"I Don't Want To Be Anything Other Than What I'm Trying To Be Lately"

Hello guys!

I'm currently writing from a Barnes and Noble cafe on the Upper West Side on a Sunday afternoon. I have a warm coffee amid piles of paper and chilly rain outside. It is, not so oddly, a perfect day.  Yesterday I went for a long run in Riverside Park, which was the first time I've been able to do this. It was a simple act, but being able to run two blocks from my apartment to the park was something I've wanted to do for years, and it was exactly as I had always hoped it would be.

I used to run a lot but life got in the way, so I downloaded an app to make sure I don't overwork myself too soon. It is called '5k Runner: 0 to 5K run training' and can be bought on itunes HERE. I find the app useful because it gives me visual instructions as well as a voice command that can be used with my own running music. The app also only has you running 3 days a week, so it won't intimidate new runners. 5K cost $2.99 to download, and even though I normally don't like spending money on apps I am very glad that I chose this one.

Manhattan is the land of food and runners. I can order any kind of take out known to man to my apartment door at 3 in the morning but I can also run through Central Park with devoted (and often beautiful) runners who inspire me to keep going. All in all, life is very good and pretty quiet. I still don't have a working fridge and no internet in my apartment but I don't mind the loss of connection so much. I'm glad that when I go home I curl up with a book or write instead of scrolling away endlessly on tumblr. 

Currently

Reading: 'Rules of Civility' by Aror Towles. I found this book at the Strand in Union Square (a favorite place of mine) and immediately knew I had to buy it. According to the back cover it's about a young woman named Katey who befriends a wealthy but troubled banker set in 1938 New York City. My dream novels have three requirements: set in my favorite city, a WWII time period, and a troubled romance. Throw in the fact that it takes place on the Upper West Side, I am so excited to see where the book goes. I'm only about 20 pages in, but thus far I'm enjoying the writing style.

Listening To: This past week Pietro and I were invited to see 'Rock of Ages' on Broadway, and I'm happy to report that it was much better than the movie. I have always found theater singers to be more talented than others in the entertainment industry which is why the play succeeded compared to it's film adaptation. My favorite track is 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot', however, that was always my favorite 80s song to begin with. Check out the whole cast album on Spotify! Also, I have been listening to 'Fuck You' by Lily Allen and 'I Don't Want To Be' by Gavin DeGraw quite often. Both songs are acting as personal anthems lately =P

Watching: This week Pietro and I also went to go see a screening of 'Anna Karenina' with Kiera Knightly and Jude Law. The movie was different than what I was expecting and although it fulfilled the intentiona of the director, I still found it lacking. My main complaint is that Knightly was not a good fit as Karenina and it should have been played by someone older, such as Winona Ryder.  I also have been continuing my 'Will & Grace' marathon. When I first moved to the city I started watching the complete series and now I have just started season 5, which is where Harry Connick Jr shows up on a white horse in Central Park. Needless to say I am a happy camper.

Wanting To: Buy pin up dresses from Modcloth.com. Last night my mom and I were emailing each other links to all the dresses we wanted and lamented on the prices. If I wasn't saving money I would have definitely have bought two dresses by now.

Saw This Week: Yesterday I was reminded of the upcoming Disney short film titled 'Paperboy' which is described as:

"The short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him."

I mean really, this sounds exactly like my dream movie. WWII era New York city featuring an adorable romance, paper and a woman who happens to look exactly like myself? My friends have been very kind to humor me by saying she does look like me, but really...the resemblance is uncanny.

I wasn't going to dress up for New York Comic Con this week, but maybe I should just put together her outfit and walk around with a paper airplane. Nobody except myself will really get it...but that never stopped me before.

That's all for today folks! You should keep an eye out for changes coming to this blog! It's getting a complete makeover and I'll be updating more than once a week plus some upcoming giveaways! I've got to get out of this bookstore because somebody just set fire to a spinach quiche and it smells awful.