Stuck in the past

I've been watching all these TV shows from my childhood, and I have no idea why. It started with Doogie Howser, M.D. And now I'm on to Quantum Leap. Next it will be Twin Peaks.

I really need to get a new hobby like bike-riding or fencing.

Miles and Miles in Manhattan

It felt a little like the National Lampoon's tour of the Louvre, but we managed to see more of NYC in four days than I have seen in my previous three trips there combine. We averaged about 10 miles of walking per day, and I have the pictures of friends sleeping in parks, on trains and at restaurants to prove it.

I'll spare you the 281 pictures I took and share just one favorite spot from each of the four days.

I loved our time at the NYC Public Library's outdoor reading room in Bryant Park. While we were sitting there, it began pouring rain. So we all huddled under an umbrella and talked about books and past vacations and mutual friends. It ended up being one of the best hours of the trip.

While I had seen Liberty and Ellis Islands from a distance on the Stanton Island Ferry on a previous visit to NYC, I had never before visited the islands themselves. All the time I was there, I kept thinking: "Did my great-grandfather sleep in this bed?" "Did my great-grandmother rest on this bench?" "Did my great-uncle lean against this pillar?"

There is something magical about the Brooklyn Bridge. Think of the engineering feat it took to construct it, the millions of people who have walked across it, the ships that have sailed beneath it and the art that has been inspired by it. It was also the perfect way to work off the slice of Junior's Cheesecake we had just eaten.

Our last stop was Central Park, and what an experience. Of course we timed it perfectly with the Puerto Rican Day Parade, so we ended up adding about 5 miles to our planned trip to get around the parade rout. But we met some great people who invited us to their party in the Bronx, which we had to decline as we were leaving the city in just a few hours.

An exhausting trip, but a great trip. I'm so glad we had a chance to see the city together. I'm really hoping we'll be able to do a trip like this again soon.

The Night Bus to Inspiration

There's nothing like a change of scenery to get the creativity flowing. And there is no place like New York City to do just that. Book shops and historic sites, amazing food and wonderful friends.

Every time I go to the Big Apple, I look forward to visiting some of my old favorites like Chinatown and The Strand, but I never run out of new things to see. This time my firsts will include Central Park, Ellis Island and the Guggenheim. But what am I looking forward to the most about this trip?


Reuniting with old friends, or course.

Last year they came to visit me in D.C., and this weekend we get to spend time having fun together in a new city. No work. No school. No responsibilities. Just new adventures. I'm thinking next year should be Hawaii.

Happy 10 Year: Here's to Many More!

Ten years ago this month I walked onto the football field in a red cap and gown with a blue and gold tassel and left with a blue cardboard folder with nothing inside. That's right--at my high school you didn't get your diploma at graduation but in the mail later that summer after the administration reviewed you transcript to make sure nothing was missed.

But I did receive that diploma, and ten years later I sit here contemplating what I have done with my life. Would my English teachers be proud of me for majoring in journalism and minoring in literature? Would my math teachers wonder why I walked away from the subject I tutored, student assisted and received the highest test score in to work in a field I struggled with all through high school? And would my American History teacher be happy I now live in our national capital while another social studies teacher be shocked to hear that though I received an A in his macroeconomics class, I couldn't wrap my head around microeconomics in college and was proud of the C I worked so hard to get? And would my band teachers smile if they knew I conduct music at church every Sunday?

And what about my old friends and classmates? I'm still connected with a lot of them through facebook, email and the occasional phone call or visit, but our lives have all taken much different paths. They all had such a profound impact on what I have done with my life and what I am becoming.

From the Saturday morning physics class at FERMI Lab to the hours spent building sets for school plays. From the semester-long internship in the governor's press office to the random trivial learned preparing for Scholastic Bowl meets. (Yes, I really was that big of a nerd in high school.) I'd like to think none of the time and activities I invested in are wasted on my life today.

Those four short years really did pave the way for my life today. And I have a good life--I'm happy. So here's to the West Aurora High School Class of 2000. Thanks for the good years, and here's to many more!

10 Best Read-Aloud Picture Books

Each one of these books is not only a great stories with some amazing illustration, but they are a blast to read aloud. Even as an adult I have fun reading them and sharing them. And at no point have I ever gotten tired of them, even when a three-year-old girl begged me to read Pigeon three times in a row before she would go to bed. Or when my little brother asked for Wild Things every night for a month solid. Or when I found myself humming Paint days later.

Well, you get the point. So here are the best of the best. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

No, David! by David Shannon

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins

Snowmen at Night by Mark and Caralyn Buehner

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Hanks

Parts by Tedd Arnold