I Hate Ironing!

Today, looking for a way to keep myself busy enough to skip the temptation to go shopping, I decided to catch up on my ironing. Here's some evidence of my strong hatred of ironing:

1) I couldn't find the iron anywhere. After searching for about 10 minutes, I finally found it in my linen closet, stuck between the Christmas towels and my down comforter.

2) My to-be-ironed pile was so old that it contained sweaters, as well as clothes that I had last worn on my vacation in early April.

3) The clothes haven't hung for so long in my closet that the hangers have been taken over by other clothes; I'm going to need to make a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for more hangers!

4) I started ironing after the Mets gave up their first home run in inning one, and I finished just at the start of inning 8 - about two and a half hours later.... (note: Mets losing 8-5, about to be swept by the Phillies)

5) I'm sweating like crazy (it was the first time the a/c was put on stronger than 'Speed 1'), and I have the hugest headache now. I'm in need of some serious dark chocolate.

The Trials (-Sized) of Travel

So, I'm going to visit my brother in San Francisco in two weeks. I know that I still have some time to prepare, but with Labor Day, the start of school, and the start of my classes all coming up, the time will fly, so I'm trying to get some things done during my last precious week of summer vacation. Given that I'm flying in and out of the ever-so-efficient JFK airport, and given that I'm only going to CA for 4 days, I decided that it be wisest for me to do carry-on. The problem: Apparently, makers of beauty products and toiletry items have not yet taken advantage of the 3-ounce-or-less market (or, if they have, they certainly aren't doing a good job keeping stores stocked with them!). HELLO COMPANIES - CAN YOU SMELL PROFIT DOLLARS?!?! Toothpaste, shampoo, and deodorant were easy enough to find in CVS's travel bins. But I'm still struggling with: body wash, face wash, face moisturizer, and my hair 'toss lotion'. These items I use on a daily basis and really can't live without. Add to it my hypersensitive skin that can't just take any brand, and you've got a recipe for one frustrated traveler. Granted, I'm not the most low-maintenance person out there, but I'm far from being the highest either. If I'm having these issues, so must thousands of other women. I know that L'Occitane makes travel sizes, but I really don't feel like spending $10 on 3 ounces. And I know that I can buy those little bottles and pour my own stuff in them, but when has any of those ever not leaked all over?! I'm begging for one of two things to happen: 1) the FAA lift this 3-ounce rule - and fight terrorism in a little more of a proactive way, or 2) start lining shelves of places like Sephora and CVS with smaller bottles of more varied products!

Men in Uniform....

Today, I went with my family to SUNY Maritime College (just a bridge-ride north of me) where my cousin Nicholas had his Cadet Indoctrination Ceremony. Nicholas, who is beginning the SUNY Maritime program, spent two weeks on a ship, with no communication allowed with the outside world, as part of the official 'indoctrination' into the program. In addition to learning how to march and how to obey orders, they learned other survival skills like how to fight a ship fire. The incoming cadets looked like little kids playing dress-up in their uniforms and hats; after all, they're only 17 or 18 years old. We had some trouble spotting Nicholas in the crowd of white uniforms, but eventually found him. And of course, I enjoyed some eye candy looking at the older guys in uniform... Despite the disgusting heat and humidity, the ceremony was beautiful. I really loved the military characteristics: the swordplay, marching in time, "yes sirs'" and salutes all at the same time. It somehow transported me from a chaotic world to one of order and rituals.

Old Westbury Gardens

First, just wanted to apologize for not posting a blog in awhile (thank you Annette for the constructive criticism! - watching my back for me!). I've been pretty busy juggling a few different summer jobs and some other things going on.

As any of you who've checked my blog recently are aware, I've been trying to get to know some of the historical landmarks on Long Island. Last weekend, we had the most beautiful weather; about 68 degrees and sunny - I was able to comfortably wear my jeans, and I actually put on a sweater at one point! I took advantage by visiting the Old Westbury Gardens, about 15 minutes from where I live. The property features several gardens including a rose garden, an English garden, a lily pad pond, and a lake with trails through trees. There's also a mansion on the property, built in the early 1900's to be a home to the Phipps family (I think they were in the shipping business). The mansion is fully restored, and it was pretty amazing to imagine the wealth that this family must have had. There's impressive artwork on the walls (including a portrait by John Singer Sargent) and elaborately-furnished rooms. Like my visits to the other landmarks on Long Island, the place was fairly empty (especially given the weather), and I had a great time practicing my camera skills once again. Enjoy the slide show!

Sands Point Preserve

Yesterday we were lucky enough to have another tolerable summer day, with temperatures in the low 80's and low humidity (today, it's back up nearly 90). This time, I visited the Sands Point Preserve. It's now a preserve on the tip of the Port Washington peninsula (aka 'East Egg') - it once belonged to the Gould family, who built a house that looks like a castle (it's a little cheesy...). There are currently two castle-like mansions on the property, as well as a more manor-like house that was home to the Guggenheim family. The Castle tends to have a lot of kid-friendly exhibits going on inside the castle (for those of you who grew up on or around Long Island, I'm sure you remember going to see the 'Dinosaurs Alive' exhibit at some point). The rest of the property that's NOT covered by castle features several hiking paths, each around 1 mile in length, some of which hug against the coast. Hiking through the woods is not a favorite of mine (I need some sort of 'visual payoff' for my efforts, and a bunch of trees just doesn't cut it), but it was nice to be away from the crowds, and I tried to focus on interesting tree formations and the play of light and shadow. Oh, and I surprisingly came out with only one bug bite!

Stormy Weather

This morning, the New York metro area was hit with yet another strong storm. It was raining so hard that I couldn't even see the street from my front door. There was even a tornado in Brooklyn. Streets were flooded, highways were closed, train service (both commuter and the subway system) was suspended, and many services are still not running.

For my 'summer job', the company asked me to work a few days this week in their eastern LI location. It's so far out in the middle of nowhere that the buildings there actually have septic tanks! The 32-exit, 42-mile journey took me about 2 hours, and that was only because I waited until after the storm to leave for it. The air was like soup; even now, after 8pm, it's 88 degrees outside and very very sticky.

And the worst part is that we're supposed to be hit with another storm in the next day or two. I don't ever remember a summer where we got so many intense rain storms. What a miserable season we're having!

Planting Fields Arboretum

Today greeted us with a much-needed respite from the high heat and humidity that had been plaguing us for the past few weeks. I decided to take advantage of the low humidity and low-80's temperature by further cultivating my knowledge of the area around me. I decided to go to the Planting Fields Arboretum, located about 12 miles east of me, in Oyster Bay. Though now an arboretum open to the public, this was once the grounds of the Coe Family. William Robertson Coe was a wealthy insurance broker back at the turn of the century, and built a large estate on the Planting Fields property. The estate is still standing, and is one of few preserved estates of the gold coast. I decided to forgo the tour of the estate today, focusing my first visit on the grounds instead. Covered with wide lawns, pine and holly trails, rose gardens, trellised walkways, and greenhouses, the grounds were absolutely breathtaking. The grounds were fairly empty, with more butterflies than people in my midst. I hope you enjoy my slideshow!

I'm having trouble breathing....

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