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June 23, 2008
A Skeptic's Journey into the World of Yoga
CLICK HERE to see the trailer for Enlighten Up!
Posted by dave at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2008
First Photos of 'Prana'
With the news that Prana was delivered to the dealer on Wednesday, Chis and I climbed on the train today and headed out to Huntington on Long Island to see her. Very exciting!
Posted by dave at 07:48 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2008
Happy Anniversary to Us!
5 years ago today, Chis and I went to City Hall in Toronto and tied the knot. It seems longer ago, but then, we have done a lot since June 2003. 10,500 nautical miles at sea, 16 countries, move to New York...
We watch the marriages surfacing in California and feel really excited for the entire community. There is hope for this world.
Oh, and Katie, Happy Birthday. Thank goodness you have a birthday so that we can remember our anniversary!
Posted by dave at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2008
Prana is Born
"Prana", our new Beneteau 40, was loaded on a truck in South Carolina today. She is expected to arrive in Huntington, New York (Long Island) on Wednesday. A flurry of excitement and activity has ensued. The floor of the dining room is piled high with adornments for our new addition.
We're having a baby!
Posted by dave at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2008
No Longer Liveaboard
I took a Bikram Break today. I played hooky. ("There is no widely accepted explanation for the word 'hookey' or 'hooky.' An Americanism that arose in the late 19th century, when compulsory attendance laws became the rule in public schools, 'hooky' may be a compression of the older expression 'hook it,' 'to escape or make off,' formed by dropping the 't' in the phrase. Or it could be related to the old slang word 'hook,' meaning 'to steal,': kids stealing a day off from school. 'Hooky' has so often been associated with going fishing that it may even owe its life to 'getting off the hook' the way a fish can; anyway, school is often insufferable as a hook to schoolchildren and many kids squirming in their seats all day look like they are on a hook." From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997)
Instead, I ran 9 miles along the Hudson and the biked up to Harlem and back.
On my journey, I stopped at my favourite place along the river at the 79th Street Boat Basin. Out on a mooring was an Amel, a sister-ship of Platina.
Last year, almost exactly this time, Chis and I moved out of our apartment to replace our floors. We took a seedy, dark little apartment on 86th Street, and I biked to the apartment daily to check on progress. The 79th Street Boat Basin was always a stop on the way home.
A year ago, I looked out at the boats on the moorings. I definitely connected with them. Canvas covering the boat to reflect the sun's intense rays (liveaboards are not sun worshipers), wind generators, solar panels, BBQ on the stern rail, topsides a little scuffed up, etc.
Today, I looked out at the boats on the moorings and realized that I admired them, but did not connect to them. I guess that enough time has passed since we lived aboard Platina. I connect more with life in Manhattan than life aboard a boat.
But, I have not lost sight of the dream. We will be back at sea. Someday. In this lifetime, or the next. It is in our blood.
Posted by dave at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2008
36 (100) in the Shade
My impressions of summer in New York are hot, humid and hazy. I mean, growing up in Toronto, for about a week or two we would experience h3 (hot, humid and hazy). Today was blazing h3. "They" were expecting a record-breaking day, and we may have got there, although I actually think yesterday felt hotter.
New York, with its incredible density, means that the sun bakes the concrete, and the breeze off the ocean gets completely evicted by the skyscrapers. Baking concrete (which absorbs heat like crazy). No breeze. Oh, and in our dog friendly neck-of-the-nabe, pee smell. Not just from the dogs, I add.
I ran 6 miles on the Hudson River Trail at 10:30 this morning, and returned dripping wet with sweat. I stood outside our building, took my shirt off, squeezed out about a quart of sweat, then tried to squeeze the sweat from my shorts. People were staring. Really, New Yorkers really don't understand squeezing sweat out of gym wear because (a) few exercise outdoors, (b) few exercise, (c) few sweat as much as I do, and (d) I was not wearing DKNY. And pplllllease, one does not sweat in DKNY!
So did I go to Bikram yoga this afternoon? Of course I did. It was seriously hot. It felt great!
Yes, you must love the heat to live in this city. And you must love the heat to do Bikram yoga. It gives new meaning to the expression "turn up the heat".
Posted by dave at 07:27 PM | Comments (0)
June 04, 2008
Recipe Deal Breakers: When Step 2 is 'Corral Pig'
Picture this. Sitting in Madison Square Park with dear friend, Graham. I have just emerged from a very difficult yoga class, which he taught. He flips open his bag and hands me the 'Dining In' section of today's New York Times, which I did not read because I was consumed by the crossword puzzle.
I seriously burst out laughing. Gut wrenching! People in the park were looking at me, tears streaming down my face. My eyes were puffy and red. If you have ever tried a recipe and decided to throw in the whisk, read on...
Posted by dave at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2008
The Forward-Thinking Niece
Chis and I spent last weekend in Toronto, visiting my family Saturday, and his family Sunday. DP & AJ, recent visitors to our New York pad, were our gracious hosts for the weekend. They were, as always, the light of our lives.
At brunch on Sunday, sitting next to niece Katherine, she was asked, at 15, when she would get her driver’s license. Her response?
“Well, in ten years, are people really going to be driving?”
Jeez, I hope not!
Now, I admit that I am hyper-environmentally conscious. At least I thought I was. But, as yet, it has not crossed my mind that cars may be obsolete in this world.
And, so today, I decided that my Canadian driver’s license, which expired last October, and which I cannot renew because I cannot get a Social Security Number, because my legal Ontario marriage to my husband is not yet federally recognized (despite Governor Paterson’s forward-looking efforts), will never be renewed.
Whew.
I feel really, really good about this. Public transportation, here I come. Feet don’t fail me now!
Posted by dave at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)