I'm bacccck!

After a ten day jaunt around the British Virgin Islands, the number one most important thing I learned is that nutmeg makes any rum punch or painkiller drink better. Hands-down.

I just got back from a 10 day sailing adventure on this little thing
The weather was really horrible
And, it was cold

When I got back to Manhattan, the city was sweltering and the sun was out. I was so glad it didn't feel like winter in the city.

I'm still adjusting to the weather and the season and will post more pictures from the trip soon.

By the way, Christmas just threw up all over NYC and it's not even December yet. I'm sorry, but I can't put up a tree or start the cheer until at least...at least...December 1. I love Christmas as much as the next elf, but it's a little early for me.

Lots to be thankful this year and hope y'all had a great Turkey Day!

The Rockaways

I've been wanting to write this post all weekend and week but just haven't found the words to. I'm not quite sure I even have now, but I'm here to share.

Last Friday I decided to volunteer out in Rockaway beach, about an hour bus ride from Manhattan. As I mentioned, we were barely affected (other than not having to work for a week) during Hurricane Sandy and I was feeling like I needed to give back somehow. I woke up early, got on a bus and by 10 a.m. was standing wide eyed and heavy-hearted on the beach. Just a few months ago, my colleagues and I had taken a trip out to the Rockaways and it couldn't have been more different than last Friday.
We had shovels, trash bags, gloves, masks and brooms. The clean-up crew gave us an address and off we went. From the outside, the first house seemed okay. Then, the owner took us to the basement where her two sons lived. Completely destroyed and soaked through - nothing was salvageable. I threw away photos, golf clubs, a fish tank, beer cans (they must be teenager boys), and shampoo, not to mention more dirt and drywall than I'd like to remember. The water went to the top of the ceiling, leaving dirt and sand everywhere. Here it is on the sink.
And, speaking of sand, the streets were covered. The sand was thrown from the beach to the sidewalks, miles and miles back.
At the second house, we spent nearly two hours shoveling sand from the yard to the street because the sanitation department wouldn't pick it up unless it was three feet from the curb. The owner of the house was in the hospital and her daughter had tried to shovel it herself but there was just too much to do. When we spoke to her, she just seemed lost.
After the second house, we walked down the next street and saw that house after house was burned to the ground. If you watched 60 Minutes on Sunday, then you may recognize my iPhone photos. It was bad. So bad. I don't think you can quite grasp how horrible this area is unless you go. We all teared up. This town (and street) has seen it's fair share of heartache. Just watch the 60 Minutes clip and you'll see.
With only an hour left, we decided to go back to the church and help unload supplies. Towels, toothpaste, trash bags, clothing, blankets, etc. filled the gym walls. It's great to see so many give supplies. But, what these people really need is volunteers to help clean up. I only visited three houses and it took an entire day to clean up and we only touched the surface of the issues. I can't imagine how many houses haven't even been helped yet. It's not something that will be fixed soon.
If you are interested in volunteering, here is the organization that I went through. Say prayers people. These folks need them.

Hurricane Sandy

It's been one week since Hurricane Sandy showed her ugly face. I know many of y'all up and down the coast were affected, but it was particularly bad to us New Yorkers and our friends in New Jersey. Thanks to everyone who sent texts and messages asking how we fared. To say last week was surreal is quite an understatement.

On Sunday night and Monday morning, I stocked the fridge, made sure there were candles, matches and flashlights at close proximity and walked Miss Bailey a few extra times in preparation for the storm of the century, as the media called it.

Then I waited, and waited and waited. The windows shook, but only for a little bit. It rained, but not anything that I hadn't seen before. I thought to myself, "This is it?" When I got into bed on Monday night, I could hear the sounds of ambulances (and lots of them) and I thought "It's bad somewhere, but where??" And I was right. Then, came the morning.

Though the upper parts of Manhattan were relatively unscathed, lower Manhattan and the outer boroughs were not. I felt a little guilty even, walking down the street on 86th and Columbus, you would have never known there was a storm the night before. Then, I walked towards Central Park and saw this.
Look at this piece of plywood that flew into the tree
But, it was much much worse downtown.

Many of my friends lost power downtown, so we took in Lower East Siders and West Villagers who wanted to watch the news, recharge their phones and take a hot shower. News came each day that our offices were closed - no work today, no work today, no work today. That lasted a full week.

But, just as quickly as the storm came in, so did New Yorkers who wanted to help. In my elevator I saw this
Then I walked outside and saw strangers loading trucks full of supplies to those in Rockaway Beach and NJ. People helping people. It feels so good to see.
Hopefully y'all fared well too and things are getting back to normal for you. If you are interested in donating to the relief efforts, check out these organizations:
Feeding America
Baptist on Mission
Red Cross
Humane Society

Stay safe!