proceeding days, my roommate and I were on "Crane Watch 2012". While drinking some Chateau Dusseau of course. Then a Con Ed plant exploded and downtown lost power. Many friends and co-workers were stranded. It was definitely windy out there, but I deemed ourselves safe, even from the crane with my limited physics knowledge. The biggest culprit of the storm was the surge. Apartments, houses, tunnels, and subways were becoming flooded.

Hurricrane.

I slept through the night and when I woke up, the crane was still attached, but no emails from work. The server was down and there were no emails in or out. I turned on the news and pretty much didn't turn it off. The streets around my apartment were blocked off and fortunately for sleeping, there was no traffic on 7th Avenue.

My office remained closed the entire week due to the power outage. I continued to do what work I could, and did I mention while watching the news? When returning to my apartment after an errand or a run, I would negotiate with the cops to let me onto my street. All of a sudden the crane was the next tourist stop in Midtown.

On Sunday, November 4^th, the NYC Marathon was to have taken place. Earlier in the week Mayor Bloomberg and Mary Wittenberg, the CEO of NYRR, reassured runners that the race would take place. After the announcement was made, the extent of the damage was coming to light. The devastation in the 5 boroughs, Jersey Shore and Long Island was shocking. In my midtown bubble, I didn’t fully comprehend the wrath of Sandy.

My sisters and many friends trained for months to run the NYC marathon. Runners were conflicted on whether they should run or not. They trained for months, but there were people out there that lost their homes. Others were outraged that 48,000 runners would make their way to Staten Island, one of the hardest hit boroughs, and run through the streets that were in the process of recovering.

Due to the controversy over the marathon, I decided to challenge all runners to commit to 26.2 hours of volunteering after they completed the race. However, on Friday evening, I watched breaking news that the marathon was cancelled. It seemed to be the right decision but most people wished they had just made it sooner.

In the latter part of the week, I had been signing up to give my time where possible. Unfortunately, it takes time to mobilize volunteers and ensure it’s safe for them. I couldn’t do anything until the Saturday following Sandy. I then started my 26.2 hours, along with running (or walking) 26.2 miles.

I made my way to the LES and went door to door in a massive building to ensure residents were ok. A group of us started on the 26^th floor and made our way down. Fortunately, most of the power had come on the evening before, so many residents were in good shape. I made plans with a friend and my volunteer organization, Back on My Feet, to come together on Sunday to help out even more. We took some time to get food for the next day.

On Sunday, we made our way to Brooklyn, loaded with food, to join other BoMF volunteers to make PB&J sandwiches for people in Red Hook. Later in the day, I also helped out in the West Village with donations and delivering hot food to residents in a building without a working elevator.

BoMF PB&J sandwiches.

The weekend ended and I made my way back to the office to catch up on lost work. We were behind on projects and I spent the evenings making up for it. I cancelled my trip to DC due to work,and my urge to help over the weekend. A group—NYC MORE—came into existence and I decided to take advantage of their logistics and transport to Staten Island. I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see.

My friend and I got off the bus in Midland Beach and got a briefing from the volunteer organizer. We split into groups and walked around to see who needed help. It was going to be a warm, sunny day, and at first glance, houses looked intact and in order. However, after looking again, you’d see parts of houses collapsed. One plot was completely empty and the remainder of the house was down the street. Cars were in a swamp nearby. We spent the morning helping a guy clean out his garage. Mostly sweeping and hosing it down. He was more fortunate than others since they were further away from the surge.

 

Midland Beach, SI.

Once the garage was in good shape we made our way to another street, closer to the beach, and found a family looking for assistance. We were happy to start right away. We made our way into their empty house to help take wet sheet rock out to the street. However, on a trip back into the house, I noticed the red sticker on the door. We weren’t allowed to go into houses with red stickers and had to leave due to the possibility of a roof collapse. I felt terrible leaving since they needed help, but really couldn’t risk it. Across the street, an older woman accepted our help and we proceeded to gut her house. The surge from the hurricane had flooded most of the houses in the neighborhood. Mostly 1^st floors were damaged and had to be taken care of immediately to prevent mold from taking over.

 

The house we gutted in SI.

We filled up a dumpster with wet sheet rock and wood paneling. It was devastating to see this woman watch strangers tear down the walls of her home for more than 30 years. She was incredibly grateful for our help. But I felt like there was so much more to do. We had to take our bus back to Manhattan, but I was realizing how much work there was still to do. A group of us spent the afternoon taking are of one house. Which was pretty amazing. But this was one house on one street of many. I was feeling very overwhelmed. That night, I read an article about the residents and it really hit home what they all went through.

 

Good spirits in Long Beach.

Yesterday I made my way to Long Beach to complete my 26.2 hours of volunteering and 26.2 miles—mostly running, but I definitely included walking. Normally I try not to walk during a marathon, but since I walked more than 6 miles yesterday, I counted it. Like last week, NYC MORE worked with Jack Rabbit and arranged transportation out to Long Beach. Long Beach holds some good memories for me—beach days in the summer and Polar Bear plunges in the winter. We met with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and assisted them and the Long Beach Police Department with collecting information on the residents. Throughout the day, we saw similar devastation like we saw in Midland Beach. Remains of houses were in piles on the streets. We saw an antique car stuck in between loads of garbage. Many parts of the boardwalk were destroyed. And we saw sand covering an entire front side of a 3-story building due to a massive wave. However, after meeting many of the residents, I got a real sense of community. Most seemed in good spirits and are one the road to recovery. But there’s still so much to do and Long Beach is one of the last towns to get a lot of media coverage. I’m hoping that when I go back out there for my 3^rd annual Polar Bear Plunge, the town has greatly improved.

Long Beach  boardwalk, or what's left of it.

 

So I put my 26.2 hours in. Am I done? No. During many other disasters, like Katrina, I donated money. However, nothing beyond that. I never made the commitment to spend the time and money traveling to help out. I've seen people from Indiana, Texas, Florida, Illinois and many other places travel to the Northeast to volunteer. I find myself thanking them for making the trip. Given my proximity to Sandy, I’m going to continue doing what I can in the upcoming weeks and months. I can’t recount all stories and highlight all the good things my friends have done. But I can stress that there's a lot of work that still needs to be done.

 

For those of you trying to decide if you have the time or not. You have it. Find an organization. Show up. Give your time. And help your neighbors.