Almost forgot...

I'm going to Israel this summer!!! Yesterday Marissa and I registered for Birthright Israel, the Israel Outdoors trip. Our chances are pretty good considering we're both close to the cut-off age, and they tend to give priority to us "old" folks. Also we registered in time for the priority, first-come, first-served status. And, if Heather gives our names to the Israel Outdoors folks, apparently that makes us VIP. I'd say it's pretty much in the bag. We won't know for sure until the end of February or March I think. Wish us luck.

Also, send some luck our way for Herschel, who is currently at Paws & Claws Veterinary Hospital. His eye got messed up somehow and it's not looking good. Hopefully it won't cost us $$$ and won't cost him an eye. Poor guy.

Legen...wait for it...dary!

New obsession: How I Met Your Mother. Funniest show since Seinfeld, bar none. Seriously folks, this is one hilarious, LOL, knee-slapping sitcom. The writers are geniuses...and now they're back!

As expected, the weekend away in Florida was lovely...80 degrees everyday, not a drop of rain, abundant sunshine. I may even like Florida a little. We spent the day Saturday at the Morikami Gardens, the gorgeous Japanese gardens in Delray Beach, and the evening eating sushi and walking around Downtown Delray. Sunday we went to the beach and had G'ma and G'pa over for a surprise dinner. The surprise wasn't the dinner, it was their grandchildren being at the dinner. We had a yummy meal followed by the second half of the Super Bowl. Now, I'm not a football fan in the least. In fact, I don't think I've ever really watched the Super Bowl, only had it on in the background to watch the halftime show and the commercials. But this was one exciting game, I have to say. The pass that led to the touchdown that let to the Giants winning had to be, well, legendary. We were all cheering and jumping up and down. This is from a family that doesn't "do" sports, aside from skiing and golf.

So let's take a minute and reflect on the weather, about which I am slightly obsessed:
Last week--temperatures in the 60s, spring jacket weather
Monday--so bitterly cold it was below 0 with the wind chill
Tuesday--snowed all day with accumulation of a few inches
Today--53 degrees right now and raining

LOVE IT!

Mid-Winter Slump

I am seriously in the doldrums here, people, professionally and personally. I need to be rejuvenated, recharged, re-anything. I want to be excited about tomorrow (figuratively, not literally, because I am excited about tomorrow). My job is turning me into a drone. I am one of those people you see on the subway who look like they would rather be getting their teeth drilled than be going to work. I need a huge change. I am too young to be so exhausted. It's just unneccessary.

Hopefully this weekend in Florida will be just the thing to turn this slump around.

Subway

I had a rare NY moment today. Someone on the train actually commented on the book I was reading. It was Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth," which I'm trying to read for this feminist book club I might join. The guy told me how good it is, and recommended another feminist book, which of course I've forgotten the name of. I felt like rejoicing--an enlightened male!

I don't know if I'll be able to get through this book. It's interesting, but so theory-based, which usually loses my interest. I guess I'll read as much as I can and if the book group is good, I'll keep going. Yay for intellectual pursuits!

Amusements

Finally posted on YouTube: The hilarious video created, shot, and produced by the brilliant Bracey and starring the always talented Josh--The Interview can be viewed by clicking here.
I'll let the video speak for itself...

And now for another self-serving moment: Click here to read my travel story selected by STA Travel Travel Addicts eNews. And while you're at it, read (or re-read) the posts from my Australia trip at my new blog.

Happy watching/reading!

Writing

Last night I had my first nonfiction writing class with Gotham Writers' Workshop. It was great! I had fun with the group and the instructor is really funny and helpful. We did three writing prompts and it felt so good to write just for the sake of writing again. I actually got some positive responses when I read what I wrote aloud, which makes me feel proud. The class is a nice mixture of beginner and intermediate writers, so it looks like everyone can benefit from the class. It's only once a week for six weeks, but hopefully I can continue the writing once it's over.

The instructor did actually reinforce that blogging and having a presence online is important in order to get your name and writing out there. I've noticed more and more people I know have blogs or websites. I'm still not sure if this phenomenon decreases the quality of the writing, or just makes it so more people can write. In any case, I think it's a good thing.

What's not good is my health today. I had one of those mornings when you're walking to work and suddenly you realize your legs are moving. Then they start to feel numb again because you're thinking about it and how in the hell are you making them move? I was so tempted to stay at home in bed today, but the cats were keeping me up with their incessant playing, so that wouldn't have worked out so well. For a kitten, Milquetoast sure does make a lot of noise when he's running from one end of the house to the other. Oh, how I love those little buggers.

EDIT: Upon re-reading this entry, I noticed the overuse of the word "good." Clearly, I have not learned enough from this workshop yet and I set to rectify this immediately.

Next Entry Lads and Ladies, hear hear!

One of my (very short) stories has been selected to appear in the STA Travel January eNewsletter! It gets mailed out next week, so when that happens I will be sure to crowd the Inboxes of everyone I know with the e-mail. You can also find the story here, when it posts next week.