There is no better time to be a New Yorker than the summer. (Okay, so maybe living in an apartment is great in the winter because you never have to shovel. And in the fall the leaves in Central Park are breathtaking. And spring is gorgeous wherever you are. But I love summer.) The great thing about New York in the summer is that it's empty. No really. Empty. All those restaurants you have to make reservations at months in advance the rest of the year have tables just waiting for you to wander in to. The weekend classes t the gym have plenty of room, and Josie and I can spend hours sitting on the grass in the park listening to guitarists and jazz bands who will play great tunes for the fee of whatever you will drop in their hat.Sure it's hot here, but there's the Hudson River (where you can rent a kayak or have outdoor barbecue near the boat basin) to cool you off. And outside at Lincoln Center there's free dancing to live music in the evenings. If you ask me, the song should never have been called Autumn in New York. Because it's most definitely summer in New York for me!
 Poor Josie. She and pollen are not the best of friends. And yesterday, after scratching off the fur over her eye, the vet decided to style Josie in what can only be called the cone of shame. Apparently she put up quite a fight and bolted out of the room like a bucking bronco. She only has to wear it for three days, but she is clearly mortified. I suppose it doesn't help that I've taken to calling her a cone head huh? I adore my dog. And I feel kinda bad for her. But she looks so funny I can't help but giggle a little.
What a glorious day here in NYC. There's nothing like a street fair, with its smells of delicious food (where else can you get Italian sausage, kettle corn, a lobster roll, crepes and fruit smoothies all within a block of each other?), sights (where else can you find jugglers, balloon artists,and booths selling everything from tie dye t-shirts to trees, to eyeglasses to wind chimes?), and sounds (where else can you hear live musicians mingling with recordings of everything from the Grateful Dead to the Doors to Jay Z?). But as I walked past a group of sailors in their white uniforms who were grabbing hot grilled corn, I wondered what Memorial Day meant to them. Were they enjoying Fleet Week in New York, happy to be off their ship and mingling among civilians? Or were they thinking of fallen comrades? It's great to be able to hang out at the beach, in the park, in the backyard or at a street fair, but let's not forget what Memorial Day is really all about. There are so many who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We actually are blessed to live in the land of the free BECAUSE of the brave. So if you see a member of our armed forces this weekend, thank them. And if you have a military family living near by, ask if they need any help. They deserve at least that.
Ever since I went to sleep away camp I've been obsessed with packages. At camp, packages were the best thing that could happen to a kid. An email was nice, a letter (especially one with a dollar or two inside) was awesome, but a package was every camper's dream. There were great things tucked into packages--candy, cookies, balloons, or a set or two of jacks games. As a grown-up, packages usually have things I've ordered online, which is less of a surprise but just as fun. Today, I got a package I didn't order. It was filled with my 10 author copies of the latest George Brown Class Clown book: A Royal Pain in the Burp. The books doesn't go on sale for another 19 days, which means for nearly three weeks I'm the only person to have them. (Okay, Aaron Blecha, the illustrator probably has his copies too, but still...) Anyway, I've just gotten my first glimpse at how Aaron illustrated the story, and I laughed out loud at his artwork. I think you will too. Please contact me here or on my Twitter Page and let me know what you think. I'm dying to hear from you. xo Nancy  I have a few talents--I'm a pretty good swimmer, I can bark like a French poodle, and I can write a story that will make kids laugh. But one thing I most definitely am not, is a dancer. At all. Maybe that's why I had almost forgotten I had ever taken ballet lessons as a kid. At least until my cousin Allan came up from Georgia with some hilarious old photos--proof that I had once put on a leotard and a tutu to take classes in Brooklyn New York. The photos cracked me up, and I figured they might do the same for all of you. It's actually perfect that I'm posting these so close to Mother's Day, since the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo book, Tip Top Tappin' Mom, is all about dancing. Enjoy the laugh...I know I did.
 It doesn't matter how old you are. The minute you hear that your parents are coming the immediate reaction is to clean. And I don't mean just put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or throw the jeans you wore last night in the hamper. I mean CLEAN. And that's how I've spent the last hour and a half--cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, the living room and the piano room (which is where I do my writing). And let me tell you, when you have a dog who sheds, cleaning takes on a whole new meaning. I could knit a new dog with the fur I vacuumed up today!
On a brighter note, Josie and I had a chance to enjoy the GORGEOUS spring weather lately. Today, we walked through Central Park, enjoying the beautiful blooming trees and brightly colored flowers (when we weren't dodging the bike riders). New York City is a remarkable place to live because you can enjoy Central Park with its creeks, trees, and hiking paths, while still knowing you are never far from the skyscrapers that line the streets. There's an energy in this city that I haven't felt anywhere else--and believe me, I've traveled a lot. And speaking of travelers, this time of year we have a lot of them in New York City. After all, the city is a tourist town. While Josie and I were walking today we heard all sorts of languages--French, Spanish, German, Japanese (and a few I didn't recognize). Now I know how Josie feels when she hears people talking. I barely understood anything they were saying other than the occasional "Strawberry Fields" "Dakota" and "Museum of Natural History." I love the tourists because they remind me that New York is an international city. NYC is a small world all unto itself. Have a great day--and if you get a chance, clean your room. I'm really happy to finally have a place where I can let all of you know what's going on with my books, my tours, and my life. I have, however, discovered that making a website can get addicting. REALLY addicting. While I was working out this morning, I was thinking about how to fix the illustrator page. And while Josie was rolling around in the grass in Riverside Park (we were right where they filmed that last scene in the movie You've Got Mail), I was busy checking how this website looked on my iPhone. However, I have now realized that if I don't get working on my next George Brown, Class Clown book, I won't have much new to post on my website (or Facebook, or Twitter). So I'm signing off now. But I sure would love to hear from all of you. So feel free to contact me on the contact page on this site, or follow me on Twitter @NancyKrulik.
Oh, and if any of you have an idea for a great burp cure that really works, I'd love to hear about it. Because poor George has been having a horrible time with the magical super burp this time around. xoxo Nancy |
I'm really just a big kid. And I intend on staying that way! Archives
February 2020
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