Tag: writer

New York to Sarasota

New York to Sarasota

My alarm rings. My eyes open. My body does not want to move. It is 4:00AM. I think to myself : Isn’t business travel wonderful.

Alarm off. I’m out of bed, off to the coffee maker. Coffee made. I return to the bedroom. I read and meditate while I sip.

I think to myself : Okay, what is my plan? Shower, dress, finish packing, load the car and head out to the airport. I execute my plan.

The airline terminal at LaGuardia Airport is packed today. I’m through security, my shoes and suspenders are back on. It is 10:00AM. I stop for some breakfast, nothing elaborate, just some pink grapefruit and some purple grapes. I think to myself: Always eat the grapefruit first, otherwise they will taste very bitter after eating the sweet grapes. I enjoy my moment at the restaurant in my concourse. I people-watch. Monday morning business travel can be quite hectic and that is why I give myself plenty time. It’s less stressful that way. I have more time to read, more time to write, more time to meditate and a few minutes of calm in the midst of a swirl of fast paced, nerve-wracking activity.

My breakfast moment over, through my gate, baggage stowed, seated, seat belt buckled and I’m ready for my next business trip. I think to myself: We got a lot of work do. Okay, No Pressure. Hey, it’s Florida. At least it’s warm. I place my earbuds into my ear, start up my playlist and fall asleep.

I awake. Seems I slept through the entire trip. We are on final approach. The airplane intercom awakes:

“This is your Captain speaking. We are now making our final approach to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta! Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened…”

While the captain is still talking, I think to myself : Now wait a minute here. I’m sure I boarded the plane to Sarasota, Florida. What happened while I slept.

The intercom turns off. I gaze at passengers seated to my left and passengers to my right, their mouths agape, their faces bearing astonishment.

The intercom comes back on:

“This is your Captain speaking: My Bad. I assure you, we are on final approach to Sarasota International, NOT Atlanta.”

The passengers break into roaring laughter. I make sure my seat back is in the upright position and my table tray is back in its place. I raise the flap to look out my window and I smile.

#travellogforatravelblog

Walking in New York City

Walking In New York City

On weekends, I venture into New York City from my little condo in Danbury, Connecticut. I drive eight miles to Brewster, New York. I park. I hop on a metro train and ride for an hour and a half to Grand Central Station. I walk through Vanderbilt Hall just to see if any new exhibits or events are taking place and then I make my way down to the lower east side. On Foot. (And I am grateful that I can walk like this for many cannot)

Today, January 26th, a Sunday, I leave Grand Central, cross the street at Pershing Square restaurant and make my way down Park Avenue. It is cold this morning but I am overdressed. That morning news person went on and on about the wind chill factor. “There’s going to be a wind chill factor in the 20’s, there’s going to be a wind chill factor in the 20s, chirp, chirp, cluck, cluck.” Okay, Chicken Little, I listened to you and now I’m burning up. It feels more like 40 degrees than 20.

I turn on my step counter and step it up. I want to stop in Chelsea today for my break, therefore I turn right on East 37th and I cross Madison, Fifth and Broadway. I turn left on Sixth. I meditate while I walk. I turn right on West 30, walk more and the I take another left at Seventh. I cross West 27th and I make a stop at a little place called “…Kinahan’s.” Merlot’s are $5. I order one and take a load off.

Step Counter: 1.77 miles

Stay tuned for more posts about New York City Walking

#JerrysNewYorkCityWalking

Daily Schedule if I Retire

Daily Schedule if I Retire

(I wonder if I could maintain this schedule)

Monday’s, Tuesday’s, Thursday’s

9am – Reading

10am – Writing

11am – Projects

12noon – Lunch

1pm – Walk or Exercise

2pm – Language Study

3pm – gardening

4pm – guitar practice

5pm – Close Day

Wednesday’s

9am – Reading

10am – Writing

11am – Projects

12noon – Walk or Exercise

1pm – Reading

2pm – Writing

3pm – Projects

4pm – Reading

5pm – Close Day

Friday’s

9am – Reading

10am – Writing

11am – Projects

12noon – Lunch

1pm – Walk or Exercise

2pm – Visit the Needy

4pm – Reading in a Park or Coffeehouse

5pm – Close Day

Day #42

Day #42

On January 7th, I decided to spend 50 days working on my next chapbook. Today is day #42. I have written 5 new poems since I started this journey.

I pause to remember when I picked up the pen. It was the summer of 1992 when I decided to write for public consumption. I’d always written for myself but after a few writing classes I started looking towards submitting my work. My first poem was published in the fall of 1992. Shortly afterwards, I stopped writing. I was promoted at my day job and took on a 100% travel assignment. I lived on the road, traveling from city to city, sleeping in hotel after hotel all across the USA.

It wasn’t long after that when I found myself living and traveling overseas for nearly 6 years. I came back to the USA, focused on family, raising 2 wonderful little girls and concentrating on my day job career.

In the Spring of 2013, I was home alone. My wife was traveling, the children grown and gone. I was watching a television show, “Elementary”, and the subject matter of that night’s episode’s caught my attention, my thoughts churned, I looked at the junk mail envelopes laying on the floor. ( I normally go through junk mail while watching TV)

I found a pen, picked up the junk mail envelopes and started writing on them. I wrote for 2 hours that night and that is when it all started again. I’ve been writing ever since.