Author Archives: JJD
Stage moms and tow trucks
Tonight I managed to duck out of the office early enough to see Signature Theatre’s current production Gypsy with my friend Melanie. I’d never seen the show before and this production has gotten great reviews (and accordingly is sold out most nights), so I was excited when I managed to snag the tickets. It’s essentially the […]
Strong(ish) man
Happy MLK Day, folks. Hooray for a day off another workday! While other people celebrated civil rights and gorgeous January weather (think sunny and mid-fifties), I stayed at home and worked on projects for clients that don’t observe the holiday. But I did manage to get out long enough for a noon-time workout. It was deadlift […]
Figure Drawing 101
After an incredibly work-heavy fall, and a December spent almost entirely in New York conference rooms or working around the clock at my kitchen table, I resolved to make a change in January: I would meet new people, try new things, and make an effort to have a life outside of work even on weeknights (gasp!). […]
Polar Vortex (or, Fish Rescue 101)
As everyone who has access to any form of weather-reporting media outlet knows, Washington has been struck by the dreaded zombie apocalypse polar vortex. Or, I should say, the POLAR VORTEX!! Because this is way serious. I mean, never mind the fact that it has been negative a million degrees and snowy in Chicago for months — the important thing is that […]
Happy New Year (at last!)
You all probably hate me for leaving you hanging for so long! I mean, in mid-December I post a glamorously cryptic note about being back in New York for negotiations of uncertain duration, and then it’s radio silence for nearly a month. You’ve probably been worried sick that I might have had to repeat a tie. […]
Back for more
I’m back in New York for another round of negotiations. How long will I be here this time? No one knows! So far meetings are only scheduled for tomorrow; I can make it through Wednesday without needing to do laundry (and through sometime next week before needing to repeat a tie). Times Square as […]
Deck the halls!
Snow turning to sleet and freezing rain with fog and mist? Perfect. I decorated for Christmas yesterday, so all I needed was a dusting of snow to put the finishing touch on the look — how nice of Mother Nature to oblige! Time to light some candles, turn on the Christmas music and curl up […]
Shakespeare in New York
I have been in New York this week. A client called me up on Monday for a round of meetings and hasn’t let me go since. Not that much is actually happening to require my presence (the negotiations have been stalled since Monday afternoon); mostly I think the client just wants to know it has me ready at hand, just in case. The […]
Diamonds and gold all over my face
Okay, let’s say you had a story to tell about how you accidentally got a super-fancy facial at a high-end cosmetics boutique where they smeared magnetic Dead Sea mud and real live diamonds and who knows what else on your face before releasing your now-flawless self back into the world of mortals. How would you […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and cold! First thing to do? Thaw out the goldfish. Best way to do this is set a pan of boiling water on theice. That way it just melts through the surface crustwithout breaking the ice, which can hurt the fish. Then off to the box for an early morning workout: […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 