Life in Pics

Birthdays!

This is one of my most spirited friends. She's now a year older, but she's still got that childlike, endearing Southern way about her.  (You should see how excited she gets about her days of throwing horse manure in the country.)  Note that I wrote Southern girl.  Not Southern belle.  Because she can out burp and out curse any trucker.

What are the odds of celebrating another Georgia gal's birthday in NY?  Miss Thang in the middle was my roommate at a film camp last summer.  The two ladies to the left of her also attended the same film camp. And have Florida roots.  They may be Southern, but I am the most unhealthy eater among them.  I am astounded by all the kale, vegan, gluten-free products they consume.

Snowboarding at Hunter Mountain.  

Joni got the whole linking turns concept.  As usual, I was the most challenged learner. Lots of waiting around for me as I tumbled around in the snow.  At one point, I could not physically follow my appropriate trail and unwillingly found myself careening down "Hell's Gate".  After falling down on a super steep hill, I kept failing at getting back up.  There was a period of time I just plopped down on the ground and helplessly stared down at Andrew.  He called it my "I-want-my-Mommy" moment. 

And snowboarding at Hunter Mountain, take two.

I don't know how to assess this last trip.  I proved that I could link turns. But now I'm petrified of linking turns due to the pain I associate with it. So overall...fail?

Some Japanese celebration going on in Grand Central. 

I decided to switch from monthly contacts to daily wear contacts after my eye doctor friends recommended them for me.  When I went in for my eye exam, the doctor explained that my eyes were so damaged that I would need to refrain from wearing contacts for a week. (Yes, I wore my monthly contacts way over a month, slept in them, and then clawed at my dry eyes.)  I hardly EVER wear my glasses.  I'm not used to them so they make me feel drunk.  It makes me dizzy just to look down at my feet.  I also don't wear them because I look horrible in them. The lenses are thick even after paying for the thinner version.  They make my eyes look more small and beady. I get this Woody Allen thing going on with the glasses. 

Over the weekend, we headed out to Spa Castle for some sweating, detoxing, and relaxation.

Outdoor heated pools with jet streams that massage your body.  My favorite part!

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There are several heated rooms.  Most of them resemble small igloos, but there are also rooms that are similar to the wooden interior of hot saunas. Each room is a different temperature.  There is even an ice room for cooling down. You wear Spa Castle's uniform for these rooms. They are basically t-shirts and shorts to soak up all of your sweat.

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There are also some soaking options in the men and women's locker areas.  There are pools of water at different temperatures (mostly hot and one cold).  There is also an "Event" pool, where a special concoction is offered.  Last time, it was a warm bath with healing properties added to the water.  Oh, the thing to mention for this area is that you are butt naked. Obviously, the areas are separated by gender. But get ready to REALLY get to know your friends here. When I first went to these spas in Korea, I was mortified to go with women I knew. Once we got inside, I would run away to do my own thing. And if by some chance I was forced to be around my girl friends in all of our naked glory, I would only look at their faces. No roaming eyes. I would have rather died than know what was under my friends' clothes. No way. I did not need any images of nipples and nether regions burned into my mind and flashing every time I saw those same women. Just no.

This time, my friend and I comfortably walked around together, taking dips in the pools and chatting away while showering right next to each other (there are no stalls). Maybe I was too tired to care. Also, isn't it true that the older you get, you just don't give a rat's ass.

 Also, get ready to see people who are super comfortable with their bodies.  They don't mind grooming themselves in the very public shower area.

After our day at the spa, we went to get Korean food at Tong Sam Gyup Goo Ee.  We love the pork belly there.  

There's also a cold noodle dish that is a favorite in the summer. It's called Naengmyun. This restaurant presents it in an ice bowl.

I'm getting hungry all over again looking at this now.