How to Survive the Drive (or...moving across the country at breakneck speed)

Cross country travel is an interesting mix of adventure and people watching. On the one hand, you get to see parts of the country you may normally never have thought to travel to on purpose...like Conway, Arkansas. Then on the other, you get the added bonus of witnessing not only people's driving habits, but you can sneak a peek at them as they're driving by for a little quickie entertainment. You can watch the guy in the pickup yapping on his phone while picking his nose (obviously thinking no one's watching)....you can see the immaculately made-up woman in the luxury sedan asleep with her head against the headrest, mouth open, probably snoring loudly (so at that point you can assume the music is cranked in THAT car). And then you can watch the brother and sister comedy duo in the mini-van and have fun adding your own soundtrack ("Stop touching me," "I'm not touching you," "Stop touching me," "I'm not touching you," "MOOOOOMM!!! Billy's touching me" "You kids stop that RIGHT now or I'm turning this car around"...which, depending on whether or not they're headed to Disneyland or to visit grandpa in the retirement home may or may not be such a bad thing after all.....).


But I believe there is a common denominator amongst all road weary travelers, and that is this: at some point in time, we all experience the exhaustion of the drive and will find the need for a little "pick me up", if you will. And while I don't nearly have the experience of a cross country truck driver, having driven 3 times from ocean to ocean in, ohhhh, 6 months, I'm here to share what I've learned with you, perhaps a first time cross country driver, should the need arise.

The obvious first choice is to grab that great standby...a cup of coffee...cuppa joe...espresso....cappuccino....or whatever form of liquid that comes from bean goodness that corporate America tells us we should be drinking these days.

I've found that coffee is good for about thirty minutes when you start to feel that first little tinge of fatigue. It's good enough to get you to a nearby hotel for a crash, or to the closest city so you can pass off the wheel to your driving companion (or your 10 year old kid if the need is desperate...hey, if their feet hit the pedals, it's OK, right?). In MY opinion, truck stop coffee is your best bet...most truck stops offer a wide variety of coffee blends that have been brewed at different times (and thickness)--so you can create your own "special cup"....anything from barely brown-water weak (because you don't like coffee, but you need the caffeine, so you'll suck it up) to something a hammer would stand up in on its own (also known as the Morning Show DJ blend). Keep in mind however, that truck stops have a lot more entertaining things for the kids to look at and aisles to get lost in--so unless you lock 'em up in the trunk while you run in (OK...maybe not the trunk, although you may consider it at some point on the trip), you may want to just hit your usual morning cafe shop. Now, there's nothing wrong with stopping at Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts (or anything along those lines)...but these places can be few and far between--and sometimes not open so early in the morning. So again, for variety and convenience sake, I say "Amen" to the All-American Truck Stop.

So now let's say that it's about 3 in the morning, your contacts have dried out and the lines aren't blurry, but starting to look a little fuzzy on the road. At this point, you may need something stronger to go along with that cup of mocha goodness.

Ahhh, the energy drink. A slightly more condensed version of "jump-start juice" in a convenient 12 or 16 ounce can. Now these little suckers pack a slightly higher punch than coffee--but can take a few extra minutes to kick in...so be sure you don't wait until the absolute last minute to shoot this one down the gullet. And while they will keep you awake for a few more hours than the coffee you slung back 30 miles ago, the problem with these is this: if you're not used to the added kick, then you might find yourself tapping your foot in double time to the music and anxiously drumming your fingers on the steering wheel all while trying to explain to the nice officer in a faster, higher-pitched voice you don't recognize as your own how it wasn't YOUR fault your foot planted the accelerator to the floorboard, it was the bull's fault.

And then there is the energy shot.

These are only for the TRULY energy deprived and those of you with a normal resting heart rate of 180. Now these bad boys will keep you AWAKE! And jittery. And twitchy.  Did I mention jittery?  And you may start to hallucinate things at 4am--for example, are those trees really dancing on the side of the road or did you make a wrong turn at Oklahoma and now you're in the Land of Oz?? I do have to admit, however, that I find that I can burn a whole crap-load of calories on these things. If I can just figure out how to get any kind of nutritional value out of 'em, I may be on to the next new fad diet!!!

So these are my own thoughts on the various "liquid goodies" out there that can help you get over the early, early, early morning-drive hump. Now, because I don't feel like getting sued by anyone who actually takes what I say to heart, what I've written here is based on no medical science, isn't approved by the FDA and (lets be honest) could put you into cardiac arrest. So don't come crying to me if you try any of these things and end up in a ditch...anything you do to your own body is done at your own risk. Just get a room already and get some sleep.

Because it will catch up with you.

Probably right around 3pm...just outside Nashville....

Back to the West Coast (or..."all skate...change direction!!")

So it's been 6 weeks to the day that I rolled into Virginia, ready to start a new life in the Mid-Atlantic. I've met a lot of fabulous people...seen some wonderful sights, visited new places and discovered a new career path. All in all, not too shabby for six weeks, right?? I mean, considering where I was when I started this thing, you'd think that I've at least started to find my way again, right?

Would it come as a huge surprise to you to learn that I've now decided to pack it all up again and head right back to California?

Yup...you got it. True to its title, and with little more than a slight idea of where my life is going, I'm off again, life packed up in a U-Haul trailer, fur-family in tow and drivin' it back to San Diego. After all, what's a little insanity amongst friends??

So you may be asking yourself, "why?" (God knows I still am). Well, as I'm stuck in traffic here, westbound on the 66, I'm still trying to completely sort it out myself. I guess the best explanation I can give you is this....that although the last several weeks have been a whirlwind of fun, excitement and adventure, I've also come to realize that there's an underlying emptiness that all the fun, excitement and adventure wasn't filling. And I just don't believe I'm going to be able to find what I need in Virginia. But knowing how much I love San Diego, I think I at least have a better shot of finding what I need in a city I still consider to be "home." Don't get me wrong...I'm thrilled with all that I did...even just having the opportunity to try was exhilarating. But sometimes, maybe you have to take that one step backward to go two steps forward.

So what now?

Well, for the next 48 hours we meander our way westward (dog panting in my ear, cats yowling in the back). On my way out East, I had posted updates to Facebook along the way at each major city and stop...I'm considering going back and re-posting them all again, just in reverse order. Would anyone else find that funny but me?

After that? Start all over again. Find a new job (watch out San Diego breweries...I'm headed your way), unpack and try to find a new path (again). But if you can be patient with me, I'll drag you along and we'll find out together just how far down this new path of insanity we can travel together!!

Tell you this....I may not know exactly where I'm going, but I'm making GREAT time!!!

U-Turns on the Road of Life

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

With all due respect to Robert Frost, I have found myself wondering about the road less traveled recently.  Now, for anyone who knows me, I've always tried to live a life with no regrets.  "How is that possible," you ask; "life is full of regrets."   Ahhh, but no.   Actually...if you think about it...every choice you ever make in your life brings you to the exact moment you are at right now.  Circular reasoning?  Perhaps.  But here's where this slightly warped view comes from.  Once upon a time I was asked, "if there was one moment in your life you could change, what would it be?"  So I pondered this thought long and hard.  And after careful consideration, I realized I would change nothing.  Now, that doesn't mean that there aren't horrible moments in my life that I've tried desperately to suppress (some successfully, others not so much).  But each moment I've experienced--either good or bad--has brought me to this exact point in my life.  And although it's been crazy at times, I can honestly say that I could die happy with the life I've lived....so that can't be all bad, right?  Now I realize that not everyone will subscribe to my theory...but that's cool.  This is just how I view things.

Which leads me to the road less traveled.  Going back to Frost, according to him, for the choice you made, there is the one you didn't.  And while not regretting my decisions, I find myself wondering if it's possible to stop on the path I chose in the wood, backtrack and go back down the other lane after all.  Is a "Do Over" really possible in the game of life?  Can you decide you don't like the the way the dice land on the table, scoop 'em all up in the cup and try for Yahtzee??  If you choose to make another U-turn, after the original U-Turn...does that put you back where you started, or do you end up somewhere different anyway because now you're traveling with a different pack of vehicles? 

And in considering this alternative road theory, here's something new I wonder....how will I know if backtracking was the right decision?

Life is funny. Not necessarily "Fungi" funny....but funny nonetheless.

Tension breaker...sometimes just has to be done

A mushroom walks into a bar.

Bartender looks up at him and says, "Sorry...we don't serve your kind here."

Mushroom says, "Why not?  I'm a fungi."

It gets funnier every time you tell it.

My Trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania (or...the sweetest place on earth)

For any living, breathing, hot-blooded woman, there are traits and cravings that have evolved over the years and are now just embedded in our DNA as part of our overall make up.  The need for shoes (or handbags), for example.  The complete inability to resist cooing over anything cute and tiny.  The way our eyes tear up during Hallmark commercials. 

And the need for chocolate.

Yes, chocolate.  That saving grace of the stressful day. The sweet that soothes the savage beast.  The confectionery salvation that gets women through that one week of the month when mere mortal men can do nothing but hide until it's over.  And what better way to salute chocolate than to have an amusement park centered around it???

Welcome to lovely Hershey, Pennsylvania; "The Sweetest Place on Earth."

This place is kinda crazy cool....there's an amusement park, a water park, and a wildlife zoo all in one area.  And then never mind that there's also a huge outdoor pavilion (Hersheypark Stadium) and indoor stadium (Giant Center) all within walking distance.  Talk about your entertainment mecca all in one easy location!!!  There really is a little something for everyone.

And before you go thinking..."yeah, amusement park centered around chocolate and commercialism...how tough can these rides be"...let me just tell you something.  This...

was nothing to scoff at!!

Welcome, my friend, to Fahrenheit.

Now I'm not a huge roller coaster fanatic.  As a matter of fact, until recently, I was quite a chicken about them (although it's amazing what having your woman-hood called into question will do for your confidence).  So truth be told, seeking out the thrill ride is not the first thing I'd put on my list of "things I need to do today".  But here I was, staring straight up into the sky at this monstrosity and considering the value of my life. But I considered whether or not I could report back to you about a roller coaster that I couldn't even ride and decided that the challenge needed to be met.  So with imaginary taunting in my ear (and in the vague distance, chickens clucking), I climbed into the car and pulled down the harness.  One quick check on the status of my life insurance policy (yeah, there's an app for that) and I was ready to go.

Did I mention the straight up into the air, part...right out of the gate...after it's too late to get off??  I did?  Oh good. 

OK...so once over the top, you go racing into something that looks like this:

and then this:

followed by this:

and I looked like THIS:

But I survived!!  I lived!!!  I couldn't talk for 20 minutes!!!  And of course once I got a taste of the adrenaline rush, it wasn't going to be suppressed.  The craving had to be fed.

There was Great Bear:

The Sidewinder

Photo recreation--not the writer's actual photo

and Trailblazer.

Finally exhausted and my need for speed satisfied, it was off to explore the rest of the park.  As I mentioned earlier, inside the amusement park, there's also a water park:

It has a GIANT wave pool, complete with cabanas you can reserve and lounge about in all day.  It also has lazy river ride, a roller coaster above the water park at which you can shoot water at the riders (and vice versa, they can dump water on you as you're walking along), and this CRAZY flume ride.  And when I say crazy, I'm not exactly talking about the ride itself. 

When they warn you that you'll get wet, they're not just talking about the people ON the ride...

It freaks out the birds for heaven's sake!!!!

I also mentioned the wildlife park (ZooAmerica)

For all my high school alma mater peeps

And what trip to an amusement park centered around chocolate and chocolate products would be complete without food?

Just goes to show, there really is no wrong way to eat a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup....

So all in all a good day.  A little food, a little fun, and a slightly ragged voice from screaming my life away on a few roller coasters.  Just the type of thing that'll make you forget about your worries...your cares...even work or your old job.  Until you're reminded of it...

I kid you not...as I was leaving, there was a ride of mini helicopters right next to a ride of mini cars.  Helicopters flying over a Traffic Jam.

I can't escape it....I just can't escape it.

Chesapeake Crab Fest (or...not exactly a visit to the Krusty Krab)

Having grown up in the Southwest, the closest I ever came to fresh seafood was peeking into the lobster tank at my local grocery store.  And while this always seemed like "fresh" to me...I was recently informed that lobster tanks in Arizona are nowhere near to what fresh seafood actually is.  So since I am always up for an educational adventure, I decided to meander on over to the Chesapeake Crab and Beer Festival at the National Harbor waterfront to see what I could learn from the locals. 

An entire day dedicated to crabs and beer...how can this be a bad thing??  What new and exciting things would there be to discover at a Crab and Beer Fest?  Well let me share with you my first lesson...which I was shown rather quickly. 

THIS is fresh seafood....

Maryland Blue Crabs...thousands of 'em...in many, many, many baskets, clacking their little claws, and just waiting for their turn to take a dip in their own personal hot tubs (aka...pots of boiling water that would then yield tasty crab-goodness).  Right off the boats, trucked on over to the event that morning.  Not a tank in sight!!

And these people know how to celebrate their crabs.  Not only were there mounds of these tasty blue devils just waiting to be cracked, picked and drenched in butter, but there were beer vendors as far as the eye could see...

Now mind you, I don't necessarily need a lesson in beer drinking.  But what kind of explorer would I be if I didn't investigate ALL of the options to report back to you with.  Around the tent, there were many different types of beer to sample.  Everything from the creatively named...

To the local standards...

To not quite beer, but tasty nonetheless...

Meanwhile, what would a day celebrating seafood be without a visit from pirates just in off the high seas...??

OK...maybe not the high seas....more like the Heavy Seas....

Who doesn't love pirates....really?

And I love these people....they really get into their crab!!!

Amy and Chris....passionate about each other AND crab!!

This guy wasn't even going to pick it out of the shell, he just went right for it!

I do have one question that hopefully someone out there can help me with.   Having grown up in Arizona, I couldn't just drive to a local pier, grab a handful of fresh seafood and have at it.  So when I would go to a restaurant in the area, whenever I ordered crab, it came with a nutcracker, crab-cracker looking dealio.  Yet here...everyone was expected to whack the crap out of the crab using wooden mallets...

Is this some type of coastal thing?  Is it a crab thing?  Or did I just lead a totally sheltered life and was never privy to the joys of annihilating my food with hardware??  Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I discovered that the festival had more to offer than just beer and crabs....there was live entertainment...

(and no, there will be no pictures of my cumbia dancing...I didn't have THAT much tequila!)

and shopping...

Crab, beer AND handbags.  REALLY??  I hit the trifecta, people!!

And of course, no festival is complete without the used beer department...

By the way, have I ever mentioned my insanely ridiculous fear of portable toilets?  It's true...but we'll save that for another time.

So that is the joy of the crab and beer fest, my friends.  Cheers!!

And although I could keep typing, I've got a hammer in the toolbox I'm itching to get some use out of, there's a hot tub on my stove about to boil over, and a basket of hard shelled friends that are just dying to take a dip....

Your mission....should you decide to accept it...

"Good evening fellow reader..."

Today's adventure takes you to the International Spy Museum,

Ignore the man on the phone...he's a spy

Once inside, you can infiltrate and explore the history of the modern day spy...their techniques, their equipment...and see if YOU have what it takes to complete a mission and get out of the country without blowing your cover.  Seriously.  You get a cover identity when you walk into the museum and have to check in at various points throughout the building to see if you remember all the details of your story and your mission.  Get busted by the "guards"?  You're apprehended by security and they won't let you out of the building.

(OK...maybe they'll let you out of the building, but you're going to feel like Johnny English for awhile)

And in case you're wondering, I was undercover as Maria Rivera...a 17 year old student from Tecolate'en, Mexico...traveling on vacation to the Iowa State fair to meet up with Patsy Brown to smuggle back an autographed photo containing a microdot.  Oh yeah...I was able to sneak out of the country successfully.  Take that Emma Peel!

So among the things you can learn:

Did you know that it took upwards of 25 years for the embassies in Russia and the US to be built because each construction site kept being infiltrated by surveillance equipment?  You got it...construction crews were hiding bugs in the buildings throughout the entire process.

Certain pigeons...those pesky, annoying flying rats you see everywhere...were decorated with medals for their spying assistance during World War I....

You can learn how different celebrities through the years contributed as spies during different times of war...(Hollywood stars were recruited as spies in one decade, only to be suspected as spies by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee in another).

Learn what a dead drop is...test your code cracking skills....and can YOU crawl through a ventilation shaft without making a sound...(no, really...crawl through it...I dare you!!!)

And here's just how Top Secret this place is....NO PHOTOGRAPHY once you're inside.  And if you're sitting there thinking, "Ahhh, Gina...you could've snuck a picture or two..."  Think about it...you're cruising around a SPY museum....do you think they weren't watching????

All this and more...found in the Spy Museum.  This is your assignment when next in Washington D.C.

"...as always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions"

....this blog will self destruct in 30 seconds....

It's Football Season (or...the most wonderful time of the year)

There are 3 little words in the English language that make my heart skip a beat, make my breath catch in my throat and make my body feel all warm and fuzzy...

"It's football season"

Ahhh, yes...as the sun starts to set earlier in the evening, the leaves start to change colors (or, for you Zonies...the needles start to fall off the cacti)...and we all have to figure out which direction we need to change our clocks to, that means that the start of the football season is upon us.

I absolutely adore football.  For me, it started as a young girl (insert dream-sequence music here...).  I am the eldest of two in my family.  And although I can't swear that my father wanted a son, most men favor the idea of a son over a daughter first...so it wouldn't surprise me to stumble upon this discovery.  So anyway...as a  girl, when I was younger, I was into "girl things"...Barbie dolls, playing dress-up, shoes...y'know...the usual.  These things, however, weren't exactly conducive to creating a bond with my father--who, most days, was quiet, reserved and shielded--not exactly the easiest barrier to break through.  So as I started to get older, and wanted to develop some type of relationship with my dad, there was one thing I noticed that he liked....football.  My dad would hang out on the couch on Sundays, watching whatever game happened to be on (he favored the Kansas City Chiefs).  So I started to pay attention...ask questions.  "What's a first down?"  "What's a safety?"  "Why can no one beat the Steelers?"....whoops!  Sorry...slight bias....

As I got older, I developed my own football addiction.  The Pittsburgh Steelers became my team.  True story--I actually started rooting for the Steelers even before I found out the significance of my birth date...that I had been born on the date of the Immaculate Reception game....(ok, seriously, click on the link...watch the YouTube video...)

(and for all you conspiracy theorists and/or Raiders fans..guess what?  Instant replay would've STILL worked in Pittsburgh's favor....so there!!)

So that's how I developed my love for football. 

Now....for those of you who are not as avid football fans as I am...I would like to impart upon you a few things that you need to know in order to hang...

Football is played on a field...there are endzones and sidelines, the field itself is marked off in 10 yard segments.  In a nutshell, the object of the game is for either team to take the football across the length of the field and into the endzone.  Each team has a certain amount of attempts to move the ball downfield...called "downs".  There are 4 downs in each try.  If the team moving the ball advances the ball 10 yards in 4 downs, they've scored what's called a "first down"--at which point their attempt number resets itself and they have 4 more chances to move the ball another 10 yards.  If the advancing team fails to move the ball 10 yards in 4 downs, then they have to "punt" to get the ball in a farther position on the field for the other team from which to start their advancement.  If the advancing team is lucky enough to get into the "endzone", (at which point you start cheering wildly) they have scored what's called a "touchdown"--worth 6 points.  If they they kick the ball through the goal posts for the "extra point"--that's worth 1 point.  If they (sometimes stupidly) decide to go for the "2-point conversion" (IE; foregoing the kick in lieu of trying to run or pass the ball back across the goaline), then they score the aforementioned 2 points instead of one. 

Now, there are all kinds of things that can keep a team from scoring.  An "interception" is when a member of the defensive team catches a forward pass thrown by the offense (ie: the quarterback makes a blunderous throw, basically right into the arms of the worst member of the defensive team, who then inevitably runs it all the way back upfield for a touchdown).  A "fumble" is when any member of the possessing team makes a boneheaded move and manages to lose the ball right into the arms of their opponent--thus causing you, as a fan, to throw your arms up in frustration, scream at the person next to you and almost cause an international incident. And then there are all kinds of "penalties"--y'know...those pesky rules that dictate how you play the game...which always come up at the most inconvenient time, causing you to just go ballistic at the guys in the black and white striped shirts (called "refs").  Games can hinge on the ref's call...and no, don't even start on me about the championship game between the Steelers and the Seahawks back in 2006...those calls were made fair and square!!


There are 4 quarters in football (quarters, not innings, or periods).  After the first 2 quarters, there's what's called "halftime".  Basically, that's when everyone gets up and makes a bee-line for the concession stand for more beer and/or hits the bathroom.  If you're a woman at a football stadium, I can tell you right now...leave no less than 3 minutes before the end of the second quarter...otherwise, you're stuck in a line that won't break until the start of the 4th quarter.  Trust me.

The rest of the game you can pretty much figure out by just watching it.  Just keep drinking beer, shouting for whoever's wearing your jersey colors and getting angry at the refs...at that point, you're a pro fan!

One final thought for those of you who are new to the game....team selection.  If, perhaps, you have not followed football up until this particular point in your life....perhaps you've lived among the monks in a remote mountain top in northern Asia...maybe you've been in a cave somewhere in West Virginia for the last 20 years, maybe you were raised by wolves in the Amazon Valley where there's no TV, but amazing cell phone reception....there are a few things to consider when choosing what team you'd like to root for. 

First....MY personal preference is for you to become a Steelers fan.  But that may seem slightly biased....(even though we are the oldest AFC franchise team, have won more Super Bowl games and AFC Championships than any other team out there).  If, however, you somehow think there's a team better than the Steelers, that's perfectly fine (delusional, but acceptable).  It will be perfectly OK for you to decide to root for any team in the AFC or NFC with the exception of the Cowboys or the Raiders.  That's just cause for commitment to an asylum.  Seriously.  And for you Cowboy and Raider fans out there reading this, I know the name of a perfectly good psychiatrist....he can help you through your issues.  Really.

So that's it.  We're only half-way into pre-season...which gives you plenty of time to ease yourself into the game before the regular season starts.  And in case you're wondering, pre-season is simply the time before the games start to count when teams have a chance to show themselves off for their fans, get a look at how their competition will perform, and basically give the beer companies more chances at making a crap-load more money (at 10 bucks a beer at each event, can you blame them??).

If you have any further questions, I defer you to Wikipedia, ESPN or my dad.  ...Who still roots for the Chiefs. 

Yeah...I might have to call my psychiatrist for him yet....

MNA (my one-woman post-employer recovery group)

4 weeks ago, I left my job.

It's been 4 weeks since I left my employees and friends and shut the door on my broadcasting career.

Wait.  It's only been 4 weeks since I left??  What is THAT???  Why does it feel like it's been a year already???

Considering the title of this blog, I suppose now is as good a time as any to look back and consider the ramifications of what I did; especially since, for the last 4 weeks, I've done a pretty good job of avoiding the subject and throwing myself into a whirlwind of activity so as to avoid facing reality.  Somewhat.

So lets talk, shall we?  My name is Gina and 4 weeks ago, I left my job.

"Hi Gina."

Actually....truth be told, it's not the realization that 4 weeks have passed that sparks this particular posting.  Something happened today that make me wonder if I'm on the "road to recovery".

First, let me explain that one of the things that I started about 3 months prior to leaving was a "Things I Won't Miss" list.  

Despite the fact that I felt confident about leaving my job, I also felt completely conflicted about leaving my job.  I think there's always a certain degree of fear of the unknown in any decision, and realizing that at some point I'd be walking out the door of my office one final time was no different.  So I started The List in the hopes that, in those moments of sheer panic wondering why I made this decision, I would remember the reasons leading up to it. 

The List had about 16 different items on it.  Some funny...some not so funny...but all were pretty solid reasons as to why it was time to move on.  And I'll be completely honest with you; in the 2 days after I walked out the office, but before I physically left LA, I actually had to put the list on the door of my apartment so I wouldn't (in a mad panic), rip everything out the boxes I'd carefully packed and try to find a way to rescind my resignation.  Because despite the 16 items on The List, there were actually still several good reasons to stay.  There were my co-workers (who I enjoyed working with day after day), there was a paycheck (that I really enjoyed getting week after week), and then there was this sense of identity that my job gave me....that I knew what I was doing, that I knew what I was talking about, and that I knew that, even if I didn't, I could make up a good enough answer to get me by until the real answer presented itself.

So flash forward 4 weeks to today.  There I was, cleaning out the random pile of "To Sort Through Later" stuff that had collected in the corner of my closet post-relocation, when I came across The List.  I hadn't seen the list since I unpacked all of my boxes--so the first thing I noticed is that I forgot I still had it.  That seemed odd, I thought--considering how much time, effort, blood, sweat and tears I put into it.  The next thing I suddenly felt was this overwhelming sense of relief.  I think that I truly thought I would regret my decision to leave weeks into it (again, hence the list).  I thought that I would be drowning in this pool of uncertainty about my life--that I would still feel like I had no purpose and no idea where I was supposed to go.  But here I am...a month later, and I feel surprisingly good about the fact that I walked away from my job when I did.  Now mind you, I still have no purpose and no real idea as to where I'm supposed to go; but somehow the overwhelming feeling of panic has subsided and has been replaced by this strange zen sense of calm.  I don't know if this means I've somehow skipped stages 2 through 6 of the 7 stages of grief--or if I've developed a rare, undiagnosed psychosis.  But I did something that I didn't think I'd do for at least 3 to 4 months after leaving Employer X....

I threw The List away.

New York Day 3 (or...can I be declared a semi-local yet??)

Day 3 in New York...and still an absolutely amazing city.  Although I have to admit, the "new-ness" of the town apparently wore off, since I found myself sleeping in today until 9am.  Wow!  Guess I can't burn that candle at both ends anymore.  One end, maybe.  But both....??? 

Today was actually a relatively light day.  I planned to leave for home right around early evening...so I had the better half of the day to fill...but I have to admit that I was just about "walked out" of the city.  So since I was right down the road from Broadway....why not take in a show??

Now, this was not the first "Broadway musical" that I've seen....but it was the first that I actually saw "on Broadway".  And let me tell you...if you haven't seen Wicked...you simply must!  Not only a fabulous story line, but the music and the stage were simply breathtaking.  And although I've seen Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and a variety of other productions in other theaters...I couldn't help but notice that the sound, staging and acting were just a shade better quality than what I've experienced elsewhere.  Was it the theater itself?  Was it the show?  Or was it just being in New York? Hmmm....you may have to decide for yourself.

So needless to say, the theater took up most all of the time I had left in New York today.  Not much left to do afterwards but grab the luggage from the hotel and haul butt over to the bus.  Let's see....I've walked all of midtown, took a tour bus through the lower part of the island, caught the subway back up to Times Square...wait....what's left?

Oh yeah...gotta catch one of those New York cabs!!

And let me just say..to cab driver Eugene...YOU ROCK!  Seriously.  15 blocks in 3 minutes.  Who knew that was even possible at 5:30 in the afternoon!!!!

And so that brings me pretty much to the end of my New York escapade.  The bus showed up to bring me back home...

And 3 hours later, there I was.

Now, DC is not a city that is to be taken lightly, by any means.  But I have to admit...as I exited the Metro, off the escalator, I did find it to be a lot quieter than I remember.  Not quite as many people hustling about--trying to get from one place to the next.  Not nearly as many cars out on the streets.  And where was my symphony of car horns honking?  I'd hate to admit it....but it might just be too quiet here for me now!!! 

Then again.....maybe not. 

We'll see what tomorrow brings....






 

New York Day 2 (or...holy crap, I'm still in New York!)

OK, so today found me slightly less overwhelmed as I made my way around the city.

I was able to get up at sunrise and enjoy a cup of coffee while wandering the streets and watch the city wake up and get rolling.  Despite the constant barrage of activity I experienced all day yesterday, I found that there really was a quieter lull that early...although I could still sense the low hum of energy; almost like the city was just waiting for its shot of Red Bull in the form of people that would kick it right back up to full speed again.

Thankfully, having woken up so early, I could venture out early and start my exploration of the city.  After all the walking yesterday, it was time for a tour bus to take over and lead the charge.....

Dave will tell you everything "not in the tour book"

It was really very cool...not only did we drive around everything I walked the day before, but we wound our way downtown, through SoHo, Greenwich, Tribeca, and into the Financial District.  Along the way I got a chance to see the Antony Gormley statues along various roof tops of the Flatiron District

Kinda creepy in a way.


Along the tour I learned that there are places in New York where honking the horn is not only not allowed, but against the law!!

I also found out that there are also no McDonalds or Starbucks in the Village.  WHAT??!!  I know people who simply couldn't survive in these conditions!!

Final stop on the tour was Battery Park.  It was exciting....here we go...on our way to the Statue of Liberty!!!!

American Merchant Mariners Memorial before the Statue of Liberty

It was simply amazing!!!  If you've never had the chance to take the ferry over to see Lady Liberty, you simply must do it.  You see it on TV all the time, in magazines, whatever, but to actually cruise past it on the boat was simply breathtaking...

After returning to shore, the next stop was a visit to the World Trade Center site.  Now again, keeping in mind that I've never been to New York, I have no frame of reference as to how awestruck I probably would have felt to look up and see these huge towering buildings looming over my head.  Instead, all I know is that I was simply saddened by the void I saw and felt in the skyline.

There's construction everywhere, as work on the new World Trade Center and memorial site continues.  But it's 9 years later, and there's still so much to be done.  You may recall that I ran the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego to help raise funds for the WTC Memorial...I thought it was a much needed project then and believe so even more after yesterday's visit.  They could still use your help with donations for this project; so if you could, please visit their site:  http://www.national911memorial.org/. 

Moving on to the financial district....  I remembered that I still had stock options and shares from my previous employer that I hadn't checked the price on recently!!  So I decided to grab the bull by the horns...

and go see what was happening with them over at the New York Stock Exchange. 

Guess where the price still is?

Bummer.  So much for buying a vacation home in the Hamptons....

After leaving all of my money behind, I wandered around the city, past the Brooklyn Bridge...

Through Chinatown and Little Italy. 

These areas are so vibrant in color.  Listening to the people speak is a visit to the actual countries all by themselves...and the smells emanating from the shops and restaurants alone were intriguing and amazing.  Such culture in just a few square blocks.  Incredible!!

Of course no trip to New York was going to be complete without a visit to my own personal Xanadu...

Kate Spade....the FLAGSHIP store.  Mama.....I'm home.


So several hours later, I emerged....and re-entered the city.  For those of you who didn't think I'd do it....I did manage to brave the New York Subway system.

Not much different from the Metro in DC...just with a slightly bigger map!!


As night began to fall on the city, the day wound down with a trip back to the Empire State Building.  This time, we're goin' to the top!!!!

Talk about BREATHTAKING!!!  The view of the city is awe inspiring.  It's so beautiful and so amazing.  I don't even know how to describe it.  It simply must be experienced if you haven't before.

Now, I will say this.  For those of you who have seen Sleepless in Seattle, I don't know if perhaps the foot-traffic on the Observation Deck is a little lighter in February like it is in the movie...but I will tell you that on a Tuesday night in August it is simply PACKED!!!  But again, the view can't be missed so go if you can...you won't be disappointed. 

And of course - I couldn't leave without the obligatory "tourist" shot -

It think it's safe to say that this trip has been nothing short of amazing in terms of sights, sounds, just the whole "New York" experience! And I still have one more day to go!!!  I know that there's so much here that I'm not going to see or do in 3 days time--not for lack of trying though, mind you.  But I can't help but think that even if I had an entire year available to me, I still couldn't begin to scratch the surface of all this city has to offer.  I can now understand the appeal of this city...and though don't think I could ever live here, I hope this won't be my only visit.