Finally On Break

The time between my last post and now is a little fuzzy.  Finals are a total blur, though they definitely went much more smoothly than any of my 8 conference weeks at SLC.  The week after finals, my brain was pretty much total mush and I went out every night.  This included a date with a nice young man, whom I had met the weekend before.  He's very sweet and I think I will see him again, though I'm not sure how far it will go.

Now I find myself back at my mom's house in Connecticut.  There are several inches of snow on the ground and some sort of sleety-slushy crap is coming down now.  My holiday shopping is pretty under control, though I'm planning a trip to the mall tomorrow to tie up the rest of my loose ends.  As much as I hate leaving the city, being back in Connecticut for a bit without any work hanging over my head will be nice.  Things are so calm and quiet here, though I can realistically only handle it for a week at the most before the stir-crazy sets in.

Happy Chanukah!

Our menorah tonight.

Jessie and my Christmas tree.

College Walk decorated for the holidays.

Excellent Time Management Skills

I think going to Barnes & Noble and Magnolia instead of getting ready for finals was definitely the best use of my time.

I went to get Pete a birthday present and came back with these.  Technically the top one is a Christmas gift for Mary, but I might have to flip through it first. . . 

Thankful

So, I've been a bit lax about updating over here.  The week leading up to break was crazy, but I did get to spend a lovely 24 hours in the city with Stacey, including introducing her to Magnolia.  Once Thanksgiving break hit and I was back in Connecticut, I was in full veg-mode.  It was one of the best Thanksgivings I've had in a long time, even though I never quite achieved my goal of "Get a lot of schoolwork done", but I think that's OK.  I am happy to back in the city, but getting to see the Natchaug crew, as well as my ladies from Wilson's was awesome.

Making one of my annual contributions to Thanksgiving.

The "Secret Ingredient" to my cranberry sauce.

Our Thanksgiving spread, minus my Caesar Salad and the multitude of desserts.

I came back to New York last night and was back at my field placement first thing this morning.  I wasn't expecting an especially easy day, since the holidays (and the immediate aftermath) can be hard for the kind of kids I work with.  I wasn't expecting anything like today turned out to be.  It started out with little things like my coffee pot freaking out, mopping up a miniature lake of coffee off my white tile floor and then waiting 15 minutes for the stupid 2 train (which also decided to stop running this afternoon).  This all paled in comparison to the session with one of my favorite students that ended with my first call to ACS, among other things.  It was one of those days that simultaneously makes me wonder why I want to do this kind of work and reminds me why I need to.  Sometimes watching what these kids have to live through on a daily basis and how little is being done to support them is worse than heartbreaking.  And often there is little or nothing I can do to "fix" it.  Though, sometimes, like today, just being able to listen and help them get what they need has to be enough.

Girly Weekend

Had a lovely weekend to counteract my hellacious week.  Went to see Scottish Play with Rosie on Friday night and renewed my love of Shakespeare in black box theatres (not that it really ever went anywhere).  Late that night, Megan came in from Boston.  I hadn't seen her in I don't know how long, so I couldn't wait for her to get in.  We had a fantastic time together, just hanging out, playing Katamari and cracking ourselves up.  On Saturday night we met Maggie and David at Art Bar for a few rounds.  I love it when my friends from all my different worlds meet and get along so well.

This morning we met a friend of Megan's for brunch and ended up at Yaffa Cafe, where I hadn't been since the days of wandering around the city when we would miss the last train back to Bronxville.  She headed back to Boston and I headed up to Mer's with the rest of my CUSSW ladies to bring her dinner.  We had a lovely evening over delicious food.

Aren't we adorable?

As usual, the weekend was too short.  Back to field first thing in the morning, though Jessie and I are going to Avenue Q tomorrow night.  The tickets were her graduation present in May and we're finally getting to go.  So excited to see it again.

I think winter is starting to appear in New York. . .

Crazy Week

It has been a crazy week.  Social and personal obligations detracted somewhat from time that is typically devoted to homework and a field advising meeting and having to correct some stats homework killed what are my normally productive lunch breaks on school days.  Anyway, it's been a crazy and busy week and yet, somehow, I have very little to say.  I'm very excited to have almost reached the weekend.  Megan is coming down from Boston and we'll be out and about making trouble all weekend.

I promise to say something interesting next time I post.

Joe Torre Safe At Home Gala

On Friday night I volunteered at the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation Gala.  It was amazing!  I've always had so much respect for Torre, as a player, manger and a person.  His foundation is what co-funds the Margaret's Place where I intern.  It was such an amazing experience to work at his fundraising event, especially considering that most of the '98 Yankees were there, as well as Bon Jovi!  I bumped (literally) into Paul O'Neill and told Derek Jeter I loved him.  OK, so I yelled it after him as he was walking to his car, but when was I going to get another chance to be that close to him?  And then Bon Jovi almost stepped on my foot.  I also saw Bernie Williams, David Cone, El Duque, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, David Wells, Joe Girardi, Jorge Posada, Scott Brosius, Homer Bush, Tino Martinez, Hideki Matsui, Yogi Berra and Brian Cashman.  I know those names don't mean much to many of you, but if you're as big a Yankees fan as I am (or a baseball fan at all!) you can probably guess how excited I was.

Part of the silent action- all kinds of good stuff I couldn't afford!

Loved the flower arrangements on the bar.

The 1998 Yankees!

Jeter (*swoon*) sitting in front of Bernie.

Joe Torre.

Bon Jovi performs.

A Lot Can Happen In A New York Minute

So they say.  And it's trite.  But it's true.  And I feel like time has been moving faster and faster.  Whether I'm just getting older or the universe is contracting or both, I don't know, but I need some sort of record of what's going on.  I've been on LiveJournal for about 7 years, but it hasn't been holding the appeal it once did.  So, here's me giving blogging another shot.  Besides, if you've ever met me, you know I always have something to say.

Anyway, let me know you're out there. . . 

~S

Outside the 72nd St. 1, 2, 3 stop.