Writing a Novel.....

This has nothing to do with my travel adventures, but it is an adventure anyway- writing a novel is always a challenge!

I signed up last month to participate in National Novel Writing Month. The idea of the project? Ambitious writers have one month to write a 50,000 + page novel. They shouldn't start before November 1st, and the deadline is November 30th at midnight. The prizes are web badges, a pin, and the feeling of accomplishment from writing a novel.

I am really excited about this project, but the challenge is finding the time. I haven't even started writing yet, and it is already the 3rd! I figure that I need to average about 2,000 words or more a day to reach the 50,000 word goal. As of now, I owe 6,000 words! I have a feeling that I will be writing A LOT this weekend......

Sounds like fun, right? For more information, visit http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

Happy Writing!

LP SKATER

Adventures in NYC

On Saturday morning, I was getting ready to head to the store when the phone rang. It was Arti, a friend of ours and a talented artist (if you are familiar with the artwork in Lake Placid Skate Shop, it is all his work). After a few minutes of chatting, Arti had some exciting news. "Guess what? I got a call from America's got Talent, and they want me to audition for them in New York City!" he announced excitedly over the phone. "That's great!" I replied; I was really excited for him. A few weeks ago, Arti had decided to apply for the popular reality show America's got Talent, as a singer. He can sing quite well, and even performed with "the Shipman Project" (a local band) in Lake Placid's Fourth of July Barbecue concert.

"So, when are you going to audition?" I asked. "Well, I am supposed to be there tomorrow", said Arti. "Would you guys be able to take me?"

Thus was the start of another Scrunchie and Mo (I am Scrunchie, my mother is Mo- don't ask) road trip. We were still recovering from our last cross country jaunt to Milwaukee, and now it looked like we were about to take another trip....luckily it was only 5 hours each way, instead of 24.

Life is funny that way; I had expected my Sunday to be like every other Sunday- go to the store, catch up on homework, and teach skating in Plattsburgh. As of 11 am that day, we were going to be commuting to the Big Apple.

Sunday morning at 2 am found us on the road- we woke up at 1 am (after only 1-2 hours of sleep) and were in the car by 2. After picking up Arti, we were winding our way through the dark road due south.

By around 7:30 am, we had arrived at the Clifton NJ train station, our normal commuting point. Usually when we came to Clifton to visit my grandparents, we took one day to go to the city, and commuted from the Clifton train station. From there we went to Seacaucus Junction, then the Penn Station.

From Penn, we walked toward 34th Street, where the Javitts Center was located. The auditions would be taking place there, and there were already crowds of people waiting to get in. Arti went to get in line, and my mom and I started walking in search of breakfast.

We finally found a cute little restaurant that was incredibly busy (like everywhere else in NY, even on a Sunday at 9 am) and after eating, went towards Rockefeller Center.

For me, no trip to NYC is complete without skating on Rockefeller Center. I skated for about an hour in the balmy 60 degree weather....then we were off to lunch.

After a couple of hours on the lower east side (the site of our two favorite places, Angelica's Kitchen and Babycakes) and getting lost a few times, we headed back to the Javitts Center. Luckily Arti was finished by five, which led to the long train ride back to NJ.

I did get to see my grandparents, if only for a few minutes. It was so random to be there so suddenly, when at that time yesterday I had been in Lake Placid! Hopefully I will get to visit them again soon- my grandfather is turning 80 this year.

The last thing we did in NJ was search for food- after finding a Whole Foods (for mom and I) and a Kentucky Fried Chicken (for Arti) we were going home. It had been a long and exhausting day.

That was the adventure of the week- there a probably plenty more to come.....but hopefully not until we fully recover from the last adventures ;)

LP SKATER

Adventures in Milwaukee

Well, I am finally here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 2010 Olympic Trials in Long Track Speed Skating. It only took about 24 hours to get here, due to our 2 hour traffic stop through Chicago and frequent caffeine/rest stop breaks to keep my mom (and myself) awake.

I tried something new this time; clips of my travels through various states and landmarks. I hope to post them soon. Now it is time to report on Olympic Trials! Keep watching Lake Placid Skater for more details.

LP SKATER

Adventures in JFK Airport

Right now I am composing this post from the JetBlue terminal in the JFK airport; fitting, since this is where I spent a lot of time a few days ago.

I had quite an adventure, as always, on Wednesday en route to Colorado. You see, my mom and I always have adventures when we travel; inevitably, we end up where we shouldn't be. This trip was no exception.

The day started normally enough; we woke up at 3:30 to be on the airport shuttle to Burlington International Airport at 4:30, and boarded our plane at 6 am. We were flying JetBlue as always, so I fell asleep briefly with the XM radio playing in the backround. There were some crazy weather patterns over JFK, so we were informed that no one was permitted to land until the fog cleared out. So we circled JFK for about an hour; luckily the pilot said that those with connecting flights would not miss their flights, all they had to do was speak with a Jet Blue representative to find their new gate assignments. As soon as we landed we did just that, and hustled to the customer service counter to find out where the flight to Denver was located.

Well, it didn't exactly turn out the way we imagined; after standing in line at Customer Service for 30 minutes, we found out that we had missed our Denver flight at 8:30 am; and there were no other flights until 8:30 pm!! So we were literally stranded at JFK for 10 plus hours, waiting for the flight!

Luckily, my mom and I are adventurers, and decided that instead of waiting around the airport forever for the flight, we should go have lunch in NYC and come back. As some of my friends know, I am very fond of Angelica's Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant on the Lower East side, as well as Babycakes, a gluten free bakery in Soho. Off we went!

The trip to the city was moderately complicated; first, we got on an Airtrain, which went to the A train connection at Broadway Junction. Then it was the J train, which took us to the Lower East side. From there it was pretty easy to find Babycakes, our first stop.

My close friends know about my addiction to Babycakes, but for those who don't know, let me elaborate. Babycakes is a vegan, gluten free bakery on Broome Street, in a tiny storefront that is barely noticeable. Their baked goods, however, are difficult to ignore. The first thing one notices when stepping into the store is the vast case of goodies, containing everything from muffins to cupcakes, even "Skinny Buns", Babycakes' take on Cinnamon rolls. Most things are not only gluten free and vegan, but also sweetened with agave nectar, a nice break from sugar (which I avoid anyway). I am not the only one that loves this bakery; celebrities such as Oprah and Martha Stewart (the owner was actually on the show making her famous cupcakes) praise the treats, and actors Betty White, Chevy Chase, and others have signed pictures on the walls from their visits to Babycakes. I am in great company! After a chocolate cupcake and some goodies for the plane, we were off to Angelica's.

Angelica's Kitchen is probably my favorite vegetarian restaurant. The food is simple and delicious, and almost everything is made on site. Best of all, much of of the food is organic or local. We had quick lunch there, then started to head back to the airport.

The weather in NYC is usually predictable (especially compared to Lake Placid), but that day it was cloudy and threatening rain all day. Finally it started to rain; not just rain, but thunder and lightning too! So we walked to the bus stop in the rain, and got totally soaked. Luckily my carry-on luggage (including my computer and camera in my backpack) didn't get wet!

I never quite realized how important and helpful hand dryers in the restrooms can be, until I came back to JFK really wet with a few hours before my flight. I spent some of my time buying a new pair of socks, a new shirt, and drying my sneakers with the air dryers. The rest of the time was spent on my computer and eating sushi before the flight.

The day wasn't over yet; we got on our flight to find that the weather was too bad for take-off! It was lightning again, and the crew didn't want to risk using the equipment to load the baggage, so we waited for another hour and a half. At least we were on the flight this time!

We arrived in Colorado at around 12 midnight, went to a nearby hotel, and crashed. The end.

I am actually grateful for these travel adventures; what else would I blog about? As a great writer once said, "Nothing in life is bad; it is all material". Besides, I had fun in NYC, and it was certainly a memorable trip!

Watch for photos from NYC and Colorado, coming soon!

LP SKATER

Adventures in New York (and New Jersey)

Hi everybody,

Well, I am back. Actually, I was in Lake Placid at approximately 11 pm Saturday night, but I was so tired that I unpacked the car and went straight to sleep. The past few days have been crazy, so now it is post time!

This Tuesday my mom and I decided to make the trip to New Jersey to visit my grandparents. It was a very last minute decision (decided to go on Tuesday, left on Wednesday) but since I am not going to be off from school until May, we decided it was now or never. So we packed up the car and headed to the Garden State.

After the predictable stops (in Saratoga to have lunch at the Four Seasons, and a sushi dinner at the Palisades Mall) we finally made it to my grandparent's house. It was so nice to see them! I haven't been there since October, so it was nice to catch up.

On Friday, we went into New York City. I awoke at 5:30 so I could go to Rockefeller Center early before the crowds came to figure skate. Only for figure skating would I wake up at 5:30 ;) Maybe speedskating! :) Here is a picture of the skyline at sunrise from the train station in NJ:




So we made it to Rockefeller Center by 8 to find out....the session wasn't until 8:30! We waited until then enjoying the sunny day and watching the skaters. I absolutely love skating on Rockefeller Center; nothing is better than skating in a t-shirt and having the onlookers cheer for me! Maybe they thought I was famous--that was a nice feeling ;)I was also thrilled to see my friend and fellow blogger Susan skating! It was nice to see her again, and discuss Worlds--up until that point I wasn't even aware of the Worlds placements! Thanks Susan! Be sure to visit her awesome website www.Lifeskate.com!



We love to see the Today show proceedings across the street, so that is where we went next. It is interesting to watch the broadcasting, as well as the production aspect of the show. We ended up getting carried away in the group of fans down the street--it turned out that they wanted a small crowd to stand outside the studio door and wait to see Kathie Lee and Hoda come out the side door for the last chatty hour of Today. I managed to snap a picture of them:



Side note--we also found a really cool shop that is most likely only found in the city--a Japanese confection store. We got 2 small items for my grandparents--despite the fact that they were made of "healthier" ingredients like green tea and white bean paste (which was surprisingly good) they were REALLY sweet! Luckily I walked it off on the 20+ blocks we walked to get to the Lower East Side later ;)

Before the trek to the Lower East Side, we visited the American Girl Store. Even though it was a Friday morning at around 10:30, it was still really busy. Let me explain--my mom and I were given a used American Girl doll to use as a model for our doll dresses that we are selling in the shop. Unfortunately the doll had been through several children and was very bedraggled. So we took her to the city with us and decided to give her some TLC at the Doll Salon (yes, it does really exist). Her hair was combed and braided, and the dirt was washed off her face. She looks fabulous! The best part? Standing at the counter surrounded by 8 year olds and having them compliment me on "my" doll ;) Luckily my mom captured these moments perfectly:



When we visit the city, we travel everywhere--this time, we went from Rockefeller Center many blocks to the Lower East Side. There we had lunch at Angelica's Kitchen (the best restaurant ever, in my opinion) and then even further, to Soho. I LOVE this gluten free, vegan bakery called Babycakes, which has fantastic baked goods that aren't too sweet. They are so good that celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Oprah, Pamela Anderson, Betty White, and others visit when they are in town. Love it!

Last it was back to Time's Square, where my mom took multiple photos of me ;)




The whole day was exhausting; without any major problems and after standing in line for the NJ Transit ticket booth for 15 minutes, we made it onto the train. When I got to Seacaucus, I snapped a picture of the city, this time at night.



We got back to Clifton with no problems, and were actually at home before 10 pm--a nice treat for my grandparents (they are used to us arriving much later from our adventures). So this was my day in the city--the next day, after spending a bit of time with grandma and grandpa again, we drove back to Lake Placid, glad to escape the bustle and stress of southern New York. Although it is fun to get away, I realize how truly lucky I am to live in Lake Placid--it is clean, quiet, safe, and there is always something to do. We might not have any malls or tall buildings, (unless you count the ski jumps), it is not needed. It is wonderful here just the way it is.

In an unrelated note, if you are a figure skater or skating fan, be sure to visit my figure skating and speed skating blog Lake Placid Skater for news about what is going on in the Winter Sports Capital of the World!

Happy Tuesday,

LP SKATER