7 Diversions for the Overworked

*Here’s a gratuitous picture of beautiful Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on a snowy afternoon.*

Lots of work leaves little time for blogging, but here are seven things I’ve noticed lately:

The Hollywood Sign and Tiny Houses

WordPress photo challenge fun:  Another view of my trip up the Los Angeles hiking path that leads to the back of the Hollywood sign. Ironically, my initial post was for another photo challenge.

Layers of Architecture in Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan shows how buildings old, new and under construction can coexist.

Waiting at the Tate

In 2012, I ditched my travel buddies to spend an afternoon wandering around the Tate Modern art museum in London. The exhibit I most remember featured a caravan (That’s camper to us Americans.) surrounded by personal belongings. I kept returning to it, finally deducing that we were supposed to think about what we really need in life or something like that.

The Delta Musings

So I don’t know all the words after all.

I just learned that “delta” means, according to Merriam-Webster, “a piece of land shaped like a triangle that is formed when a river splits into smaller rivers before it flows into the ocean.” I’m picturing a lazy river spilling into the Pacific Ocean, gentle waters turned wild.

Or a playful winter weekend with a dear pal in balmy Florida, then returning to the cold and seriousness of New York City.

Shoreline Solitude in Atlantic City

Atlantic City ‘s  Art Walk is well worth a visit.

The mile-long path borders marshland in the Marina District, crosstown from the Boardwalk that we usually associate with AC. On one side of the path is beautiful shoreline, which is desolate in the winter. The paved path undulates like the shoreline it follows.

The Hudson River at Dusk

In Midtown Manhattan it’s so easy to forget that New York is a city of active rivers, with shipping and ferries, sightseeing boats and sights to see. This is the view at sunset near where I currently work in New York City.

The Mirror Challenge While Laughing

Funhouse mirrors are not just for carnivals.

Aliens and Restrooms: A Question for the Future

When life from other planets visit Earth in the future, will they need to use restrooms?

Sad to Glad: Cheering Up In The Salt Marsh

Driving on the Boulevard, I stopped for a think at a nature preserve. I felt a lot like this windmill: weathered, with resting places for everyone but me.

BUT a brief walk revealed beauty in the chilly, stark surroundings.

Careful With The Big Boats

I think people cheered when the cruise ship carefully passed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for two reasons:

The Summer of Firstevers: Connecting the Events

If last year was the Summer of Free Music, this was The Summer of Firstevers.

I took my first cruise to my first visit to Canada. I was happily shocked that the huge ship was so stable that I often forgot that we weren’t in some landlocked resort, but rather, in the Atlantic Ocean. I will revisit the cities of Saint John and Halifax because a few hours is simply not enough time to experience a culture. I loved what I did see: the rugged coast, the historic structures, the friendly people, lighthouses. Even the rain, though inconvenient, seemed appropriate.

I did my first Manhattenhenge, the event where the setting sun lines up with Manhattan’s crosstown streets. I have worked in Manhattan my entire adult life and only this year thought to view this phenomenon.

After exhaustive research (ok, mostly Pinterest searches) I discovered keratin products to to tame my curly, coarse hair. It’s laborious, and the blowing out will probably result in nicely defined upper arms. That would seem like a shallow accomplishment but we are often treated according to our appearance. It’s easier to leave the house knowing that I look my personal best.

I attended my first blogging conference and enjoyed it more than I anticipated. It’s still daunting to know how much technical, creative and monetary potential a blog has. I would love to find an in person, college-level, certificate granting course to make me a blogging expert.

For the first time ever, I saw what it takes to set  up a classroom. I was honored to help my daughter clean and arrange the disorganized schoolroom that she was assigned. She did most of the work days before I arrived but there was plenty to wash and sort and hang on boards. I had no idea how many learning tools exist, from math manipulatives to finely-leveled readers, many of which had been haphazardly stored in very large bags.

So many disparate experiences, all connected by the chances to do and learn new things.  To be sure, I have spent a fair amount of time doing nothing of interest, but I am so grateful for the past few months’ growth opportunities.

Growing Neurons: It Is All Fun and Games

Recently, Someone Much Smarter Than Me explained the concept of neuroplasticity, where the brain is capable of creating new neurons that enable us to learn things. New experiences trigger the creation of these neural pathways as well. You can actually grow brain cells!

(Disclaimer: I was the kid who lit incense in high school biology, fought against dissecting a frog and avoided all science classes since then.)

Early In The Season

Boats in Greenport not quite ready for the season

Early spring, just before the season begins, is a great time to visit the North Fork of Long Island.

“Fresh” Fish

The touristy outdoor market in Boston included this fresh fish vendor. I found it amusing but it might be that I was in vacation-head, where everything is either fascinating or funny.

Another definition of “fresh” is naughty, and right next to those dead fish was this:

Atlantic City in the Very Off Season

I needed me some ocean.

So when a friend asked if I’d like to join her in Atlantic City I gave the only correct answer: Yeah! Atlantic City is a gambling town on the ocean at the very southern end of New Jersey. Off season, in February, the casinos are busy and the boardwalk is almost desolate. But it’s the best route between attractions. I kept reminding myself that the hardy locals here do this every day.

Atlantic City is a few degrees warmer than New York, which sometimes makes a difference in precipitation: rain versus snow. Cold versus freezing cold. Able to take some pictures versus “I can’t. My fingers are frozen.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

But seafoam in the wintertime is refreshing.

 

Time For Fun

Short days, cold nights, winter malaise. Time to plan an adventure!

That’s 7:05 PM outside the shadowed Houses of Parliament in 2012. I loved London.

Refraction: The Shore at Sunset

Well, summer 2014 is now officially in the past: I wore tights today. My outerwear will get thicker and warmer until the point in winter where I’ll look like an animated sleeping bag. My thoughts on this chilly, worky Monday kept wandering to warmer places, like the beach in Quepos, Costa Rica. Here it is at dusk in December, 2007.

Yes, I  scoured the archives for something that made me think of refraction!

Weekend Warrior Hiking

The last time I did this hike was twelve years ago but this weekend’s whirlwind visit to my middle brother, who lives in Los Angeles, gave me the opportunity to do it again. I’m quite sore but so grateful to him for indulging me.  It’s ironic that car-dependent Los Angeles residents often exercise by climbing the beautiful mountains that surround their city.

Tampa: The Contrast

I took this picture a few years ago inside the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The moodiness of the picture belies the actual brightness of this city.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast Click the link to see other interpretations of the word!

Between (New York City)

Between day and night there is dusk. And between typical Lower Manhattan buildings, sneaking a peek at the darkening playground and catching the day’s last sunlight is the Empire State Building. (Summer, 2013)

WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

A Vacation Surprise

September, 2012: On the last day of our visit to London, we toured Buckingham Palace. In the gardens was our surprise sendoff gift: a rainbow.

This week’s photo challenge: a photo that has  a little something extra. Well, nobody expects – but everybody welcomes – rainbows!

The Big Paperclip Twist

This is “Cubed Curve” by William Crovello. It looks like a giant journalist absently deconstructed a massive paper clip while writing The Big Story.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Twist (Lighthouse)

Lighthouses are beauty, resilience and safety: They are built to withstand and protect boaters from harsh conditions. They are majestic, remote and meant to last. Many still use Fresnel lenses, invented in 1822, to illuminate rocky shores.

On The Move

Love stands tall amid the bustling, ever-moving Midtown Manhattan

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http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/on-the-move/

Spring Is That Giddy Hopefulness

It was Saturday. It was sunny. And the photo challenge theme was Spring. All I wanted to do was take my first breath of ocean air for 2014. This beach is actually a massive state park, and a beautiful Spring day is perfect for repairs and preparations for the busy Summer season to come

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http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/spring-2/

The Happiest Party Ever

I have a fantasy party based on this CNN article listing the ten happiest countries in the world. I would invite one ordinary person from each country: a teacher, cop, accountant, construction worker, firefighter, machinist, doctor, you get my drift. We have so much to learn from them, why not over beer, wine and appetizers? I feel that a full-on dinner would be too stressful and detract from my global happiness search. But appetizers and wine from each guest’s country can really get a conversation going.

Top of The World, or at least Top Of The Stairs

Looks like the “T” in Boston and the subway in New York share some station names!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/on-top/

The Bottomless Bucket

In August, 2012, I finally had the opportunity to visit Stonehenge. I’ve always wanted to physically be there, to experience the wonder of these ancient stones. The sky cooperated, getting cloudier and moodier. Sadly, it was part of a bus tour so my time there was limited. I promise to return, with a picnic lunch and time to spare. I’ve experienced several things on my wishlist: parenthood, living in the area where I now live, seeing a few places other than my native New York City. It’s such a big world, though, and I have always wanted to experience more of it. There is so much to see and learn and eat. Our national history and my family’s history are interconnected with that of so many other places. A bucket list seems like a great idea until you start throwing more and more ideas into the bucket. The bucket is never satisfied. It is always hungry. (This post was inspired by this Daily Prompt: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/dust-wind/ Why not visit there and see how other bloggers were inspired?)