I left my heart in NYC

Okay, so I have not left yet, but I can tell you that it is going to be really hard to leave New York tomorrow. I have loved every second of being in this city. It is alive, and seriously, VERY COLD. As a South African living in Pretoria, we think 10 degrees Celsius is freezing. Well, let me tell you that the -4 degrees Celsius the past two days takes some getting used to. I have been inside for about an hour already, and I think my face is still frozen.

So, New York. It is so large, and crowded, that it is easy to feel completely dwarfed by this city. I guess this is why movie stars love living here - it is easy to be anonymous around here. I remember being in Mexico City and feeling completely overwhelmed by its size, in a way that felt like it was pressing down on my chest. This city has the exact opposite effect. As large as it is, it makes my feel elated. I think it probably has much to do with being surrounded by beautiful buildings. And then of course there is Central Park. Even covered in snow, and with bare trees, it has a distinct beauty about it.

So, what have I been up to? Took an uptown and downtown bus tour with Hitesh, visited the Clinton Foundation offices in Harlem, visited the Metropolitan Museum (sadly for a short time), had lots of great pizza, and then major highlight - saw a great Kandinsky exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum. Hitesh, Cheryl and I also saw a Broadway show last night - La Cage Aux Folles, with Kelsey Grammar in the lead. Let's just say that acting may be his forte, but singing sure is not. A fun time nonetheless.

Tomorrow I hope to visit the Museum of Natural History, and meet up with Amy. Then tomorrow it is back to Arlington for dinner with Gray, Marie and Bill - which is something I am REALLY looking forward to.

I will definitely come back - probably in Fall next time. I can imagine the city will be gorgeous then. So, I may be leaving soon, but I cannot wait to be back.

Day of Reflection

I had a good day. Slept late (or at least, late enough), took my time reserving travel and accommodation to NY, and then finally got going quite late in the day. Oh well, I am on vacation after all.

First stop: Rosa Mexicana for the pomegranate margarita, the tortilla soup (the vegetarian version), and an excellent vegetarian enchilada. Excellent, and I have to admit, the margarita made my head spin a little. Then a leisurely stroll to the mall, and straight off to the holocaust museum, where I spent the rest of the afternoon. Anyone who knows me really well will know that I have a strange obsession with the Holocaust. I had been to this museum before, but I did not have much time, so this time I really took my time. It was engrossing, and the approach to the exhibits reminded me of the Apartheid Museum back home. For some reason the sections that really got to me was the one on the medical experiments, and a picture of thousands of pounds of hair - shaved from the prisoners.

It made me think a lot of the inhumanity of man, and at the same time there were exhibits that exemplified the power of the human spirit, and the will to survive. It reminded me that people are more complex than the sometimes basic labels we attach to people: good-bad, rich-poor, Democrat-Republican, white-black, as if our entire being can be reduced to a single label.

A day of reflection indeed.

In case this is getting way too serious for you, I will switch topics immediately.

So, soon Bill and I are off to Clarendon soon for pizza - the perfect dinner on this cold night.

PS: Blast from the past - Bill sent me a message about the fact that Mary Wettrich is leaving CDC after 22 years. And so, in the words of Mary - See you later suckers!

Super Bowl 45

Okay, so, I have sort of watched the Super Bowl. I supported the winners - the Green Bay Packers - for no other reason than their supporters are called Cheeseheads, and I love cheese. I have no special connection with steel, other than that I know it is important to have it. But I fail to feel emotional about it. I say my love of cheese is as good a reason as any to support a support I only barely understand.

Also, to say I really watched it is a stretch of the imagination. While watching, and eating the excellent spread Bill had prepared, and drinking wine, I was also editing a document on HIV prevention in South Africa.

So, there goes my Super Bowl experience.

Go Packers!

Brrrr

So, finally I am on vacation! I arrived in Washington DC after a pretty good flight (as good as any flight stuck in economy is ever going to be), and here I am in chilly DC. Well, technically Arlington, Virginia, where Bill's house is. First thing upon arrival in DC - getting a bagel with cream cheese from Einstein Bros - heaven. And then just to add to my joy, I had Mexican food for dinner, at Baja Fresh. Aah, Mexican food, what a joy. The jet lag really kicked my ass, but after a good night's sleep (barring the bit where I forgot to turn off the sound on my cellphone, and was woken at 2am by SMS messages), I was ready to face the world. A world covered in snow, that is.

I am sure Bill and his fellow Arlingtonians (is that a word?) will say, enough already, but for this "snow virgin" from South Africa, perfectly enchanting. And chilly. But I love it.

Had an okay (read: bland) breakfast with Kelly and Robert, it was off to the National Portrait Gallery (across from the Verizon Centre), and then a movie (Black Swan). Black Swan was quite intense, but Bill and I are still speculating about much of the meaning of it. However, I just read Shaun de Waal's review in the Mail & Guardian, and it certainly helped with the analysis, but not maybe the full understanding. All in all, I thought it was well acted. At least now I know what all the fuss is about, mainly the awards for Natalie Portman.

Now I am comfortably ensconced on the couch listening to the news, and of course typing this. Even better, all this domesticity is accompanied by a glass of wine. Aah, life sure is good. Just before you get too envious, the downer in this picture is what I am listening to: the sound of construction. Even at 18:15 and pitch darkness, hard labour (and I am guessing hard labourers) is happening right across the street. New house. Noisy.

Anyway, next up is trying to finally secure some bus tickets and hotel accommodation in New York city. Am keen to explore New York - I have only been there once, for a few hours, and all I did was walk around, have lunch at Times Square, and go up the Empire State Building. I am keen to go back and explore more - and have, according to Hitesh, the best bagels in the world.

So, from my position of bliss, signing off.

Early mornings

Okay, so this is how you know you are getting old. I had to get up at 03:30 this morning to catch a 06:00 flight to Cape Town. It is now exactly 12 hours later (15:30), and I am completely exhausted. It seems the vitamins have had little to no impact. My flight back to Lanseria is only at 20:00, getting home around 23:00. I am going to hit that bed, hard.

For anyone who has not been to the Lanseria Airport - do go. It is a lovely place, and the terminal is very comfortable, with lots of power outlet.

Anyway, have to run - am on a call.


See you!

Leopards and spots

So, here I am on a lovely Tuesday evening. It is 22:20, and I just finished working. So, how did I end up in the same position as I did last year? I guess the holiday is truly over. Sigh.

Anyway, while on the work front I seem not to be making any progress, I have made another decision that will be a change. I have decided as far as possible to follow a vegetarian diet. Actually, technically it is more a pescetarian diet. I am not ready to give up fish, and shellfish especially. Not saying I will never eat another piece of meat or chicken, but as said, when I can control it, meat is out. So, maybe a leopard can change its spots. Time will tell.

I suppose the question then is why? So many reasons - health, environmental, and maybe even a little financial. I hope this will make a difference not just in my life, but also be a small contribution to the environment.

Anyway, as you can see, there is nothing significant happening in my life right now, so, I will not bore you any longer.

I did discover something really stupid today: I booked my flights to the US to visit friends that overlap with the dates of the U2 concert in South Africa. Aagh. Maybe I will see if it is possible to change my tickets. Idiot.

Anyway, signing off.

Wedding Day

So, the wedding happened, and went off without a hitch. The weather was pretty grim on Saturday morning - raining, overcast, wet. How much more descriptive can I be? Anyway, because the wedding was happening on the beach, it had to be moved to 13:00, and thank goodness, that worked out really well, because the weather cleared up, and we had glorious sunshine!

Anyway, the ceremony was short and sweet, lunch (and especially dessert) was fabulous, and everyone was happy. So, here we are. I have a new brother-in-law. Other than that, the highlights were seeing my uncle Dion, and my cousins Gene and Vincent - all 3 miracle workers who managed to pull together a wedding (including a photographer) within 2 days. Who knows that they could accomplish in a week? They could rule the world!

I also managed to spend a lot of time with my godchild Tylo, who is such a little cutie. It was wonderful - except for Saturday evening when she threw one of her famous 5-star tantrums. Boy, she is loud. Anyway... it was still fun to spend time with her.

So, everyone, have a fantastic 2011!