is your refrigerator running?

By | August 30, 2020

mine wasn’t.

That was Sunday night’s fun discovery. Not.

In the grand scheme of things, it was fine. Like I said to a friend, more nuisance than Problem.  I didn’t lose much, the thawing freezer didn’t flood, and I rent so it wasn’t (as much) my headache. Just oh so 2020. On the plus side, this week brought Ichabod the iMac into my life. My little laptop was great, but not meant for heavy, daily usage and these eyes are too old for a 13″ screen even with an external monitor.

This was a weird week. Other than running, I wasn’t really moving much. Said to a friend who was talking about the running percentage of her crazy steps total on a day that I had 5.77 miles on the day, 5 of which were running. I really don’t mind. Heat, humidity and life are draining right now. Worth just taking time to be.

On the reading front, I finished The Great Deluge on the anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. Doesn’t normally take me three weeks to read 700 pages, but this book was dense and didn’t make for great bedtime reading. I subsequently read Austin Channing Brown’s excellent I’m Still Here in a couple of hours after waiting all summer.

museums + running

And best of all? I got to go to a museum! I can’t remember the last time I went five months without visiting a museum. It’s usually a max of five days. Timed tickets (which I like anyway for planning purposes), masks and distancing, but MUSEUMS. Of course I direct deposited my wallet with the gift shop.

I truly love the Museum of the City of New York because of how it tells the city’s stories. They collect museum-quality artifacts of course, but they also have amazing ephemera including this poster for the NYC Marathon in their Collecting New York’s Stories exhibit, which was slated to open just before the world shut down. Yes, that made this poster even more poignant.

I do. Forever.

I am so tired of the endless articles pronouncing NYC dead. Whether it’s a political angle or just the endless need for doom and gloom, it got old a long time ago. Am I biased? Of course. But this city is 400+ years old and has probably been declared dead at least that many times.  If any time ever called for Haters gonna hate, it’s this.

Anyway…

Weekly run down with Deborah and Kim:

  • I missed a Monday: even before I came home to the thawing fridge, I’d decided I was sleeping in on Monday after two early runs. Morning walk was only to the Met and for coffee because no creamer is the travesty of the broken fridge. LOL. Went on a hunt for dinner and shelf-stable creamer so did get in some steps, but overall a needed mental/physical day off.
  • Tuesday: up and at it. Rise and run. How many cliches fit in one post? Runrise ahead of another scorcher of a day. Back of the knee sweat (aka against desk chair) was a new experience during quarantime. I finally realized why — I really never sat at a desk outside of the office aka the land of AC.

<3

  • Wednesday: I usually don’t run two days in a row, but sometimes you have to. Minimal steps before work and I was feeling stiff and stir crazy and it was absolutely gorgeous, so I decided to go chase a sunset. Mission accomplished. Found Pinocchio too!

#MonumentalWomen

So many bad options

 

  • Thursday: I really don’t run three days in a row, but when my colleague texted to ask if I’d meet him, I didn’t want to say no. It was 90+ and 70%+ humidity so it was a plod more than anything, but lately I’m really feeling the need for some socialization. After I left him where he enters the park, I ran a little to the Literary Walk to see the new statue that was unveiled-the first in Central Park to honor real women! Had been drinking A LOT due to the heat and realized I needed to use the bathroom. No issue, many of the Park’s bathrooms are open, but I forgot how fun it isn’t to pull up a skirt on sweaty legs. I didn’t want to start running again so I left the Park at 72nd and headed to Target. For years I was jealous of people with Targets for their oreos and other things. A colleague who lived near a big one would bring them in for us So I was tickled to find a giant display at my mini Target. The maple creme and mint were oh so tempting, but I have no portion control when it comes to oreos so they’re banned.

isn’t she pretty!

meet my teenie weenie kitchen

  • Friday: original plan was museum, but when my super called on Thursday to tell me that my landlord had decided to buy a new fridge, I knew that wasn’t going to work timing wise. So once Mr. Fridge arrived and I deep cleaned my kitchen (not fear of COVID from delivery, it just needed it!) I took a quick walk to the grocery store for some staples. Had Peapod on standby for Saturday, and if this had to happen at least it was at a time where grocery delivery was easy.  When I briefly contemplated moving (within the city) to a space with outdoor space and found myself looking at kitchen size. Never a thing before.

hi Balto!

  • Saturday in the Park – I love that song, but it makes me miss Yankee games. Elizabeth and I met up for me to join her for part of her long run and we ran/walked/found Balto and generally explored the Park. The forecasted rain never happened, but it was overcast which made it a lot more manageable. After waiting for Peapod, it was museum o’clock, during which I also saw a colleague I haven’t seen since March 11. I’m OK, but missing people is real. A 30K step day made up for the rest of the week’s inactivity and it was nice to cap it reading by the river. I hadn’t gotten there this week, so that made it doubly nice.
  • Sunday:  lunch with mom & Bob! No idea what else, but I’m sure I’ll find some mischief.

20 thoughts on “is your refrigerator running?

  1. Marcia

    NYC dead? Never! Glad you got to hang in a museum! So fun. Oh my look at all the Oreos. I’d like to pretend I’m buying them “for the kids” but they don’t even like the novelty flavors. Better to stay away completely.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      mint & pop rocks are the only two specialty ones I will kill without a thought, but PB is just my crack. Even though I’m not sure about oreo kind of peanut butter, I’m sure I can’t eat just ten.

      Reply
  2. Deborah Brooks

    ah NYC always has a way of always bouncing back! It will and we will be back soon I hope. What a pain on the refrigerator front. I kind of had a week like that too. such is life! Hope it starts to cool down! Thanks for joining us today and have a great week ahead

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      NYC will. Somehow it always does. Currently reading a book that began just after 9/11 and some of the headlines were almost verbatim
      This week seems like it will be much more civilized. I think the world just needs the break. Hope you have a better one too!

      Reply
  3. Chocolaterunsjudy

    Sounds like a pretty good week! How lovely to be able to see the new sculpture in person.

    My first apartment had a kitchen that looked a lot like yours. I’ve gone on to other apartment kitchens, a really lovely kitchen, and a somewhat serviceable one now. You make do with what you have!

    Having some outdoor space would definitely make city living more bearable for me.

    We’ve had a time or two when a fridge or freezer door didn’t close properly. Never fun.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Oddly not closing properly was an issue with the (now former) fridge too. It always felt like the seal didn’t catch and I found myself checking it a lot because things didn’t feel as cool as they should. In hind sight, the power was probably going long before it went completely.

      Yep on making do. I’m grateful for my fire escape as a reading and work nook.

      The statue is stunning. Had totally forgotten about it and then bam it was in the news

      Reply
  4. Kim G

    So glad that you were able to visit a museum this week! I know that NYC has been cautious (rightfully so) with all of their reopen plans and it’s nice to see more things opening up, safely. That article calling NYC dead was hilarious to me – what a joke! NYC will always be an active, thriving city and one of the best cities in the world.

    I saw Halloween Oreos in my supermarket the other day and I was very tempted to buy them but I’m going to wait until October to do that lol.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Yes, Halloween did explode in the stores didn’t it? I suppose it isn’t too early and we’re kind of lucky it didn’t start on July 5.
      Some of these articles are so ridiculous. It’s like they’re wanting things to be bad to be “Right”.

      I’m in support of the gradual reopening just as you are, and I’m really proud of people doing what’s needed to (hopefully) allow for no backslide. My heart breaks for the small businesses that won’t make it. The margins are so so thin.

      Reply
  5. Darlene S Cardillo

    NYC is never dead in my book.

    Love your CP pics as always.

    Hooray for museums opening!

    I had a lazy week stepswise but at least got my long run in today. Now if I company (or a view) during the week, it would have made a difference (which is why I could run today).

    Reply
  6. Wendy

    My sister lived in NYC and had a kitchen about the same size as yours! And she lived there with her hubs and 2 kids. I don’t know how she did it. I guess that explains why they finally moved to New Rochelle. She was reluctant to leave the city tho! That’s how I felt and feel about Chicago. It’s not as bad as the media would have you believe.

    Going to put my name on the list for I’m Still Here.

    Reply
  7. Coco

    I think of you whenever I hear about NYC museums reopening. MOMA made the news here. You are doing your part keeping NYC alive — I can’t wait until I can run in Central Park again and catch some of those views in person. I’m not tempted by strange Oreo flavors, but the regulars ones are deadly enough. ;-). So glad you got your fridge taken care of. Our A/C was out for a morning, but luckily my husb was able to reset it.

    Reply
  8. Liz Dexter

    Yay museum, and that looks like a great one. I love our local exhibits at ours, not sure if it’s open but I’d have to walk there and back … It’s got cooler here the last couple of days and I wish for the same for you!

    Reply
  9. Beckett @ Birchwood Pie

    Eek, we would be in serious trouble if our fridge went down. I feel ya on the oreos, I have “some” self control with the regular ones but give me the vanilla ones or any of the exotic flavors and I’d end up eating the whole box in a couple of days.

    Reply
  10. Melissa

    LOL on the NYC being dead front. I, too, see those articles and laugh. I was born there and my family still lives there and New Yorkers would never let it die. (And most will still never leave … if they’re anything like my family!)

    So sorry about your fridge. Ours died a few months ago during hte pandemic when things still weren’t open and what a pain that was! It died over Easter weekend and not only was it FULL of food, but nearly impossible to find a new one within a reasonable time period. Thankfully we got one – not the purchase I was hoping to make with our stimulus check, but oh well!

    Reply
  11. Lisa @ Mile by Mile

    People need to find other things to do with their time other than writing about NYC being dead, lol. How frustrating about your fridge. Glad you didn’t lose too much and that it didn’t melt everywhere.

    Reply
  12. Kimberly Hatting

    Yay for a return to a museum!!!! Those Oeros…I’m pretty open-minded, and do embrace taking chances and change and yadda yadda yadda. But I really wish they would have left the originals alone LOL Iike the double-stuff ones, but all the exotic flavors are a bit over the top.

    Reply
  13. Jenn

    NYC doesn’t die. Who says this nonsense???

    I’m so glad you got to visit a museum. That sounds amazing. A friend and I are going to take a mural tour in a few weeks, and I am so excited for some culture!

    Glad you got the new fridge and that it wasn’t a huge issue. That could have been a big financial hit!

    Reply
  14. Michelle D.

    How can NYC ever be dead?! Yay for getting back to a museum! One of the many things I loved about living in NYC was museum hopping.

    Glad you didn’t lose much in the fridge debacle!

    Reply
  15. Zenaida Arroyo

    Who are those people saying NYC is dead?!?!? Makes no sense at all.

    I actually like the mint oreos. I buy them here and there because I don’t have portion control either.

    The Museum of the City of New York sounds interesting! Here we have the Chicago History Museum and it is interesting as well. I’ve been there a few times.

    Reply
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