It’s only February and I’m dreaming of Spring! Like Paris, Springtime is famous in New York—the city is beginning to wake from the cold winter, Park Avenue streets are lined with tulips and people can be found picnicking in parks across the city.

As we head into February, the Rockefeller Tree is a faded memory and the temperatures are continuing to drop.  Many New Yorkers go into a period of hibernation during this time, catching up on their favorite movies or enjoying new episodes of Lost or Modern Family.  I have to admit that I, like many New Yorkers, can fall into love with my television and Netflix account during these months.  However, this year I’ve challenged myself to make the best of the season and have found a new hobby to keep me active—skiing!

My boyfriend and I have agreed to ski the slopes at least three times before the snow melts.  This is quite a goal for us, since he is a CPA and works most Saturdays, January through April.  However, you don’t have to travel far from the city to find a few great slopes.  To date, we have been to Butternut Ski Lodge just three hours north of the city and Big Boulder in the Poconos Mountains.

Although I’m still dreaming of the green grass in Central Park and jogs around The Reservoir, I have to admit I’ve found a new love this Winter and although it requires three layers of clothing, it’s making it much easier to leave my cozy upper east side apartment.

What are you doing this winter to stay active?

I have an agenda for NYC. This agenda has no deadline and is constantly revised and rewritten in my mind.  Most times, my New York City agenda is not my own—between my sister and I, we could keep this whole city occupied with our itineraries and running to-do’s of where to go’s and what to see’s.

This past Tuesday, Amy and I simultaneously checked another item off our list: The New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center.

In all honesty, we both agreed our motives for purchasing the tickets were not with a passion for ballet, but more to satisfy our imaginary NYC-excursion quota. But boy did we underestimate the magnificence of Lincoln Center and the talent of the ballerinas waltzing within. In one word, the experience was magical. The graceful pleas, glittering lights, and whimsical music were captivating. I was in awe of the fanciful footwork from each ballerina. As we left a shimmering Lincoln Center that night, we marveled at our good fortune as a light snowfall accompanied our departure.

And with a curtsy, that’s my review.

If you are feeling the need for culture – tickets are on sale for the ballet we saw: Sleeping Beauty http://www.nycballet.com/company/rep.html?rep=168

As a “social media person” it’s easy to say that my life revolves around my computer for news, entertainment and connecting with friends.  My blackberry is never far from my hands and my Twitter followers know more about me on a day-to-day basis than my family does.

Every now and then, though, I have to kick it old school.  The feel of reading a newspaper while riding the bus or the laughter of the audience at a late night television show are the reasons I entered a career in public relations in the first place. Like most consumers, my media consumption habits are hybrid.

The best is when the real world and the virtual world combine.  Monday I had the opportunity to sit in the studio audience of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Host Jimmy Fallon (@JimmyFallon) was one of the first celebrities to truly embrace social media platforms like Twitter.  He often interacts with followers and even hosts contests providing fans with a direct connection to the show, a brand in and of itself.

It was through Twitter that I was given the opportunity to attend the taping.  Jimmy hosted a trivia contest on Twitter over the weekend to win tickets.  While I unsuccessfully tried to win myself, a virtual friend of mine was one of the winners and invited me to meet in real life and attend with her.  The contest attracted 100s of people vying for a chance to sit in the studio audience.

The line between media as we knew it in the past and social media is disappearing.  Social media allows you to connect with other forms of media in new and unique ways.  It’s like a front row seat without ever leaving your home.  While this time I was lucky enough to be in that audience, there are many times I am home and following the experiences of others participating live via online platforms enabled for sharing. If you can’t be there, join them (virtually)!

I woke up this morning, on February 1^st, to my iPhone alarm that said, “How are you doing on your New Year’s resolution?”

It’s my one month check-in to make sure I’ve started new habits and following the path I set at the beginning of January. Every new year, millions of resolutions are made and then broken and we are all guilty of this at some point. So how do you make this year count? How do you make lasting changes that improve your life? This year, my resolution was to Live Life on Purpose – I want to make conscious decisions about every facet of my life, from big to small.  What does that mean?  A lot can change in one year, a lot of good can happen, but you have to set out with a purpose so that life doesn’t pass you by. I want to look back in December 2010 and be proud of my accomplishments, even if it means organizing my closet.

What will be different about this year for you? Whether it’s to run a marathon, start going to the gym, start saving for a house/car, read more, etc – what matters most to you and what will you put energy into achieving?

The clock is ticking – what will you do with 334 days, 47 weeks, 480,960 minutes?

Most people you ask will tell you that you’re only a New Yorker after you have lived in the city for 10 years. A good friend of mine recently celebrated this momentous milestone, and it got me thinking: What truly makes someone a New Yorker? Surely there are experiences before the 10-year mark that carry some weight. In my opinion, here are a few that have gotten me (a Maryland native) a bit closer to the title …

1. Catching a music show at 11pm on a weeknight. This is one of my favorite things about this city – on any given night, you can hear jazz, bluegrass, indie rock, or “hard core” (not my personal taste, but it’s out there!) at venues both large and small all over the city.

• The Living Room, Webster Hall, Rockwood Music Hall, Smalls Jazz Club and 55 Bar are some of my personal favorites. Still on my list: Blue Note, Village Vanguard and Birdland.

2. Getting a NY Driver’s License. After three years of living in the Big Apple, I finally took the leap of legally committing to the state as my official place of residence. (Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home. NY law states you must get a NY license within 30 days of moving here. Three years was definitely a major “no-no” on my part.)

3. Referring to the city, rather than where you grew up, as “home”.

4. Not getting lost in Central Park and knowing where to find your friends if they tell you they’re at “The Pond,” “The Mall” or “The Lawn.”

5. Sampling the “best” of the foods we all love:

• Savoring a pie at Lombardi’s/Grimaldi’s (I’ll leave it to you to debate which is better)
• Sinking your teeth into a burger at Corner Bistro (NY Magazine agrees with me on this one; if you haven’t had one of these juicy burgers – and by the way, they’re one of the better deals in the city at $6 a pop with a $3 mugs of beer to boot – you haven’t really lived)
• Treating yourself to a cupcake at Magnolia (personally, I prefer Crumbs, but Magnolia is definitely an institution not to be missed)
• Having a steak at Peter Luger’s (ok, I admit – this is still on my list. I guess I do still have a way to go before New Yorker status)

  What experiences do you carry as your New Yorker badges?

I recently celebrated my 30^th birthday and as a woman this is ‘supposed’ to be some kind of milestone that most fear.  For me, turning 30 has been a gift. It’s given me a chance to look at the last decade and see how far I’ve come, how much my priorities have changed, and how lucky I truly am to be alive in this world.

In 10 years, I’ve…

• had just about every hair color imaginable (including purple, blue, green, and fire engine red),
• bought an apartment,
• graduated college,
• attended so many rock concerts that I probably have permanent ear damage (totally worth it),
• got married, 
• lived in Germany and Spain,
• been a nanny, waitress, receptionist, and actress,
• and, had a 30^th birthday party where people gave a bit of a shocked look when I revealed my age and repeatedly told me that I don’t look 30!

Also turning 30 has allowed me the chance to get excited about the next 10 years. I know that there will be ‘unexpected’ events outside my control but I’m excited for the next decade in during which I’ll hopefully become a mother, finally go on that honeymoon, buy a bigger apartment, fall deeper in love with my husband and bond with my mom over her grandchildren. It seems I gain wisdom, patience, insight, power, and freedom every year. While I don’t know what’s in store for me in the years ahead, I imagine that when I hit 40 my list of the last 10 years will astound even myself. What are the next 10 years going to hold for you?

I felt a hint of disappointment when I received a Kindle on Christmas Day from my husband.  I’ve always had a passion for reading, and through the years that appreciation has extended to the books themselves: the weight of them in your hands; the accomplishment you feel with the turn of every page; and the endless possibilities bookstores offer.

It took all of an hour to fall in love, and now, I carry that slim, little white tablet wherever I go. It’s become as ubiquitous as my cell phone. This weekend, I took a train instead of driving to a friend’s house so that I could have more time with my Kindle.

My top favorite features so far:

• Ability to download books in three seconds (it took longer to type this phrase than for the Kindle to download all 1,048 pages of Gone with the Wind)
• Built-in dictionary – scroll over the word in question and the definition appears on the bottom of the screen
• Remembers where you are in the book when you shut off the machine – no saving required!

Exceedingly long books are no longer off the table (Shantaram, anyone?), and I’m taking reading suggestions! What are some must read books for 2010?

My husband and I have a tradition.   Every year we ring in New Year’s Eve by spending the first half of the evening partying with our kids- complete with party hats, dancing, games and lots of Happy New Year shout outs.   Believe it or not, our house gets pretty rockin when all three kids get those noisemakers going!

The second half of the evening is all about us.  Once the last child is down we open up the champagne, enjoy a beautiful gourmet meal and start our annual planning session.  Planning?  That doesn’t sound very romantic, does it?

Maybe not but it definitely sets the year off right and brings us closer together. 

We start by opening up a fresh new notebook and creating pages for the following categories:

-       Proudest achievements

-       Best moments

-       Biggest regrets

-       2010 GOALS

We take about an hour or so brainstorming these topics.  We reflect on the year, talk through our favorite memories and mutual frustrations. Think of this like creating your own personal montage movie scene.   It brings some clarity to our lives, which as we all know, can often be a bit of a blur as we dash from one thing to the next.

Here is a glimpse at our discoveries:

• Proudest Accomplishments?  Finally cleaned the scary attic.  Goal for 2010 -  tackle the even scarier basement!
•  Best moments? Hanging out with our friends at the town pool on summer weekends,  going on a Fall weekend getaway without the kids.  So Goals for 2010 would be:   Join pool and plan another getaway!
• Biggest regrets- didn’t see enough adult movies.  Goal?  See at least 6 films this year (sad, I know but at least its achievable)

We came out feeling incredibly blessed to have great jobs, friends and family and that our frustrations and regrets can often be minimized by refocusing our priorities on those things that bring us the most joy and satisfaction.     I highly recommend you try this exercise – either with your partner or by yourself.   Just make sure your goals are SMART ones (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) and check your progress at least quarterly to see how you’re pacing.

 “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now”

Over the past few months, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of quality time . . . with my TV.  In October, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Emma and while she slept much of the day in my arms, Rachael, Ellen and ladies on The View kept me company.

 A few observations from my three-month TV marathon:

-       Networks often negotiate to have a celebrity appear on all the talk shows in their line-up.  For instance, a star may appear on Good Morning America, Live with Regis & Kelly and The View – all ABC properties.  Great for the network, especially when it’s a big name and great for the celebrity and whatever movie/show/cause/product they are promoting.  A bit boring for the viewer like me, who is actually watching all those shows in succession – I can’t be the only one!  Celebrities should be directed to make the experience for the viewer a bit different with each appearance – tell different stories, show different clips, etc.  Some are better at this than others.

 -       Celebrities are very conscious of their look when they jump from show-to-show, trying to give the appearance that they didn’t tape them all in one day.  I saw Catherine Zeta-Jones wearing a green dress with her hair down on Good Morning America, only to appear 30 minutes later on Regis & Kelly in a different dress with her hair up in a chignon.  Knowing both shows are live and she only needed to jump in a car to get across the city, made me wonder if this was really necessary.

 -       Most of the shows are trying to utilize social media in their own way, chipping away at TV’s 4^th wall.  Regis & Kelly verbally respond to some of their emails, The View captures insider information from audience members and their production staff via “ViewTube” and Rachael Ray has a backstage area designated for her guests to tweet about their appearances.  This new layer has brought interesting value to the shows, treating viewers to a look behind-the-scenes.

 What do you think of today’s talk show offerings?

Having just found my first apartment in NYC after two and a half years of commuting from Connecticut, I am waxing a bit nostalgic about the 16 hours a week I share with the MTA Metro-North Railroad.  Throughout my years on the train, friends, colleagues, clients and strangers have all commented on how exhausting the commute must be – and it has been – but there are certain aspects to the train ride that I have come to almost enjoy. 

1. The Ritual
   There are intricacies about trains that you pick up after a few months of riding: the aisle seat in a three-seater is missing a head rest but is strategically positioned outside the frigid A/C stream; the window seats in winter are the warmest because you’re right next to the heater; train cars with bathrooms have a slightly latrine-y smell that no one wants to sit through for an hour-and-a-half.  Only a commuter can understand how fulfilling it is to find the perfect seat on a given day – and the placebo calm that ensues because of it. 
2. The People
   Through my time commuting, despite a few awkward encounters with the requisite train creeps, I have learned a lot about people and the way they live.  From the self-confident dad sharing a sappy phoned-in “goodnight” with his kids, to the septuagenarian sleepily editing a script for the next big Broadway hit, to the girl nervously chattering with her middle school crush, each person has taught me something about who I am or reminded me of who I once was, and it’s been infinitely more entertaining and enlightening than television. 
3. The Time
   You may be thinking, ‘Sarah, what do you mean “time”?  If you weren’t on the train, you’d have even more time,’ and yes, that’s true.  However, there is something freeing about being trapped in a train car for 90 minutes, because it’s almost required you do something to tap into your personal Zen.  Be it reading, listening to music, watching videos or sleeping – there is little else you can do or be expected to do on a train.  And that can be very relaxing.