My Adventures in Optic Neuritis

(I really wanted to call this post "Optic Neuritis: Into Darkness" but Star Trek stole my title. Oh well.)

Much of this is very personal, but I've realized over the last few weeks that hard times are wasted if we don't make them into learning opportunities, and the things we learn are wasted to some extent if we don't share our knowledge. Hopefully I will learn something through this experience that will help me or someone else in the future.

On Wednesday, April 10, as I was driving down the road I remember noticing a slight pain in my left eye and thinking that if it didn't go away in a couple weeks I should probably see an eye doctor. I think maybe I had felt it for a couple of days by then and was just realizing that it wasn't going away, but I'm not sure.  Pain is really too strong of a word. It was more like a very slightly uncomfortable feeling when I looked too far to the side.  I also had a feeling that my eyes were seeing two different things but I kept closing one eye then the other and I couldn't tell a difference. I figured it was a sign of aging eyes and didn't worry too much about it.

By Friday the sense of seeing two different things was stronger but I still couldn't tell the difference between my eyes. On Saturday I was walking across the lawn, covering first one eye then the other, again looking for the difference. This time I saw a small shadow in my vision with my left eye, just a small darker spot to the left of my center of vision. Funny how medical problems always happen on weekends! I called the doctor and together we decided it didn't warrant an expensive trip to the ER and I was told to call the ophthalmologist first thing Monday morning and make an appointment.

Sunday my vision was worse, the shadowy spot was bigger and looked like an area of fog on the left side of my vision. On Monday there was a thick oblong fog reaching from the left almost to the center of my vision and another thinner fog reaching in from the right. I saw the ophthalmologist that morning. First I went through a regular vision test. I could read the eye chart easily with my right eye. Then as I looked at it with my left eye I started to cry. I couldn't even see the left half of the chart. It wasn't that I couldn't make out the letters, it was as if they weren't even there, replaced by the thick grey fog.  My eyes were dilated, more tests, and the doctor said my eyes were totally fine and healthy. She asked me to come back in a couple hours for a visual field test.

The visual field test was long and boring: stare at a dot of light in the middle of a screen and press a button whenever a light flashed somewhere on the screen. The results, my right eye was normal and my left eye didn't see anything within the thickest part of the oblong fog. I got a printout of the results, but I could have drawn the picture for the doctor and saved us all the trouble of the test. She gave me the diagnosis, optic neuritis, and asked if I was available to see a neurologist in an hour when he had an opening. My day was about to get worse.

I should add here that I'm so grateful for the wonderful health care I have. Pretty much all the doctors I could ever need are in one facility, all the records are digital, and all doctors have access to all my records and test results right on their monitor in the exam room. With different health insurance all the appointments and tests that I had on Monday could easily been spread out over a week or more.

I had an hour break to sit outside, get some fresh air, and google "optic neuritis". Thank you Wikipedia for telling me what the neurologist dreaded telling me, that ON is often the first indicator of MS. I took the news well, both from Wikipedia and from the neurologist (who was obviously unhappy that the ophthalmologist had left him to be the bearer of bad news). At least I had some answers to my questions and some expectation of what was to come. I was scheduled for steroid infusions for the next three days and an MRI.  Surprisingly, I felt pretty calm about what was happening and was even a little curious about what was going to happen next.

Tuesday I drove myself to my first infusion appointment. The two fingers of fog had connected in the middle by then and while I could see through most of it, I decided after I got home that afternoon that it was probably wise to give up driving for awhile.  I spent a couple hours in the chemotherapy area hooked up to my IV, surrounded by patients much sicker than me who all seemed to know the nurses and each other well. I felt a little guilty for being there, feeling perfectly healthy. The only immediate side effect of the treatment was a horrible taste in my mouth. That evening I bought a bunch of mints that became my constant companions for the next couple weeks.

The great thing about the steroids is that the slight discomfort I had felt was immediately gone, and I felt strong and healthy and full of energy. I had a hard time falling asleep that first night, not because I was worried but because I felt like I didn't need to sleep. I spent some time reflecting on the uncertainties ahead of me and the changes that could be coming in my life. I decided to list 100 things worse than MS. I didn't actually write them down but it was pretty easy to think of categories of things that would be worse: things that could happen to my kids, things that could happen to my husband, things that could happen to other people I love, natural disasters, terminal illnesses, financial struggles...  I can't even remember all the categories I came up with, but it's not too hard to think of 10 - 20 things for each category.  How bad can life be when you can think of at least 100 ways it could be worse?

I won't drag out the suspense any more. My MRI came back negative for MS.  The MRI itself was kind of interesting.  I didn't feel at all claustrophobic and the lights and sounds made me feel like I had been abducted by aliens.  I amused myself for 45 minutes by imagining I was starring in a sci-fi movie and I tried to figure out what the plot would be.  It took two days to get the results but the doctor let me know by email that I was fine, then we met with him later that afternoon and he told me I'm too old to get MS if I don't already have brain lesions so I don't have to worry about that at all.  I guess there are advantages to getting older.  The cause of my optic neuritis is unknown but harmless. By this point I thought the worst of my ordeal was over. I was wrong.

After the IV steroid treatment I had to take oral steroids, gradually reducing the dose until I was totally off them after 10 days.  A couple days after each time the dose was lowered I felt such crushing discouragement and depression that I wanted to curl up in a ball and never leave my bed. I was frustrated with my partial vision, I couldn't do the things I wanted to do, and I felt totally useless and worthless.  It took almost a week after my last dose for that to wear off. And after all that, the steroids didn't restore my vision.

Once I started feeling more like myself again I could start reflecting on the things I'm learning from this. The most important thing I've learned is what a wonderful husband I have. He has been so helpful and has shown huge amounts of concern and patience. I'm so glad I haven't had to go through this alone.

I'm now on week 7 of vision impairment.  At the worst point (about weeks 2 - 4) the vision in my left eye was almost totally obscured by a dark gray fog.  I could see vague outlines of shapes but not much else.  It really was very much like being in fog at night with near-zero visibility.  You might think it wouldn't be that bad since I still have vision in my right eye, but it's been much more inconvenient that I would have thought.  It's very disorienting to see different things with each eye.  Covering my left eye doesn't completely help because I still see swirling fog in that eye.  I have no depth perception up close - it's hard to serve food, eat, and put a cap on a pen.  Doing pretty much anything in the kitchen is somewhere between inconvenient and downright dangerous for me.  I get eyestrain headaches a lot, and I wear sunglasses most of the time to cut down on the contrast between my two eyes. Sometimes the weird vision gives me a sense similar to motion sickness.

Two weeks ago I saw the neurologist again.  He didn't seem worried that my vision wasn't coming back yet and told me to check in with him by email in a month, about the same time I go in for another eye exam.  I did notice the day of the doctor appointment that I had a very slight bit of color vision on my far left side.  So far left that something had to be almost behind me.  Not much to work with, but at least it was an improvement.  A few days after that I had a sudden breakthrough.  Instead of dark gray, the fog suddenly became light gray - like driving through fog with bright headlights.  I could see contrasts between light and dark, I could see shadows, and I could tell by looking at a lightbulb whether it was on or off.  It was a great improvement, but since my eyes had gotten used to the dark fog, the change made it so I could actually see less with both eyes together and the headaches were worse.  

I'm finally getting used to the lighter fog.  It still covers my entire left eye but I think it's getting thinner.  I can't see bright white.  The lightest color I get is light gray.  However, I can see more details and I am getting more color vision around the outside.  Looking straight ahead I can't distinguish any colors but not too far from center I can see a little color.  I can't distinguish between yellow and orange, but I can tell the difference between yellow and blue. Yesterday I was able to read (barely) the clock on my nightstand.  I'm hopeful that I'll be able to drive again in a few weeks. I don't know how much of my vision will come back and how much of the nerve damage is permanent, but it's pretty typical that when everything is healed I won't even notice a difference between my eyes.  I also don't know when this will heal.  I think the normal range is 6 - 12 weeks but it could take up to a year.  As long as I keep noticing slight improvements I'm hopefll.

This has really been a great learning experience.  #1 lesson learned, as I mentioned before, is how incredibly wonderful my husband is.  Not that I didn't already know that, but sometimes you just have to be reminded.  I also learned that I can do hard things.  I still think about my "100 things worse than" list and I realize I'll probably have to face some of those things at some point in my life, but if I do I'll still be able to find 100 things worse.  The good things in life will always outnumber the bad, and no matter how bad it gets there could always be something worse (probably even 100 things).  This has also made me realize what things are important to me.  I can't do everything I could do two months ago and some things take much longer and are harder to do.  I've had to prioritize and decide what's worth the effort and what isn't.  I've also taken a harder look at my "someday I'll..." list.  None of us has an unlimited amount of somedays.  Why not today?

I can't say this has been a totally fun experience and I'm glad I'm having it.  I still feel sorry for myself sometimes and get angry and frustrated, but those negative feelings are getting less frequent.  Maybe after this is over I'll realize it was all worth it, but I won't know that until it's over.  In the meantime I'll practice my patience and keep trying to look on the bright side (which for now is my right side!). 

To be continued... when something changes...

Playing with Dolls

Thank you Wikipedia for this nice picture.  I sure hope I'm not breaking any copyright laws here!  As I suspected, most of my friends have no idea who Madeleine Vionnet is or what draping is.  Check out this Wikipedia article for the background, then you'll understand more of the story.

A few weeks ago I came across a link for a class from the Center for Pattern Design on "Draping a Vionnet Bias Skirt".  The class was 100 miles away and I was afraid my total lack of experience in draping might cause me to make a fool out of myself, but in the back of my mind I wanted to take the class anyway.  Luckily things worked in my favor that day - I told my daughter about the class and she said I should go, then my husband came home and said he'd spent some money on his hobby, so I decided it was my turn, right? I jumped right in and registered for this class that was 100 miles out of my comfort zone (which, by the way, has gotten entirely too small).  

The class turned out to be incredibly fun. We pinned and draped fabric on My Size Barbies, which are about the same size as a half-scale dress forms and considerably cheaper if you buy them used on ebay. The project we worked on came really easily to me and I learned some things that will help me in my sewing and pattern-making projects. I took lots of notes and bought myself a book that I think will help me learn even more. Probably my biggest accomplishment of the day was getting so far out of my comfort zone and being ok with it. I think I'm ready to try out some more adventures.

I had completely planned on adding more details to this post, but since it's been sitting in my "drafts" for over a month now I think it's time for me to hit "publish" and move on.  Just one more note about the My Size Barbie: the instructor told us that she ordered several of the dolls at once to use in her classes.  She modifies them by velcroing the feet to a piece of wood, making a fabric cover for the body, and popping the heads off.  She said the garbage man must have thought she was kind of crazy that day when he saw all the doll heads in the trash.

Ok, enough of the decapitated dolls.  I've got other (less adventurous) activities in the works!

The What-Was-I-Thinking Dress

I've noticed that my sewing projects have gotten more and more boring. I guess it's because I'm drawn to classic styles which tend to be, well, boring. On my last pattern shopping trip I decided to break out of my mold and buy some things that were a little different, that weren't obviously "me" but that I could possibly get away with wearing.

A side note here: There are these places called Department Stores, and they have these wonderful things called Dressing Rooms, where you are free to try on different styles to your heart's content without any commitment of money or time (as in time spent sewing, not time in the dressing room). Next time I feel the need to wear something a little different from my norm I should really start in the dressing room, not in the pattern department.

There are so many errors in judgement with this dress that I hardly know where to start.

I guess Mistake #1 was the picture on the pattern envelope:

I mean, she looks so weird and uncomfortable! 

Mistake #2 started out innocently enough with the line drawing. 

Simple t-shirt top (I can wear that), fairly straight skirt (I can wear that) and big floppy pockets on the hips (what?).  Pockets are always good, but pockets that make your hips look bigger? Seriously, how did I think that was a good idea?

Mistake #3, fabric selection. I love, love, love the color! Sure it's a super thin, super stretchy polyester spandex blend, but how could I resist the color? Its not black (HUGE accomplishment for me) and  it's colorful without being too obvious. The fabric is way too thin to wear on its own, but I solved that problem with some knit lining. FYI: super-stretchy knit dress + kinda-stretchy knit lining = disaster waiting to happen.

Mistake #4, lack of experience with this kind of fabric. It stretched while I was cutting it and I couldn't find a single stitch on my sewing machine that wouldn't make the seams stretch out of shape. It sewed up beautifully on the serger, but I had to use the sewing machine to put those pockets together. Eventually I got tired of testing different seams in the search for something that would work and I just made my best guess. That worked out ok on the pockets but I ended up having to cut off the whole hem and start over.

From here on out the biggest mistake was probably plowing ahead with an obviously hopeless project. Really it was only curiosity that kept me going. I really wanted to have that dressing room moment and see how the dress would look on me.  Plus I had already started this blog post and didn't want to waste it.

I thought I solved the hem problem by serging the skirt and lining right sides together, turning the skirt right side out, and sewing it together at the waist. It was definitely better than my first hem, but the super-stretchy + kinda-stretchy issue gave it a very amateurish look. I could live with it, but I wouldn't like it.  Unfortunately, this was the only way I could think of to hem the sleeves as well.

As this point the dress had one redeeming feature that could possibly save it from the garbage can.  The neckline finish is two strips of fabric with raw edges that, when stretched, will curl into tight little rolls. In fact, I realized I could use this same finish on the sleeves and maybe even the hem. Now we're getting somewhere!  I tried out the stretch-and-curl thing on some scraps, everything looked great, and I sewed the pieces onto the neckline. Sew... Stretch... 

Where's the curl? Not on my neck, that's for sure! I think the strips were too wide for this fabric, and the fabric was just to limp to hold the curl. Now the neck looks like a worn out t-shirt.

And yet I can't give up. In one last ditch effort I cut off the neckline finish (can't pick stitches out of this fabric) and replaced it with a plain folded over strip of fabric. I used the same finish on the sleeves and hem (after cutting off hem #2).  Yay, I'm done! We're ready for the dressing room moment, although if I saw this dress hanging in a store I don't think it would make it into the dressing room with me.

Guess what, I kind of like it! After wearing it for a few hours I really like it. I don't think I'll ever love it. There are just too many imperfections. Besides, the dress and I got off to a rocky start and we may never be able to fully repair our relationship. But I think we can maintain a comfortable friendship, this dress and I.

Now its time to move on to the next project. It's very tempting to make an easy skirt to boost my confidence a little, but we'll see. Maybe I can handle another challenge.

Sewing in 2012

Yeah I know, 2012 is already in the distant past, but what can I say except I'm always running a little behind schedule. At least when it comes to things I know I can procrastinate without any major repercussions. My 2012 sewing goal: make a button-up shirt that fits my freakishly broad shoulders so I can wear something besides t-shirts. I actually worked on it but never got around to finishing that project. Let's just move that goal to 2013, ok?

Now for what I actually did accomplish in 2012:

Project #1: Pink skirt.  I was trying to go out on a limb here and make something kind of trendy with the bright color and high waist.  I ordered the fabric from an online fabric store.  The color description said "coral". It's actually closer to the color of chewed bubble gum.  The sad part is that I saw a swatch before I ordered.  That chewed bubble gum color looked much better in a 1" swatch.  It actually looks better in the picture than in real life.  Maybe I'll try wearing it again in the spring.

Project #2: Another skirt.  Think I have enough skirts in my closet yet?  TOO BAD I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO MATCH ANY OF THEM!!!  Yep, I'm a little frustrated with myself.  This one is really cute (see the fabric and seam detail below) but I only have one shirt that comes close to matching it and I don't really love the shirt.

Project #3: Not a skirt!  The t-shirt is made from some knit I bought at a little hole-in-the-wall place in New York.  Too bad it doesn't match any of my skirts.  I wanted to make a few t-shirts and get the pattern perfect.  This was my only attempt this year but I'm pretty happy with it. It would have been even better if both armholes were the same shape.  I had a little patternmaking mishap and didn't even realize it until I pulled the pattern out to use it again. Oh well, you can't really tell when I'm wearing the shirt. I actually bought the pants a few years ago (yeah, those are navy linen pants in the picture) but they never fit very well so I had never worn them.  I took off the waistband, remodeled them a little, and put everything back together.  Now they're totally wearable, and miracle of miracles I have a top to match! I guess I should call the pants Project #3 1/2.

Project #4: Mondo skirt for Ashley.  Yes it's another skirt, but no it's not for me so it's ok!  Ashley negotiated a killer deal on these silk prints while we were in New York.  She already has several versions of this skirt pattern but it's so cute on her that we both just keep making them.  I volunteered to make this one because I thought the slippery silk might be a little challenging for Ashley.  I was probably right.  I think it hated me and I'm so glad it's hanging in someone else's closet because I really don't want to see it again!  Oh, and Mondo is our favorite Project Runway designer who always used a lot of black and white and mixed prints.  These fabrics reminded us of him as soon as we saw it so that's why the skirt is named after him.

Project #5:  Kilt? No, I guess I'm going to have to call it a skirt.  At least I went out and bought a black turtleneck to go with it so I actually wear it.  The fabric was labeled as a sweater knit.  I looked at it then walked away, but I kept going back and touching it.  It was calling my name and I answered.  It's a mock-wrap skirt (thus not going to fall open) and it's super comfy.  The whole time I was making it I felt like there was something sort of familiar about the fabric.  I finally figured it out.  It's terrycloth, like the really soft infant washcloths.  It's mostly polyester and lycra so it wouldn't really make a good washcloth, but yeah, I made a wrap skirt out of terrycloth.  I'm wearing a towel.  I don't care - I like it anyway.  But I have given up on the matching jacket I was going to make: a soft blazer-type jacket with a tie belt.  I'm not going to wear a towel AND a robe in public!

Project #6 (Hey, that's one every other month!): Super Cute Dress for Ashley!  Sorry about the wonky pictures.  They're from my phone and I guess they didn't quite upload all the way.  Just ignore those funny lines on the bottom.  This was inspired by a dress that Ashley tried on and loved, but it just didn't fit right.  This was so fun to sew!  The cotton/poly/lycra ponte knit from  Mood was really easy to sew, the pattern went together well, there were no major problems during the project, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that exposed zipper.  

Well, that's it for 2012.  Better late than never.  I'll try to do a better job in 2013.  I already have one project well underway: the What Was I Thinking dress.  

Business 101: How a Franchise Works

A few months ago I read an article that bothered me, and it's been nagging at me ever since.  I don't even remember what the article was about, but I think it had to do with Apple stock paying a dividend.  The part that bothered me though, was the author's remark that successful companies like Apple and McDonald's should use their excess cash to pay their employees better rather than pay a dividend to their shareholders.  As far as Apple goes, I don't know enough about the situation to have an opinion on that.  However, I think this author was implying that the high school kid who asks you if you want fries with your Big Mac is an employee of McDonald's.  That is not necessarily true.  McDonald's is a franchise.  McDonald's and other franchises may have some corporate-owned stores, but they also have stores owned by private corporations, partnerships, or maybe your next-door neighbor.

Here's my overly-simplistic explanation of how a franchise works.  (For the sake of full disclosure, yes, my family is a franchisee, not of McDonald's but of another restaurant chain.  I am in no way intending to put down any franchise.  It can be a great business opportunity for those willing to work within the parameters of a franchise agreement.)  Basically, a franchisee buys the rights to run a business under the name of the franchisor (such as McDonald's).  The franchisee uses the approved business operations, locations, food vendors, decor, logos, etc., sells a product that is virtually identical to every other franchisee in the organization, and gets the advantages of shared advertising and name recognition.  The franchisor makes their money from sales at corporate-owned stores, but also from fees collected from the franchisees.  My quick Google search results told me that McDonald's charges a $45,000 one-time franchise fee plus 4% of gross sales.  I'm assuming from my franchise experience that the franchisees also pay separately for their share of regional or national advertising.  In our case (not McDonald's) this comes to about another 5% of sales.  Some McDonald's locations make a lot of money and some probably struggle to pay their bills every month, but McDonald's Corporation makes their money either way, although they certainly make less on the low-volume stores.

I've been guilty in the past of avoiding chain restaurants because I want to support local business people.  But the truth is, many chain restaurants are franchises, owned by people who are every bit as "local" as the owners of the mom-and-pop restaurant next door.  So if and when you ever get a dividend from your shares of McDonald's stock, don't feel like you're stealing from the kid behind the counter.  He probably doesn't actually work for McDonald's.

Adventures in New York

I've always been pretty sure that New York City would be someplace that I would absolutely hate.  I dislike crowds and noise and cities in general.  A few months ago Ashley asked me to come with her on an upcoming BYU trip to New York and for some reason I said yes.  I guess the thought of spending a few days on vacation with my daughter and the safety of seeing New York with a tour group combined to make me think it would be a good idea.  Actually, it was a great idea!

We flew from Salt Lake City to New York on April 21.  We stayed at the Hotel Edison, half a block from Time Square.  It was built in the 1920's and some of it hasn't been updated since then.  The art deco lobby was charming, the antiquated plumbing not so much.  However, it was comfortable, safe and clean, and the location was amazing.  I'd gladly risk a cold shower or two and stay there again.

This was my first impression of Time Square - lots of noise, lights and people, and I loved it!  We ate dinner at Juniors (known for cheesecake but I honestly can't recommend the club sandwich) then walked around and shopped for the rest of the evening.  

The touristy part of the tour started on Sunday.  We went to church in the morning, which is an amazing way to get away from the tourists and see what the locals are really like.  Then we took the ferry past the Statue of Liberty (we didn't get off) then to Ellis Island where we had time to wander around.  

Apparently I cut off the top of the torch in this picture, but in my defense it was windy and rainy and I pretty much just whipped out the camera, snapped the picture, then ran for cover.  Also, we were pretty jet lagged on Sunday, in addition to being extra tired from sleeping in a strange hotel room with people we barely knew and being woken up by sirens and other strange city noises all night long.  That must be why we spent over an hour at Ellis Island and I don't think I can tell you one important thing we saw.  In fact, the whole time I kept getting confused and thinking we were at Alcatraz.

This is me at Ellis Island.  I look a lot more awake than I felt.  

Next stop, 9/11 Memorial.  It's a beautiful memorial, with two huge waterfalls in the footprints of the twin towers (we're standing next to one of them).  There is lots of green open space, and I think when it's finished it will be a place where people come to stop, think, and remember.  At the moment, getting to the memorial is a little less than peaceful because you have to wind your way through barricades, go through security, and show your ticket several times before you actually see where you're trying to go.  Hopefully when it's done the process will go a little more smoothly.

On Monday we started the "school" part of our adventure.  The students in the group had a variety of majors, but went under the umbrella of "fashion students".  There were some in retail, some in education, and some in costume design.  They were all in some way related to my major (fashion merchandising) so I really enjoyed being with this group of students, parents and professors who share my interests.  We started with a visit to the Tobe Report, a fashion forecasting service.  After a quick stop in the financial district (NYSE, Federal Reserve, tall gray buildings, narrow streets, and a tour of Federal Hall where George Washington took his oath of office on April 30, 1789) we moved on to an interior design showroom where I learned that there are enough people who will drop $40,000 for a dining room table that there are showrooms full of such tables. 

I should mention that we got around the city by subway.  We had a very detailed itinerary that gave us specific directions such as:  "Walk east on 47th St. to subway entrance.  Board the Downtown N Local to the 34th St. Station (2 stops)."  Luckily we had a guide with us at all times who taught us how to use our Metro cards (don't mess up when you swipe it because you won't be able to swipe it again for 18 minutes!) and told us when to get on and off the train.  The subway wasn't scary at all, not like in the movies where the lights flash on and off, the trains run into each other, and every passenger gets mugged or murdered or rescued by an action hero.  However, I never could figure out which train we were on or which stop we were coming to.  Several girls in our group ventured out on their own and ended up in Queens when they were trying to get back to the hotel, so I'm obviously not alone in my confusion.

We started Tuesday by going to a costume shop.  This is Stitch's foot from a Disney on Ice thing.  We also saw some Lion King costumes.  It was fun to hear the stories of so many Broadway costumes.  Next was Women's Wear Daily, then Fashion Institute of Technology, then some time for shopping!  

For Project Runway fans, like Ashley and me, going to Mood was a dream come true.  We didn't buy any fabric but we had fun looking at it all.  The highlight, however, was seeing Swatch, the resident dog.  Doesn't he look like he's going to bite me if I don't get that camera out of his face? 

Tuesday night we saw Wicked, then waited at the stage door to get autographs from and pictures with the actresses who played Galinda and Elphaba.  Well, Ashley got pictures with them since that's her thing, and since this isn't her blog I'm not posting those pictures.  This is supposed to be about my trip, right?

Wednesday - more appointments.  First, Anna Sui boutique where we heard a lovely story from a Chinese immigrant who gave up her career as an actuary in China, moved to the US and took a job carrying huge rolls of fabric up and down six flights of stairs in a building without an elevator, was befriended by Anna Sui, and worked her way up in the fashion industry.  Then we had time for lunch and a little shopping in Chinatown, then a tour of Macy's flagship store.  It pretty much looks like any Macy's store on the inside, only bigger, but it's being remodeled and it should be beautiful when it's done.  Luckily they're keeping most of the wooden escalators.

After Macy's we toured Anne Klein Suits, walked through Central Park, then went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  There were various subway trips in between there, and at one point we traveled through Grand Central Station (or was that yesterday?) but the subway experience is all a big blur to me.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art was kind of a blur too, as we tried to not get lost as we moved from section to section.  We tried to see as much as we could as quickly as we could, before our next adventure, which was a solo bus trip.  Ok, not exactly solo since there were two of us, but no tour guide, only the somewhat vague directions to take the 1, 2, 3 or 4 bus down 5th Avenue to 47th.  The bus ride turned out to be easy and uneventful, and we made it back to the TKTS booth in Time Square in time to get half price tickets to Newsies.

If you haven't seen the movie Newsies, go rent it now.  If you can find it anyway - it came out in 1992 I think.  It was great then, and it's even better on Broadway.  In fact, if you're going to be in New York before August you should really see this show before it closes.  I wish I could see it again.

Thursday, our last day, we were on our own until it was time to take the bus to the airport.  (This was a tour bus, not a city bus!)  We had one last breakfast at the deli by our hotel then took off on foot to the Empire State Building.  It was much easier to walk the twelve blocks than try to figure out the buses or subway.  

It would have been better to see the view from the Empire State Building earlier in our trip so I'd have a better idea where everything is.  This is facing south-ish.  The tall building on the right is the new World Trade Center building which is currently under construction.

By this point we were pretty much shopped out but we still had a lot of time to kill before we left.  We walked to Rockefeller Center, looked around, got some lunch, then walked back to Time Square and ate the hugest pieces of cheesecake I'd ever seen.  I guess New Yorkers have no concept of appropriate serving size when it comes to their cheesecake.  Just kidding, kind of.  I love cheesecake but I barely made a dent in my slice.  

This trip changed my life, but I'm not sure how just yet.  For a few days I got to live in a culture that was new to me, with people who share my interests, dreams and values.  I experienced a new kind of relationship with my daughter as I saw her take charge and look out for me when we were doing things she was more familiar with.  I'm a different person than I was a couple weeks ago and I'll never be the same again.  In my head I keep singing the line from Wicked: "I have been changed for good".

Here's one last view of the city as we were leaving.  It was sad to leave, but I'll be back..... someday.

And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street

I've been putting off posting anything for weeks because I've been in a February Mood - you know, that uneasiness and dissatisfaction caused by those warm spring-like days that are then followed by a good dose of winter.  Nothing seemed to be going right and everything was causing me too much stress.  Unfortunately (I guess) our mild winter has extended well into March and it's still not completely spring.

One of my many stresses has been my running.  I finished the couch to 5K (yay for me!) then I got sick and had to take it easy for a week or so.  Since then I've felt unmotivated to run, but I've done it anyway - very slowly and badly.  It's been very discouraging.  I decided that today I should start the Bridge to 10K which starts off where the other program left off.  10 minutes of running + 1 minute walking, repeated 4 times, plus a 5 minute warm-up and 5 minute cool-down is a huge time commitment for me, but something had to change so I thought I'd try.  I run at home.  About 8 laps around my driveway is one mile.  There are lots of interesting things out in the country but after doing this since October I think I've pretty much seen everything there is to see from the driveway.  Then today, on about my 4th lap, I looked up and saw a zebra.  Well I suppose it's not really a zebra but a zebra crossed with a horse or donkey or something like that, and it was just as surprising as seeing a real zebra.  Some new neighbors moved in this weekend and we saw their full horse trailer, but never saw what came out of it.  It was really a pleasant surprise and it made my run go much better.

I carry my phone in my pocket when I run so I got a picture of my new friend, but I had to zoom in too much so it didn't turn out very good.  Hopefully he'll get used to seeing me and will come closer to the fence one of these days.