Goodness....

It's amazing what working all the time at a job you actually enjoy does to your ability to screw around on the internet.....at work.

So, after a long absense, I have only one thing to post:

VOTE on Tuesday! Vote like your life depends on it! Vote vote VOTE!

That is all for now...

The past three weeks....

I have been very remiss in my updating of late. This is primarily because I'm no longer working at a dull-as-dirt legal temping assignment all day where messing around on the internet was the only way to stay sane!

Yes, I'm about to enter my fourth week in The Hospitality Industry. I am happy to say that this seems to be a great fit for me...it's the first time is six years that I've looked forward to going to work.

The people I work with are great, and there's none of the cynicism and self-interest that was so pervasive in every legal practice situation I found myself in. People seem genuinely enthusiastic about what they're doing, and everyone's on the same page as far as the goals of the organization.

It's also a lot of fun....we get all sorts of celebrities in the hotel. Sadly, I'm sworn to secrecy, but it just adds to the variety.

The one down side would have to be getting up at 5AM when I have an "early" shift (7-3). It's interesting, however, that 5AM is something I could have never done for a legal gig, no matter how good my intentions, but for this I was able to do it. I consider that a very good sign.

Fortunately not on a 7am shift this week, so I can stay up and finally update this thing! It's good to be happy at work again!

Tomorrow!

Because I forgot to update everyone on what’s going on in this quarter: I got the hotel job! I start tomorrow!

I’ll be a guest service agent at one of New York’s most swanky hotels, owned by one of the world’s premier luxury hotel companies. If I do well, it could lead to opportunities at other hotels in their company, both in the US and abroad.

So happy I’ve taken this step. It’s a huge financial risk, but I need to find something that I’m happy doing and hope that the money follows from that.

I’ll let you know how it works out . . . .

See more progress on: find work I'm passionate about

Pushed Out of the Nest

Well, when God closes a door, sometimes He throws you out the window for good measure. Just to see what you’ll do.

My “just surviving” job (that is soul-crushing and going nowhere, but pays well) abruptly ended on Thursday night. It was pretty surreal…they let go a whole bunch of people. I guess the project is “entering a new phase” to use their terminology.

ANYWAY, this little event occured just after I had had my second of what will hopefully be only THREE (gawd!) interviews with a top New York City hotel. (The next one is Monday…hoping that’s it). The problem was going to be the money….it would be a big step down from what I was doing (which was making me miserable and going nowhere), and it was going to be quite the dilemma to decide whether to give up security or happiness. (Of course, my operating theory is that the thing that makes me happy will also be, in the long run, something I’ll be successful at and eventually be able to make money doing.)

Fortunately, and I do mean fortunately, the choice has now been taken out of my hands! So now, assuming that this thing at the hotel pans out, I am basically forced to try my hand at this. It’s scary as Hell, but I’m irrationally happy about it.

Here…we….go!

See more progress on: find work I'm passionate about

The stomach flu diet! Get it at a store near you!

I take my victories where I find them.

Inertia is Easy, Action is Hard

Big Pharma money makes it very easy to just sit here complacent and continue to have my life chipped away, day by day, by the drip drip dripping of resentment and boredom. Yesterday I just got so FED UP that I promised my officemate that I’d do something or she’d know the reason why. So, last night I finally pulled together all the course stuff, filed the paperwork for the certificate, and actually began following up on the contacts I made during my class (which ended nearly 2 months ago!).

Today: 2 resumes to 2 top-flight hotels going out in the mail.

See more progress on: find work I'm passionate about

This Month's Cause

Getting started early this month, trying to fund an incubator so some North Carolina school kids can watch chicks hatch.

Won’t you join me ?

See more progress on: Give something every month to Donors Choose.

Donors Choose

My participation in the Donors Choose Bloggers Challenge continues!

Please help!

Progress

Well, it looks like walking 3.5 miles in today's Parade paid off:





And, from the sticker I and many of my fellow St. Luke's Parishioners were wearing: My manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.

Another Cool Philanthropic Idea

Wow...this is clever.

The folks at one of my favorite websites, Television Without Pity have gotten behind a wonderful project to help rebuild the collections of some Mississippi gulf coast libraries that had their collections heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina: The Dewey Donation System.

Check it out!

(And the Gulfport Library in Biloxi, Mississippi, can expect their copies of The Swiss Family Robinson, Jane Eyre, and Mrs. Dalloway in about a week's time!)

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

OK, so a little less progress this week. 2 Lbs. off.

Still, better than a gain.

Will keep at it. This week: EXERCISE!

(I know, I said that last week.....)

Bringing Another Donors Choose Project Home!

After a fun but probably ill-advised day of retail therapy today, I came home to find my monthly reminder for this goal in my mailbox! Oh, what to do.

So, I browsed the Donors Choose Website and found this proposal , which needed only a little bit of funding to push it to its goal. Well, it was less than one of the shirts I got at Nordstrom’s semi-annual sale, so it seemed churlish to say no.

So, a bunch of Bronx high schoolers get to clean up their community garden. Next year, I guess, as I’m pretty sure everyone’s done for the year now.

Here's your opportunity to give something to Donors Choose yourself!

Progress!

Well, that's pretty satisfying...7.5 lbs off. An even 200 lbs now.

Maybe if I actually went to the gym this week, I could make even more progress!

Guess who....

...allowed me to pet her for two minutes tonight!

(Hint: It's newsworthy.)

Yes, SUZY!



It was hilarious. She was on the bed and she didn't run away when I went back to get ready for bed, so I scratched her behind the ears & then started petting her. She looked concerned but calm.

The funniest reaction was Abby's. She walked into the bedroom, took in this tableau and was all, "Who in the what in the how in the WHA?" Seriously, she looked shocked, if a cat can look shocked.

Anyway, a day of progress all around. (Since I stuck with South Beach.)

Feh

Starting over, over again.

My journal on this topic is getting a little embarassing.

Well, I ran out to Gristede’s and picked up low-carb snacks. Had eggs for breakfast and a salad for lunch. Sucking down a Crystal Light right now. Feelin’ OK.

See more progress on: Go through phase 1 of South Beach Diet

Scaling New Heights (or Depths)

Holy crap.

I weigh 207.5 lbs. Two Hundred Seven and a Half!

How in the heck did that happen?

Poor diet? Check. Lack of exercise? Check.

OK. It stops now. Ye Gods.

If my friend Larry can lose 28 lbs (and counting), surely I can do at least as well. SO, off we go.

Sucking the Life out of the Great White Way

Sadly, it appears that Lestat has had a stake put in it.

On the upside, now the Palace Theatre is free for the next big jukebox musical. I hear the Pablo Cruise musical "A Place In The Sun" is opening in the fall

Teddy Grahams

I chalk up to the utter failure of the Nabisco marketing department the fact that I was unaware until today (when I polished off half a box of them) that Teddy Grahams were (a) Graham crackers and (b) shaped like bears.

Who knew?

Wake Up Call

Suzy
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

Suzy has taken to awakening me at 6:30 for breakfast (I normally get up at 8), by hopping into bed and putting her snoot about 6 inches from my ear and meowing loudly. It's ADORABLE.

Donors Choose Bloggers' Challenge

Mission Accomplished

Remember the Iraq War that ended three years ago?

Me neither.

The History Boys

Just saw The History Boys tonight at the Broadhurst. Fantastic show...thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Smart, funny and very moving.

Go and see it!

(And, coming in ten days, The Drowsy Chaperone! I guess the theatre season is officially underway!)

O Pioneers!

In light of my stated goal of reading every book I own, I have decided to just randomly grab something off my shelf.

The lucky winner? O Pioneers! by Willa Cather.

A little late afternoon read sounds quite pleasant.

See more progress on: read every book I own

Taking the Plunge

Years ago (in Chicago?) my sister bought me the best French press coffeepot ever.

I never use it, because it's so pretty to look at. And frankly, because making plunge pot coffee is so much more of a pain in the neck than using the drip coffeemaker. Or, if I'm honest, going to Starbucks.

Well, no more.

After soaking a year's accumulated NYC windowsill grime off of the device, I have decided to press it into service on this rather chilly April morning.

(A picture of it all in all its readiness to the right.)

The reason this is a pain is that it's actually a bit like cooking, in the sense that suddenly you're measuring and pouring and mixing and timing. It's all very involved. I mean, I love cooking, but not before morning coffee. Anyway, after finding out exactly how to do this on the Internet (thanks Internet!) I measured the coffee into the warmed pot (1 scoop per cup) added two cups (more or less) of near-boiling water, put the lid on and waited 4 minutes. At the end of 4 minutes....plunge! And pour.



The verdict? A few grounds, but seriously one of the most sublimely wonderful cups of coffee I've had in a long time. Rich and thick, with a nice texture to it. Not to strong, and not bitter or acid at all.

Kitty French Press Pot, welcome (back) to the family!!!!

Update

Well, class is winding up. There’a a hellacious amount of work between now and the last class: finishing a group presentation, doing about 3 weeks’ worth of reading (and associated reading quizzes) AND a final exam. But I’m glad I took the course….it’s really opened my eyes to the possibilities for me in the hospitality field.

I sat down last week with the career counselor and revamped my resume. It looks good, but it’s still going to be a hard sell until I get my first hotel job. But I’m optimistic. I went to Staples yesterday and bought fancy paper and everything. It’s also posted on HotJobs, Monster and CareerBuilder.

Boring pharma documents, I may be bidding you adieu soon!

See more progress on: find work I'm passionate about

Altruism Tuesdays at Hawkwild

And now, a periodic reminder to Help Public School Kids by Participating in a DonorsChoose Challenge.

Happy Easter!

Easter Rabbit
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

I just played tourist and took some pictures of the Easter Parade and also some at Rockefeller Center.

Enjoy!

Tulip Time

Went on a little tulip buying frenzy today....now I've got them all over my apartment. Thank goodness there are inexpensive cut flowers in this town.

Now I'm off to take pictures of the Easter Parade.

Happy Easter!!!

AIDS Walk

awny2005_ir_02
Originally uploaded by Rob T Firefly.

My friend Chipper's doing the AIDS Walk. Help him out!

Howdy folks,

It's that time of year again - the 2006 AIDS Walk New York is coming up in May. As was the case last year, the Birch Family Camp team has made arrangements to keep ALL of the money our team raises and apply it towards keeping camp running for yet another year. We've set a collective fundraising goal of $20,000, and I've set a personal goal of $1000 (but I would love to shatter that). Please give as generously as you can - remember that every donation helps! For inspiration, check out my website for Birch pictures from past years:

http://web.mac.com/dd460/

Thanks for doing whatever you can to help Birch Camp happen this and every other year! If you want more information on camp (or would like to come volunteer) e-mail me. :)


Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support AIDS Walk New York

Chipper Dean

Quote o' the Day

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

- Walt Disney

Photo Uploaded to Flickr.com on February 26, 2006

by olvwu

Concert Next Sunday

My former choir is having a concert on Palm Sunday:

Cantori New York
Mark Shapiro, Artistic Director

"From Darkness to Light"

Sunday, April 9, 2006
4 PM
Church of the Holy Trinity
316 East 88th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

Private cocktail reception and supper to benefit Cantori New York
immediately following the concert at Rathbones, 1702 2nd Avenue

Concert $20
Reception $30
Tickets for both available at www.cantorinewyork.com

• Notturno by Arnold Schoenberg. For harp and strings. NEW YORK PREMIERE. Anna Reinersman, harp
• Lua Descolorida (Colorless Moon) by Osvaldo Golijov. For women! ¹s chorus and strings.
• Et la vie l¹emporta (And Life is the Victor) by Frank Martin. For mezzo soprano, chorus, and chamber orchestra. NEW YORK PREMIERE. Charlotte Paulsen, mezzo soprano
• Three Sacred Songs by Hugo Wolf. For mixed chorus a cappella.
• Cantata #4, Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in Death¹s Prison) by J. S. Bach. For chorus and chamber orchestra.
  

New York, NY (February 25, 2006)--- Cantori New York, led by its Artistic Director Mark Shapiro, Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal), 316 East 88th St, on Sunday, April 9, 2006, at 4 PM. Tickets available at the door for $20 or online at www.cantorinewyork.com.

The concert will open with a characteristic Cantori touch: the New York premiere of a novelty work by a "young" Arnold Schoenberg. Schoenberg composed his No! tturno (1896) for harp and strings. This five-minute work was originally composed for an event hosted by the composer and eventual father-in-law to Schoenberg, Alexander von Zemlinsky.

Lua Descolorida (Colorless Moon) (2000/2002) by Osvaldo Golijov will follow the Schoenberg. Cantori will perform this work with women¹s chorus. This version communicates a tender anthem Golijov composed for Dawn Upshaw, on a text apostrophizing the moon. The ensemble for this five-minute work is women's chorus and strings.

The concert¹s centerpiece is the New York premiere of Frank Martin¹s last completed work, the poignant cantata Et la vie l¹emporta (1974--And Life is the Victor). In three strongly contrasted movements the composer confronts his final illness, first acknowledging its terrible pain and cruelty, next waging war on his despair, and finally emerging triumphant. The composition is a symphonically executed triptych in Martin¹s characte! ristic meld of dodecaphony and impressionism.

Works from earlier eras counterbalance the concert¹s first half. The Sacred Songs (1881) for mixed chorus a cappella by Hugo Wolf are rarely heard. In his eloquent chromatic style, Wolf also deals with life¹s ³necessary losses.²

And Bach¹s Cantata #4, Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in Death¹s Prison) for chorus and chamber orchestra unfolds another resurrection myth. Its chorale text will be familiar to listeners: Martin¹s second movement uses the same words.


This concert is the second in a gala season celebrating Shapiro¹s fifteenth season as Cantori¹s Artistic Director. The group specializes in new, recent, and neglected but artistically important works for voices and instruments presented in conceptually rich programs. This concert, thematically unified across a range of languages and sonorities, epitomizes Cantori¹s approach and showcases the group's highest s! tandards of musical excellence.

For Sale

I'm selling somthing on E-Bay!

As of this posting, it's a no-reserve auction and it's selling for 99¢!

సెనగలు కూర

సెనగలు కూర
Originally uploaded by v_tel001.

That's, I think "Chana Masala."

Ennyway, Chana Masala from Baluchi's has improved my mood considerably. If I had a picture of a happy goldfish, I'd put that up instead.

Still bored, though....

Annoyed

fishie
Originally uploaded by thepipes.

Today, I am annoyed. With the world.

I am going to try to get over it.

The crushing boredom of work is not helping, however.

*sigh*

Daffodils

Yellow
Originally uploaded by something.in.my.eye.

On the bus today, I noticed that the daffodils are going full blast in Bryant Park. This makes me very happy.

I will have to visit them this weekend, now that I don't work across the street from there. I need to see some daffodils up close.

Spring is definitely in the air today, and it's good.

I got a letter from the teacher of my ladybug class (from Donors Choose). She's ordering the science equipment and looking forward to the arrival of their ladybugs later this Spring. I am really most looking forward to getting photos of the class learning while using the equipment from the proposal. That's going to be cool.

Game

Here are the rules:

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences (#5,6,7) on your blog, along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it. Just grab what is closest. No cheating.



Choose me a shawl, she said, for that would please Rose, who was bound to suffer so. "There," she said, stopping by the window on the landing, "there they are again." Joseph had settled on another tree-top.

Virginia Woolf,To the Lighthouse

Dataw Challenge II

The Dataw Challenge continues. We have a long way to go . . . .

Kitchen Renovations

W46th St, Hell's Kitchen
Originally uploaded by photocat7.

More on the gentrification of Hell's Kitchen from today's New York Times.

Dataw Challenge

Beach at Hunting Island
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

So, I've challenged my parents to help me help out Donors Choose, which happens to have a proposal from their local elementary school! Small world.

Hopefully they'll forward my email to their little community bulletin board and this will be funded in no time. Feel free to give something yourself, you who are reading this, as well!

Ladybug(s)

at the end of its leaf
Originally uploaded by mimbrava.

So, I just donated a bunch of ladybugs to some first graders in Texas.

Life is good.

Dial "B" for "Bully"

American Idol producers Fremantle Media go after a predictive American Idol autodialer site.

From the LA Times Channel Island blog.

Big Pharma, Take Me Away, Part II

Slight change of plan. It was a Sonata night.

And I actually feel ok today, probably largely because of the grande latte I'm sucking down.

And now that Big Pharma has taken me away, it's time for me to toil in the vineyards of Big Pharma all the day long.

It's like the Circle of Life, but somehow not.

Big Pharma, Take Me Away . . . .

Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve actually updated anything on here, so here goes.
Ironically, I’m updating my “Get More Sleep” goal over on 43 Things. At 1:10 in the morning.

I worked 13.5 hours today and just came home a little too wound up to sleep, so I’ve killed an hour or so on the internet. Now, I think it’s time for Lunesta and sleep. In that order….
I’m gonna be SUCH a zombie tomorrow….

Plus ça change . . .

neoconned: "'To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.' - Theodore Roosevelt"

The World Today

Thomas Jefferson, from a letter he sent in 1798 after the passage of the Sedition Act:


"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt......If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."

Kitty Update

Hallway Kitty has been adopted! One of my neighbors has taken her in and left a note for my vanished neighbor in case he returns. So a happy ending to this little adventure. I sort of miss her, though.

I have a new friend

My neighbor is an elderly man who, to be frank, I worry about frequently. He doesn't seem to be able to take care of himself very well.

Now he's disappeared....the cops actually broke into his apartment on Saturday night to make sure nothing had happened to him, and he was gone. We think he has family, and we hope that they've taken him somewhere. Surely if he'd just gotten lost he'd have been found and come back by now.

Anyway, Mr. Castro apparently has an adorable cat for a pet....a cat that he lets out of his apartment to roam the halls of our apartment building (the stairwell, actually). Well, before Mr. Castro went to wherever he went, he let kitty out, and kitty's been locked out of her home ever since.

A few of us are looking out for her....food has been put down, and not one but two litter boxes have appeared in the hallways. Yesterday morning she was trying to get into my apartment when I was going to work...it broke my heart not to be able to let her in. So I made her a little bed out of a box and a blanket. A neighbor told me she spent much of the day in it.

When I got home from work last night, I didn't see kitty, so I went up the stairs. Up and up and up....all the way to the roof. And who was on the top landing, right by the door to the roof of the building? Kitty. Looking very pleased with herself to have found such a clever hiding place. Well, I petted her for a bit, brought her some food (which she gobbled up) and then, just before bedtime, went up to her with a bed made out of some old rags, a t-shirt and a cardboard box. Judging from how content she looked this morning in her little cat bed, she enjoyed her new accomodations.

Now we just have to figure out where Mr. Castro is. Or I'm going to wind up owning three cats.

Blizzard!

43rd Street
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

Heh. West Yellowstone has nothing on us today!

The Blizzard of '06 has hit, and it's pretty cool, actually. I just ventured out for a latte, scone, and Sunday New York Times and decided to take a few pictures.

How to scare your mother

1. Mention you're quitting your job "tomorrow" in your blog.

2. In another entry, post a photo of your cat .

3. Forward the link to the cat picture to your mother, who you haven't yet told about (a) quitting your job or (b) lining up a new job.

4. Have your mother check cat photo just before she goes out for the evening with your father, and the click on the other entries just to see...

Apparently, selling the house and buying a bigger place so that I could move in crossed her mind. As did the thought that I had lost my mind entirely.

Oopsie. Behold, the power of the internet.

So, Sometimes Thing Really DO Just Work Out . . .

OK, so everything's in place for the next act of my life:

1. Quitting icky job...last day is tomorrow.

2. Start "survival" job (that pays as well as icky job) on Thursday. Found out that I got that job THIS MORNING, which is the main "thing working out" that the title of this post refers to.

3. Start evening classes at NYU's Hospitality School on 2/7.

Ready....Set....GO!

Suzy

Suzy
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

Suzy makes a rare appearance out in the open, and the paparazzi are ready with their cameras.

The Big Plunge

This is it. I put in my notice and I'm leaving February 3. Actually, they said I could leave earlier if I wanted, so I think I'll be leaving next Friday.

I am very scared and very excited, all at once. But mostly excited. This is what I want to do...I want to have a job I love and that I am good at. I am so thrilled to be leaving the law it's sort of staggering. It's nice when your heart tells you that you've made the right choice (even when part of the choice was made for you!).

So, the adventure begins . . . .

Project Runway/Nick Verreos

My favorite contestant on Bravo's Project Runway, Nick Verreos, has a blog.

(Photo from NickVerreos.com)

Sick Day

Back Yard, Hell's Kitchen
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

So, when one is on one's way out at work, one can take "sick days" for no good reason. I woke up exhausted and decided to take the day off. I think it was the "24" premiere that did me in, personally.

Anyway, the cats are a little confused as to why I'm still around, but that's ok. Going to get a lot of paperwork and pre-tax type record assembly done. Also hopefully will hit the gym.

It's been a more successful South Beach day so far today...no cupcakes. Or burritos. (I'm weak.)

24

24logo
Originally uploaded by long.

Holy cow! What a premiere!

I need a cigarette.

Damn you, cupcake!

cupcake
Originally uploaded by burnt sugar.

And I was doing so well, too, with the South Beach Diet. But of course someone in the office just had to have a birthday today, so there you go. CUPCAKES. In the OFFICE. Gah.

OK, now I feel the sugar (the first I've had since Wednesday) coursing into my system. It is not a pleasant feeling. I actually feel a little bit dizzy, even. I must remember this feeling.

Well, anyway, nothing to do about it now. Just have to make sure I get home in time to go to the gym and work this off!

Loews Miami Beach Pool

The Swimming Pool at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Originally uploaded by hawkwild.

*sigh*

One week ago, I was floating around in this lovely heated pool.

Today, I'm running around Manhattan in the cold and the rain running errands.

I really do need to win sweepstakes more often.

My friend Scott

DSCN1184
Originally uploaded by MojoScott.

Is a hottie. Gracious. I really must get to the gym.

Scott's the author of a great book on the cable news wars, Crazy Like a Fox. He just sent me a bunch of photos of himself, his lovely wife and his daughter on a trip to Hawaii.

South Beach Getaway

My friend Larry and I had an absolutely marvelous time at the South Beach Getaway weekend that I won in the sweepstakes sponsored by Kraft South Beach Diet foods.

It was a little colder than expected, but that didn't cramp our style at all. After being met at the airport, Larry and I shared a van with two of the other winners and their companions. It turns out that two of them were, respectively, a recent graduate of and a current undergraduate at Northwestern University School of Music, where she was a voice major (as was I) and he was in the 5 Year B.A./B.Mus. program (as was I). We had a delightful conversation all the way into South Beach, when we pulled up to our very impressive hotel, the Loews Miami Beach. After checking in, we discovered that we had an ocean view room, great service, and a killer swimming pool.

A few quick walks up and down Lincoln Road and we were ready for dinner. We chose Balans, where I enjoyed a beautifully prepared pork chop with adobo sauce, sweet potato mash and asparagus. Spectacular. Larry and I then went off our South Beach plans (the diet, that is) for dulce de leche crepes (we shared). Delicious.

We proceeded back to our room to find a palmetto leaf and box of fish shaped sweet-tarts on my pillow, and we settled in to watch The Book of Daniel on NBC. All I will say about that is I suspect the American Family Association will not have this show to kick around very long...it wasn't all that good. Or outrageous.

Anyway, a very good night's sleep ensued, followed by a breakfast (provided by the contest). The breakfast was decidedly not South Beach Diet friendly....I was with them through the scrambled eggs, and even through the (non-Canadian) bacon, but when I saw the hash browns (Kryptonite to South Beachers), I knew that this wasn't something they'd thought through. I did, however, enjoy a bowl of the South Beach Diet Whole Grain Crunch, which was tasty if a little over sweetened (with both sugar and sucralose).

Then it was off for a walk down Ocean Drive. There is so much development at the far south end of South Beach it is rather astonishing. Hi-rises going up everywhere. Apparently the boom just keeps booming, and it's becoming such that soon only the very rich will be able to afford to live out there (so same as it ever was in that respect, I guess).

We returned to the hotel and hit the pool. Despite the temperatures in the high 60's, this was absolutely delightful. They have poolside service there, so I enjoyed a nice salad while lying out in the sun. The shelter of the pool enclosure meant that it was perfectly pleasant and not at all chilly. We later went in the pool (which is heated) and I must say it was the most relaxed I've been in quite some time.

The event organizers threw a dinner buffet for us that night, and it was very nice. There was an enormous buffet, this time South Beach Diet friendly, including wonderful salads, vegetables, and meat and fish dishes. There was also an entirely nonSBD friendly dessert bar. To entertain us, the organizers had hired a marvelous Latin band, consisting of keyboards, a harp, drummer and bassist. In addition, a flemenco dancer entertained us on many of the numbers. The event took place in the hotel ballroom (I believe it would have been on the lawn outside had it been warmer) which was appropriately elegant and well appointed.

After dinner, Larry and I wandered back to Lincoln Road, eventually parking ourselves at a patio table at one of the many bars and restaurants lining the streets, where we just watched the vibrant parade of Miamians and tourists pass by until it was time to go home.

Sunday morning it was a walk on the beach, followed by Brunch with Larry's old college roommate Doug at the Front Porch Cafe. A quick walk through the neighborhood to see Doug's new place (adorable and wonderfully finished) followed, and then it was back to the hotel just in time to cath the shuttle to the airport. The airport, while chaotic, was uneventful, and we made it back to NYC without incident.

All in all a simply delightful trip. I will have to win things more often!!

From the makers of Bookcrossing.com

If you're buying or selling a home, Propsmart is a

real estate search engine

that uses Google Maps to display
almost 1 million listings nationwide