Yuuuuup. You called it. My pledge to write more often and/or maintain a regular cadence with le blogs didn’t happen. But we’re here now, a first step if you will. In all honesty, some of those months I pumped out hit after hit (Sweaty Trains and Commuter Pains, classic DHD) things weren’t all white claws and paper straws for the Brynster. Not to worry, you most likely read about any dramas firsthand during my more prolific months (it’s been pretty smooth sailing this year tbh). Alas, if some of those saccharine soundbites you slogged through last year reeked of BS, it’s probably because it was. Jesus, we’re only a paragraph In and I’m already getting broody.
Scratch all of that, actually. Truth be told, I started dating someone in April …right about the time my blogging sputtered to a stop. Looks like I’m one of those girls, one who drops everything for a man. Or maybe I was just out enjoying the springtime with my Captain America, sipping frosé as the red, white, and blue flags whizzed by. Regardless, our romance was short lived – (a moment of) sad for me (he was tall), but good for the six people that were waiting with bated breath for another groundbreaking post from yours truly. As an aside – I’m actually dating another human now, thus disproving the aforementioned selfish bimbo theory. Either way, summer is a busy time as we all know and this one’s been a wild ride to say the least.
I’m writing this while sitting on the promenade outside my office in Hoboken overlooking the Hudson and the flurry of activity at this early hour feels like a microcosm of what life has been like these last few months. The sun rising over the Chrysler building casts a shadow on the waking city and illuminates the busy water beyond. I see a Carnival cruise ship coming into port, its presence hilariously ominous as the enormous Funfetti hull towers over the frantic ferries below. Cranes above Hudson Yard begin to move in slow motion and to the south helicopters come and go, pollinating helipads I can’t see. On my side of the river, runners race around the promenade, each with their own gate, most dressed flamboyantly in neon and technicolor. I love me some neon activewear.
I have always felt the way someone runs says a lot about them as a person, like the way people always end up looking like their dogs. Maybe I’m particularly interested in the runners this morning because I, too, should be putting in miles ahead of this year’s NYC marathon. During my last marathon, in the fall of 2015, I put on a less than stellar performance, due partly to my total lack of training and also because I had decided to carboload at my favorite Italian spot the night prior …until 1:15 am. Not good. Now, as race day looms closer, seeing a jogger pad by elicits a PTSD response I can feel in my gut. It’s equal parts horror and shame, and makes me want to chase after said running strangers and also never run again. A strange dichotomy I know.
So I’ve been running. That’s one slice of the busy pie I’ve been mowing down on this summer. There’s always work, and I’ve been on the road more than usual to hotspots like Dothan, AL and Colbert, GA. Delta flight delays have stung just a little more than usual recently as I peruse Instagram mid-flight. My friends’ pictures from Greece and the Amalfi coast put my typical Delta dinner of Cheez-its and shitty red wine to shame.
But it hasn’t been all work, don’t you worry. I spent a dreamy weekend in Nantucket for a great friend’s wedding. Tory looked beautiful, it was a blast, and I got to spend time with some of my favorite people (thank you again, Diane!). The Fourth of July in the Hamptons was especially relaxing. Hudson played the part of happy suburban dog dog for the weekend and spent the entire three days in the pool, retiring only for hot dogs and tennis balls #same-ish. My little sister, Kaely, got engaged to the love of her life. Joey surprised her with a trip to Ireland and made all of her redhead dreams come true. They will marry in February in Deer Valley.
I mentioned the sunsetting of my time with Captain America, my spring fling. His departure to Connecticut was for the best, and I was happy for the break. I mean one can only drink so much frosé. But the universe is a trickster and just like that I found myself in the suburbs of Boston with someone new. Our courtship is quite new, but we laugh like it’s been years, spend our days running in the sun, and love our dogs the same way. There may be some other tectonic shifts going on in my life that I’ll get into another day but the change I anticipated feels somehow more magnified since this wonderful man walked into my life (or rode, on a motorcycle, much to my parents’ chagrin). It seems what I thought was my catch and release summer, a season I planned to dedicate to finding my way alone, has become something infinitely better. Busy and complicated and filled with surprises, as always. So with my compass pointed due north and a million miles to run, I’m looking forward to the best season of all, the Fall.
The Dog Hair Diaries 