today's view

If I were to describe the freelance life as an SAT analogy, it'd be something like: Sharon is to assignments as my little cat is to her food. That is to say that we both gobble up our sustenance in a frenzy because we're not 100 percent certain when our next meal is coming. (Monkey was homeless before I adopted her, so she still has those feral tendencies.) So that explains why I've had such an hectic summer meeting multiple deadlines and working around the clock. But recently, two of my fill-in editing gigs have ended, so I've found myself with a little more breathing room. It's nice. Today I took a break and soaked up the beautiful post-Irene weather on my deck. Part of me wants to be nervous that I'm not insanely busy, but the other part just wants to savor the moment. Right now, I'm going go with the latter. :)

sweet irene

Thanks for being so mild, Irene! After all the hype, the hurricane wound up being just a gusty rainstorm in my neighborhood, and I'm not complaining. We were worried about Erik's store flooding, but I think it's safe. (Fingers crossed.) Even though the circumstances weren't ideal, it was so nice to hibernate for a day. I took a nap, watched movies, cooked dinner, caught up on paperwork and curled up with these two favorites.

P.S. My new favorite Irene-inspired cocktail: VitaCoco peach-and-mango flavored coconut water mixed with rum.

hi, irene!

What a bizarre week. First an earthquake, and now hurricane Irene is blazing her way up the east coast. As a NC native, I wasn't sweating it until NYC shut down transportation and certain hospitals, plus issued a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas. Fortunately, we're in zone B, though we're really only a few blocks away from the danger area. Eek. This calm-before-the-storm feeling is so weird: The suits are freaking out in television, sirens are ringing outside and all my patio furniture is cramming up my kitchen, yet it's lovely out and people are going about their business. Fingers crossed it's not so bad. Off to go fill up my bathtub with water...

6 things... (handy tips version)

I may earn a living sharing expert advice, but when it comes to my own life, there a few tricks that I haven't spilled. Until now. Here are a few things that make my life a little easier/better/happier:

1. Online coupons. Before I buy anything (shoes, wedding gifts), I always hunt around for an online coupon. I've saved hundreds—if not thousands—of bucks with a few key strokes! Also, the pause forces me to reevaluate whether I really need to buy another tank top.
2. Chocolate-peanut-butter veggie smoothies. If left to his own devices, Erik would subsist on a completely beige diet. I like to remedy that by adding tons of spinach to our dessert! I pop a few big handfuls of the dark leafy green into our Vita-Mix along with some almond milk, frozen banana, a cocoa packet and some peanut butter. It's sweet, decadent and healthy. Yum.
3. The public bathroom maneuver. When I lived in Bed-Stuy, I used to walk home from my office a few times a week. It was a good two-hour journey, so I'd often be stuck without a public restroom. Over time, I perfected this move: A. Pretend you're on your cell phone or looking for a pal as you walk into a restaurant or bar. B. Find bathroom. C. Make speedy exit. D. If the hostess makes eye contact, smile sweetly and say "thanks."
4. Cheesy, catchy music. I'm surrounded by a lot of music snobs, so when I first started running, I loaded up my iPod with lots of fun indie rock and hiphop jams. Uh-uh. Not gonna cut it. If you want to run real distances and train, you need lots and lots of crappy bubblegum pop and techno. Now I listen to those NOW! THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! kinda mixes. Also, some Girl Talk.
5. Lists. You already know that I adore making lists. Not only do they help keep me on track, but they also keep me calm. Whenever I feel stressed about anything, I jot down what's freaking me out, how I'm going to tackle it and all of the little steps that will get me there. It provides a sense of control in crazy situations.
6. Mint, Capitol One Rewards and eTrade. These sites help me maintain a budget, earn free money and manage a portfolio. Yup, all three get my co-sign.

congrats are in order

My beautiful pal Meg and I have been friends for nearly two decades now. You can't help but fall in love with this girl. She is the best possible mix of fun, calm and hilarity—with a dash of Peppermint Patty mixed in. I've always admired how completely comfortable she is with herself, even when we were going through our awkward and self-conscious pre-teen and teen years. So I couldn't be happier that Meg and Brian brought another little soul into this world. Welcome, Olivia! I can't wait to meet you! :)

i can see!

Dudes, my new glasses came! Being the lazy cheapo that I am, I ordered them online from Spexclub without trying them on. I got the Wayfarer frame in tortoise—and I am already in love. The frames are nice and sturdy, and the glasses are surprisingly thin despite my legal blindness. The insides are a really cool green color, too. Anyway, this online retailer has a really good return policy and glasses (with prescription!) are only $88 for the whole pop, so I highly recommend giving them a go. I'm posting these shots because I Googled the heavens out of these frames and could not find a good reference image. So, my dear comrades in blindness and budget: You're welcome.

P.S. Please excuse the mess in the background. Eek. I woke up at 3:45 a.m. today for an insanely early call time and tore up my closet like a madwoman.

little letters

Dear Monkey,
Won't you change places with me for just one day? You always look so relaxed.

Dear summer,
Slow down a sec, kay?

Dear yoga,
I miss you. I promise I'll see you soon.

Dear Hunger Games trilogy,
You were super entertaining beach reading. Can't wait to see you in movie form.

Dear Self,
Do not try to go for a long bike ride on three to four hours of sleep, no matter how glorious it is outside. Chances are high that you're going to tip over in traffic and get a big shiner on your leg.

Dear Jimmy the masseuse,
Even though our conversation was lost in translation, you are my everything. Well, at least for today.

summer streets

This morning I actually went into Manhattan on a weekend. For three Saturday mornings over the summer, New York shuts down traffic on Park Avenue from 72nd street down to the Brooklyn Bridge. Since Erik's in Vegas and I actually don't have any major plans this weekend, I decided to check it out. It was so cool to run past all the huge buildings and around Grand Central; the whole thing felt like a free road race. Plus, there were fun activities (free yoga classes and bike rentals!) and rest stops (free water and treats!) every few miles. I wound up knocking out 9 miles because I was so absorbed in soaking it all in. Chalk up one more reason why I love New York!

so professional

Happy to report that my eye is healing up on its own! I did jimmy up a tea bag compress to soothe it during back-to-back conference calls. So while I hope I sounded smooth and professional, this is what I looked like in reality. Ha. (Please note the broken glasses.)

nom nom

If there's one thing that's true in this world, it's that I love food. So much so that one of the mail guys at my old job used to say, "Damn, girl, you're always eating!" I also adore cooking, so I figured I'd post up some of my favorite recipes so I could have them all in one place.

* Erik didn't even realize that these vegan stuffed shells were dairy-free!
* Coconut-chocolate chip cookies are my go-to potluck dessert dish.
* Can Ina Garten do no wrong? This roast chicken is deceptively easy to make.
* The leftover chicken goes into this homey pot pie. I usually go a little easier on the butter (or use Smart Balance) and sub in almond or coconut milk.
* I bake a batch of these pillowy-soft ginger cookies every holiday.
* When I neglect grocery shopping, I whip up these salmon cakes and no one is the wiser.
* Another bare-bones pantry meal: peanut butter noodles. Dinner's ready in 10.
* Summertime means delish zucchini fritters.
* I send extras of these big, crumby blueberry muffins to Erik's office and they go crazy for them.
* For baby shower or potluck brunches, this savory breakfast casserole is a show-stopper.

eye-yah

So this is how I looked for most of the weekend. On Saturday, my eye started hurting. Half of it was red and scary-looking. Ugh. This is when I realized that, for the first time in my adult life, I was uninsured. You see, since going freelance, I've been taking my sweet time signing up for a new health insurance plan. There have been plenty of excuses--I've been busy; there's an overwhelming number of choices; the Cobra administrator lady at my crappy old company disappeared. Yes, I know this is not the smartest move for a health editor whose hobbies include surfing, biking in traffic and swimming in the Hudson. Anyway, I was a blind, whiny mess all of Sunday (since my glasses are broken. Every 5 minutes, I forced Erik to look at my eye (poor guy). But after extensive Googling, I've determined that I probably scratched my cornea. If it gets worse or shows signs of infection, I'll head to a Duane Reade clinic tomorrow. And then, after that, I've gotta get moving on this whole insurance thing. Sigh.

what do you think?

My glasses broke and, after two temporary SuperGlue fixes, I think they're finally kaput. I've been squinting around the house before bed, so it's high time that I picked up a new pair. (Let's just say I wandered into Erik's late-night business meeting in our kitchen with no pants on because I didn't spot the other guys.) Anyway, I'm in the market for a pair of tortoiseshell frames. What do we think of these two?

triathlon race recap

Here's my play-by-play of Sunday's race:

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Amanda and Anthony were so gracious to host a pasta party, so I filled up on delicious pasta, cupcakes and cookies. Yum! After our fan club left, Sarah, Amanda and I settled down for our pre-race slumber party. I conked out around 11 and slept soundly (even when Gus barked in my face, apparently). When our alarms sounded off at 3 AM, I was ready to go!

PRE-RACE: After grabbing breakfast and our gear, we hopped into our cab and whizzed past all the revelers leaving bars. It started to rain harder, and my stomach twisted. Setting up transition was hard in the rain and pitch-dark, so I covered it all with a trash bag and crossed my fingers I hadn't forgotten anything. We walked a mile to the start, where spotted Dan and Mara.

THE SWIM: The 30-minute start delay sped by in what felt like seconds and, before long, we were wishing each other luck and heading to our age group. This year, the swim started in waves (instead of one big group) so I shuffled with my fellow orange caps onto the barge. At the edge, I stared into the murky water—and then I was off! What I wasn't prepared for was the choppiness. Swimming is by far my strongest leg, but the Hudson's waves were tough. I gave up trying to sight and just kept an eye on the kayaks to make sure I didn't drift to New Jersey. Finally, the finish barge appeared, and I trotted to transition.

THE BIKE: This portion was my toughest one! The rain was still coming down, turning the roads slick and puddle-filled. That, coupled with the fact that I'd really only ridden my road bike for a few weeks, made me nervous—especially after witnessing a few crashes. I made my way to the Bronx turnaround, feeling good, and headed back. When I shifted to make my way up a tough hill, my chain popped off. Immediately images of me stranded roadside ran through my head as I hopped off to put it back on. Luckily, it was only a short delay but I was still pissed and began biking harder to catch up with everyone who passed me.

THE RUN: Right before the run, the sun decided to make an appearance and turn the course hot and humid. As soon I trotted out of T2, I knew I was in trouble. My legs knotted up and I felt like I was running through molasses. Right when I really wanted to walk, I heard Anthony's unmistakable voice cheering me on, and just as I entered Central Park, Erik's cute face popped out of a bush. As I made my way around the loop, my stomach started to ache. (This is when I cursed myself for not training more.) I walked through the water stations, but forced myself to keep running. At last! When I saw the fountain turnaround, I picked up my pace and booked it to the finish line.

AFTERWARDS: After I staggered through the recovery zone, I found Mara (who passed me on the run and looked amazing) and Amanda (who scored a super-fast PR in spite of the INSANE conditions!) with their fellas. We cheered on Sarah, who did AWESOME!!!, and spotted Heather at the finish line. And that's when I started to crash. I seriously felt like I was going to barf while we went to go pick up our bikes, and getting home was a blur. It wasn't until I shoveled in some food and took a nap when it sunk in: We did it!!! I couldn't be more proud of myself and my incredible, tough and supportive friends. I can't wait till our next race. :)

much more than lunch money

If you've been following this blog, you know that I've challenged myself to donate a week's worth of lunch money every month. But this month, I feel compelled to give much more than that. How could I turn a blind eye to the heartbreaking images of starving people in Somalia, especially as I sit here in my cozy apartment with my full tummy? Don't get me wrong. It's not fun to part with my hard-earned money, but I can't think of a more important place to spend my dollars. The hollow-eyed mothers and listless children need this cash far, far more I would ever need that dinner on the town or cute new purse. So today I encourage you to join me in doing something uncomfortable—to part with our money during this tumultuous economic time. I promise you: You won't regret it. It'll be the best thing you do all year.

I found this article on where to give particularly helpful: http://blog.charitynavigator.org/2011/07/donor-shares-question-about-famine-aid.html

[Photo credit: Flickr]

NYC triathlon #2!!!

On Sunday, I completed my second Olympic-distance triathlon: the NYC triathlon! I'll write more about the event later, but I just wanted to post my results from this and last year for posterity's sake. (I keep mixing up my running and triathlon personal bests, oops...) Even though I didn't PR, I'm super pumped and proud of myself. The conditions were just crazy -- choppy swim, rainy ride and hot, humid run -- but it was a blast, and that's the most important thing!