Snowy Hoboken

So last Saturday, before I went to Hoboken Terminal to catch my train I decided to walk out to Pier A to take a few photos and enjoy the snow.  It was rather a bad idea as even with gloves my fingers were freezing, out of my pockets and using a camera.  It was whipping wind and surprisingly cold right off of the water, but I did get some photos for the blog (I'm always so generous and self-sacrificing for my readers, it's true...)  and then was thankful to board a warm train!  It snowed the way home as well - the first snow of the year and a very welcome one!  (Winter lover here.)  Those photos to come in the next post!

Tribeca skyline

Snowy Hoboken

Manhattan from Pier A

A truck plows the snow off of Pier A

This picture doesn't let you feel the cold wind!

                                    

A comfortable green in summer, only a brave few were out to romp with their dogs and toss around a football!  (Okay, the footballers were British...)

Train ride home

In the train, riding home on Friday afternoon - after a long day of classes!

Writing down class corrections

Back at my station!

Cookies and cupcakes

So it's been a long time since I have posted, I know!  And I have felt guilty at the lack of posting.  It's just that I've been quite busy lately.  Late last week I performed with my little home company - "Carnival of the Animals" - and it went very well!  I really love being at a theater - backstage, warming up with fellow performers, running through a show, and then the nerves as you do hair and makeup and finally go onstage for the real thing.  This performance reminded me that I really enjoy performing - the connection to the audience while being connected inside with oneself.  I actually didn't feel nervous, and really had too much fun.  I'm looking forward to the end of the year performance that we will be having within the next few months (date TBD/TBA). 

I was surprised to feel exhausted Sunday evening, as the performance hadn't felt like too terribly much to me.  (I have full days as it is!)  I would have loved to go to bed at a crazy early hour, but didn't.  I was in bed, however, before 10.  Then I got up at 5 the next morning for a 6:06 AM train to NYC!  Luckily going to bed early paid off and I wasn't crazily tired the next day.  I'm feeling it a bit now, though... 

Classes have been going well, of late.  I'm always pushing myself and so desperately crave perfection.  Things take time, and I'm really seeing improvement physically from even a few weeks ago, but I want so much more!  It's hard to stay patient...  I'm rather sore in weird places today too... one definitely gets a lot of general aches and pains, and it's interesting in the morning as one copes with the stiffness!  But things have been good - I just wish time didn't pass so quickly.  Hard to believe that it is already MARCH! 

I got a cupcake today as it is "Shrove Tuesday", otherwise known as "Mardi Gras", or "Fat Tuesday".  Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and as my schedule has it working out well for me to get ashes in the morning, I will be doing so.  It will require an early wake up, but I do that anyway!  I'm looking forward to Lent and a time of mortification and self-sacrifice.  It's important to keep one's priorities and beliefs straight and everything else in check and under control.  It's disheartening to see so many people off the other way... 

Well, off to enjoy my cupcake before I sign off of those items for the next 40-ish days.  More to come soon...

First week

So, I had a good but exhausting first week back.  It was definitely physically challenging to get back into things, and I'm exhausted today after it all!  It felt great to be back though, into my regular schedule of things and commuting.  It was a very productive week, even with feeling a bit "off" after the break.  After a break, you don't feel as strong or maybe coordinated.  Things that you had control over before the break might need to be reacquired, though I did feel more loose and flexible this first week back.  My calves weren't tight during break as they usually are from all the walking around on hard concrete in the city, and they still feel good now.  I just hope it lasts! 

The break was good both physically and mentally, but now I feel ready to really dive into things.  The first week over with, our directors have promised that everyone is going to pushed harder, faster, better this semester!  I was pleased personally with my progress just this week - sometimes it's just little things, but it's exciting to notice progress and push yourself.  We have also been working with some new teachers and that has been a lot of fun.  So now I have this short weekend to relax a bit before I head back...  Today I took classes with the teachers from my studio nearby.  We're preparing a performance of Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens, and I am dancing a soloist role, mermaid, from the Aquarium.  It's definitely a difficult little piece - with the choreography/mood being a nice challenge for an artist.  I'm also understudying for another piece in the show, as well as dancing as the mermaid in minor roles in the opening and finale.  It's going to be an entertaining show and is really coming together as of rehearsals this afternoon - with wonderful dancers/artists and great costumes!  The date is Sunday, March 6th at 3pm ...stay tuned for more information to come! 

I've heard that it may snow but hope that the weather will temporarily hold.  The area where I'm staying got quite a lot this past week.  It was beautiful to see the snow fall so fast and thick in the dark, well after commuting hours, but it wasn't pleasant in the morning to have to worry about getting out when I had to go to classes.  Because NYC didn't get much snow as NJ, public schools were not closed as they were in NJ - for good reason - we got a lot of snow and the roads were terrible!  Luckily my chauffeur offered me a ride, for which I was very grateful.  I'm sure the train was much better than the buses, which were running, but probably not so well from the NJ end.   Lucky too that the car we were driving was excellent in snow and only slipped once when going through a large drift.  I wasn't too late and made it only a few minutes after the morning ballet class started.  Somehow I was in a good mood and relaxed - and had a really great class!  :)

So that pretty much sums up my past few days... I'm really tired right now, and therefore boring...  Oh yes, I did have a long train ride last night to get home... some incident on the line affected train schedules and so the train didn't run express.  I was on it for 2 hours - and it was quite a full train too.  I didn't really mind though - had lots to occupy myself and it really didn't seem that long.  People were fairly good-natured about it because seriously, what can you do about it anyway?  I did hear one gentleman as he left joke with another passenger: "Is is Saturday evening or Sunday morning?"  Another as I prepared to get off at the stop remarked to a fellow passenger how he had ridden a long train before (one that runs on a long line and makes every single stop) and promised himself he'd never do it again.  He said he could hardly wait to get off the train.  "Yeah," the female passenger agreed, "they stop at every inhouse and outhouse!"  Then we got off into the cold - it's been quite chilly here. 

Well, that's all for tonight - (you'd be surprised how long a blog post takes to write up)!  Stay warm in the frigid January temperatures...

Train ride

It was a Saturday in October when found myself on a train ride home, rather bored and realizing that I had seemed to have neglected the fact that I would be taking a train ride and therefore would need some form of an occupation - i.e., a book.  The boredom soon ended as a large group of girls from ages 10/11 to 13, it seemed entered the train with parents or guardians.  There must have been about 10 girls or so - and they were loud, causing many in the train to crane their necks repeatedly back towards the end of the car which they had just filled.  I didn't have too much more to travel when I began to record their antics via notebook.  The girls were obviously well endowed financially, demonstrated by both actions (blunt statements) and appearance, with each well dressed girl fussing over their own personal blackberry.  They were unafraid to make noise, though let me specify it was "just being kids" and not spoiled behavior, though it could have been controlled a bit - laughing, talking, screaming, shouting, squabbling - and being generally really loud, especially for a train.  I wasn't sure who was with them all, but soon put together that the two women talking behind me (and primarily ignoring the noisy girls) were parents of some of the kids.  One of the girls had said "mom" at some point.

I didn't have too terribly much longer to go, and wondered when they were getting off.  They without a second thought were perfectly comfortable in engaging often with the conductor, who for some reason passed back and forth through the car most of the trip.  The minutes ticked by slowly.  I was amused primarily by the girls, though some mini scream fights amid the hyper chatter broke out now and then.  I picked up there was some birthday event bringing the group together - a thirteenth birthday of some girl, who I don't think was in the group.  As I glanced back, I noticed the woman behind me, who in brushing her hair off her forehead revealed the massive diamonds on her ring finger.  Across the isle and one row ahead were two men in conversation, in causal but nice dress (and watches), also associated with the group but like the women, seemingly unconcerned by their lively charges.  

The group prepared to get off, and exited at R_____.  I still had things to write, however...

"The train is silent and empty.  Now they sit outside huddled on one bench - I can hear them as the train pulls away.

I hear someone faintly exclaim by the door area.  The much-pestered young conductor ("Harry") comes back through the car.  I can't help laughing at him as he says "you know, I have a daughter, but..."  the rest in a loss for words on his part.

"Silence prevails", I say, laughing at his befuddlement.  He shakes his head with mixture of amusement, incredulity, and disbelief.
Funny. 
And now it's quiet.  Very quiet.  Only a few people talking can be heard.  Talking about music.  Taylor Swift.  "I love this song".

The train empties out as more and more people get off. 
Before long, the conductor rolls back the seats to face the other way.  Interesting, but loud.

8:27 PM and quiet except for the sounds of the train on the tracks.  Next stop is mine.  The conductor pushes back the seat in front of my so that it faces the other way for the return trip of this train.  It's spacious in front of me.  I'll be off soon, so bye for now.

Oh yes, the girls were singing Winter Wonderland...  "