Locks on the Bridge

I’ve had a pretty eventful few days, and the week is just starting! Is it bad to be looking forward to next weekend already?

Friday afternoon I left work early for an appointment with my Sports Doc. I’m happy to say that she said I’m healing well and she’s happy with how I’m doing. Unfortunately, still no word of when I’ll start running and still a month till I can go to yoga (one of my goals for 2012 is to take more yoga classes consistently through the year). So, still pretty light workouts for me till I see her again in a month. I’m happy she’s happy, but it’s frustrating that so much time has gone by and still no running in sight.

While I was sitting in the waiting room and was checking my work emails I got the one I’ve been hoping to get for the past two weeks. During the holidays I was working on a team that was putting together a pitch for a new business account. We found out just after the holidays that we made it to the second round and I was asked to go out to Minneapolis for the pitch. We went, we were cold, we rocked it. Then, we waited. And waited. Finally Friday afternoon our VP got the call that we had won the account! I was so freaking excited when I read the email that I almost jumped around in the waiting room! I think the receptionist may have thought I had temporarily lost my mind because I was smiling so much. I’ve worked on a few new business pitches before, but this was the first that got to the in-person pitch and then won! And I love the company too, so it’s even better! So, the non-news about running didn’t hurt so hard when I had this great news going into it.

Saturday’s weather was so fantastic that I was determined we wouldn’t spend the afternoon inside. After our workouts and trip to Trader Joe’s, we headed out for a walk to Brooklyn across the bridge. We were hoping that it wouldn’t be too crowded because it was still pretty chilly and it is the middle of winter. We’ve only gone during the summer and fall before when it’s packed with tourists. Well, there were quite a few people on the bridge. Guess they had the same idea! We headed over the bridge, walked around DUMBO for a bit checking out a few bookstores, dreaming about the pastries at Almondine and the chocolate at Jacques Torres and then headed to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Hey, we had to celebrate Friday’s awesome news somehow, right?

Random Fact 1: DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass

Random Fact 2: Even if it’s delicious, eating ice cream outside in 43’ weather will make you really, really cold.

We had three ways to get home. Subway, East River Ferry and walking. We chose to walk and work off a few more calories. On the way back, we discovered something we had never seen before.

There were padlocks all over the bridge and many of them had names, hearts and dates. I had to Google this and what I found out (there was a NY Daily News article back in November)…

About five years ago, Romans started imitating characters in the book “Ho Voglia di Te” (“I Want You”) by Federico Moccia and it has spread to other European cities before coming to New York. Apparently it is mostly done by tourists trying to leave their mark of enduring love on the Brooklyn Bridge. What a romantic gesture, isn’t it? As a New Yorker, part of me thinks it’s crazy since these locks will probably be gone not long after they’re put there, but I love the romanticism at the same time. Doesn’t surprise me that this idea is from a European novel.

Sunday was not so romantic. I had to cut my workout short because I had a follow up MRI for Cushing’s Disease. I haven’t had one since July 2010, so it’s time for a check. I am confident that it’ll still be all clear, but it’s still a tiny bit worrisome. Thankfully the staff at the Imaging Center at Weill Cornell are amazing. Every time I’ve been there I’ve had nothing short of a good experience. They’re all extremely nice, willing to strike up a conversation and they don’t rush you through the process. They understand patients are on edge and need a friendly smile, not a cold hand.

After, Woody and I had brunch in our old neighborhood then took a walk to see what’s changed. It’s hard to believe that in April I will have lived in NYC for 8 years, and it will have been 7 years since I moved out of my first apartment here. Crazy how time flies, isn’t it?

• How did you spend your weekend?
• What great things have happened in your life recently?
• Would you leave a lock on the Brooklyn Bridge to show your love for someone?

************

Today’s workout -

• 2x15 cable twists (ea. side)
• 2x15 weighted side bends (ea. side)
• 35min elliptical
• 2x50sec plank
• 100 ab exercises
• stretching