Saturday, January 16, 2010

A Full Day

Yesterday, we left our house at 7:15 am and drove to New York. Mysteriously, there was no traffic and we made it to our destination in Long Island City at 10:00 am. L.I. City sits under the 59th Street Bridge and is more or less an industrial wasteland. My husband had a job interview there, the first one he's had since he was laid off in April.

After the interview, which went well, we met friends for lunch nearby. This is New York: the bleak turns into the chic within a few blocks. I had a hearty appetite (surprise!), and it was great to be out with friends. After lunch, we headed into Manhattan to visit our son at Columbia. This was especially meaningful for me, since I'd been unable to take him to college in September. The midday traffic was bad. Even though my husband grew up in NYC and lived there for much of his adult life, you forget the best way to get from Point A to Point B. We made it to Columbia in non-record time and then had to find parking. After whirling around for 15 minutes, we found a spot on Amsterdam and were all set to walk away when a kindly gentleman pointed out we were parked illegally and would be towed. Back in the car, more whirling--a true taste of Manhattan.

The dorms were empty so it was safe for me to go inside without a mask. Mark went back early to train for track; classes don't start until Tuesday. He has a nice room on the 10th floor that gets lots of light. You can see the top sliver of the Empire State Building if you know where to look. This mission accomplished, we got back in the car and drove further uptown to the Armory, where high school and college track meets are run. My daughter was competing in the 800m dash at 4. The arena was filled with college students, so I took no chances and wore a mask until I found a remote seat in the back. It was fun to see her run (she came in 4th), and we had a chance to visit with her a little after the race.

We left at 5pm, in the heart of rush hour. It would take us 4 hours to get home at this rate, so I called my friend Connie who lives 30-40 minutes outside of the City and asked here if she was up for an impromptu visit. Always game for anything (she's from Nebraska), she said sure. We ordered in pizza and I spent an hour or so snoozing on the couch wrapped in a snuggy. At 8:30 we left for Rhode Island. I continued my nap in the car. We arrived home around two hours later. I stumbled up to my bedroom, put on my pj's and collapsed into bed. I haven't had a day like this since relapsing in April. It was exhausting, but it's good to know I have the energy to get through and enjoy life like a normsie.

Today, I rest.

4 comments:

George Jempty said...

I look up "full day" in the dictionary and found this blog post ;)

Ann said...

I'm raising a glass to your normal day. Of course, it's filled with water, but I'm pretending it's something with a vintage. :) I'm mailing that book I threatened you with tomorrow, so you should have it by the end of the week. Cheers!

Ronni Gordon said...

Sounds like a great day. Glad you had fun and finished with a nice nap. Very normal indeed! (I especially relate to the NYC search for parking and the judgment call on when to leave.

Anonymous said...

So happy- steps towards normalcy.
I would have been EXHAUSTED after a day like that since you are not even a year out from transplant. I would have been asleep in the backset.
Good luck for you and your husband on the interview!
xo-Lea