I’m learning to see life in a much less binary way. Much less beginnings and endings. Much more “In The Middle.” Yes, life has many starts and stops. And we spend most of our lives in the middle.

Wednesday will be our middlest point. I intend to celebrate it in the middle of the intersection of a life full of adventure, work (I refer to it as play these days) and frankly just living a life as full as possible!

So without actually counting, I think that we are about half way through our adventure. People have asked…Too long? Too short? (I wrote an earlier post about the “Goldilocks” syndrome.) And for now…I’ll have to say that I won’t know till it’s over because so far so good!

I have a google doc that I started months ago noting all the things we wanted to do, the places we wanted to eat, and places we wanted to go on our adventure. I had started following Brooklyn IG pages, subscribed to the NYT, and tuned in to all things NYC so whenever I read something or was given a suggestion for something, I added it to the growing list. Since we’ve been here, I’ve been checking things off as we experience them, but honestly, it’s like one of those big “lettucy” salads that no matter how much you eat, it just doesn’t seem like your making a dent in it. It’s the same for our list; we keep adding to it as we learn about new opportunities for adventure and it seems to grow and grow and doesn’t shrink. No matter how busy we are and how hard we try to get things checked off the list, we can’t get ahead of it! NY is one BIG never-ending adventure.

We do try to keep up with our friends and family from home and from afar. The cell phone is a wonderful tool for staying in touch. AND we also just had the pleasure of a few days with our Texas friends. I promised some photos from our days together. Most of our time was spent riding the subway, walking the neighborhoods, and eating and drinking. Sounds like the perfect way to spend time in NY!

Here’s to adventure and to good times with friends and family! And I’m so excited! Blair is coming on Friday!!!!

We had friends from Texas here for a few days. What a blast. Watch for a post about our adventures soon…

I want to take a moment to pay my respects. Yes, it’s all over the news…20 years ago tomorrow our world changed. Glen and I woke up today and decided to make a trip over to Manhattan to take a few moments to reflect on the day, on the lives lost, and on our current world circumstances. We’ve been several times before, but today, it was special.

Tomorrow the Memorial will be packed with survivors, dignitaries, locals, tourists, the media, politicians, etc. Today, there were firefighters, union workers, tourists, a few media, many police officers, New Yorkers…and it was quiet around the fountain. It is a place of awe. A place of sadness. A place of hope. A place of beauty. It’s hard to describe.

Here’s what I’m thinking and feeling…We live in one world. We all experience sadness, hope, awe, and beauty. And joy. Those who perished twenty years ago and all who have perished since also experienced those emotions in their lives. I’m going to honor them by paying attention to all the emotions of the anniversary. And hope for the awe of joy and beauty in our lives, in our futures.

Hugs to all. And hug your loved ones. Let them know that you love them.

Sometimes, my apparent penchant for repetitive mistakes confounds me.

I’ve developed certain strategies in my 39 years in the workforce. One that almost always works is a fundamental belief that I am never the smartest person in a meeting. First, it is almost always true. AND it allows, no even forces me, to bring those things that I am good, or even very good at, to the table. I have a very good memory. Particularly around challenging experiences in my life (I’ve been “blessed” with many). And I’ve used that to broaden my perspective. Some call this empathy, I choose compassion.

Those that are reading this that have worked with me are probably scratching their heads saying Glen – compassionate?? Give me a few seconds. I believe that tough love is a fundamental component of compassion. And I believe challenges are life’s gifts. And the most compassionate thing anyone can do is walk side by side with a person through their challenges. Challenges are not to be avoided, but are to be embraced, addressed and used as the best learning opportunities.

My conscious and sub-conscious brain battle regularly. My conscious brain wants to keep me safe and free of all those nasty unknowns. My sub-conscious brain hungers for those new, multi-faceted complexities. It is why I do my best problem solving while asleep.

Dear friends, Joan and Brian Mikiten spent this past Sunday through Wednesday with us here in NYC/BK. We filled those days with many adventures. We have a blast together. AND I needed a down day yesterday. So, I took it and recharged my batteries. Going to bed last night, I didn’t feel great.

I woke up this morning and felt as good as I have felt in our 41 days here. So, after a brief chat, JDT and I decided to jump over to Manhattan, knock another one of Eater’s 22 best bagel shops (located on the Lower East Side) off the list (3 of 22 down) and walk over to the 911 Memorial. You see, JDT insisted we go within a narrow window of the anniversary remembrance. AND am I glad she did!! She was going with or without me.

The photo attached to this post is a view I noticed that was very symbolic for me. I love the elements in the photo. Two cranes rising from the reflection pond. One beyond the other, reaching into the sky. The human condition is to regroup, recover, rebuild.

This time in NYC/BK represents that to me on a very personal level. My confidence to build my life, our life together, on to the next thing! I’m so excited for whatever that becomes.

What a beautiful Sunday morning in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn! So many different thin gs come into my head to blog about. And still.

JDT blogged about our visit to Queens and the Billie Jean King US Tennis Center. From prior experience we knew there was a real likelihood that this could be a late night. AND those that know me well, know that is not my favorite part of the day. After the usual standing in line, actually lines, we made our way into the complex. Our intent is much different in such situations. I want to find a place to settle in, watch some tennis, while JDT wants to be in as many different places at one time to not miss a thing. Neither is right, nor wrong, just different. It is our very different approaches to life. Understanding that makes the usual “dustups” that almost always ensue at least “understandable”. Finding the right balance almost always leads to wonderful experiences.

After wandering a bit, watching a set or so of Diego Schwartzman dispatching his Slovenian opponent we decided to make our way over to Louis Armstrong Stadium. We had spent a serious amount of time selecting the correct seats to buy through Stub Hub. And well, we hit a home run on that one. JDT had read a great deal about the best angle. For me it was about being low enough, and not too low. AND as I said, we absolutely got it right. We got some food and water and settled in for the match. The caliber of the tennis was good, not great. The level of competition was fabulous. It was a five setter. And it took 3:55 to play. The match had started at 7:20 PM, so that made it 11:15 PM when the match finally ended. For those of you that are Grand Slam tennis junkies like us (mostly JDT), you know there is an interview and “theatrics” that follow. That meant the second match of the evening session would very likely start at darn near midnight. JDT knows that me and that hour are not a great combination, so we started our journey (yes I mean journey) back “home”. (Postscript – I NEED TO BE BETTER, SURPRISE JOYCE ONE DAY AND STAY UNTIL THE BITTER END!)

We have been on nearly 100 subway trips since our arrival August 1st. Some have been close to midnight (return from Mets game; return from Theater in The Park). None had been into the early hours of the morning. Two hours and fifteen minutes after we left BJK we arrived back home. I’ve shared my incredible fondness of traveling via train in prior blog posts. I don’t need to repeat myself. I was reminded and provided with another reason. You see the world as it is, not how we hope it would be. In all its dirty AND beautiful glory.

A short tangent before I wrap up. A couple weeks back we visited the New York Transit Museum (A must visit for those hoping to understand the history and essence of NYC). The museum is in an old subway station in Brooklyn. It is wonderful. Being down in that old converted subway one really gets a feel for what it must have been like for those that built the NYC transit system. Its history is inspiring and a real touch of Americana. A real highlight of what we, as Americans can build when we decide to work together. In those days it was mostly the Irish in NYC that were the disfavored immigrants that the rest of us leveraged to prop up and create a more convenient world for those more fortunate. Right or wrong (I’m not here to debate that debatable topic), there is always the fortunate and the less fortunate. AND it is the less fortunate that our society and economy rely so heavily.

The night sessions at BJK start at 7 PM. We wanted to have the Full Monty Experience, knew the gates opened at 5ish, so decided to arrive at BJK a bit before 5. Our subway journey was the C line to the G line to the 7 line. To translate for those non-New Yorkers, this means we went from central BK to west BK north to west Queens and then finally east to central Queens. Picture this, early rush hour from Manhattan into Queens. Yep, you got it, the workforce that works relatively early, dominated by construction workers. Mostly minority, mostly latino all looking incredibly weary at the end of a long week (remember the remnants of IDA passed through earlier in the week). And it took me straight back to my impressions from the NY Transit Museum.

I’m incredibly proud (hopefully in a positive way) and grateful for all of my blessings in life. AND I am aware and acknowledge that I would not have any of it were it not for everyone in our wonderful society and culture and all that each contribute.

Happy Sunday!!

I don’t really like the term…and yet…here we are living one of my dreams!

Yesterday was a glorious Fall-ish day. Have I mentioned that I am truly grateful for this opportunity to explore New York City and all of its boroughs at such a relaxed pace?

We got a later than usual start to our day so ended up on the free Staten Island ferry around 2:00. We had no plans once we got to the island so per usual, GAT took the reins and we walked to Snug Harbor. Along the route we enjoyed incredible views of downtown NYC. Snug Harbor is an 83 acre plot of land that was purchased through the bequest of a Captain Randall, a shipbuilder (also a Revolutionary War soldier) without heirs. He wanted to create a place for “aged, decrepit, and worn-out seamen”. Upon his death his “country estate” in what is now Greenwich Village was sold and the land in Staten Island was purchased. Imagine that! A 24 acre “country estate” in Manhattan! The story of his trust (created only 4 days before his death) is quite a tale of “who’s who” in post Revolutionary War history and judicial courts intrigue. Randall was originally buried in Manhattan at St. Mark’s Church, but when Snug Harbor was built, his remains were brought there and he is interred under an obelisk. The story is told that his ghost walks the grounds of Snug Harbor because souls don’t travel over water so he is searching for his soul that was left in Manhattan. I love a good ghost story!

Upon our return to Brooklyn, we followed our noses to a pizza place that our friend, Joan wants to visit when she’s here next week. That in and of itself was an adventure! A whole new neighborhood vibe, great pizza and OLD subway stations.

When we eventually arrived home from our adventure, Mark, our landlord was still here cleaning up the flooded basement (Ida). He is on vacation and had to drive back (4 hours) to deal with the mess. We helped him finish it up and are continuing to swab the decks – so to speak – as the area rug is draining, but no real damage seems to have been done. Just another reminder why we’d rather be renting than owning a second home! No rushing home from a vacation to repair something!

And finally, may the photos from the ferry remind us that the 20 year anniversary of 9/11 is fast approaching. I am taking a deep breath, pausing, and thinking about this great city and all that is good in our country.

Yes. We survived the remnants of Ida. Rain came in buckets starting in the late afternoon. There was a bit of lightening and thunder, but mostly just buckets and buckets of rain.You’ve probably seen photos of flooded streets and stadiums. We went to bed late (watching the US Open) and all seemed fine in our neighborhood. I went to sleep wishing that I could ship the water to the fiery west.

Glen got up this morning and went to grab his computer from the basement and oops. The basement has about 1/2 inch of water throughout the space. Landlord is on his way back from vacation with a new shopvac. This is why you rent instead of own a vacation home!

We are off to Staten Island for the day. We have recently ventured to Coney Island and Rockaway Beach. Hitting all the summer hot spots! Maybe The Hamptons in early Fall?

We are going to the US Open (tennis) tomorrow! Look for us in the Louis Armstrong stadium during the night matches.

In California, it’s pretty simple, we have these three large, color-coded trash cans – blue for recycling, green for composting, and black for landfill. Our trash is picked up once a week. Easy and peasy – to quote one of my first grade English Learners.

In New York, there are no (or few) cans. You separate your landfill trash and put it in a black or clear trash bag. The plastic/glass/metal recycling materials goes into a blue trash bag. Paper recycling goes into a different blue bag. All of the bags are placed at the edge of the sidewalk the night before collection, as all types of trash are collected one day a week – for us, it’s Monday – so we put it out Sunday night. In addition to the “all trash” pick up day, there are two other days at which you can put out black/clear landfill bags – for us, it’s Tuesday and Thursday nights. I assume the frequency of pick up has to do with the tight living quarters in the city. If everyone had to hold on to all of their trash for a whole week…I don’t even want to think about the smells and visuals of that quantity of trash.

The system works though it has its drawbacks. First, it’s kinda unsightly as it can sit out on the curb for most of the day. Second, it attracts…critters – the ones I’ve written about before and lots of flies. Third, it makes walking Dug a bit challenging as it’s like walking him past a veritable smorgasborg. It’s hard to get up any speed on our walks!

Also, I haven’t figured out how this works, but if you look at the photos, people tend to think of the “big” trash day as an opportunity to put out EVERYTHING they want to get rid of AND at the end of the month, many people are moving to new apartments so there is a LOT of other trash…hoping to be picked up by someone…anyone!

Finally, the City places trash cans on just about every corner so there is no excuse for dropping your trash on the ground. Sadly, it seems that the message is not clear as in certain areas, there is a LOT of trash on the ground. AND the corner trash cans are also often full so they are well-utilized – there is just a LOT of trash in a city!

Bottom line – trash is an interesting issue in urban settings. Something new to ponder…

I think I wrote, or certainly have been thinking we’ve been coming to Brooklyn for 10 or 11 years. And my oh my, how things have changed. Back then, The Wythe was either the only, or one of the very few upscale hotels in Williamsburg, Broooklyn. Now? My oh MY!! Williamsburg is filled with em.

Back in 2010 we absolutely loved it, yet I struggled a bit with the hipster thing. I never really understood, until NOW!!

We have dear DEAR friends visiting us starting next Sunday. So we’re out exploring places to go for an adult beverage and a view. One of the best things of BK is the night view into Manhattan (It may be my favorite thing about The Wythe). So some 10 years or so later, we decide to go to the rooftop bar at The Wythe. And while we are there, some late 20s hipsters are having a surprise marriage proposal / celebration. And of course their friend who is a photographer is recording.

I struggle with the fine line of self awareness and self absorption.

So, now I understand.