changed my mind

the whole idea of holidays in NYC was charming at first.  we visited the toy stores (on weekdays - we weren't going anywhere near them during the weekend crazy), where we blew our budgets shopping for our youngest nephews.  we elbowed our way through the crowds to see the tree at rockefeller center, enjoyed the department store windows (mostly - the windows that just had holiday scenes on flat-screen tvs were kind of lame), and escaped the midtown madness to return safely home to the village.  and that was all fine and great and lovely.  we've frequented the Christmas markets in grand central and in union square (where i played with the little stuffed donkey ornaments ("charlie! candy mountain charlie!") to the great amusement of the couple behind us).  also wonderful.  so what is the problem, you ask?  those outings were undertaken on relatively sunny days when the temperature was at least into the forties (a respectable, but not oppressive, wintry range).

today i intended to finally complete my stocking stuffer mission.  but ... a mere 3 or so miles walking to a doctor appointment, to the pharmacy, to a store to pick out wrapping paper, and a brief visit to the MoMA store did me in.  the walk involved a temperature of 22 degrees, getting hammered by the wind, and freezing my face off (oh yeah, and my heels are still missing a layer of skin - i had to supplement them with gauze and resort to wearing (actually functional) running shoes (j thinks maybe we bought the boots a half size too big and that is why my heels were slipping around a bit ... i hope he's wrong because i really don't want to break in another pair anytime soon)).

thus, since returning home today, i've now reconsidered our choice of NYC over LA.  i think maybe we should have negotiated separate winter arrangements.  i've also changed my mind about spending the holidays in the cold northeast.  dear loved ones, our holiday rendezvous point will be kauai.  to those who would like to see us for the holiday, we look forward to meeting you there.