Channeling my grandmother

My grandmother has been on my mind, an important figure in my life. She cared for me as a preschooler when my mother worked. She used to tell me that God had more important things to do than wake me up in the morning. She thought I should be up and about the business of my day before the sun came up. She certainly was. That has stayed with me throughout my life. Now I make use of that early morning dark and quiet time with my daily yoga practice.

Planning for South Beach

My husband and I are dreaming about a place to escape the cold Berkshires winter for a few weeks. We're looking at an apartment in South Beach, Miami. This afternoon we looked for gyms where we could work out -- Crunch looks like the one. We looked for bicycles to ride. South Beach even has a synagogue with a morning minyan. Whole Foods/Wild Oats has a store a few blocks away, and there's a vegetarian restaurant nearby. It's also near all the night life and beautiful people of South Beach. Is this how we want to spend our winter?