ashleyd /

A Few Random Thoughts

Looking out the window from my midtown office this morning, it was as if Sandy never happened.

There are so many things I could talk about in this post but honestly right now I just don’t have the energy. Instead, I’ll summarize a few of my thoughts and then share with you the fun information, like how you can track me during the marathon on Sunday.

  • Life without power: Last night after a much needed yoga class at Equinox with Sarra Morton who was substituting uptown, we showered and picked up dinner in midtown before making the trek back downtown. Crossing 38th street it literally felt like you were crossing into a black hole. Walking into our apartment, after navigating the dark stairwell up two flights of steps, is even darker. But, once we come into the house, crack a window for ventilation, light the 15 scented candles I’ve accumulated over the years, turn Friends on via the iPad, and cuddle on the couch all is right in the world. Bo and I have both decided we can handle the dark and even the lack of power. At the end of the day it’s not having water that is driving me insane. I drink a lot of water. Think gallons per day. Therefore, just the thought of once I walk through the door of our apartment I am limited to the bottle water we have on hand which as of last night was dwindling, gives me a parched mouth. In addition, no water means no flushing toilets, no water to rinse our dishes which have now piled up, and no way to easily carry out my evening ritual of washing my face and brushing my teeth drives me insane. But, then I sit and think about how lucky we are versus some of the other people we know and everything is put into perspective. Is it kind of crazy that I’ll have to go to a friends house tomorrow on my day off to do a blog post, download new music from iTunes, and create my playlist? Sure it does but you know what, I’ll get through it. In addition, Bo and I have decided that living through this has brought the two of us even closer. Want to get close with your significant other, suffer through food poisioing at the same time and live without utilities under the same roof for mutliple days.
  • Why haven’t we taken refuge at our friends’ homes? In simple terms, it’s just easier to stay. We have been limiting our time at home now that our offices and gyms are open which means that we are only home to sleep. Sleeping in the comfort of our queen size bed, even if it means doing so in a sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants due to the cold, is more comfortable than an air mattress or the hard floor. While we can’t really change the situation we can make our marathon taper as comfortable as possible and this seems to help.
  • Do I feel like the marathon should take place this Sunday?  I can no longer count on two hands the number of people who have asked me the question since Mary Whittenberg and Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that the ING NYC Marathon will run on Sunday. This, similar to politics, is just something that I don’t want to discuss on the blog. At the end of the day I think of my readers as friends and rarely do I bring up politics or religion with friends, especially in a group situation. I will provide you all with the same answer I gave to my mom and co-workers today though. I am trusting that Mary Whittenberg, Mayor Bloomberg, the NYRR, and all parties involved made the decision that they felt best not only for the runners but the city and surrounding areas and parties involved. Instead of talking more about this topic I’ll direct you to my lovely friend Erica’s site where she said everything that I have been thinking. In addition, I’ll let you know that come Sunday I’ll be thinking about my dear friend and co-worker Joanne, who has suffered more than anyone else I know these past few days, every step of the way.

So, now that we’ve covered all those random thoughts of all the things I need to do before Sunday morning.

I have this fear that due to the chaos of everything right now I’ll forget something so I figure sharing it here is a good way to remember.

  • Go to marathon expo to pick up bib (Bo and I are going tonight and I’m not volunteering there tomorrow from 9-2. If you’re there, find me and say hi!)
  • Buy an iPod shuffle (My current iPod was found one day in a cab and while it’s served me well for over a year, it hasn’t been very reliable lately and I want something smaller for the marathon.)
  • Make a playlist for Sunday.
  • Charge my Garmin and find a Garmin for Bo to use on Sunday
  • Figure out our throw away clothes situation (I don’t feel right going to Salvation Army right now as there are other people who truly need these clothes. I think we’ll use old flannel pj pants and drugstore robes.)
  • Figure out our Saturday plans for dinner and charging things as it now sounds like Con-Edison has told all of Manhattan that power won’t be back until 11pm on Saturday.
  • Put Bo’s name on his race day shirt.
  • Get my nails painted for the race (I’m thinking Lincoln Park After Dark will go best with my black and pink outfit but we’ll see).

So, if you’ve made it through all this and are still interested in tracking me on Sunday, here are my details:

Start: 10:55, Blue Wave #4, Corral #59

Bib: 59623

If you go to this site you can track me, and up to 3 runners via text. In addition, you can also track me via Facebook and Twitter. It costs $2.99 in advance and $3.99 on race day.ORYou can track via the web on race day “live time.”

For those who are spectating, I will post a picture of my outfit in Saturday’s post though I can tell you know that I’m wearing neon pink zensah calf sleeves, black CW-X shorts, a neon pink sparkly skirt, a dark gray Lululemon long sleeve shirt that has my name on the front, along with my Camelbak! I’ll also do my best to stay on the left side of the street to make things easier.

I still plan on doing a post tomorrow sharing my race day tips and tricks for the New York City Marathon, though many are no longer valid due to changes in transportation methods.

Until next time, I’m off to the ING NYC Marathon Expo with Bo! I’m so excited to experience the next few days with him since it’s all new for him.

Thanks for the warm wishes, texts, tweets, Facebook messages, and more! You guys are amazing!

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ashleyd /

An Update After Hurricane Sandy

Greetings from New York City. The city that never sleeps has been battered and beaten in ways people never imagined possible considering this was a Category 1 hurricane. I apologize that I haven’t updated earlier but this is my first access to internet, thanks to my office re-opening.

It is almost a tale of two cities at this point, especially in Manhattan. People north of 38th street barely felt anything during the storm other than the howling winds. They have power, heat, water, etc and the streets and businesses are alive as if nothing happened during the past 48 hours. However, south of 38th street is a different story. No one has had power for the past 36 hours, there was severe flooding to the avenues closest to the East River and Hudson River, strangers are helping each other, and there are people literally walking up to 39th street then standing in the sidewalks using any power plug they can find charging phones and computers.

We lost power around 9pm on Monday night and don’t expect to have it back until at least Friday or Saturday based on the latest news. Luckily, Bo’s sister who was evacuated from her home came to stay with us and the 3 of us have been warm, dry, safe and sound.  We have used 15 candles to light our home and our thankful for the gas stove which allowed us to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Our freezer stayed cold enough so that we didn’t lose any meat and I was able to bring it to the office freezer today when I came to work. I can’t say enough amazing things about our gym, Equinox, as they have allowed members to use any club in the city that is open, north of 38th street, for showers, charging phones and computers, and warmth. While the lines have been long for showers each day there is nothing like a warm shower after 36 hours without one. We have decided that we’re going to stay in our apartment even though we don’t have power as it just seems like the simplest option. We are taking advantage of our offices today to catch up on work, emails, and phone calls to loved ones who have been concerned. I’m also taking advantage of having news access so I can catch up on the New York City news and marathon updates. This is definitely not the taper week we expected but at least we’ve enjoyed 10-12 hours of sleep the past 3 nights since there isn’t much else to do.

Not bad for a dinner without power! Luckily all of this could be made using stove top heat!

For those of you who have asked, here are a few images of what our neighborhood looks like after the storm.

 

People were literally standing outside using the plugs normally reserved for holiday tree lights. Amazing!

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Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful

..let it storm, let it storm, let it storm.

We are definitely in hunker down mode here in New York City. Last night Meg came over as her building was evacuated and the three of us have been enjoying a few good movies and relaxing since then. Last night we enjoyed roasted chicken and vegetables while catching up on many DVR shows such as Parenthood, Modern Family, Revenge, and Homeland.

This morning I slept until 8, when my alarm summoned me to wake up and start working from home. All three of us were up working on our computers while the wind started whipping outside. Since the New York Stock Exchange is shut down today and tomorrow Bo was allowed to work from home. It turns out that finding a taxi would have been hard because when Meg and I walked to the grocery store around 9 the streets were eerily empty.

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We started the day off on a healthy note with pumpkin spice smoothies. They were missing spinach though as the grocery store was already out of stock last night. On the side, throughout the day, I’m sipping a very beet juice that I found in the produce aisle that is filled with red vegetables and fruits such as beets, tart cherries, berries, and more!

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After finishing a few hours of work Meg and I decided to head out on an adventure to check things out in the neighborhood before the wind and rain strengthened.

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We walked 2 miles in total and while we were only gone for 30 minutes, the weather changed dramatically during that time. We walked down to the East River to see how high the water was peaking during low tide. We weren’t the only crazy people out and about but you can tell the police are getting ready to crack down since the worst is coming quickly. IMG_5535

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After our adventure we returned home for lunch and an afternoon filled with warm herbal tea and the first of AFI Top 100 films we are conquering today, Lord of the Rings, on in the background. My lunch plate was delicious, consisting of a turkey sandwich, Pop Chips, and some raw vegetables paired with hummus on the side.

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I hope everyone is staying safe and dry on the East Coast and that the rest of the country is having a nice Monday.

If you’re home due to the storm, what are you doing to keep your mind off the weather outside?

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