Day after Christmas...

Here I sit, day after Christmas, wife's at work. Still trying to adjust to my new schedule and find time for writing, admittedly, I'm not doing so well finding the time to write yet. Surprisingly, given my position on the work totem pole, I didn't work yesterday and enjoyed a beautiful day with the wifey. We went to the movies. It has been unseasonably warm this year -- let that sink in -- and I found myself peeling off my coat as we walked through quiet neighborhoods towards the little independently-owned theatre. Once again, dispelling the idea that New York has only massive stores and shops. I was quite surprised to see the line already forming outside as we rounded the corner. Then realizing, and remembering, that we live in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, I had my duh moment of the day. Our first time to this theatre, I was instantly spiraled back in time a few decades. It was, itself, a little theatre out of a 1950s movie. We saw Into the Woods, by the way, and it was marvelous. It was a day to be cherished.

Today is another beauty of a day. The sun has filled our entire tiny place, which I guess isn't that hard to do, and I'm slowly waking up with the help of some strong, patient espresso. I'll head into the city in a bit and soak in some much needed magic--the city never fails to provide. Sunny, rainy, snowy, the city turns on its magic and I am once again captivated and inspired. I'll carry with me the first Harry Potter book for my reading time while on the sub. I decided to get an early jump on my reading list for 2015. Harry Potter series first, then Les Miserables and Don Quixote. After that...we shall see.....

Enjoy the last few days of 2014; we'll catch up in the New Year. Peace.

Brunch on Madison Avenue

Crepes at Keko's. If you are ever in our lovely little city, please do yourself a favor and have crepes at this quaint little beauty of a cafe. I was grateful to spend a wintry morning this week in the city with my wife. As we walked along Madison Avenue, the smallest dusting of snow added just a touch more magic to an already magical day. I was reminded once again that we live in New York. We live in New York.

It's been a year. Can you believe it? I can't sometimes. One year ago today, we rolled up in a full Volkswagen Golf after a night of driving, after my last final was taken at University of Louisville. In the spring of 2014, over a nice bottle of Merlot (did you really expect anything less?), we decided to pack up everything and make this move after I graduated. At times, over those next few months, I wondered are we crazy? but I knew--we knew in our gut this was the time for such a move. As pop always says, "do something, even if it's wrong." It was time to do something. Even after we made that leap, and we spent the next fifty days searching nonstop for an apartment, I'd ask myself again, are we crazy?? I also knew that others were asking themselves the same question, are they crazy? Perhaps we are a bit, but if it brings me this much joy--I'd like to sign up for more.

Today, as we sit in our cozy tiny space, I am...happy, content, peaceful. I'm also proud of us. We worked hard this last year to make this thing work--it wasn't always easy, but we faced each day with determination. After a billion resumes (it seemed that many) I even have a job I am thoroughly enjoying. It also brings me such happiness to see M- thriving in the (many) opportunities she's discovered. I am so grateful to be living this journey, this beautiful adventure, with someone who brings countless smiles to my heart.

All this to say, do what is in your heart to do; be happy. Before moving, we discussed the fact that we might actually fall flat on our face--what then? We decided we'd just have to get back up, dust ourselves off, and go for it again. This was a new journey--and the nature of such is that we could not be certain of the outcome. We committed to keep moving forward, no matter how slow our steps. So I'll say it again: do what is in you heart to do; be happy--find peace.

Twenty years from now you will be 
more disappointed by the things you didn't do 

than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

~Mark Twain~

And So The Tradition Continues...

There is always an excitement at the Wimberley abode when the signs of autumn make their hinted appearance. There's speculation of when the first frost will arrive, there's an excitement at the first sighting of autumn color, and the evenings spent around a campfire in the backyard grow in number. Another long held Wimberley tradition, is the watching of Those Calloways--one of Pop's all time favorite movies. As the temperatures cool, anyone can bet that there will be a call from Pop or myself, that states You know what it's time for! 

I am not sure when we started watching this movie, but I absolutely love it. It is such a Pop  movie too. It is about respect for nature seen through the lives of a family that lives in the woods of Vermont. Cam, the father, was raised by Indians, and holds the tribe's totem, the Canadian goose, with high regard. If you've ever been around the Wimberleys for any length of time, you've not only heard of this movie, you've also heard us quote something from this movie. Last year, Pop introduced M- to our family tradition and I have to laugh each time she throws a quote into one of our conversations. This family tradition means a great deal to me, and as we curled up in our little tiny space this year for our own viewing of Those Calloways, I couldn't help but think how grateful I am to share such traditions with my wife and soul-mate. Such happy times. I never imagined that I would have someone like her with which to share these traditions. Although distance, jobs, and other hindrances kept us from watching this movie with Pop this year, the tradition continues in a new corner of our world.

Travel advice and happy holidays

It's the holiday season. It seems unreal to be approaching our one year anniversary of New Yorkers and as a married couple. This year has proven challenging, rewarding, peaceful, and exciting. I am still settling into the new job and will now  pass on some helpful travel tips I have learned.

1. Make sure your passport is valid.  Many countries require a passport to be valid 3 months past the dates of intended stay. (Some require 6 months)

1a. Also, although this is a shock to many Americans, there are countries in this world that actually do require you, dear American,  to have a visa before entering. Please refrain from crying when I inform you of this.

2. Make sure you bring your own passport and not your spouse's. I've been surprised at the number of times this has happened.

3. If your bag bulges in odd places and threatens to bust your gut as you place it on the scales, it is more than likely over the weight limit. Take some of that crap out. You won't wear it anyway. At the very least, don't act completely surprised when we say there will be an extra charge.

4. On many flights, even international, you can check in online several hours before the flight. Do so. you'll get a better choice of seats. If you procrastinate and run up to the counter four and a half minutes before the boarding begins, do not complain about the middle seat by the bathroom you'll now occupy.

5. Just as every barista hears "nonfat milk cancels out the whipped cream," every day of their existence as a barista,  airline employees hear, "I won't mind if you want to upgrade me to business class for free." We will try to muster up a smile as if it is an original joke, I promise we will.

So there you have it. Travel tips from my new experience. Enjoy your holidays, throw kindness around with carefree abandonment,  and live a life you'll not regret. Know that we wish you peace from our little corner of this magnificent universe. Whether you like it or not, we are all in this thing together. Namaste.

"Je parle un peu français lentement"

Bonjour all. I thought to give a quick update since I have yet to work out a structured time to write. I am still adjusting to my new schedule; since I tend to wake up early by nature, it's hard for me to force myself to sleep in so I'm not completely dragging at the end of my evening shift.

The new job continues to be quite a bit of fun and I am loving the daily challenge. Not only am I learning a lot of new information about the job itself, I am also forced to learn and use French on a daily basis. This alone has been worth it all. The nature of the job has forced me to simply communicate, and I'll admit, it is not always pretty, but more often than not, I get the job done. (Admittedly, there have been a few times where I find myself completely lost in a conversation and must call for the kindhearted French interns for backup--they always rush in to save the day.) Indeed, I work with a beautiful group of people.

One of the most defiant obstacles on my journey in French is my stubborn perfectionism. Often, even when I studied in Montpellier, the normal flow of conversation would have already moved to the next topic while my brain was still trying to conjugate a sentence correctly before I said it! That makes for good grades on tests, but it sucks in conversation. It has been a tendency that I have found difficult to overcome, but I finally see it happening within this job. I also finally see glimpses of my own personality shining through my, still limited, French. As I am relaxing more with the language, and perhaps my own flaws, I find myself actually communicating instead of thinking through grammar points.

I must also say that the French are lovely people! Many times I am asked if I speak French before the questions fly, and I have started answering "Je parle un peu français lentement." (I speak a little french slowly) They laugh and patiently explain what they are trying to say. They will also kindly correct my pronunciation, and help me find words when hand motions fail us, and I find this extremely helpful. Almost without fail, they end their conversation with some sort of compliment on my French. This is gracious for I know I've slaughtered their beautiful language to bits over the past few weeks. This compliment is probably mixed with a sort of pity--at least the poor soul is trying--but it is, nevertheless, heartfelt and I appreciate their kindness.

I often wonder how on earth I was born with such a love for a language of which I'd had no real exposure. It is like the classical music of language to me and my heart melts when I hear it. Sure, I was born in Paris....Tennessee, and I used to pretend that it was Paris, France, but I find this love for a language wonderfully puzzling. It is just another part of who I am. I laugh when I remember my first day of French class: I was sitting in the back of the room scared to death that I would fail this class miserably, but then I also remember a certain person, now wife, walking into the class that day and taking her seat in the front row. Isn't it funny and marvelous how some things work out? Little did I know how that class would change my life; I am forever grateful.

Peace to you. (and I might add, if you have ever wanted to learn another language, do it, no matter what your age or situation--you'll be glad you did.)

Enjoy Autumn's Display

What a busy few weeks. I’m incredibly grateful for my new job; I’m enjoying it immensely. I will be working evenings, so I am already missing dinners with the wifey, but am loving the nice trade-off—breakfasts. As an added bonus, I am spending my work day meeting wonderful people from so many countries. A consistent flow of new people to talk with—it’s like Christmas to me!

Autumn is making its presence known with each passing day here. We can now safely pack away the fans for they will surely not be needed again until spring. My plans to explore Central Park and its colors were put on hold by a cold rain today, but there will be another day. I noticed that they have started building the ice skating rinks for winter and that simply excites me. Although, cold it may be, this city is nothing short of magical during the winter months.

As the bundling up begins, I wish you peace this autumn season. Take time to sit and ponder the magnificent display of colors. Enjoy an extra moment of quiet or just one more sip of coffee; live today in wonder.

Change is in the air

Hello, wonderful people who read my blog. I'm busy training on my new job, so there hasn't been a lot of time for writing these last few weeks. All is beautiful here, I look forward to getting into my new routine and writing once again. I miss it! In the meantime, enjoy those first emerging colors of autumn and dig out those hoodies. Autumn is here, change is in the air, so let's dance. Namaste.