winter

Welcome to the Long Slog

countdown to summer 2014

My least favorite time of year has officially arrived. The Long Slog, as I’ve dubbed it, is the endless period of time between Presidents Day and Memorial Day.

It’s the dead of winter without the festivities and anticipation of the holidays. Just long, gray, chilly days. And there are no holidays to break up the everyday routine of commuting, going to work, etc. Memorial Day and the start of summer seem so far away.

The craziest/saddest part is that I feel like I’ve already been wading through the Long Slog for months! Today marked the 14th snowstorm in NYC, this season. And since the start of the year, we’ve gotten four feet of snow! No wonder I’m tired of seeing the icy mounds of gray snow all over the city.

So I’ve been brainstorming my Long Slog survival plan. It mostly consists of ways to treat myself in NYC: Getting massages here with my mom and sister. (Those were our bday.gif"betony" href="https://www.betony-nyc.com/" target="_blank">this place, soon.) Planning game nights or other events with friends.

And, of course, I’m hoping to go on a few quick, weekend getaways. I actually have one planned for this weekend—ironically, to Vermont! But I’ll be doing lots of warm, cozy activities to counteract the winter chill!

(I’d originally planned to use a wintry image with this post—but I couldn’t bring myself to snap a photo of the piles of snow along the streets!)

How Are You Surviving the Long Slog?

countdown to summer

Are you ready for summer yet? I certainly am! Even though I’m a die-hard east coaster, I’m not a huge fan of winter. In fact, I’ve been calling this period, from President’s Day to Memorial Day, “the Long Slog” for most of my adult life. Because that’s pretty much what it feels like!

Here’s why: In NYC, these are the coldest, greyest months. But unlike November and December, there’s no feeling of excitement and anticipation for holidays and all the fun they bring: family time; parties; last-minute, use-up-your-vacation-days trips. Swaddling yourself in tons of layers to leave the house is getting old.В The long, warm days of summer feel pretty far away, right now!

I deal with the Long Slog in various ways. I do a lot of ballet, make plans with friends, schedule a few weekend trips. And sometimes, I just give in to hibernation. I’ve made more dents in my reading list during Long Slogs than at any other time of year. And during one Long Slog, Mal, Peter and I camped out in our living room every weekend and watched all of Lost in its entirety.

How are you surviving the Long Slog? If you have any book, weekend trip or NYC event recommendations, please let me know. I’d love to hear!

Hello, 30!

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As I write this, I’m in the last hours of my 20s! In just a short time, I’ll be entering a new decade.

A lot of people I know were/are freaked out about turning 30, but I’m actually ready.

My twenties felt like a period of trial and error. Sure, there were lots of really good times. But there were also many occasions when I felt like I was bumbling through life, unsure of how I’d ever get to a place where I truly felt content.

In my early twenties, I was singly focused on my career. All I wanted to do was climb the ladder and amass bylines in as many publications as possible. I’m proud of what I accomplished then (hundreds of stories written between the time I was 21 and 25), but I pushed myself so hard that I was constantly stressed about work.

It took a while, but eventually, I realized that my job didn’t have to be my life. It was around this time, when I was 26, that I started taking ballet again (after a 5 year hiatus!) and it brought me incredible happiness. Even though I was super-rusty, I loved (and still love) working towards something that had nothing to do with my career. Having that helped me establish a better work-life balance. And, at 27, since I was a little older and wiser, I felt more confident making decisions at work—and really believed in my abilities.

At 28, I thought I had everything figured out.

But I didn’t.

A string of events in the first few months of my 29th year made me question everything—and that’s when I really took a good look at my life, thought about what I wanted to accomplish (I actually made a list), who I wanted to become and how I could make myself truly happy. Then I set out to do it.

That’s how 29 ended up being one of the hardest but best years of my life. In the past 12 months, I took a solo trip to Guatemala, learned Spanish,В performed onstage three times (I hadn’t since college!), ran a road race (first one in six years), В started a new job, restarted this blog (!) and tookВ many, many, many fun trips with loved ones.

All those things have made me happier, more optimistic and more confident than ever before. Sure, there are still many goals I’ve yet to achieve. But at least now I feel like I can, while enjoying the journey, too—something I was never able to do for most of my 20s.В And that’s what I always imagined my 30s to be like.

…I can’t wait to see what this decade will bring!

(Image via Pinterest)

An Up-Close Look at NYCB’s Nutcracker Costumes

As far as I’m concerned, the holiday season isn’t complete without seeing a performance of the Nutcracker. (Or, at least listening to the soundtrack a couple times in its entirety—something that’s driven my family mad over the years!)

Tonight, I’m seeing City Ballet’s production (with my mom :)). It’s been several years since I’ve seen their version, and I’m pretty excited—there’s nothing as inspiring as seeing the pros dance, live!

Recently, NYCB posted behind-the-scenes photos of their Nutcracker costumes on their Facebook page. I thought it was super-cool that they gave us normal folks (and professional dancer wannabes!) a little peek behind the curtains!

Reams of fabric at the NYCB Costume Shop

Reams of fabric at the NYCB Costume Shop

Waltz of the Flowers tutus

Waltz of the Flowers tutus

Marzipan costumes

Marzipan costumes

Sugarplum fairy costumes

Sugarplum fairy costumes

Sugarplum fairy costume

Sugarplum fairy costume

Are you a Nutcracker fan, too? What’s your favorite number? (Mine has always been the “Waltz of the Snowflakes”—which I was thrilled to perform earlier this season.)

(Photos via NYCB’s Facebook page)