Happy Birthday to Me

Well, I'm 28. And, despite flaws in the system, I had a pretty good birthday. But my birthday is also known as :

NEW YORK: DAY 2
I woke up nice and early to get in a long run (little did I know that it would be my last long run for a while). I realized that I walked about 8-10 miles the day before, so when I woke up yesterday my ankles and feet were sore. But it was my birthday, dammit, and I wanted to run. So I did.

I strapped on my Garmin, ignored the ankle and foot pain, and headed off towards the Hudson. 10.5 miles later, I was home and my legs, ankles and feet were very sore, so I soaked in a tub.

Afterwards, my day really began. I decided to master the subway system today. I was lost today for about 2 hours because I kept getting on the wrong trains! I somehow ended up in Chinatown (which freaked me out so bad that I immediately went back into the subway), somehow ended up at the World Trade Center, found another train line and accidentally took an express to Harlem. I didn't get out there, either.

But in between getting lost, I found SoHo, which is an area FULL of boutiques and clothing stores. I found Bloomingdales (out of my price range), and best of all - I found a shop that I went in last time. I couldn't remember the name of it, nor where it was, but I knew I wanted to go back to get another shirt. I stumbled across it and took advantage.

The trip to Harlem was at the end, so after Harlem I went back to the Upper West Side to go to Crumbs bakery for a birthday cupcake (they are quite large and tasty). I walked by the Musuem of Natural History and they were getting ready for a film premiere of "The Lady in the Water" - people were dressed up and the papparazzi were there (but the stars and director weren't supposed to show up for a while and I didn't have time).

Finally, at 5:30, I made it home from my daily adventure (not knowing that it would be my last for a couple of days). I changed clothes and met up with Blake and we walked very fast to get "Phantom of the Opera" tickets. They were sold out (birthday disappointment #1). Darn. Instead, he and I decided to go out to dinner and then meet up with Christine and go to a movie. On the way to dinner, though, I, wearing heels, took a bad step and my ankle didn't go with me. Yep, I have a mild sprain (birthday disappointment #2). Mild enough that I'm not going to the doctor, but strong enough that I can't walk very well. At the time, though, since I fell in the streets, I laughed the fall off and made jokes about leaving my pride back there. I limped on it, thinking that I needed to just walk it off. It twinged, but allowed me to. After dinner, Christine met us and we saw "Pirates of the Caribbean", which was WAY too long. My attention, however, was diverted to my ankle. It was swelling and I couldn't put it on the floor comfortably. I spent 2.5 hours shifting around, trying to alleviate the pain, unsuccessfully. After the theatre, I couldn't put weight on it, so I hobbled to light and we looked at my swollen and slightly bruised foot/ankle. Shit. And it was still 4 blocks back to her apartment. I limped, hopped, etc. just to get back and then we applied ice and elevated it.

So, today I'm staying inside the apartment for most of the day. I need to leave shortly to get breakfast and amusement fo the day (a selection of newspaper), but then I'm coming right back and elevating it. I might, depending on how it feels, try to get theatre tickets for tonight later on, but I'll have to see because the theatre is many blocks away.

Oh, well. At least I get to work on "Crime and Punishment." And if a day or two of rest will insure me a good trip in the latter of the week, then I guess I'm going to do it.

Cheers!