There is something about
a new beginning that brings hope and joy. For me I don’t let that come around
only on New Year’s Day. Every week is a new beginning as I continue to live
with my chronic migraine illness. Each day brings a new challenge, as I try to
work and live as full of a life as I want. In order for me to keep trying to
ascertain what I want my life to look like, I keep a yearly goal list of all
that I want to see (and eat) in my own backyard so that my life is never
completely off track. My train might just be delayed a bit.
The great thing about
keeping a scorecard is that you never really have a blank slate. As you cross
things off, you add new things to the list. It becomes a living, breathing
document that evolves as you do. That is what I like best about it.
Of course after I have
decided what to do, I make plans to venture out. While out trying to take it
all in, I am taking the photos that I know I will use on the blog, and slowly
piecing the words together that I will want to remember later to use. Sometimes
it is not even the words I am trying to capture but a feeling that I want to be
able to hold on to so that when I type the emotions will just pour out of me
through my fingers and onto the page. Half of the time when I go back and read
what I have written I am amazed. I was typing so fast I couldn’t even keep up
and read at the same speed. It is like I am split into two parts; my soul and
my brain. My brain and the intelligent part of me knows what it wants to say
and my soul knows when and why it needs to say it. This is the reason I
continue to write my blog and do this work. Yes it is still work for me despite
the passion I feel. For every artist I am sure they have this aspect in their
art. For without the work you are never going to feel the pride.
Before we move on to this
year’s hit list I think it is important to reflect back on this past year for a
moment for this is the only way I get to see an entire year’s worth of
adventures at a glance. For one
thing there were only sixty blogs written a drop down for me from the previous
year, a clear indicator of how much my illness had progressed and taken a hold
of my life. But despite this challenge I am proud of what I was able to
accomplish though always craving more.
My favorite blogs are
(see links below):
·
For A Few
of My Favorite Things
·
For The
Vanderbilt’s Summer Home “The Breakers”
·
For
Cynthia Nixon’s “Wit”
·
For the
2012 New York Times Travel Show
·
For My
Blog’s First Birthday
·
For a
Giant Pot of Gold at the “End of the Rainbow”
·
For My
Mother
·
For an
Anniversary As Priceless As a Gem
·
For
Sheldon Cooper, “Harvey”, and Most of All Jim Parsons
·
For
Jonathon Larson and All The “Seasons of Love” He Has Given Me “Rent Off
Broadway”
·
For a
“Woman’s Worth” Alicia Keys at The 92 Y
·
For
“Thanks and Giving”
I suppose I love all of
my blogs equally but these are the ones I can reread over and over again and
with a gun pointed to my head would be the ones I would choose for others to
read if I had to pick only some. They are the ones I feel define me as an
individual. They are the most personal and reflect the people I wished to honor
and the places I adore the most. They tell the stories that make up who I am
and what I value. They are the lessons I want to share. I hope that going
forward I continue to peel back layers of myself and I continue to learn along
with my audience the things that are important in life as well as the things
that make it worth living. Then sometimes you just need to cut loose and have
fun. That will always be a part of me and my list. Cyndi Lauper said it best,
sometimes “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Now on to the fun stuff!!
The 2013/2014 contenders!!
As you will note in
previous blogs (see links below) I have always started my do to lists, in the
middle of the year usually after my blog’s birthday in March or late April.
This year it took me a little longer because of my health and because there are
many things on last year’s list that I have completed but have not had a chance
to write about. There are still a few coming up and you will notice what they
are if you compare last year’s list to the one below. For the activities I
still have not gotten to, they will reappear on this list and at the top of
their section because I consider them top priority. Some already even have
dates on my calendar, thankfully. Some will just have to wait until the summer
is over because I don’t do well in the heat. The one new feature to the
organization of this list is that I have now broken down the food category
between what I consider to be a meal, like for lunch or dinner, and what’s best
for dessert or a snack. This will highlight my choices in superior manner.
Other than that I have kept our three basic categories the same: plays/shows,
activities/lectures/exhibits/, and food-meals/desserts. Obviously this is only
based on information I have at this time. I am sure my list will continue to
grow so please pay close attention to my Twitter and Facebook accounts during
the year if you want live and current information so that you do not miss out
on any fun especially those great New York City limited run special events.
Ok here we go; these are
my plans for the next year or so!
1. Plays/Shows
a) Chicago (seen before now staring Wendy
Williams until August 11, 2013)
b) Madame Butterfly (if open this season)
c) Bill Maher (comedy festival)
d) Megan Hilty (if she ever comes to NYC)
e) Mary J. Blige (if she ever comes to
NYC)
f)
Rihanna
(if she ever comes to NYC)
2. Activities/Lectures/Exhibits
a) Intrepid Sea, Air, Space Museum
(especially Space Shuttle Pavilion)
b) Circleline Cruise (of NYC skyline and 5
boroughs)
c) FDR Four Freedoms Park
d) Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour
e) Greenwood Cemetery Exhibit (A Beautiful
Way to Go) at Museum of the City of New York (May-October 2013)
f)
“Photography
and the American Civil War” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (until
September 2, 2013)
g) Old Stone House
h) Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill
i)
FDR Home
in Hyde Park & FDR Presidential Library
j)
Vanderbilt
Mansion Historical Site
k) Grant’s Tomb
l)
Alexander
Hamilton’s Grange (house)
m) Harriet Tubman’s House
n) Harriet Tubman Statute in Harlem
o) Collyer Brothers Park
p) Weeksville Heritage Center
q) The Conference House in Staten Island
r) Raynham Music Hall
s) Wicked back stage tour
3. Food
a) Meals
i. Locanda Verde
ii. Gorilla Grilled Cheese Truck
iii. Phil’s Steaks Truck
iv. Luke’s Lobster
v. Japadog
vi. Baked Potato King
vii. Beacher’s Handemade Cheese
viii.
Buttermilk
Channel
ix. Triomphe
x. Lure
xi. Hill Country
xii. Neely’s BBQ Parlor
xiii.
Luke’s
xiv. Blue Hill
xv. Carbone
xvi. Kefi
xvii.
Lasagna
Ristorante
xviii.
S’Mac
xix. Craft
xx. Landmarc
xxi. Rye
xxii.
Antica
Pesa
xxiii.
Mighty
Quinn’s BBQ
xxiv.
Lafayette
b) Desserts
i.
La
Columbe (now in NYC, like in Philadelphia)
ii.
Blue
Spoon Coffee
iii.
Sugar,
Sweet Sunshine Bakery
iv.
Sullivan
Street Bakery
v.
First
Prize Pies
vi.
Holy
Cream/Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwich
vii.
The
Culture Yogurt Company
viii.
Macaron
Parlour
ix.
Laughing
Man Coffee
x.
Intelligentsia
Coffee (now in NYC from Chicago)
xi.
Momofuku
Milk Bar
Do you know what you are
doing from now until June 2014?
I would love to know!
Post comments here or on Twitter or Facebook.
For Past To Do Lists:
Year 1:
Year 2:
My Favorite 2012 Blogs:
http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2012/04/for-giant-pot-of-gold-at-end-of-rainbow.html
My favorite is for For My Mother... xoxo
ReplyDelete