yes (yawn) it’s 2.01AM in manhattan.

the sleeplessness is Ever Present this week, it seems.

but we feel we came to a decision about Something Important.

because, when it comes down to it – we had to ask ourselves:

do you want to be right?

or do you want to be happy?

and the answer is always – happiness.

and beauty and five star hotels and art deco statuettes and deliciousness, of course.

the Essex House appears to have a new owner (J Marriott, according to the hasty hoarding erected this morning as we arrived for a swift shot of the dark embrace of caffeine before our first meeting).

hmmm.

hope the art deco statuettes are safe.

when a New Owner comes in, there must be Lots of Decisions.

we had no idea that decision-making was such an integral part of this whole La Vie grown-up.

or sleeplessness (it feels like jet lag but we haven’t been anywhere for Weeks).

luckily there’s a time zone or two in the USA so it was not too late to send a little text to the Other Coast:

are you still awake?

yes. what’s up?

may we call?

absolutely.

late night calls about decisions (and art and travel and writing and oh-so-many-delicious-things) is one of the Best things about having one’s own apartment, and a Princess Phone and a long soft sofa and a french enamel saucepan to make hot milk (with a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle – just a tiny one – of cardamon).

yes. there are bits about being Grown-up that we really like.

and bits that we don’t.

sigh.

but as A – someone Very smart (and Rather breathtakingly cool) – said earlier this evening as we passed them on the street in soho:

when you wake up in the morning, you make a choice – the light – or the dark side – which is it going to be? because it’s a choice, you know?

gosh.

sometimes it’s Very distracting when Unfeasibly good-looking humans say profound things and one has to concentrate and be sort of cool and caring and not, you know, stare deeply into their eyes ;-)

so will you also try that tomorrow?

which bit?

the light bit.

oh yes. sure. absolutely.

because the dark side is where we were this time-last-year around this date, waiting to see the surgeon to get our stitches taken out and revealing the scary stuff beneath (shudder).

we’ve been to hell. and have no intention of returning. our health is of paramount importance. so we made a good decision.

gosh.

it’s all a Bit big.

we feel another playlist coming on……

dear god(s) – and some sleep would be nice.

were you in manhattan this evening?

there was the most Incredible RainStorm!

we got stuck in it – en route to the swimming pool – and it was completely Chucking it down and the roads were swirling and the drains burst and nothing could get swept up it all just piled up into a river on seventh avenue.

so we paused under our umbrella under an awning and just watched it and became nice and quiet and let it all go.

all of it.