As Long as I'm Here...

I feel like my head is spinning lately. There is SO much going on, I can barely keep up.

My Internet access at home has been out for a WEEK. It's so frustrating. When I called last Sunday, they said the first available appointment was on Friday. So I wasn't thrilled but of course I took it. When the guy came out, he switched out my modem but was unable to fix the larger issue which seems to be how the signal is coming into the whole building. He called the main office, but as it was 5:20 p.m. on Friday, no one answered. They said it should be fixed by Monday. We'll see.

I've been trying to finalize movers and an apartment in Austin, and starting to pack up my stuff. That always makes me purge more, too, so I've got some bags ready for the Salvation Army.

Meanwhile, I'm in London! Last week my presence was requested for a big client meeting with some of my UK colleagues. I got in this morning, will meet with my colleagues tomorrow at the London office to prepare for the meeting. On Tuesday, we all fly out to Basel, Switzerland. Our meeting is Wednesday morning, then it's back to London late Wednesday and back to NYC Thursday morning. A very quick trip for such great cities. But I came in today so I could get adjusted. Jet lag is such a drag! I tried sleeping on the plane but only got a couple hours. I did have to take a nap this afternoon but tomorrow should be good.

Since I was here on Sunday, I decided to head over to St. Paul's Cathedral for a service. The concierge at my hotel said the service started at 12 noon, so I got there on time...and realized it actually started at 11:30. I walked in during the sermon. But I was still able to enjoy the last 60 minutes of the service, including incredibly beautiful choir music. I couldn't see them from where I was sitting, but the marble floors and domed ceilings produced a beautiful echo effect. The altos sounded a bit immature to me, but the sopranos were pure and perfectly pitched. Their high voices soared in the cathedral. When I got up for communion (the program said anyone who takes communion at their home church is welcome), I saw the choir for the first time: they were all men and boys! That explained what I had heard in the alto and soprano voices.

Later, I walked across the Millennium Bridge and visited the Shakespeare Globe Theater museum.


I had dinner at a tasty Indian restaurant, and when I left, the waiter gave me a single rose! Then I walked up to Westminster, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament to walk off the food and lager a bit and enjoyed the sunset light on the buildings.


I just wish I had more time to take a quick trip North to see my family! But I have to get back to NYC and finish packing. Looks like the July 4th holiday weekend will be my best opportunity.

Timing

Irony: I move back to Texas in just a couple weeks, and everyone in my immediate family -- parents and both sisters + families -- will be gone from Texas.

My parents are taking off for the cooler climate in the mountains of New Mexico.
Jenn, Anthony + kids will be visiting a friend and exploring Chile.
Steph + kids will be enjoying the ocean breezes of Southern California.

Welcome home to me! :-) Guess that's what I get for moving in the heat of the summer. But in my defense, I had to go when I found someone to sublease my apt.

And focusing on the positive, at least I will have plenty of time to set up my new place, meet some new friends, and take a road trip to visit Grandma.

Running Away or Running Towards?

I haven't posted much lately, because I've been keeping quiet about something happening in my life...but I've been working on this post for over a year...

I heard Martha Beck speak at the O You Conference in San Francisco a couple years ago, and I was so impressed. I've always enjoyed her columns in the Oprah Magazine, but in person she was so much more! She's incredibly adept at making complex thinking seem attainable, and she's witty and downright funny.

One of her past columns was titled "Know When to Fold 'Em," in which she mentioned W.C. Fields's profound statement "If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it." The column discusses how researchers have compared those who resist quitting, and of those who throw in the towel when facing unattainable goals. They found that the second group—the quitters—were healthier than their persistent peers on almost every variable.

This gives me some comfort, because I've been struggling with the idea of "quitting."

Quitting New York.

Undoubtedly, there are things I love about New York: the variety in cultures, the lack of conformity to a single (or few) ideas, the four seasons, the multitude of cultural events (especially Broadway), feeling like I'm a part of this big machine called NYC, being close to the water (even if it is the not-so-transparent Hudson River), my little close-knit church and fledgling (although now on hiatus) choir...

But...it has been a pretty lonely existence for me here. Over the last three years, I've done all the tried-and-true methods to meet friends and potential dates. I've made a few friends, but NY has a culture of everyone being so busy, you don't see them but maybe once every few months. And I miss my family, especially the kids, my nieces and nephews.

As I recently celebrated another birthday, getting closer to having to change the title of this blog and hearing the biological clock ticking louder in its finale, I realize that if I don't have kids of my own, I at least want to be closer to those I do have in my life.

I started making inquiries with my company about the possibility of transferring, and I got full approval to move ahead with the transfer to the Austin office as soon as I'm ready. The only thing sticking point is subleasing my apartment, and that has happened MUCH faster than I expected.

I'm keeping my job AND getting to live closer to my family, able to be a more consistent presence in my nieces' and nephews' lives. And it also opens up other possibilities for me, such as owning a home, eating a lot more TexMex, participating (and completing) more triathlons, and possibly having a child on my own.

I moved to NYC for my career, and I've realized my career isn't the most important thing to me. I'm moving back to have a personal life.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

Swim Meet

When I was in Austin for the triathlon, I also got to see Anna and Colin at their swim meet. I saw them a year ago and could definitely see their progress this time. Colin even won a ribbon for winning his heat. Anna takes a ballerina approach to her strokes and executes them beautifully, if not quickly.



After the tri, Colin and I enjoyed taking it easy and reading. I was sitting in the chair with my book and he climbed in the space between me and the back of the chair. He's a cuddler. (I know the angle of this shot makes my knees look huge, but they aren't in reality and the picture captured a sweet moment.)

Tri-ing Times

It was my fourth triathlon -- and Jenn's seventh -- and I'm still flying high knowing 1) I finished, and 2) I beat my last year's time by six minutes!

This first picture was taken before the race, before we got red-faced and sweaty.


After the race, proudly wearing our accomplishment medals:


And strutting our stuff:


And our post-race meal -- brunch at El Rincon:


I'm really pleased. I worked hard to improve my times on the swim and run, and I did both. My bike time was within a minute of last year's. (The bike portion is definitely my favorite, and not just because I get to eat during it.) We were very fortunate to have cloud cover for the morning, which kept away the blazing sun. It was humid, but I was thankful for the clouds.

I can't wait to do it all again next year!