Half Marathon Training has begun

Oh boy. What in the world have I gotten myself into? Two Saturday practices in, and I am feeling seriously discouraged already. I have grossly underestimated how much of my time this training stuff would take, along with just how badly out of shape I am these days. This ought to be a lot of fun for you guys to read out there over the next few months...

My friend Jena started training about six weeks before I did. She did four weeks of pre-season training with the mentors and coaches before her proper training even started. She also got herself in gear by doing several workouts with the Couch to 5K app. She's in rare form now. She ran six miles with her team this morning!

My TNT running group

I'm not going to hash out the details of my training experiences just yet. Let me just say that I went out with the walkers last week, felt that wasn't enough of a challenge, so I tried my luck with the run/walk group this week. Those guys blew me away with their speed and endurance! I ended up walking the 4 miles we were supposed to cover on Saturday, and then I went home and vowed to start using C25K myself this week.

I posted a bit more about the group above at my fundraising page. Please take a moment to donate if you haven't yet. Every little bit helps!

Charleston buds at dinner in Park Slope

In other news, I've been keeping super busy lately between visitors and work. Work has been fantastic. I really like my new managers and responsibilities. I'm getting managerial experience that I've not had before, and I'm being treated with respect. It's really more than I'd hoped would happen.

Crystal and Brooke

Amanda and Nick and Nick's spiffy chapeau

Me and Crystal 

My lovely friends from Charleston were in town last weekend, and Stephen was here as well. I saw a really strange but wonderful avant garde musical with him called Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.  It was a bizarrely upbeat retelling of War and Peace, complete with musical numbers and borscht. If you're a theater buff out there, I recommend it. Not because of the book itself, but because of how it's executed. It's really an immersive experience, and unlike anything I've done before. (I did experience Sleep No More a few years ago, so I think I can speak with some authority here.)

Stephen and me at the Russian extravaganza

Bayley reluctantly poses on the SNL stage

Stephen and Bayley were both here at the beginning of the month, and we had a fun time walking around 30 Rock when no one was really around. We took pics on the SNL stage. (Oddly enough, all three of us are still big fans.) I met them for a lovely dinner one night too. They went to see a whole bunch of theater, as they always do, but I was delighted they also made some time to come see my new digs at work.

My cousin Ani was also in town at the beginning of June. I am so proud of that kid. He just finished his MBA at Kellogg, and that's his SECOND masters degree. His first one was from Johns Hopkins. So yeah, the kid's a dope, really. He's going to be starting a job at BD later this summer, and he'll be living in Hoboken. So he was in town apartment hunting, and I am super excited that he'll be living near me soon.

Ani's birthday dinner last year

This past weekend was full of my favorite musicians. Falu played in Central Park on Friday afternoon, and I walked over there after work to catch the show. It was a lovely afternoon to be outdoors.

Falu and her band entertain us in Central Park

And then Saturday night, the show I'd been looking forward to for months. Shovels and Rope followed by Dawes. I knew from my Charleston days that Cary Ann & Michael from Shovels and Rope would deliver an energetic and engaging performance, so it was no surprise that they rocked Terminal 5 hard warming up the crowd for  headliner Dawes.

Shovels and Rope rocking Terminal 5

The two bands met on Cayamo, the music cruise I went on earlier this year. I fell in love with Dawes and their Jackson Browne-ness when I saw them on the boat. I even downloaded their album in the Fort Lauderdale airport while waiting for my flight back to New York.  The show ended with both acts together on stage performing a Traveling Wilburys song, and I couldn't have possibly been a happier girl after a concert.

Next week, my friend Amanda is coming up from Athens, my nieces are coming right after that, and then my brother and sister-in-law will be here the week after! July is going to be as much fun as June!

Spring in Overdrive

Lovely walk on Sullivan's Island

Lots of big news to report in this installment! Life took a surprising turn when I returned from Austin in March. I was offered a staff position at one of the places I'd freelanced, and it was a pleasant enough change from my former employer that I decided to take it. So far, so good. I've enjoyed working there a great deal. My co-workers are really nice. There's a fantastic work-life balance. Rudeness and disrespect are not tolerated, and I'm treated as someone with a lot of valuable experience instead of as the new guy.

Pretty flower on Sullivan's Island

I've already gotten some good career opportunities that I would never have had at the old place, so I feel pretty good about this new gig. Honestly, I feel like I've fallen through the rabbit hole most days. I am so stunned at the civility with which I am treated. It's new world order all of a sudden, but admittedly I still have PSTD from the ex. I'm constantly surprised when people are respectful and kind to me.

Best shrimp 'n' grits in town

Before I started the job officially, I took a quick trip down to Charleston to visit my pals Nick and Brooke. I hadn't been back since their wedding in 2010, so it was an overdue trip. Brooke and I had a fantastic time hitting up places like Hominy Grill and Taco Boy among lots of delicious others. We had some great cocktails as well, but I think the highlight of our day together was a long walk on Sullivan's Island followed by a frothy pina colada and lots of people-watching at Red's at Shem Creek.

People watching at Shem Creek

Back from Charleston, I started my new job. I've already launched a new show, and I love my show team. I work weekends now, but I actually like it. I have pretty good hours, so I'm not missing out on much socially. It's much more relaxed at work on the weekends, and it's nice to have weekdays off. I can go to the museum or the movies or get errands done with a lot less hassle.

Happiest stingray ever

I also spent an afternoon lunching and shopping with my friend Doretha, who is an inspiration to me in many ways. And I got to see Adrian and Kim and their lovely new house!  I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with Nick, unfortunately, because he had to work long hours the days I was in town. But hopefully I'll see a lot of him this year in NYC when he visits for Comic Con and other fun events!

Brooke and Paige at a fancy cocktail place on King St.

Brooke, Adrian, Kim and myself after a dessert spree

I've also had the pleasure of showing lots of visitors around my new workplace, and it's always fun to see remnants of SNL and other NBC properties in the building. My dear friend Jacque was in town for Memorial Day, and we had a wonderful time running in Central Park, visiting the Met, and catching up with our friend Carl and his girlfriend, Hope at Tamarind.

Carl checking out SNL backstage

In other news, my big sis (close family friend) Aparna was honored as a Champion of Change by the White House in DC last month, and my parents flew in for the occasion. I took a train down there to meet them all, and I got to see my pal Anar as well. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was delightful to catch up with my family.

My parents and Aparna in DC

Lots of new shows to report as well.

• Lucky Guy: Nora Ephron's last play starring Tom Hanks, Courtney B. Vance, Maura Tierney and lots of others- really enjoyed this one
• Pippin: cheesy '70s revival with a circus theme - blah
• Orphans: Alec Baldwin and his co-stars are all incredible actors, but the play itself is kind of unremarkable
• MacBeth: Alan Cumming is a genius, period. 
• The Last Five Years: off-Broadway revival about a relationship gone awry - I wasn't sure about this at the beginning, but was totally sold by the end - great staging, and good music, too
• Punk to Chaos: the Met's new fashion exhibit - kind of cool, but don't go during a holiday weekend
• Impressionism, Fashion, & Modernity: another Met exhibit that has impressionist paintings coupled with actual dresses and suits modeled in the painting (also don't try this one during a holiday weekend) definitely worth seeing if you're into fashion and impressionism at all
• Falu's Foras Road CD release concert: fantastic new tunes that capture the musicality of her live shows - wonderful show with lots of world musicians, Falu is always a good idea.    

Anar and I celebrate at Delmonico's with Baked Alaska

Anar makes the best Pimm's emergency drinks ever.

And last, but not least, I've signed up to run a half marathon with my friend Jena. We're doing it through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. We are fundraising to support cancer research, families of cancer patients, and cancer treatment for people who can't afford it. It's a really good cause, and we are thrilled to be a part of it.

Me & Jena last summer in LA

I've wanted to do this program since I moved to New York, but I finally felt like the time was right. Things are not so crazy at work anymore, and I can devote some time to training. I'm excited and a little apprehensive about the process, but I think this is only going to lead to good things. Hopefully I'll get in shape and meet some cool new people at the same time.


Here's my donation link if you'd like to contribute. (Thanks so much to those of you who have donated already!) I'd really appreciate the support. I'll be blogging over there about the training process, and I'll write more here about the event itself in a future post. The hardest thing is going to be getting off the couch with regularity... stay tuned.