technical difficulties

Today was one of those ARGHHHH kinda days. My Internet has been temperamental lately, and today it decided to call in sick altogether. On top of that, AT&T decided to make my apartment a dead zone, so I missed a bunch of expert interviews. And this is all while I'm scrambling to meet a bunch of post-cold, pre-vacation deadlines. Although it was frustrating, I did manage to find the silver lining. I wound up going to the Brooklyn Public Library to get some free WiFi (is it just me, or are Brooklyn coffee shops louder than a nightclub?). I forgot how awesome the library is; I checked out a guidebook on Rome and some reads I've been wanting to sink my teeth in. And then I went on a long walk at dusk, and just the sight of the New York skyline twinkling over the East River washed away my worries. In the grand scheme of things, I'm really a lucky girl. Even so, today merits a beer, right?

Edited to add: Looks like I'm going to be without Internet until later this week, so bear with the sparse posting!

i'm alive!

Hi, friends! It's good to be back in the land of the living. I was wiped out with a cold for most of the weekend, which sucked because I missed some fun parties and a friend being in town. On the upside, I got to spend a lot of quality time with the gray nugget pictured above. But I'm glad to be on the up-and-up because my schedule for the next month is full of exciting stuff: This weekend, I'm going surfing and mud-running. And then next week, Erik and I are off on a European vacation! I can't wait. Isn't life so fun?

life equations

I'm sick and my brain is foggy today (boo!), so I've boiled down today's post into a few simple equations.

Quatro leches < Tres leches

Erik + Miami = 15 croquettas + 5 lectures on how Cuban culture is the most amazing ever

Filing 1 story + 2 months of waiting = 1-day deadline for a revise + karma (how the tables have turned)

Having a cold and working from home > Having a cold and riding the subway to the office

Two birthdays + five-year anniversary = Paris + Rome (YAY!)

6 things... (G&T wedding version)

We had an absolute blast at Glenna and Tony's movie-themed wedding. The ceremony and reception was so very, very them--every little detail, from the gift bags to the venue to the tabletop decorations. There are so many things I want to blab on about their fun event, but here are six of the things I adored about their celebration:

1. The partying. Erik and I got in town Thursday, and we hit the South Beach clubs with everyone almost every night. At most weddings, I feel like I only briefly chat with the bride and groom at the wedding before they're whisked away. But at G + T's event, we really got to hang with them and the gang.
2. The welcome dinner. Instead of a traditional rehearsal meal, everyone who was in town Friday gathered at Big Pink's, a fun diner a block way from the hotel. G+T passed out Oscar-style awards, their wedding party gave funny, tear-jerker speeches and a Mr. Softee truck pulled up for dessert!
3. The outfits. The bride and groom cut a dashing pair. The men wore guayaberas in honor of Tony's Puerto Rican granddad, and Glenna wore a sparkly Betsy Johnson number that fit her like a glove. At cocktail hour, they changed into custom-made Nikes.
4. The ceremony itself. Tony's aunt sang a "Beauty and the Beast" song, and his silver-piped friend (Erik and I called him Luther Van Dross all weekend) belted out a gorgeous John Legend ballad for the processionals. Glenna's cousin officiated the wedding, and he was so touching and hilarious. At times, I turned to Erik and asked if he was a comedian on the side. There were references to all of their favorite things ("their love is as strong as the Ministry of Magic") and even (half of a) 2 Live Crew verse.
5. The reception! It was held at Nikki Beach Club, a very South Beach place complete with white couches and gauzy teepees. There was delish food, dominos, crazy dancing kids, champagne toasts, breakdancing. Oh, and I can't forget the fire dancers and sparklers.
6. The couple. I was in awe of G+T the whole weekend; they were so calm, relaxed and happy the entire time, even in the craziest moments of wedding planning. (Say, ushering 40+ people into a pulsating club for the after-party.) In the ceremony, the officiant described how their "always fun" motto is inscribed in their wedding bands. Because it's true, when they're together, and when I'm around them, it is always fun -- no matter what else in the world is going on.

Miami love

We just got home from a long weekend in South Beach celebrating Glenna and Tony's wedding! It was ridiculously fun and beautiful and so uniquely them. I loved every second of it. More to come...

sometime when i sleep...

...Erik texts me silly pictures of our cat so I'll see them when I wake up. I love my life.

body talk

The thing I like best about about my job is that I'm constantly learning and challenging myself. I recently interviewed a psychologist and body confidence expert on the negative images and self-talk that constantly surrounds women. For me, it's a tricky line to toe: Are the weight-loss articles that I write helpful or harmful? The content is empowering, but display copy like "so long, flabby arms!" and "bikini-ready body" is a bit hard to swallow. On a personal level, I've never been happier in my own skin. It makes me sad when people deprive themselves or nit-pick their beautiful bodies. As a reminder to myself, though, I'm going to make a conscious effort to stop saying things like "you look great, have you lost weight?" and go for "you look radiant!" instead.

little letters

Dear towers of light,
I didn't take a very good picture of you, but you're hauntingly beautiful.

Dear New York,
Earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorist threats, oh my. Let's aim for a safer fall and winter!

Dear acquaintances,
Please don't underestimate the power of a thank-you, especially when I'm doing you a favor.

Dear Rise of the Apes movie,
Even though you weren't a comedy, you made me laugh. Two thumbs up.

Dear vacations,
I can't wait.

dear new york...

Happy anniversary. I can't believe that we've spent a decade together already. My goodness, was I clueless in the beginning! Remember how I didn't even know that Manhattan was an island? But your bustling energy drew me in—until those two towers came smashing down. I almost abandoned you, but I'm grateful I didn't. Over the next 10 years, I moved all over (UES, Alphabet City, Bed-Stuy and Williamsburg); fell in love and got my heart broken; achieved my career dreams; and met the man who makes me happy every single day. I've had so many adventures and memories, both good and bad, and I wouldn't change any bit of it. You've taught me so much: how to take a risk, how to get up after getting knocked down and—most importantly—how to live a life worth living.

Picture: Taken my first month in the city, more than 10 years ago! Don't I look different? (Erik says no.)

just one of those days

Ever have one of those days where you just can't seem to shift out of first gear? Yep. That's me right now. Although I went to bed at 10:30 last night, I've been feeling totally exhausted today. It doesn't help that I got a slew of last-minute assignments and revises this morning. But after doing three interviews in a row, I curled up an took an hour-long mid-afternoon nap that was just delicious. Freelancing for the win!

"is this shoot over yet?"

Yesterday I asked Erik to snap some reference images for a workout story I'm working on, and Gus insisted on being in the shoot. I've been cracking up at the pics! Look at his adorable expression in this one. Anyway, Amanda and Anthony came to pick him up today—after an epic and crazy journey home—and his excited reunion with them was so cute. Aw. As excited as I am to sleep in tomorrow (uh, major props to you parents out there!), I have to say I miss his tongue-lolling little face looking expectantly at me. If I didn't think my cat and landlord would both have nervous breakdowns, I'd probably be at the animal shelter right now.

P.S. While discussing pets, Erik told me that his dad had a pet tiger as a kid in Colombia. WHAAAAAT.

the puppy life

I've been hanging out with this cute face this weekend while his parents are out of town. This is much to my poor cat's misery—I thought she would just ignore him, but she had a meltdown of Whitney Houston proportions yesterday. Anyway, I was joking to a pal yesterday that puppy-sitting has forced me to realize what kind of mom I'm going to be: The type that gives her kid a singsong running commentary ("Ooh, let's go to the pa-aa-aark") and uses the collective we incessantly ("Are we thirsty? Do we need to poop?"). On the upside, at least I'm going to give my kid some awesome self-esteem. The drunk guy near the dog run burst in to laughter when he overheard my shower of compliments ("You were such a team player! Everyone loved you!") on our walk home.