Liberation!

After watching a movie like Invictus last night, it seems a little trivial to report on my victory, but sometimes it's the small changes that can make a big impact.

One of the best things about a city like New York is that you can walk anywhere. I absolutely love walking and remember having quite a bit of 'car culture' culture shock when I first moved to Southern California.

Walking is amazing; schlepping is not. Since I've moved back the one thing that's been tarnishing my walking is commuting to and from work, often in high heel boots, while lugging my stuff -- my personal laptop computer, and often a yoga mat and clothes, and handbag if I was going out after work. After three months of this, by December I was feeling pain in my shoulders and lower back, which definitely affects a 'spring in your step' attitude.

I had my own New Years revelation returning back to work on Monday when my lower back started hurting again. Monday night I had stopped in a market before going home and between the puffy coat and bags and yoga mat, knocked over some boxes (yes, I was that girl!). I decided that it wasn't a healthy, sustainable situation for me...and that the answer was not a bigger bag!

At work, the entire office uses PC computers, mostly older models with limited hard drive capacity; whereas our creative department and myself are using Macs -- which I've always used, and feel very brand loyal about (if you aren't a "Mac guy or girl" it's a hard thing to explain, but it's very real). With some "I'm settling" reluctance I asked our Chief Operating Officer if I could get one of the PCs to use at work...though hoping for a Mac miracle.

Federico, the head of the creative department, is man of the hour in my eyes as he found an extra Macintosh that one of the designers wasn't using -- which has the 'big screen', symbolic of anyone in the creative/design field. People have walked by my desk this week, glancing admiringly at the monitor, and of course I feel groovier already...as if I'm a designer wearing funky glasses with cool statement hair and clothes.

And yesterday was my first 'freedom commute'...and it felt great!