Vacation Report Card

When I started the vacation 2 weeks ago, I set some goals for myself. About 65% of the way through the vacation, I thought it would make sense to assess my performance against those goals. (After reading the last sentence, I guess that you can take the consultant out of the office, but you can't take the office out of the consultant).

The 5 goals I set were:
1. Find an apartment
2. Relax
3. Work out
4. Eat healthy
5. Write

The first and most important goal has been hanging over this vacation like a black cloud. If you've ever hunted for an apartment in NYC, you'll know why. If you never have, I wouldn't recommend it - it's a nightmare. The process started off smoothly enough with me searching around the city for neighborhoods where I want to live. After 2 days and a lot of miles, I narrowed down to a few neighborhoods. What I didn't consider was how expensive these areas are. I knew finding an apartment in NYC would be expensive, I had no idea it would be THIS expensive. I've made some progress, but every day seems like I give up more and more of what I want. I can't wait until this process is over.

Grade: C-

When it comes to relaxing, I've done a good but not great job here. Puerto Rico really helped in this regard and I was able to relax by the pool, the beach, and at the spa. In NYC, it has been a little tougher with the apartment search constantly in the back of my head.

Grade: B-

The one area I've done better than any other over this vacation is working out. This is day 12 of the vacation and I've been to the gym 9 times. I feel and look great, and just in time for the summer as well. I'll deduct a few points since I tweaked my shoulder and probably could have gone harder in a few of the workouts.

Grade: A-

Eating healthy is always a dangerous proposition on vacation. Half of you wants to eat healthy since you have the time to cook and make good choices. The other half says, I'm on vacation - enjoy the good life while you can. I think I've found a happy medium eating healthy during the week and not worrying about much on the weekends when I'm away. It's probably good I'm writing this before I get to New Orleans, not after, or the grade would differ drastically.

Grade: B+

I started off the trip very prolific and have begun to slack this week with my writing. However, there's only 1 post I really want to write that I haven't, and since things have been slow the past week, there hasn't been too much to write about. The next week will probably be slow too as I'm getting busier the next few days.

Grade: B+

Overall, it has been a pretty solid vacation with definite room for improvement. Good thing I still have about 1/3 of it left to make some improvements. If I can get my apartment situation figured out before it's over, I'm giving it an A. If I can't...let's not think about that. Off to New Orleans we go!

Kaps

Song of the Day: Lil' Wayne - A Milli

The Vacation Chronicles - Day 6

The vacation is really kicking into full gear now. This afternoon Rachel and I got a massage at the Ritz-Carlton. The massage was phenomenal and the service was even better. You truly felt like royalty the entire time you were at the spa. When we finally left after almost 3 hours, we took advantage of the hotel's beautiful beach - palm trees, sand, sun, and perfect weather. I didn't even care that the $16 beach drinks were watered down, it's just a pleasure to be here. Isla Verde is the place to be. I haven't been this relaxed in months. It's a great feeling.

After the beach, we enjoyed a meal outside - perfect weather with a nice cool breeze coming off the bay. Then we hit a salsa club - the Nuyorican Cafe (thanks Vivien!) which had a few live bands playing fun salsa music. Some of the locals were incredible dancers. Me - not so much, but I gave it a shot and we had a blast.

I'm starting to forget what day it is. Life is good.

Kaps

Song of the Day: Pitbull - Don't Stop the Party

The Value of Parents - A Belated Mother's Day Post

I did some reflecting over the past few weeks about my parents. I'm getting to the age where all of the things my parents taught me over the years are really starting to click. You grow up with your parents for years and they always say, "One day you'll understand." That day has arrived. It's not just the foundational things like treating others with respect and the value of hard work, but what I've really come to appreciate recently are the subtle things my parents have taught me. For years my Dad has told me lessons about how he has succeeded in business even when his skills/knowledge may not have been where they needed to be in certain situations. I find myself applying those lessons over and over on a daily basis. My Mom, just by her presence, has taught me how to be caring and appreciate the small gifts in life. I could go on and on, but I'll keep it short (just this once!).

These are lessons that will stick with me through the rest of my life and will shape who I am as I grow into a more mature adult. I'm so grateful to have my parents and all they have done and continue to do for me.

Kaps

Song of the Day: Muse - Panic Station

The Vacation Chronicles - Day 4

Yesterday was a bad day. I fell back into a bad habit where I have a serious problem disconnecting from my work habits while on vacation. Problem has been rectified and we're moving on. Thankfully, Rachel was with me to help me get through it.

Today was much better. I came back to Philly and got some packing done, made some headway in the apartment search, and got to go to Phillies Phestival, one of my favorite events of the year. Am I getting too old for this event? That probably happened about 5 years ago. I don't care it's still a great day I get to spend with my parents and that's what matters. It also didn't hurt that I scored Roy Halladay's autograph.

I'm currently on my way back to NYC and then off to Puerto Rico tomorrow morning. Can't wait to get some time to relax!

Kaps

Song of the Day: The Postal Service - Clark Gable

The Vacation Chronicles - Day 3

I spent most of the last 48 hours exploring the city and all of its unique neighborhoods. I decided to approach my search the same way I did Philly - search the neighborhoods, determine where I want to live, and then start hunting in that area(s). It's a much more manageable way to find a place to live. Over the last few days, I've checked out Upper East, Midtown, Gramercy, Murray Hill, Stuy Town, East Village, Greenwich Village, SoHo, the Bowery, Williamsburg, and Astoria - at least no one can say I didn't do my homework! I probably walked about 10 miles each day - combined with the gym workouts Monday and Tuesday, my body is beat up. Definitely looking forward to that massage in Puerto Rico on Saturday.

After all the searching, I found many neighborhoods I liked (Greenwich and Williamsburg), and many I didn't like (Upper East and SoHo). The overwhelming favorite right now is Greenwich Village. I love the location (near many of my favorite spots like Union Square, SoHo, and Washington Square Park with great access to many subway lines), the neighborhood (lots of bars and restaurants), the uniqueness, and the vibe. Now I just need to find an apartment in my price range. I'm going to start looking at no fee apartments (brokers typically charge 15% to buyers in NYC - yes, you read that right) and see what I can find. If that doesn't work. I'll be grabbing the services of a broker and biting the bullet. The search starts today and I'm sure it will be an eye opening experience (goodbye 1380 square ft apartment!). I feel much better about my search now that I've narrowed things down and limited the scope because this whole process can be daunting.

For now, I'm going to take most of the afternoon "off" and watch the Phillies game at a Philly sports bar. This is a vacation, need to remember that every once in a while.

Kaps

PS - learning very quickly how productive subway time can be (when they aren't packed).

Song of the Day: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege

The Vacation Chronicles - Day 1

The vacation officially kicked off today, and damn it feels good. I slept until 9:00 this morning, which is the first time that's happened (weekends included) since maybe January. I then took my time getting ready to attack the day. I set a list of goals for myself last night, and one of them was "Relax." Really descriptive, I know, but I need to make sure I take some time for myself the next 3 weeks. I could easily get caught up trying to figure out where I want to live, finding an apartment, and figuring out where life is going to take me over the next few months. I promised myself that while all of those things are important and need to get done, so is my mental health. With that point in mind, I also promised myself I would make the next 3 weeks feel as different from my normal life as possible - I'm going to eat different foods, not be on a schedule all the time, try new things and definitely NOT think about work. So far so good, as it's just after 12 and I'm finally leaving Queens to start the neighborhood search. I took a little detour onto Steinway St. to do some shopping, and it took longer than expected. Things are looking different already!

Kaps

Song of the Day: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Home

The Eve of Change

It's the morning before my whole life changes and I'm feeling a bit restless. Today is my last day full time on my client. I've been working on this particular workstream for almost 2 years and this client for 3.5. It has become such a normal part of my life that it seems like lifetimes since I worked on anything else. This weekend, I'll have a going away party. On Sunday, I'll leave for NYC and things will never be the same. Whoa.

Since I've always been obsessed with rankings and the magnitude of things, I have been wondering if this is the biggest change I've ever undertaken in my life. It's between this, leaving for college, and coming home from college to start working. I can't say I'd give this the number one spot since I'm technically not changing jobs and I'm only moving 90 miles away, but it sure seems like a heavy amount of change. 

It's definitely going to be hard to say goodbye to Philly. I've had so many great memories over the last 5 years here. Especially knowing my brother is moving back here pretty much at the same time I'm leaving makes this tough. Luckily, I'm going to be coming back for work 2 days a week at least for a few months, so that should help me ease into the transition.

People keep asking - do you think you'll ever move back? I like to think I will, but I'm certainly aware of the possibility I don't return. Eventually, the insanely high cost of living in NYC may catch up to me, but right now, I'm just excited for something new. We'll worry about the long-term future later.

Right now, more than anything, I'm excited for a vacation. I'm thoroughly worn out and I need a break. I've been moving at warp speed for quite some time now, and it has definitely caught up to me. The energy I had when I returned from Israel is pretty much gone, and it's time to recharge the batteries. Hopefully, after 3 weeks I will feel refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on the world - assuming looking for an apartment in NYC doesn't kill me. At least I don't have any more hair to lose.

Time to get to work. It's the last day before a big change - no time to slack off now.

Kaps

Song of the Day: Zach Sobiech - Clouds