Pool Season Begins

The pool season has officially started and I'm finally getting settled into my new job here in New York. May was a whirlwind month of moving and visiting and traveling and now I'm getting into a new routine of (dissertation) work and (pool) work and (journal editing) work. Hah.

Two days before my first day at the 

pool I sprained my ankle! I suppose

I was overdue for an ankle injury 

since I haven't had one since

high school. It was a minor sprain

and while it still hurts, it is feeling 

much better now. 

The new pool I work at is more of a 

dipping pool than a swimming pool.

Mostly people come here to tan and

utilize the on deck bar on sunny days. 

The benefit to my new job is that I am

working in Manhattan on the Lower East

Side. This means I get to explore an entirely

new neighborhood and I come across

things like leprechaun statues on buildings! 

Also visible from the neighborhood

is the new World Trade Center. It 

is really exciting to see it grow taller

and taller. 

Because of the location and the "look"

of the pool (Andy Warhol's face is on the tiles 

at the bottom), it is a popular place for 

photo shoots and TV filming. This week

I got to see a segment of a reality TV show

filmed at the pool! 

That is all for now! I hope everyone is having a good start of the summer! 

May: Tests, Transitions, and Travel

Well the exams are finally all over and the essays have all been marked, and now I can settle down and return to regular posting. I'm sorry for the extended hiatus over the past few months. As you may know, a lot has happened over the past month or so for me. Let's start from the beginning...

The beginning is actually the end of my time in Toronto. Now that I have finished all of my exams, the only task left is to write my dissertation, which I can work on from anywhere (i.e. New York)!

To celebrate the end of the school year and most 

importantly the end of long distance, Rich and 

I made a visit to the CN Tower's posh rotating

restaurant. Unfortunately, right after this

a cloud engulfed the tower and obscured

the view. 

One last picture of the old apartment 

after we packed everything up. 

 

 On our return to New York, we stopped at

Niagara Falls for an evening. We had just gotten

over the US border when we decided to walk

right back to Canada (the view was better!). 

 

Back in New York, I came across

some exciting events like this 

talk by Edward Albee on Samuel

Beckett hosted by the famous NYC

bookstore, The Strand.

But I only had a few days in New 

York before I hopped on a plane to

visit Austin:

In Austin, Tony and I endured the

infamous 3.5 hour line at Franklin's

BBQ...

But it was worth it! 

Less of a wait and equally enjoyable

 was this beautiful sunset 

over lake Travis after a delicious

family dinner at Steiner Ranch.

And I of course I couldn't miss out on this old

high school haunt for breakfast tacos with Robert! 

I'm safe and sound back in New York now, settling down and getting ready for the summer. The pools open this weekend, which means I begin work on Friday! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather and more blog posts to come!

A Moveable Feast (of Books)

Tomorrow I am taking my major field exam. It is an 8-hour exam, open note and open book. My task will be to answer 2 out of 6 essay questions created for me by my committee members. If I pass the written portion, a week later I will have an oral defense of what I've written in front of my committee. I've been preparing for this exam for the past two months (thus the lack of blog posts) and as you can imagine I'm pretty nervious for it!  Above is the suitcase of books I plan to bring to the exam with me and some ramen in the background (hehe).

Wish me luck!

And Happy Easter everyone!

February Freeze

Brrr... it is cold out there! Today was one of a few sunny days we've had all month and so I decided to walk down to Nathan Phillips Square where city hall is.

Tomorrow is Family Day here and

a bank holiday so the streets 

were busier than usual for Sunday.

Old City Hall  is right next to...

New City Hall! 

In front of City Hall is a little skating rink. My

Canadian friends have been trying to get me to go

skating, but I'm balking. I imagine they'll skate

the whole time and I'll fall the whole time! 

My favorite mode of transportation in Toronto! 

That is all for now. This week is "reading week" at University of Toronto. Essentially reading week is the equivalent of spring break, but not as fun. Most students will take short trips to see family or a mini vacation elsewhere and then do work the rest of the week. I'm going to be working away enjoying the time to get caught up on work this week. We are now halfway through the semester! I am counting the days to big field exam in April. 43 days of preparation left!

Have a restful Sunday night and a great week everyone!

My World in Snow

The East Coast was not the only place to get hit with a snow storm this week. In Toronto we got almost a foot of snow. The way Toronto reacted, you'd think we were a city in balmy Texas, not freezing cold Canada! All events were cancelled for most of the day and everything but the U of T library was closed. Thank goodness the library was open. In grad school snow days don't count and I had work to do!

On Saturday I took a sloshy walk around campus and got some pictures of the snowfall before it all melted away (as it is currently doing today and tomorrow).

Amazingly, there are people who are actually

still riding their bikes around town even in

the below freezing weather. 

The streets have been pretty

messy for the past few days

even with lots of salt and plowing.

One of my favorite places

in Toronto: Queen's Park

More Queen's Park. 

Snow-capped Northrop Frye (an important 

Canadian literary theorist and critic).

 

Another favorite place on campus: Hart House! 

Good thing I have some sturdy

snow boots! Walking in this snow

can be quite messy. 

I hope everyone is keeping safe and warm wherever you are and however you were affected (or not) by the recent winter weather!

 

 

Christmastime is Here

Christmas has now come and gone! I hope that everyone had a fantastic Christmas. Rich and I had a hectic few days trying to squeeze as many Christmas traditions in as possible. I arrived in New York on Saturday night and we spent some time enjoying the season here in the city. On Monday we headed to New Jersey to celebrate with Rich and his family and now we're back in New York for a few days to get some work done before the new year!

 Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to take 

pictures around Toronto because I was so busy 

marking exams, but I got this one shot. Toronto 

loves to get dressed up for the holidays just as 

much as New York! 

 Traditionally, each year Rich and I take a walk down

5th Ave. to look at all the lights and decorations.

Although the windows as Macy's are the most famous...

 Rich and I prefer the opulence of 

the windows at... 

Bergdorf Goodman's on 5th Ave. They do a wonderful

job of highlighting both the artistry of window dressing

and the clothing and accessories they sell. 

Busy 5th Ave. is an amazing sight during the holidays--

The streets are full of sparkling light shows, 

people from all over the world, and vendors 

selling savory and sweet treats to the passersby;

And of course the famous 

Rockefeller tree!

Even the Empire State Building gets decked out 

for the holidays. 

Against our better judgement, Rich and I stopped 

in Macy's. Fortunately, it was not as 

crowded as we expected (most likely 

because we visited at 10:30 pm).

Back in New Jersey, Christmas 

trimmings and tidings were 

a little more tranquil.

This year Rich gave me one of the most thoughtful

gifts I've ever received: an original fixture from 

the Swarovski crystal chandeliers at the Metropolitian

Opera, one of my favorite places in the city.

To top off a great Christmas day, we had a 

wonderful Christmas dinner full of 

good food and laughter (and 

tasty meatballs!). 

That is all for now. Rich and I will be busy for a few days, getting in some work before we head off to spend New Years with some college friends. I wish everyone a peaceful and happy end to this year and a wonderful beginning to the new year!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

This past month has been quite hectic with the end of the semester! I still have a week left, which will be full of grading exams. I hope to make some time for baking cookies and watching Christmas movies, though.

Tea Advent Calendar: A local Toronto tea shop makes these

wonderful tea-filled Advent calendars that have a new

tea for each day of December leading up to Christmas! 

I've now put up my (few) Christmas 

decorations including this teddy bear 

stocking, which I believe was my first 

stocking as a child (right, mom and dad?) 

Unfortunately only half of this string of lights worked.

It looks like I'll be investing in some new Christmas 

lights for next year! 

 

 Not even a kitchen with miniscule counter space

can deter me from making the traditional

Christmas sugar cookies! 

It doesn't feel like Christmas with out this 

Syvarth family tradition! 

I hope everyone's preparations for Christmas are going smoothly. I can't wait to celebrate the holidays with Rich in New York and New Jersey this year. I'm counting the days!