Finally Friday and I Took a Trip to New York

Don't you love these shoes?

I had a client meeting in New York City this week and couldn't resist getting new shoes from ModCloth to mark the occasion.

I rode the train from Boston, and as we made our way south I saw lakes, beaches, and less and less snow. Trains have always been productive places for me. I can write, work and read without worrying about anything else that needs to get done. Other passengers act like blinders to distractions and keep me focused. This trip was no exception, though I couldn't write the whole time. I had to review notes and prepare for my meeting.

I love traveling, but traveling as a vegan can be a challenge. Traveling as a whole foods, organic, health nut, vegan can be impossible. Usually, I pack a lot of food with me, but New York City is full of options and I had a list of places near my hotel that I wanted try. First, after getting off the train I stopped at Terri. They have ready-made salads, wraps, baked goods and juices without additives. I grabbed their Lady in Red juice for breakfast the next day. The ingredients are beets, pineapple, carrots, and oranges. Nothing else. I took that and my Kale Superfood Salad back to my hotel.

Lobby

When I got there, I was instantly confused.

The lobby is ultra modern and I couldn't locate the front desk. People were all over, just hanging out. Carrying drinks from the bar. Everything is grey, white and black. I now have a better understanding of Katniss's experience when she goes to the Capitol for the first time.

Front Desk

Far more like a night club than a hotel, but I found my way after a few minutes of wandering around. Of course once I found it, it seemed obvious. You know, sometimes when you enter a new setting nothing makes sense at first? I'm sure it's not me who experiences that disorientation but I still felt like a bumpkin for not figuring it out.




Between the frustration of locating the front desk and walking through the city with my bags, I was more than ready for dinner. The salad and juice were both delicious. Terri has a wide selection of vegan baked goods. I even saw a vegan, gluten-free cupcake, but I had packed my last chocolate chip cookie from a homemade batch and didn't try any of their desserts.

The meeting went well, I won't bore you with the details. Afterwards, everyone left for the airport. I was the only one from my company taking the train and was free to walk around the city and enjoy the warm day. It was 65 degrees and sunny. New York is more crowded than Boston, but the real difference to me isn't noticeable until I look up. Boston has few skyscrapers, and the tallest one is only 60 stories. In New York that's nothing. Looking up has an overwhelming dizzying effect. It's astounding to me when I think about what we're capable of creating. Even with the weirdos in Times Square dressed up like superheros and speaking to me in Spanish, I kind of didn't want to leave the crowds or sunshine and I definitely wanted to stay for the 65 degrees!

Until my feet started to object to all my walking in cute shoes, then I was ready to head home. I grabbed dinner at The Loving Hut for the train ride. I had been looking forward to it, but was disappointed. It was tofu, rice and vegetables in their chile pasilla sauce. Pretty standard vegan take out, but the tofu was uncooked and hadn't been marinated. I would expect that from a conventional restaurant offering one or two vegan options, but not from a vegan restaurant in Manhattan.

The journey home was dedicated to writing since my brain would melt if I tried to work more. All around it was a productive trip, but it did make my week feel longer than usual so I'm especially happy it's Friday and it's Pi Day!

Don't forget to enjoy some pie to celebrate.

Fun Friday: Fantasy Fashions

While most people are content to show their love of books and movies with t-shirts, reusable tote bags, or by hanging maps of Westeros in their office (or is that just me?) others take it a step farther. It's not a contest. . .but if it was those folks would be winning.

For fans of Game of Thrones there's a tumblr dedicated to the latest fashions which would most likely be worn by Daenerys across the Narrow Sea. Aptly called What Would Khaleesi Wear? the site has hairstyles, clothes, jewelry and more.

Tattoos are common enough that getting one inspired by a book or movie isn't too crazy, but I'll probably blog about it at some point. Still it's fan nature to one up each other and now you can go under the knife to live out your nerdastic fantasies.

While it's just a bad idea to accuse vampire-wannabes of being nerds, what else do you call someone who gets the dental implants semi-permanently attached to their teeth?

I mean when they go to Nana's 90th, those teeth are still there.  

  

Source

You can now go the surgical route and have a small operation to get pointed ears like and elf or a Vulcan.





Like I said, it's not a competition....but this girl obviously likes elves more than I do...and I like them a lot. Even if I had "the nine" in Sindarin or Orlando Bloom's face inked permanently into my flesh, she'd still be winning.




Source

Elfophiles (aka Alfariophiles*) who aren't prepared to go under the knife can buy accessories that show off their dedication to the Alliance, Lothlorien, Orilla, or pure logic.

*Yes, I made that word up.

A Literary Pilgrimage

Hey, where'd those mountains go?

The best day of my trip to Switzerland began with a grey dawn and a cool dampness in the thin mountain air. Unfettered, I dressed in layers and marched to the station. The only train that stops there is called the Mountain Train. I took it down the mountain to a larger station with more options, including service to Geneva.

The total journey took about 2 hours and for much of it, I had pretty views of the lake.

I spent the ride reading and thinking about Mary Shelley. Switzerland, and more precisely Lake Geneva, interested me ever since I first read Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus a decade ago. 

Going to the place where the book was written and where the title character, Victor Frankenstein, grew up just felt like something I should do. 

Jet d'eau

When I arrived I made my way down to the water to get my bearings. I'd looked at a map online (millions of times) beforehand, so I knew that the Jet d'eau (a giant spout of water in the corner of the lake) would have to be on my left while I walked about 40 minutes (thanks Google) around the lake to Cologny.

No sooner had I stepped onto the paved path that hugs the lake than the clouds dispersed. A bright yellow sun sparkled down. The steel colored lake turned to diamonds. 

Perfect weather for exploring Switzerland on foot. 

Joggers, walkers, and moms with strollers went by with many bonjours. I got to pet dogs.

In June of 1816 Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley visited Lord Byron at Villa Belle Rive in Cologny, a suburb of Geneva. It's the Beverly Hills of Geneva, full of expensive mansions with tall privacy gates.

They make it so easy.

Making the pilgrimage was the main reason I went on this trip yet at no point was I concerned it would be a disappointment. The Serendipitous Swiss Vibes wouldn't allow for negativity. And you'll be pleased to know they didn't steer me wrong. Not once.

Plaque on the main house.

I simply followed the lake until I saw signs for Cologny. Then I climbed up steep hills until I reached the thoroughfare of Cologny. There I found the above map. It very clearly showed where I was and where Villa Diodati was. I noted the two turns I'd  need to make and continued on.

I walked the streets Mary Shelley walked, though they are much smoother and easier on the feet now. If you can ignore the security cameras and the water jet added to the lake in 1886, you can imagine what she saw. I cannot explain why I wanted to do that so badly, but I wasn't disappointed.

Front Entrance

Today, the house they occupied is called Villa Diodati and it's owned by a private resident who 

does not-at this time-allow visitors or tours of the home. Not even for very polite American writers traveling alone and who have a purely scholastic interest in seeing where one of her favorite written works was born.

Sign explaining the history of the house.

Though I couldn't get into the house itself, they have a large public park right next to the gated and tree surrounded estate. The park allowed the traveling American writer girl to mildly stalk the place where Frankenstein came to life. 

View of the Villa from my park bench.

It may be hard to believe a dark tale of horror, unchecked obsession and revenge was conceived there. Seriously, butterflies flitted around the flower bushes while a girl sat in her boyfriend's lap laughing on a bench not far from mine. 

But it was a dismal rainy period which plagued Mary Shelley and her companions. The bad weather forced them indoors and they decided to make up ghost stories to entertain each other.

Writers.

View of Lake Geneva from the same bench.

Of course, I had my favorite copy of Frankenstein in my bag and I did read some of it but I spent most of my time writing. 

I wrote 1,500 words on that bench. It was only hunger and wanting to make the train leaving at seven which finally got me to stop.

Back entrance

I took a different route when I left, which was lucky. I found a great spot for not-so-obstructed pictures. 

View from the lake.

I still have my fingers crossed that someday the current owner of Villa Diodati will allow tours. Maybe for the 200 anniversary of the events of 1816 or of Frankenstein's publication in 1818. 

Until then I'll settle for this. 

The lake was beyond anything my camera in all of its purple glory could hope to capture. I took my time walking back. Stopped for a scoop of Swiss Ice Cream. And I felt I understood why Mary Shelley chose it as Victor Frankenstein's home. His was an ideal childhood. His parents were affectionate, happy and wealthy. He was so spoiled they even adopted a pretty blonde girl for him to marry.

As you can see from these pictures growing up in proximity to Lake Geneva was definitely a factor.

Lake Geneva

Switzerland is Amazing. Here's Proof.

At the end of April, I journeyed to Lake Geneva in Switzerland for a week of quiet travels, writing, reading, staring wistfully at mountain peaks and wine tasting.


Here are a few photo highlights.

My windows had stellar views of the Swiss Alps. Note the photo above which was taken from my balcony. My first morning there, I found myself leaning out the open window, laughing uncontrollably at the impossible majesty of it all. How could it be real? Was I really standing in my pajamas seeing this right now? I felt so much happiness. So much of the world's splendor was being shown to me. I was unworthy but grateful. I was at a loss for words and laughing in disbelief. Then I banged my head on the weird tilted window and went to find some breakfast.

Typical.

The food was fabulous and healthy-much of it is organic-and I couldn't get enough. I didn't taste anything that wasn't delicious. Even though I was in the French speaking region, there were obvious German and Italian menu items available everywhere. 

My friend asked if I liked the wine or beer better, and I said I was most impressed with the milk. Though an admittedly silly response. It was kind of true. While I'd have to say the wine and beer were equally good. I hadn't thought about the milk and was therefore surprised by its yumminess.

Honestly the whole week there was like living on that line that divides reality and fiction.
It turns out that is a very serendipitous place. I never needed a map or stressed about train schedules-for the record the trains are always on time in Switzerland. It was an intuitive place, at least for me. I've traveled to Europe before so maybe that's why.

The mountain town of Leysin, where I stayed, is a mecca for skiers in the winter. I arrived at the start of their off-season and found it to be a sleepy village that I enjoyed tiptoeing through so as not to disturb the inhabitants. It was an ideal escape for someone, like myself, who appreciates her solitude.



Every day I was laid back and happy and I knew things would be good. It was like I drank a week's worth of Felix Felicis.

While hiking up steep stairs built into mountainsides and finding myself in the middle of Maria von Trapp hills I had to stop for spins, pictures, and reading under a big shade-providing tree.

On the shores of Lake Geneva.

I looked for Victor Frankenstein but couldn't find him...at least not in Montreux where this was taken.

Chillon Castle across Lake Geneva.

Mountain, Lake, Purple Tulips...what's missing here? 

Oh, wait nothing*.

 

Aigle Castle and surrounding vineyards.

One day I was walking down a hill and saw these little guys munching on some grass. 

Fondue in the land of fondue. It's a peasant staple in Switzerland, and that is the vibe with which it's served.
Nothing fancy.
Some bread, some cheese, bon appetit.







The highlight of my trip was a day I spent in the city of Geneva.

That deserves its own post next week.


Happy Friday!





*I also had ice cream.

Fun Friday with Friendly Felines

Yesterday I flew from Philadelphia to Albuquerque with three friends, so we could visit our friend Ashley. She's the Harry Potter friend who was recently married.

I woke up this morning before the sun and started reviewing pages for my critique group. While I tapped away on my Netbook and scratched the ears of Ashley's cats a wonderful feeling settled over me.


I am on vacation, but it's a writer's vacation. A vacation from my responsibilities at home, from work and writing doesn't feel like work. Even when it's hard it is something I look forward to doing. And there's nothing like waking up to the contentment of doing what you love.

Ashley's cat, Chloe, was intrigued by the story I was critiquing.

Fun Friday with the Flu and (not) Failing

I spent last weekend watching Spongebob Squarepants with my nephew and prepping the last few pages of my book for my critique partners.

 Monday afternoon, however, I was walking around the office saying, "My voice sounds funny, doesn't it?" and "I think I'm getting sick." I went home and chugged some Airborne. Then I spoke to my sister and it turns out, my nephew was sick as well. "Awesome!"

Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday I was in bed. Fortunately, for a girl who loves to read, being sick ain't so bad.

I was finishing Beastly when I remembered the line from The Little White Horse that Jo Rowling loves,


"Humanity can be roughly divided into three sorts of people -- those who find comfort in literature, those who find comfort in personal adornment and those who find comfort in food."


If there was any doubt which sort I was before this bout of the flu, there shouldn't be any longer. Nothing really compares to getting lost in fiction. Especially when I'm feeling awful. I read and slept off my sickness. I still sound "kind of funny" but I feel pretty good.

Which is convenient since today I took a test for my job. I won't bore you with the mathematics or the ins and outs of retirement benefits administration. I was nervous because everyone in the office was saying how I could study while I was home sick...were they messing with me or are they crazy? Who puts on sweatpants and curls up in bed with a practice examination? I mean, I studied. I studied every day this week, but not all day.

I was worried my Nyquil clouded brain may have failed to absorb all the information. The drowsying effects of cold medicine notwithstanding, some studying must have stuck because I passed. Yay! Pop the bubbly!

You got me, this picture is not from today. It's from my last birthday. But I felt the same excitement and I may have pulled that tiara out of shoe box and done a happy dance...And do you see my dog? He's in every picture that gets taken in my apartment. How does he do that?

Now I can focus on concert ticket snagging, my upcoming trip to New Mexico, learning French and reviewing the notes from my critique partners. Then it'll be time for a round of beta readers to actually read my book and I feel much better about this draft...so far.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and take your vitamins, there's something going around.

Fun Friday with Freshman Frappuccino Flashbacks



Who's name is on the cup? Not yours, Mr. Spock. Not yours.


Happy Friday gang!

I decided to celebrate the best day of the work week with my favorite hot coffee concotion from Starbucks. Though technically, I went to the Barnes & Noble Cafe since it's right next to my office.

My overly elaborate drink order is a triple grande soy caramel macchiato.

For clarification that's three shots of espresso with steamed soy milk and caramel topping.

It's great. It's not too sweet because of the extra shot and it's not as guilt-laden because the soy milk cuts out most of the saturated fat and cholesterol. While I was waiting to order, I glanced at the menu like I always do. Even though, I rarely switch it up. Why mess with perfection? I noted all the frappuccino choices and I flashed back to college, where Starbucks and their bottled fraps were pivotal to many happy mornings.



My three favorite flavors



Freshman year I'd pop open a cold, bottled blend of coffee, milk and sugar, sugar, sugar from the mini fridge and jug it in three or four gulps. Usually I'd do this without even getting out of bed, such was the convenience of dorm-room living. My roommate must have thought I was crazy. It was 2003 and she was already talking about eating organic. She was way ahead of the curve on that one. I just wondered, "Isn't all food organic, like by definition?"

Oh and my breakfast to go with the chugged frappuccino was typically a hunk of Hershey's milk chocolate. If it wasn't so cold here this morning I may have actually changed my order.

Of course, there are things I don't wish to repeat from my college years, like all nighters working on proofs of mathematical equations only to walk in to class frazzled but convinced my three pages of math logic were correct and see that "that guy" summed it all up using six words. I mean, seriously, how did he know to do that? No, I definitely don't want a college do-over but those lazy, sweet mornings are worth recreating from time to time.

Fun Friday with Fondue, French, and Frankenstein

As previously alluded to on Twitter and this blog, I have some wonderful travel plans in the first half on 2012.

At the end of April I'll be going to Lake Geneva in Switzerland. I'm pretty excited. The cheese, the chocolate, the chocolate, did I mention there is great chocolate? Well there is and it's worth repeating a few more times.

To be perfectly honest cheese, chocolate and fondue, the most well-known Swiss meal option, were all big factors in selecting this as a vacation destination. It's very important to consider the food available on vacation. My disinterest in olives is constantly to blame for moving Greece farther down on my must visit list.

Of course, aside from the cuisine Geneva has many enticing elements that made me book my flight.


Here are some Friday Fun Facts for you.

-Switzerland is the birthplace of absinthe and as of 2005 it is once again legal to produce and sell in the country.

-Lake Geneva is a sickle-shaped lake between Switzerland and France.

-Switzerland has four languages. German, Italian, and French are the most common. Though English is also spoken widely.

-I'll be in the French speaking area. I've downloaded podcasts to learn some conversation skills...it should be interesting to say the least.

-The carac is a popular chocolate pastry in the French-speaking portion of Switzerland.



Nom. Carac. Nom.


-There is a statue of Charlie Chaplin on the shore of the lake.

-There is also one of Freddie Mercury.

-Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, is credited with bringing skiing to Switzerland in 1894. I have no idea what they did with their winters before that.

-The average Swiss citizen eats about 25 pounds of chocolate a year. That's about half a pound of chocolate a week and is more than double what Americans average.


-In May of 1816, Mary Shelley came to Geneva and it was there she began writing Frankenstein. Her doomed main character, Victor Frankenstein, is born and raised in Geneva.




The house where Mary Shelley stayed in 1816

-Mary Shelley said her Summer in Geneva was when she "first stepped out from childhood into life".

-Frankenstein is one of my favorite books of all time. And it's the biggest factor in me choosing to go.

-This will not be the last you are forced to read about my trip, but I will try to save most of my gushing for a post-vacation blog.


Hope you all have wonderful weekends!