Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Come on Irene!

Sorry for the title. I refrained from using that phrase all weekend but now, I had to let it out!  As all those of you who don't live in a hole in the ground know, the east coast was hit with a nasty hurricane this past weekend.  New York City was a projected Irene target so the city went through drastic measures to prepare.  

Our hospital was evacuated (first time ever!) on Friday because it was in a projected flood zone, and of course, I worked.  It was a war zone! I was amazed to see nurses, social workers, case managers, doctors and nursing leadership working together so well to evacuate over 200 patients in 36 hours (this doesn't even include discharges to home!)  I was proud to work at a place with such cooperation and care for its patients.  I went to the grocery store after work on Friday for some rations and thought the apocalypse was about to hit.  Fairway (on 74th and Broadway) was packed and they were sold out of essentials such as bananas and loafs of bread!  I'm surprised I got out of there without getting into a physical altercation due to stress level.  Last, the subway system shut down at noon on Saturday (although storm wasn't supposed to hit us until the evening and actually came the next AM instead.) We were stuck in Washington Heights so we hunkered down for the storm.

Scott and I stayed indoors from Saturday AM to Sunday afternoon.  Hurricane Irene largely missed Manhattan (though parts of Brooklyn, Long Island, Staten Island, Jersey and upstate NY are suffering greatly because of it!)  We were lucky.  Scott and I got some quality indoor time to binge eat (apparently I am not good a rationing) and enjoy each others company.  Here are some pics of the weekend.

Battle station! Scrabble, Internet, ginger snaps and white grape juice.  We're set!

Me and our one flashlight.  Apparently we were set if electricity went out because our building has solar panels. We were incredibly prepared nonetheless.

I think I watched more hours of TV over the weekend than I had in years.  We were addicted and sick of Hurricane Irene news at the same time.

I lied. We went outside once on Saturday night.  Scott braved the rain but wasn't particularly impressed.

Irene brownies. Bad idea. They were mostly gone by Sunday.

Had to capture this scrabble board because I won! (I never beat Scott at anything.)  However, apparently "Ya" isn't a word so this win may be up for debate. Scott did allow the word...so he may be to blame for his loss.

Sunday-Funday-Windday!  Hard to capture the wind on camera but it was a windy day when we finally ventured out Sunday afternoon.  The cooler air was a nice change to the freakishly humid weather we've had this summer.

We survived captivity and are still smiling. Hurray!

This is how Scott said he felt after eating so much this weekend.

Puddle and falling tree branch (twig?) behind are extent of Washington Height's damage.  We can't complain!
This was an excellent test of out ability to withstand isolating weather events in the future! Let's hope we don't have to do it again for a long time!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Summer Happenings, Part I

Hey all,
While I thought it'd been longer since I last posted, I guess 2.5 months is probably a bit too long of an absence from the blog.  I've got a stock pile of pics to share with you and probably 5-10 book reviews to do.  Oops.   I have been busy adjusting to life on my new floor which I am really enjoying.  Switching from a cardiology unit to a medicine/oncology unit was a great move for me.  I love the variety and I am really enjoying the people I work with.  It is just a better fit.  And no more night shifts is really helping my mood!

Anyways, here are some things that I would like to share that have taken place this summer...

Baby fever....
Julia had a baby shower in May...
Julia (8 months pregnant), Karen (4 months pregnant), Lauren (not pregnant!)

And had a baby boy on June 18th!

Samuel Beto Vaca is as sweet as can be!
Theater....
Scott took part in Boomerang Theatre Company's Much Ado About Nothing in Central Park.
Here he is as the Sexton.  He did an awesome job!!




And worked with some funny funny people.
(Edward Carnevale, Scott Witebsky, Colby Chambers, Severin Anne Mason)

Mike and Natalie even came in to surprise Scott and see his show!  What sweet kids (soon to be married in October!).

Old friend....
My friend Brad moved to the city and we have enjoyed many New York treats
including Shake Shack and 16 Handles frozen yogurt. (Yummo).  Here we are at the Cloisters.

Short trip....
Scott and I took a road trip to the Lake George area in the Adirondacks for a little R&R. Here I am driving with my eyes closed! (Ok, camera happened to catch me with my eyes closed, I swear I'm not this risky.)

Scott wastes money...I mean spends money...on a lotto ticket.  We didn't win lotto.


One of many mini-golf places in the Lake George area that are only open one day per week. Considering we were there Sunday-Monday, this did us no good.

Our Bed and Breakfast- the Cornerstone Victorian!  This is a lovely little gem in Warrensburg, NY.  The decor was a bit too old fashioned for me but it was still a lovely place to stay, friendly hosts and amazing food!
This bed and breakfast was adorable!


Its true.

I'm not especially good at taking full-room shots, but here is a beautiful Tempur-Pedic bed.  If I remembered what number I used, I'd tell you.

Ramshackle little chapel near Lake George.

We had dinner at George's, a steak place that ended up being way more expensive than we wanted it to be...and had an affinity for taxidermy.
But a good experience none-the-less.
More summer fun to come!