Monthly Archives: March 2010

March 10, 2010 · 10:29 pm

An Equidistant Moment

It’s moments like this I am absolutely certain I was born to carry a camera. And I always wonder if other people notice this kind of stuff.

Right after we saw the white dogs with orange socks, we came upon this odd little scene on the World Financial Plaza. This was one of the first warm days in NY and everyone was trying to catch some time outdoors. The odd thing was that these five seemingly unrelated people decided to do so in almost the exact same way. They were spaced perfectly (hence equidistant), legs crossed on the same side, each one reading, as if they had been set up by an art director. Of course this was not, in fact,’a shot’.

It was real life.

I mean, seriously, what kind of art director would have kept that guy in the powder blue sweater on the left side there. He is the wild card in this shot. I mean, for G-d sake, he is not even crossing his legs.

Damn rebel!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 9, 2010 · 9:09 pm

White Dogs with Orange Socks

I don’t know, I just couldn’t come up with anything clever as a title for this. Sometimes the obvious is so outrageous it just fits.

Seems like the theme this week is pets. So if you are not an animal lover check back on maybe Saturday.

I saw these little lambikin like doggies on the Esplanade in Battery Park City yesterday. If you have never been there, you should visit, it is a very cool place and it almost seems like it is a different city than NY. Full disclosure, Battery Park City Authority is a long-standing client but I genuinely love this place and have watched it grow over the past 25 years from a whole bunch of open lots into a thriving urban jewel.

Back to the white dogs in orange socks (this sounds rather Suessian, no?). I was with a friend/client and we stopped to talk to the owner of these little… scamps. I am pretty sure she suffered from a little OCD of sorts because when I asked to take their picture she was all upset about their ‘faces being dirty’. Apparently these tiny orange socks are not meant to protect their delicate itsy bitsy feeties, they are to keep them from getting soiled.

Oh my!

Do you think she was offended when I bent down to pet them and told her my dog takes bigger dumps than this? Yeh, probably was classic anti-social behavior, but it did get a laugh out of my friend.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone

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March 8, 2010 · 11:56 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – The Love of a Good Fish

I know I write about my dog a lot, but what you may not know is that along with dog sitting, we are also fish sitting. I know, seems a little ridiculous, but my in laws spend the season in Florida and they have this beta fish that they really love. So much so, that my father-in-law even considered taking it on the plane.

Correct me if I am wrong, Poppy, but I think the 4 oz liquid restriction was the only thing that stopped you. Imagine this scene, grandfather is taken to the back and questioned for trying to carry his pet fish over state lines.

We were the obvious candidates to watch the fish. My sister-in-law has cats so she was out. And my brother-in-law travels too much.

Now here is the thing. They are not just fond of this fish, they are really attached to it. When it first came here I was convinced I would kill it within a week (I have a bad fish history). And all I could think of was that my entire future with my husband’s family lay at risk over this one beta.

Fortunately, this fish is madly in love with me. No, I am not kidding. When I walk into the room it goes nuts. First time I thought I was imagining it. But after awhile it became apparent that I was having a very strong effect on this little swimmer. And I am not going to lie, I take some comfort in knowing that fish is into me.

Goes to show, there is nothing like the love of a good fish. (but please don’t tell the dog)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 7, 2010 · 5:39 pm

Bad Carma and the Three Dog Night

No, not a typo!

“When the mechanical-technological things in our life break down , it is not a personal attack on us. It is just the nature of the mechanical-material world.”

This hangs over my desk. I don’t know who said it but it sounds kind of Eckhart Tolle-ish to me. Nonetheless, it helps me cope.

Carma, you ask? Yeh, well first Gary’s car decided to overheat on the way home Friday night. He got towed. For those who remember the last AAA debacle you will be happy to hear he called them without hesitation this time.

And then the tow truck broke down in front of our house (poor guy got dragged into our bad carma – I know, too corny to say twice, sorry).

Gary had a hose replaced on Saturday. Well not Gary, the car, you will be happy to know his hose is fine. (you see, things could be much worse).

And then the car overheated again. (fixed, um, think not).

Then the oil pressure somethingorother light in Danny’s car went on.

Ok, that would be two cars down, going to the shop first thing Monday morning.

Now on to the dogs. When things suck you can always count on your dog to make them not suck. How? By simply being the dog. Fortunately, tonight we find ourselves triply lucky in the canine department. Not only do we have Mel to keep us from feeling sucky, we also have Ginger and Barkley, our two fave dog sitting companions. Look at those 3 old dogs and tell me your life would not be sheer bliss if you could hang with them.

Oh and one of the dogs came with another teenage boy so we have plenty of food in the house if you want to come over and visit our crazy home.

Hey, I wonder if I can find a dog sled for Gary to get to work tomorrow. Damn, too bad that snow melted. (Dr. Jimmy, that snow comment was for you, babe)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 3, 2010 · 10:06 pm

To the woman in the nail salon

Ok, I admit it. Towards the end of the day on a work day I skipped out for a manicure.  I had a tragically low broken nail that needed to be attended to. It was more necessary maintenance than pleasure. If you are a guy you think… “women!” If you are a woman you think, “damn, I hate when that happens.”

Here’s the thing. I don’t really have the kind of job that translates well into public places. These 50-year-old eyes are getting too old to view artwork on a blackberry and I am stuck zooming all over the place trying to make an intelligent comment when people send me stuff. (there that iphone envy goes rearing its ugly head again) Add that to the fact that I collaborate with a team and need to chat it up in the thick of a project. Oh and to top it all off we are always working on impossible deadlines.

So… I admit it. I was the women on the phone at the nail salon. Well, actually, not the only one as the woman across from me got a call and she was a realtor who was at the last stages of a deal where the parties were only $20,000 apart and she had to give the old, “I am in a meeting I will get back to you as soon as I am in the office” routine.

Back to my call. There was no option not to take it. Decisions had to made, time is money, yadayadayada. So woman number 3 sitting at the nail dryer, let me refer to her as THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON ON THIS EARTH. She tells me when I end the call, “you know, you don’t always have to take the call. things can wait. sometimes it is beneficial to keep them waiting.”

THEM? Sweetheart, who are your THEM? In this market, no one waits in my book.

And seriously, you were giving me your opinion because? Oh right, because you ARE THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON ON THIS EARTH!

You see, right here is why I have a blog. The beauty of this here little slice of the interwebs is that when I am on my last friggin’ nerve, I have a perfect place to vent.

And the best part about it is that THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON ON THIS EARTH has no business being here.

Ahhh, now I feel better.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 2, 2010 · 11:21 pm

Orange you cranky?

Ok, shoot me. I just had a long day and as a matter of fact I am damn cranky.

And this had to be the funniest instant message solicitation I have gotten in a long time.

Maybe I should have accepted it.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 1, 2010 · 9:07 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – 24.4

If you know me, you would know I am a not much of a sports fan living in the land of sports fanatics. My husband will watch, or play for that matter, any sport on earth. I call him game boy, affectionately of course. My kids are major college basketball and football fans. Some of my closest friends, men and women, are rabid athletes and spectators. One of my girlfriends even started this sports website for people just like myself; sports indifferent women who need to know enough to survive in at least a basic conversation of sports current events.

Of course I have been a major fan when my kids played sports. I have learned to have an affection for basketbal, field hocky and soccer through them. And when they suffered defeat I grieved right along with them. They fall and we bleed.

But there is one professional sport that I have always loved to watch. BC (before children) we had Rangers season tickets and I would scream in The Garden with the best of them chanting to a good Potvin sucks. There is something about the speed and finesse of that sport that I always got a charge out of.

Ahhhhh, you say, the post title: 24.4 – now you get it! If you were one of the 27.6 people who watched the final Olympic hockey game between Canada and the USA, that number makes a whole lot of sense. If you have just crawled out from under a rock, Zach Parise scored a tying goal with 24.4 seconds left in regulation time, throwing the game into a 4 on 4 overtime. This entire game was probably the most exciting hockey I have ever watched. What a pleasure to watch a clean hockey game. We screamed so loud during the game the dog left the room. I swear I had chest pains (relax Mom, that is just an expression).

AP Photo

Sadly, the glory of the 24.4 was short lived when Sidney Crosby shot a goal past Ryan Miller 7:40 into overtime. Talk about the agony of defeat. I could not help but think about Ryan Miller’s mom at that moment (sorry I am still a girl even if I do sound all sports macho in this post).

Kudos to the Canadian team on taking the gold in their national sport on home ice. They are a lovely country, a good neighbor and were wonderful hosts for the Games. If we had to lose to anyone I am glad it was them.

But again, to Ryan Miller’s mom, my heart goes out to you babe.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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