Astoria Day

Happy birthday George Washington! Fun fact: Did you know that, as a farmer, Washington grew marijuana and promoted its growth? In the 1790s, the crop was grown mainly for its hemp and for soil stabilization. It was many years later that the recreational and illegal use of marijuana became popular.

When the weather is so winter-like, these long weekends almost feel wasted. It takes so much effort just to get bundled up to take Pup out, not to mention spend a day in the City, that we don't do much. Admittedly, we have spent much of the last few weekends lounging around in our pjs but have found we can only tolerate inactivity for a few hours. We watch a movie, read or study a bit, and then begin to lose our minds.

This Saturday we slept in, moved about 25 ft from the bed to the couch, and had some breakfast. We could already feel the anxiety setting in and knew we couldn't handle three days of lazy.
There was a solution to our ailment - exercise! It would get us out of the apartment and get the endorphins flowing to make us happy. I grabbed the computer and looked up directions to a $5 yoga studio that friends had been saying good things about. "Hey, it's not too far from here," I thought. After calculating the exact distance on Google Maps I looked over at Jen with a smile. "You can run two miles right?" I asked. "I think so, yes," Jen replied reluctantly, probably wondering what she was about to be dragged into. "Perfect, we have just enough time to run to a small-donation yoga class in Astoria." The weather was a bit warmer on Saturday so the run wasn't bad. The Nike running jacket our friend Jeff gave me for helping them move provides just enough warmth. He's not a fan of running and got it for free at work. Anyway, Jen ran the whole way there, no problem. We were all warmed up and ready to stretch.

The yoga class tends to get a little crowded, probably because of the great price. Sensing this, Jen quickly grabbed the ideal spot in the class - a secluded corner towards the back by the drafty doors where she could stay cool. Smart. The windows soon fogged up and it began to feel like a steam room by the end of the class. An hour later we took the train home feeling worked out and refreshed.

Later that evening we ended up going right back to Astoria to have dinner with friends Jeff (yup, same one) and Ashli in their great new apartment. They pay as much as we do for an updated two bedroom. Just saying... it's something to consider. After having three different kinds of desserts, I was happy we had worked so hard earlier that day.