the influence of one

This week, I was sitting in the Rockaway lineup. It was crowded and there were a few waves rolling through, so most of the dudes were pretty serious-looking and competitive about getting on the good ones. I paddled for a wave and this voice yelled "GO FOR IT!" That encouragement powered me through, and I caught my funnest wave of the day. As I paddled back out, I saw my cheerleader: a 10-year-old fellow on a short board. We chatted for a bit, and he explained that he had been surfing for as long as he could remember. It was his birthday, and all he wanted was a video game, iPhone 6, money, and clothes. (I chuckled at that.) All the while, he hooted when sets came through and cheered when strangers flew down the line. It was rad! Slowly, there was a palpable change in the lineup: Guys were cracking smiles, shouting at each other to go, hollering at others' nose-rides, and striking up conversations. It reminded me that surfing is all about fun, and one attitude can really make a difference. Thanks, young friend, for teaching me that lesson.

weekend vibes

Summer's here and, despite the rainy, cool weather, I'm taking full advantage. I finally didn't have to write this weekend! On Friday, Monkey and I had a rare girls' night in. We posted up on the couch with snacks and watched a cute movie (Begin Again). On Saturday, I headed out to Gilgo with Sarah and Kim. Although there were no waves, we went for a long walk on the beach; rode cruisers around the neighborhood; played bocce and barbecued (all while Tom was toiling away on his house). The next day, I slept in, and surfed Rockaway in the late afternoon. Around 5:30, the crowds thinned and the winds switched offshore. The water felt soft and refreshing, and a rainbow appeared overhead before disappearing into a pink-and-purple sunset. So magical! I even got home in time to make dinner and bake a batch of oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies. Finding balance in my life is an ongoing process, and I'm making strides!

6 things

I've been up to lately…

1. Went to visit Erik's family in Northern Virginia. I'm so lucky to have in-laws that I truly love. I always wanted a sister and now, by marriage, I have five! One of Erik's sisters has a menagerie of interesting animals, including two parrots, a gecko (above!), and a crazy dinosaur-like tegu lizard.
2. Appreciating New York. There's nothing like a weekend in the 'burbs to make you appreciate your exciting city life. :)
3. Bought a new mattress. Our old one was a hand-me-down and, after tallying up the numbers, we realized that it was 20 (!!!) years old. So we scoped Sleepy's and then ordered the one we liked online for a fraction of the cost. It's like sleeping on a cloud. (Insert "A Whole New World" soundtrack.)
4. Surfing Rockaway. The waves have been fun lately, so I've been spending all my free time at the beach. I also got a locker down there, which has been a revelation. No more lugging my board on the train; hallelujah!
5. Catching up on life. After a string of trips and fill-in gigs, I finally have a stretch of staying put at home. I'm loving it! I've finally been tackling all the projects that I kept putting off: Cleaning out my closet, organizing my file cabinet, adjusting my investment portfolio, etc. Next up: Scheduling all of my checkups.
6. Having little city adventures. Of course, life isn't complete without some excitement. We've been doing fun activities, like checking out art installations, taking archery lessons, seeing the new Whitney, and going for city rambles.

oh, hey

Wait, what, I have a blog? I'm sure my only readers are Russian trawling tech-bots, but whatevs, I'm back! Let's see, where was I? I fell down a vortex of deadlines and icy bleakness (coldest winter ever!) in February and March, but have reemerged like a happy little groundhog since spring. As a whole, life is really good, doing my usual work-surf-run-friends-adventures routine. I did go to North Carolina and Montauk; and Erik and I did a impromptu trip to Stockholm. I finally lived out my dream of buying an international plane ticket days before departure; does this make me a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person? My goal for the summer (as it is for every summer): Work less, enjoy more, and have fun!

catching up

Just when I caught up on my Spain/Portugal trip, I headed off on another flurry of travel. In the past few months, I've headed to Maui, Costa Rica (Playa Guiones), and San Diego, for both work and play. It's been fun and busy, and I know I'm beyond lucky. I need to post those adventures, but in the meantime, I'm transitioning back to everyday Brooklyn life. I took on another fun magazine fill-in gig, so I'm doing the whole office-commute thing. I'm simultaneously juggling a few other projects, which means some serious grind action over here! There's been snowstorm after snowstorm, so it's been perfect for holing up inside with my computer, cat, and deadlines. I'll check back in when my head's above water...

on love

While cleaning up, I came across this pic of us from our first year of dating, almost nine years ago. Whoa! That got me thinking about how insane it was that I happened to go to a party, bump into a cute guy, and we wind up spending the rest of our lives together. So it was synchronicity that this week's Modern Love column addressed this topic. The author writes: "Science tells us biology matters; our pheromones and hormones do a lot of work behind the scenes. But despite all of this, I've begun to think that love is a more pliable thing than we make it out to be … It's possible - simple, even - to generate trust and intimacy, the feelings love needs to thrive." This rang true for me. Of course you have to have that attraction and overlapping morals and ideals, but SO MUCH of love is about selflessness, respect, and the willingness to compromise. The catch, of course, is finding someone who is willing to put in the same amount of work into the relationship. I'm grateful that I found that someone.

polar bear plunge

What better way to ring in the new year than to jump into freezing water? My resolution (in 2015 and beyond) is to enjoy life and not let fear or obligations hold me back, which is why I said yes when my brave pal Liz asked if anyone was interested in joining her in the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge.


I'm so happy that I did! I met up with Liz, Nick, and about a thousand other insane people at Coney Island. It was freezing, and I was glad that we pre-registered for the first wave of plungers. I don't know if it was the adrenaline or bright sunshine, but I wasn't even that chilly when I undressed. We were surrounded by people in all sorts of costumes, and everyone started chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A!" for no apparent reason. When the announcer sounded the horn, we stampeded into the surf. For the first few moments, I wasn't even cold. It was exhilarating! Then my legs felt like a million little needles were sticking in them, so we hustled back to shore.

Chalk this up to my list of once-in-a-lifetime only-in-New-York experiences. Here's to more fun, more happiness, and more crazy adventures in 2015!