Holidays

So why do holidays come so laden? Overwhelming tide pools of emotional debris from years past and brimming with, oh so many emotions. This is a time ripe for backward glancing which should be verboten at this point. So shall it be no backward glance for me. Holiday on! Just a thought....

On

And so it goes.....

This Is Pointless

This is a pointless, stupid thing to waste my time on. Yet, is that what I do best? Waste my time on inanity and nothingness, and sometimes it just gets to me. Nothing specific, just generalized unsettled feeling. Nothing meaningful, just redundant. If anyone is out there let me know...otherwise this will be the last of its kind for sometime.

November Notes. Being Here Now or Something.

Still here and dealing with the everyday struggles of being. Or sometimes just letting the boredom settle like falling leaves. Saw a couple of good plays recently, "Ugly Lies the Bone" and "The Flick." Saw another one yesterday, "Lost Girls." The first two are thought-provoking and well done. Neither is a feel-good story but human ones. And we're all composed of stories, some are inspiring, some are amazing and some are just...stories. Trying to put this play together in me head and on paper without letting all the brats in there try to usurp my attention span. Which is very short, by the way. I think I have an adult version of ADD, or whatever the politically correct label is. My memory is Swiss cheese these days. A little scary when I search for the names of actors, people I know, etc. What's also alarming is my annoying habit of checking things and re-checking them. Like keys. Or metro cards. Or sunglasses. Or tickets to something expensive. I know, I know, we all do this. But still.... So another thing I've been thinking about is writing about real issues that are, of course First World Issues, but issues nonetheless. (Isn't that a great word? Nonetheless. Three words all strung together that Spell Check doesn't even underline. Although I wanted to combine spell and check, but it got red-lined. Just like that word which I had to put a hyphen in. Enough about words. I'm curious about the possibility of anyone reading this. Wouldn't be amazing if someone did? Maybe it'll never happen. Which is fine because I need to concentrate on writing a play or something approximating one. As for the other issues, let's see what happens with this blog--probably a big fat Zero. Which is fine, too. Another thing I just noticed: there were actually 30 people who read some of my rantings four years ago. I wonder who they were?

Back in Serviss

So it's been an interesting couple of days--spent trying to figure out how to write a play and also wondering if that's what I really want to do anyway. The conflict arose when I had what I think would be a really good, funny book about depression and its sibling, anxiety. I have what I think is a really good title, but I don't want to tell all just yet. Why do I write? To see a thought in print, to express an emotion. I don't really know. It just seems easier sometimes to write things down rather than speak them out loud. Especially when doing so may upset a partner. I need to spend some time in this brain of mine to see what I really want to do. So far, the play hasn't inspired me. I tend to get bogged down in the technical stuff. Which means, to me, format and structure. When I let those fears encroach they slam the door on my creativity. If that's what you call it. Need to find a true niche that might be fulfilling and possibly lucrative. So far, my earnings have been ridiculous. Enough.

To Every Season....some other words follow this...you know what they are

Daily Musings....November 5, 2015 I've decided to add my two cents once again, to the astonishing world of social media (well, the ones I understand) to vent, inform, be absurd and honest. Maybe review a spa along the way, as I did in another blog of long ago. Hey spa P.R. people: I'm still here! Feel free to contact and invite for a review...Iknow there's not much readership just now since this is my first post, but you never know. My home is now New York City and we (my husband and I) have been here for 5 years. It's been a bumpy ride to now, but whose life is free of bumps? This blog will be humor-based on topics ranging from depression (depression can be very funny, even to the depressed person) to what's going on in Broadway. I'm a huge theater fan, especially Broadway plays (not musicals as much as before) and some Off-Broadway plays. I will add links to stories I write that appear on BroadwayWorld.com in case anyone's interested in reading profiles of interesting actors reviews/observations about New York (Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens). Some of my spa-posts have appeared on About.com, my last blog--Spa Trekking and assorted magazines. And in the rare chance something in the spa industry would be interested in having me, I'm all yours! Hopefully, this blog will eventually find a niche and actually attract more than two readers this time. Optimism! Today I will try not to read gossip which means not visit a trashy U.K.-based website that is my go-to while I drink my first coffee. I'm making no promises. A little background, not that you asked. We live in a small-ish one bedroom apartment on the west side of New York a half-block from Central Park and a subway line. The latter is crucial for my husband who works in midtown. The former is a good place to merge with nature and watch dogs do ridiculous things. Some are pushed around in strollers. I wonder if the pusher knows how stupid that looks. First World complaint. There will be much complaining here, with a humor dagger. As the ubiquitous tee-shirt reads: Life is Good. And I'm enjoying every minute of it--you should too. If anyone out there is reading this, feel free to let me know. If not, well, no hard feelings. Let's see how this goes. Regardless, I will post yet another, next time on depression. Cheers!

An Oasis in the City

Yes, it's winter time, with all that entails: snow, freezing cold, blustery winds and black ice patches. But it's also a perfect time to treat yourself to a well-deserved day (or hour) at one of the city's well-reputed spas. And I've been finding plenty of them, so I thought it would be only fair to share the good ones and maybe steer you away from the lesser-ones.

This little post is a total thumbs up for Oasis Day Spa, (oasisdayspanyc.com) with two Manhattan locations and one in Westchester (oasiswestchester.com). I had the distinct pleasure of having a delightful Lava Stone Massage at the Park Avenue location and I am happy to report that no rocks were dropped on my head! The last time I experienced a stone massage (not in New York) the woman was apparently all-thumbs and I was the unhappy recipient of a goodly number of rocks that went crashing down on me. So it was with great trepidation that I agreed to take another stab at it.

Boy, was that a great call. The skilled therapist, Bruce Baltz, has been with the company roughly 11 years (with an absence that didn't last too long) and trains therapists internationally on the secrets of providing excellent stone massage. He knew what he was doing, no doubt, as I felt taut muscles practically melt beneath his agile fingers and rock. The rocks were used as extensions of his hands, he explained, and were never hot. Warm and cool were the two temperatures of the beautifully formed lava rock and cool marble. He kneaded and stroked my tense neck muscles, my hamstrings and neck until I almost melted into the table.

The spa is run by caring owners, too. Owner Bruce Schoenberg explained the importance of giving back to the community and detailed the many charitable organizations Oasis contributed to with free massages and the like. The guiding philosophy of the spa, said Bruce, was to treat every customer with the utmost consideration and respect. This philosophy was evident when one woman complained about the lounge room's temperature. It was immediately raised to a more comfortable temperature and everyone was happy.

You'll find 19 treatment rooms at the Park Avenue site, with a sauna, some nice dried fruit and almond nibbles and orange and lemon water for snacks.

Check out the website for Oasis, and treat yourself to some feel-good time. Your back will thank you.