Three Things

1. Why I will not be running in the park tonight:

KISS
Central Park Makeout
What: Bring your lip-locking partner (and plenty of mints) to the premier PDA event.
Why: "For no particular cause, other than to promote shameless kissing in public."
When: Thurs., 7 p.m.
Where: Sheep’s Meadow, CPW, at 66th St.

Um, why would anyone want to promote shameless kissing in public?? No thank you, please. I will be running in my own hood.

2. I am a huge dork.

I went to the store to buy a bicycle pump and I got a PINK one. I also got a pink water bottle that I can drink from after filling my bicycle tires with my pink pump while wearing my pink sweatsuit. Issues. Check.

3. I think I have fans!!

I don't necessarily want the people who I interact with daily to read this but it turns out that having a blog with no readers is not that fun. So, I have told two special people about my little blog and invited them to read. You know who you are ... thanks Kids:)

Moving backwards ...

I am going to a football game at my college next weekend. My Chicago friend and I were planning our exploites and commented that it used to be easier. EVERYONE used to go to the first game. But now, our peers have children. And every head must be ticketed. So do you go to the game if you have a child? Apparently not.

Tonight I finally talked to one of my oldest high school friends. To be truthful, he was my first crush (ssshhhhhhh, don't tell!). He has a girlfriend and they have "serious" conversations, they are planning a vacation together.

I also spoke to my parents. This weekend (Labor Day), I am going to see them at their summer house in my favorite vacation destination. I am going with my oldest friend. I have known her since I was three and our parents are friends. So, yeah, I'm planning a vacation with my parents and my childhood friend and her parents. We used to go on vacation together long before we could drive ... and here we are again.

While I am there, I want to swim in the ocean (freestyle, lap type swimming in my wetsuit ... not riding the waves swimming) and I need someone to watch me so I asked my Dad. I also mentioned how I was excited that tonight, on my bike ride, I managed to get the water bottle out of the cage, drink from it and get the water bottle back into the cage all without crashing or otherwise freaking out. Dad is of course willing to watch me swim and happy that I drank out of the water bottle but, um, I'm thirty. Not to mention that I've never been even remotely athletic or coordinated so he's got to wonder about my later in life attraction to endurance sports.

As a parent, you've got to look forward to the day when you get invited on vacation with your children and their families ... and I know my mother likes it when I have a serious guy to buy me jewelry on holidays (not that they've ever been good at it, the only jewelry that he ever bought me was HEINOUS and the other guy bought me, 5 years out of college, the same bracelet that my brother bought for his high school girlfriend ...).

But hey Mom and Dad, look on the bright side. It might look like I'm regressing while all my friends are growing up, getting serious and having kids but at least I'm being proactive and I'm gonna be buff ... I'm not sitting around drinking malt liquor or eating bon bons (oreos, but not bon bons). I'm bettering myself and if you want to go on vacation with me ... well, the triathlon is on the Jersey shore:)

And in keeping with that, we can hope that Mom and Dad would be happy with this:

BIKE: approximately 5 miles, 31:09, AvgHR 128
RUN: 2 miles; 20:48; AvgHR 158; MaxHR 168

And then ... there was one

Less than two months ago I left my office, walked to his apartment, opened the door with my key and sauntered over to his lap. We were 14 days shy of 1 year and had just survived a hellish family (his) vacation; we were not perfect but in my mind we were moving forward. Apparently not. He pushed (but not really physically, it was as if his thoughts moved me) off of his lap and declared that we had no future. I cried. Packed. Called for a ride. And 20 minutes later I was gone.

I'm likely to divulge the details eventually but their importance is not great. For now I'll just say that we have not spoken and are not likely to.

I am a regular blog lurker but have never been inclined to comment much less host my own . Until now. Somedays, like today, it really is two steps forward and 1,000 steps back. So I have decided to write this for me, but also for you ... it is my story of moving forward.

The days after IT ended were busy. IT ended on a Thursday. Friday there was shopping. Saturday a flight to my favorite vacation destination. More shopping. I signed up for sailing lessons, a triathlon, a triathlon training group and I went to a concert ...

The concert was Cowboy Mouth and it was So. Much. Fun.

If I was with him, I wouldn't have gone. There was drinking, and he doesn't partake. There was dancing, jumping and laughing with my friends. My friends were not his friends. Dancing and jumping does not fit his ... errr ... 'frame'. The singer announced that he was going to sing a 'sad' song about a couple breaking up. My friends brought me a beer. Cowboy Mouth sang This Much Fun.

The little light went on in my head.

I was sad. My life was turned upside down. But deep down I knew that I was having fun. So. Much. Fun.

That was almost two months ago. And I am still having So.Much.Fun.

I have a new haircut. I am in great shape, arguably 'healthier' shape than just before I ran the marathon last year. I am swimming, biking, running and pilates-ing my way through life ... and once a week, in my free time, I try to sail (and for the record I also work). I am reconnecting with old friends and trying to make new ones. I am still sad and sometimes lonely but I realize that I don't miss him or even IT and that means that there is much better to be had. Even if that means learning to not be lonely when I'm alone.

So, here we are. This is my story of moving on. Swimming (biking, running, pilates-ing and sailing) Through the City and all that it has to offer.

Welcome.