quiet

Sorry I've been so quiet these last few weeks. I posted last week the day of Hurricane Sandy & haven't been back since. We left New York yesterday for LA so we can fly to Australia on Tuesday for the tour. Things have just felt a little off and a lot of excitement for Australia has waned a bit.

I want to extend a very sincere thank you to all of my friends, family, twitter followers and blog readers for checking up on us. It was a scary time, but we were some of the few that were very lucky. However, if we stayed in the East Village apartment we rented (which happens to be across the street from the apartment we lived in for three years), it would be another story. On Sunday, I frantically went to the store with the rest of the neighborhood, waited in long lines, bought water at my bodega, then sat glued to the internet for updates since the TV didn't work (bahhh!). Ron was performing at a private event, so 'Alone Blair' quickly turns to 'Frantic Blair' when left to her own devices. When Bloomberg said they were shutting down the subways in three hours, I knew I had to make a decision immediately. I called Ron, told him we'd be going to Brooklyn to my best friend's apartment, and to meet me there instead. If we had to weather the storm somewhere, I'd rather be with my best friends anyway.

So glad we did! The storm surge reached well past the East Village apartment and power was out for days. Since I lived in the neighborhood for years, my heart breaks for all of my friends still there and all of the local shop owners who I came to know and love over the years. As a New Yorker, if you haven't formed a close bond with your bodega owner and laundry lady, you have certainly done something wrong. Fortunately, the power has been restored to most parts of the East Village at this time, and it seems that subways are starting to be more functional again. However, this area is still in dire need of help as many families who live in subsidized housing do not have the resources to bounce back as quickly.

Obviously, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Staten Island is a mess, Far Rockaway and Coney Island feel like they've been forgotten, and parts of New Jersey don't even exist anymore. I feel guilty as I type this from my hotel room in LA for not being there to help. New York is my home and I'm not there to clean up the mess. Guilt aside, here are somethings you can do to help from near or far!

- EASIEST: Verizon customers can donate up to $50 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief via text! Text "REDCROSS" to 90999. It'll text back with a confirmation. I'm actually pretty sure you can do this with any provider, but you should probably check into that, my friends! You can also donate on the Red Cross website HERE.

Other places you can donate to from the comfort of your couch are listed here.

- NEW YORKERS: I'm sure you've seen it, but if you haven't, this is your one-stop shop for ways to help around the city http://www.nycservice.org/

- NEAR OR FAR!: NY Cares is an amazing organization that I've personally used to volunteer across the city in the past (my personal fave was walking foster doggies, but there are TONS of available opportunities). They have options to donate money OR you can help out with the NY Coat Drive that will desperately need more coats this year. If you live outside of New York, you can get 10 gently used coats and ship them directly to the warehouse (think about how many unworn coats you probably have between you and your friends! Look in the back of your closets!). Look into that HERE.

Finally, while I definitely agree with the city for canceling the marathon (FINALLY!), I do feel for those who flew from around the world and trained for months to be a part of it. Bless those who are using their time in New York to volunteer in devastated areas and make the most of it instead of spending their time angry. I guarantee this will be a time they never forget & once they see the areas affected, they won't think twice about the cancelation.

That's about it for now. I'll keep you guys posted in the weeks to come on our travels, but this was something I needed to get out there. My feet may be elsewhere, but my heart is in New York.