The Dog Days of Summer

Growing up, summer in the South Bay was mainly spent at the beach and usually included many vacations, family road trips, and weekend escapes with friends. After months of concrete, sky rise buildings, and a roller coaster of extreme weather, I needed to get out of the city. So when the offer came to dog/house sit for my friends Jill and Joel in New Jersey, I was ready and willing!

Waiting for my train at Penn Station, I couldn't help but be amused at how majestic the East Coast is. Walking through the station, it reminds me of an airport, with shops, restaurants, and the 'suspicious luggage' security announcement.  There are people running to catch a train, friends saying goodbye, others saying hello. Though all similarities dissipate as I enter a small elevator that transports me to the train. After triple checking with the train crew that I was heading in the correct direction, I took a seat on the train. A little over an hour later I arrived in Bernardsville, New Jersey. A small town buried in the hills and trees of The Garden State. I walked through the town and found my way to the Silver's home. They live in a three story, three bedroom house with a nice backyard and their two sweet dogs, Humphrey and Olive. My first night there I relaxed in their living room, watching movies and playing with the dogs. Luckily, the dogs have designated sleeping areas and I had rights to the guest bedroom. However, around 7am I awoke to the scurry of paws rushing up the stairs, bursting though the door to have Humphrey run around the room and Olive hop on the bed. They are like little kids, so cute! After a morning walk around town and grabbing coffee at the town diner, it was time to get moving on my day. I had a lot to do in preparation for my cooking debut.

Jill and Joel's house

The town... yep that's all of it

The train station in Bernardsville 

Having heard rave reviews of P90X, I decided to take advantage of the fact that I had it at my disposal for the weekend. After one workout in Jill's basement I was hooked. Sadly, my bedroom is not really equipped to carry out the program but I am determined to find a way to make it work.

With my morning workout behind me I was able to focus on dinner... and by focus I mean freak out about ahaha. Remembering that my good friend and former housemate Marisa used to make dinner all the time I called her for help. After a couple alterations to her dish I was able to create a normal, hot, and hopefully delicious meal: Chicken Tortellini with sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts, along with salad and bread.... Yes, for those of you who cannot believe it, I made this, and was told that it was good. I'm just happy that neither one of us died lol.

The final production 

"You Nork"

After receiving a message from my youngest niece, Sara, asking what I was doing in "You Nork" I started to think that maybe there was a hidden meaning to her mispronunciation. As if this city was here, waiting for me to make it my own. Or if every city in the world is exactly what we make of it. As much as I believe in fate, you can't let destiny do the work for you, you have to make your life what you want it to be. Life is there for the taking, but how much do we ever really take? It is so easy to become a creature of habit- to become the good girl, the bad boy, the reliable one, the flake, the sweetheart, the funny one etc. However, at some point, at any point actually, isn't okay to reinvent yourself? To re-establish your place on this Earth, your role in the world? Moving to a city where no one knows you gives you the opportunity to be exactly who you are. You get to be yourself because there are no expectations of who you are supposed to be, no loyalty to anyone but yourself, and with a world of chaos and hurry surrounding you, you become your best friend. You learn that you really cannot count on anyone else for anything. If you want something, you make it happen. There are no excuses, just do it.

After weeks of not meeting anyone I was interested in, I gave in to the requests of a few of my friends to join the OKCupid website, an online dating network that surprisingly has proven to be very successful for many of my friends. Since I am new to New York, I decided to turn this into You Nork and live it up in the dating world. A few days into my account and  I had numerous responses requesting dates and phone calls etcetera. A couple of weeks went by before I took the time to respond though when I did, a few guys, one in particular, wanted to meet up...Went well and we have our third date scheduled for this Saturday- I'm supposed to cook for him to which Carrie said "oh really, what are you making, hummus and celery or almonds and dried apricots?" lol As many of you know, I am NOT the greatest cook in the world but AM the pickiest eater :/ Ahhhhh I think for the first time ever I may need cooking advice from Mom! lol

A recent walk through Central Park on a Sunday evening