Frankenstorm Sandy...

Pitch black Lower East Side of Manhattan and flooded Williamsburg

The last few days have been horrific here on the East Coast.  I was lucky to be safe with friends bunked up in Chelsea during her wrath and had no serious damage.  Unfortunately, many people I know and thousands more weren't as lucky.  Walking around New York is heart breaking right now.  All of the southern part of the island is without power, people are walking/sitting in traffic for hours in order to get to work, visitors are stranded, and young kids everywhere were deprived of their favorite holiday of the year.  This doesn't even compare to the damage throughout New Jersey and other places on Sandra-D's direct path.  In times like this when we need to come together, and keep those sprits high!  One easy way to do it is to donate or volunteer.  Check out the American Red Cross for the disaster relief information or visit Time Out New York to find other available opportunities.  Hope everyone is staying safe... I <3 NY!

{Images from my Hurricane Sandy experience}

Power center at Centro, Kara's Bootcamp at Centro, the crimpled crane, intense game of Scrabble, rising water at the Hudson, making puppy chow, putting together a nice little spread, Naked Cowboy still entertaining stranded tourists, my bell man and I hiking to the UWS

A Day On, Not a Day Off

    Happy MLK Day everyone! This morning me and Lauren did a day of service with her Firm. We dragged ourselves up bright and early and got on a shuttle bus to PS 292 in East New York.

Congressman Weiner

    When we got there, we were greeted in the auditorium with a real-life "DrumLine" experience, the only thing we were missing was Nick Cannon.  After the students performed their step routine, we settle in for several speakers, including Congressman Andrew Weiner and volunteers from City Year. The organization is a branch of AmeriCorp and it was inspiring to hear all of their stories and how many people they have helped.
     Our group was in charge of a mural outside of the auditorium which was a dedication to their successful martial arts program.  We also helped out painting some healthy eating panels for the cafeteria, but those were a little bit more detailed so I tried to stay clear from messing up their daily eating quarters. The day was incredibly rewarding, we met interesting people, and I got to embrace my inner artiste.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" -Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Finished Product

All Done for the Day!