Missy | November 29, 2009
Maddie, Faust, and Leroy wait for the ball to be thrown during offleash at Coffey Park
Adam scored a great deal on a used Mamiya 645AF, a professional medium-format film camera, as my (early) Christmas & birthday present. You guys, the detail! See here. More most certainly to come.
Missy | November 13, 2009
In one month I will be in Chile, starting a trek through Torres Del Paine in the Patagonia region. It’s not so far south as Tierra Del Fuego, but it’s close enough to render their “June” weather comparable to New York right now, with daylight stretching to eighteen hours.
This is a plan that’s been hatching for almost two years. I had been prioritizing domestic travel — we have some pretty spectacular national parks in the U.S., after all — partly because it’s easier and cheaper, partly because we never did the family-tour-to-the-Grand-Canyon and the like when I was a kid. Still, Patagonia! It seemed so exotic and beautiful, with some of the best hiking in the world, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Meanwhile, the economy fell into the toilet and I was worried whether I’d continue to have a steady stream of income. Come summer, things looked to be stable so I decided it was now or never, I hooked up with a reputable tour outfit (The World Outdoors who, so far, have been nothing but awesome) and within a couple of hours I had dropped several grand. (Cue wave of nausea.)
Oh boy, I can’t wait. At the same time, I’m mildly panicking. I don’t speak a word of Spanish and I’ve a night in Santiago on my own pre- and post-trip. I’m panicking about being able to fit all my necessary crap in my (carry-on) frame pack and what I’m going to do with my trekking poles (which can’t be carried on the plane). I’m panicking about flight delays in December. I’m even panicking about currency, even though I have easy access to a travel office right here. Because I’m an idiot, because I’m traveling alone (until I meet up with the tour guides), and because travel logistics stress me out.
On the other hand, I can’t even yet imagine the sites I’ll see and the photos I’ll get.
Added to my anxiety is whether my knees, the source of several previous incidents of drama and pain, can hold up for the five days of the ‘W’ trek. Right now, I’m in physical training. In addition to bike commuting, the horrifically dull stairmaster workout at the gym, and a resumption of physical therapy exercises for my knees, I have been loading up my pack and walking to & from work–approximately six miles total, which I will need to increase both in frequency and distance very soon. It’s fun! I love to walk and I realize how much iPod-listening I’m missing out on by riding my bicycle so regularly. (Cyclists who ride in the city with earphones: you stupid.)
Naturally, there’s ample opportunity for point & shoot moments:
Hiking to work, rosacea and nostrils flaring
Empire State after dark.
Missy | November 3, 2009
I was in Las Vegas, for one thing. Then I flew home.
Arizona
Indiana
I’ve also been hanging out with my boyfriend.
69th Street Pier, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Plus: working, tapping, cycling, reading, hanging out with friends, seeing some dance. It’s a quiet little life these days.
