New York, NY

I’ve been a bad blogger, and busy, and not near a computer.  I apologize for the excuses, but being back where we have friends and family, time is filled, it’s richer and more fun, less lonely, but also not conducive to blogging.

On Friday I spent the day at NYU, moving through their admitted students day, listening to everything they could offer me.  I was impressed, but I think Columbia is still calling my name.  I just accepted my offer there, so…here I go! Then I walked around Soho and went to meet my friend Emily for drinks.  I walked into Park Bar, one of the few good ones extremely close to Union Square, and there was Marshall’s friend Deb having drinks with another girl I went to high school with.  A few minutes later my brother’s best friend in the world walked into the bar as well.  It was good to see them and reminded me of how random New York is a lot of the time.  I love those moments.

Today is my mom’s 60th birthday, and we spent yesterday doing the day her way.  We went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, followed by a stroll around Brooklyn Heights.  We then moved up to the High Line, which was packed with people basking in the sun, had burgers at Corner Bistro and ice cream from the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck.  It was such scene down in that area, with stylish girls and guys packing the streets, chatting and being visible.  Now I’m back in Philadelphia for the next few days.  I’ll try to get better about blogging again, promise.

Nova Iorque

It looks like Scott and I will be in New York this fall and for the next few years.  My some miracle, I managed to get myself into graduate school.  It was a good day.  I’m excited that the uncertainty is mostly gone and we can move onto the next thing, find an apartment that’s ours for a few years and dig into working and school.  I can’t speak for Scott, but I’m ready to work hard and focus on actually building toward a career after such a wonderful year in Brazil.  Wahoo!

And does anyone know any urban planning firms that might want a summer intern?

Economics 101

My freshman year at college I decided it would be a good idea to take Macroeconomics. The class met early in the morning two days a week and my precept was at 9am on Friday mornings.  Alan Blinder taught the class.  Princeton offers students to take four PDF classes in their academic careers, where you can pass, get a D, or fail.  I took this class, cavalierly thinking it would be good for my general knowledge, and much to everyone’s chagrin, I got a  D.  It was shameful, and I went back  a week or two into June to try to argue my D into a pass, but it didn’t work.  So now, nearly ten years later, as I try to convince international relations masters programs to accept me, I’m taking economics again online.  A few pages into the introduction of my E-Textbook I feel the same apprehension, the same necessity to constantly remind myself to FOCUS.  I’m faced with the same economist jokes and quips and examples using blue jeans and widgets.  We’ll see if it goes down any better the second time around.

Shopping Leblon

I’ve set up shop in Shopping Leblon in order to write my grad school application essays.  It feels like being back in college, sitting in this brightly lit space, near the Starbucks kiosk, blocking out all of the external noise and focusing.  It’s still 100 degrees outside, and it’s air conditioned here, with wireless internet and electrical outlets that accommodate my three-pronged computer plug.  Because it’s Rio, I can’t leave my stuff and go wandering around, which is good for focus.

All Tied Up in Knots

After a few days of running in my new Vibrams, the fifteen hour plane ride in which I didn’t drink much water, and another run in the Vibrams, my calf muscle has called it quits on me.  It feels like a giant fist beneath the soft, corded space in the back of my knee, and I am reduced cursing it, massaging the area, and working on graduate school applications.  It’s beautiful out today, the second day of sunshine after two weeks of rain and clouds, and Scott is out on his second to last training run for the Buenos Aires Half Marathon that we’re running (if I can) in two weeks.  I’m jealous I can’t run the nine miles with him, and sad that I can’t do much of anything at all.  If anyone has any suggestions of how to fix this chronic cramp in my calf, I will be forever indebted.  Equally, if anyone has any graduate school advice, send it my way!