DJ Cunningham

One Week Later

Posted on October 28, 2012 by djc_adminSeptember 26, 2013

10-28-12 We decided to ride out the hurricane. Can’t second guess myself. We are stocked up and prepared as we can be at this point.

: Cool picture…Unless the storm is heading your way!

That’s as far as I got last Sunday when Hurricane Sandy was heading toward NYC. I stopped and realized it was not time to blog about a pending natural disaster. It was time to prepare. So, what did I do? I cooked. A lot. I paced the floor. A lot. I looked out the window. A lot. I prayed, too. Then Sandy rolled across the city.

We never – not once – lost power, water, cable, Internet, etc. in our neighborhood on the Upper West Side. Our building did move with the winds and my chandelier swayed gently over a dining room table littered with Legos. But we weathered the storm just fine, sort of. My nerves were shot as the former me – D.J. Cunningham, television reporter – was glued to the TV, internet and every available media source for the latest information.

: 24 Hour Weather Reporting

By the time I finally crashed in the early morning hours of Tuesday, I knew when I woke up that life as I knew it before was not going to be the same. It wasn’t. We have all seen the horrible images of flooding, downed power lines, destruction, hospitals being evacuated, dangling cranes and people crying for help during what I would imagine are some of the worst times of their lives.

My friend and her children crashed with us for two days after she lost power at her apartment down on the Lower East Side. They walked for two hours before she was able to recharge her phone and send me a text. They hopped a cab and headed uptown where they stayed until late Friday when power was restored.

Before we moved to New York City, we were hit hard with an ice storm in Jonesboro. I remember vividly waking Corbin up from a nap, putting him in his car seat and driving down my drive way as limbs snapped down behind us. There was no way I was going to be trapped in my house, with no power, Corbin and my dog Leo while Mark was away on business. That was a smart call. Power was not restored to our home for 8 days. Corbin and I camped out with my parents who were two hours way and then later with my in-laws before the power was restored at our house.

I’ve taken cover during my fair share of tornados. Growing up in Arkansas, you knew when a severe thunder storm was heading your way, that a tornado was always a possibility. It used to be that the highest threat for tornados was spring and summer. But over the last 20 years, with wild swings in the weather patterns, tornados have torn through the state in all four seasons. I’ve also spent some time in the dark and cold after a Christmas ice/snow storm knocked out the electricity in Carlisle, Arkansas where I grew up. I have memories of myself eating hand made candies that were supposed to be given as Christmas gifts!

Being without power is one thing. A big pain in the butt, yes. But losing your home and everything you own is all together a different issue. Seeing the scope of destruction, not far from where I sit writing this post, is really impossible to grasp. From the raging fire that scorched over 100 homes in Queens, to the missing boardwalk in New Jersey, to the waterlogged parts of Staten Island, the images are painful to look at on television. The stories of those who died are heartbreaking.

The New York City Marathon was cancelled…finally. As if it was really a good idea to run the race while so much of the area is still struggling to get back on its feet. I know thousands of runners had trained, planned and possibly already traveled to NYC. But the growing sense that the race would go on while there was so much destruction and death in some of the boroughs along the course was just too much to bear. With hindsight being 20/20, the race should have been called off on Tuesday.

The news of Sandy even silenced the painfully loud noise of the political season. It was interesting to watch President Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie embrace each other and to set politics aside for a moment. Even though I suspect the two men can’t stand each other, they both had business to do and people to take care of. No time for political bickering. There will be time later on for the two to throw each other under the bus!

: Photograph by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty.

Progress is being made…slowly. Power is being restored, gas is making its way back into the area, food and basic necessities are being provided although not always as swiftly as everyone would like. Parts of the the subway and tunnels in lower Manhattan are still flooded and will be closed until further notice. Government officials are already talking about what to do to protect New York City and the surrounding areas in the event another storm barrels through. This is the second hurricane/tropical storm in two years. Hurricane Sandy was not a fluke. Neither was Hurricane Irene last year.

: Tuesday’s Rainbow over the Hudson River

How we managed to escape the wrath of a 900-mile-wide storm, I will never understand. I am beyond grateful that we did. God bless those who were not as fortunate. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they work to rebuild their lives one day at a time.

If you want to help out, you can contribute to the Red Cross at www.redcross.org

The Southerner and the City Meets the Electrifying David Blaine

Posted on October 11, 2012 by djc_adminSeptember 26, 2013

As a child, I was taught that you do not mess around with electricity. One year around Christmas time, I had my own personal experience with the power of electricity as I checked the lights for the tree. In case you are unaware of this fact, you should not let your finger touch the prongs on the plug! It was enough of a shock to get my attention; I’ve never made that same mistake again.

So, when I read recently about David Blaine’s latest stunt involving one million volts of electricity I was instantly taken back to the moment in the garage when I lit myself up like a tree. Blaine is famous for his many death-defying stunts. He has suspended himself over the River Thames in London for 44 days with only water. He has been buried alive for seven days. He has even frozen himself in a block of ice. As of Monday night, Blaine has also stood in the middle of an electrical storm as one million volts of electricity were being shot his way.To say Blaine is a thrill seeker would be an understatement.

Corbin and I met Blaine the weekend before his stunt, Electrified: One Million Volts Always On. My friend, Denise Albert, invited us to come along as she and her boys went downtown to Blaine’s office. Denise worked with Blaine for many years, producing several of his biggest events. As you can imagine, the boys were beyond excited.

Blaine showed the boys some photos of what he was working on. Corbin asked, “why are you electrocuting yourself”? Blaine explained that he was “electrifying” himself and not “electrocuting” himself. There is in fact a HUGE difference between the two. In one you die, with the other, you don’t die! I did my best to explain this to Corbin.

Corbin tried on the glove of the Faraday suit that Blaine wore during the stunt. The suit was an adaptation of a Faraday cage which basically protected Blaine from the electrical field around him. The chain-like suit looked like something a really cool and hip knight would wear during battle. Before we left, the boys checked out Blaine’s pet alligator in the office. Yes, a pet alligator! Seems Blaine makes living on the edge a professional and personal matter. He also did a few card tricks with the boys that even left me wondering, “How’d he do that?”

On Sunday, Corbin saw Blaine being electrified at Pier 54 along the Hudson River. It was a cold and rainy day. Not an ideal day to be electrified if you ask me. It was also really, really loud. So loud, that everyone was given ear plugs before walking onto the pier. Corbin was speechless, like most of the crowd. It was a very surreal experience to see the giant Tesla coils shooting out bolts of electricity at Blaine. He was standing on his 20 foot perch raising his hands like a conductor of the perfect lightening storm. Blaine maintained his position for three days with no food. He received fluids through a tube and relieved himself with the aid of a catheter.

Corbin wasn’t sure what to think or say. He looked at me with this bewildered look in his eyes. I just kept reminding him that playing with electricity is extremely dangerous and even deadly. At the same time, I was trying to explain how Blaine was able to perform the stunt and not zap himself into the next life! It was beyond weird to see a man standing in the crosshairs of the Tesla coils and catching electrical bolts as if they were simply being tossed at him.

The Southerner and the City Was Not Impressed with Madonna

Posted on September 13, 2012 by djc_adminSeptember 26, 2013

Madonna

On Saturday night, Mark and I headed way uptown to Yankee Stadium, in the pouring rain, following a rare tornado outbreak to see Madonna. You see, we bought tickets to her show on Valentine’s Day not thinking too much about the venue. After all, how fun would it be to see Madge play Yankee Stadium? It was a fabulous idea at the time, but Mother Nature put an enormous dent in our evening as I watched the black billowing storm roll across the Hudson River and into Manhattan.

I had read in some recent reviews that Madonna had kept her fans waiting for over two hours. The tickets said the show would start at 8 p.m. rain or shine. I decided that we would hang out at the apartment, keep an eye on the weather and make a last minute decision on whether or not to go. That was a smart call. We arrived at the stadium at 9:30 and she finally took the stage around 10:30 p.m. I was taught that being late is the height of arrogance. It says to others that your time is more valuable than theirs. I agree.

Not only had we been left in the rain under a tornado watch but she was two and a half hours late hitting the stage to boot! Luckily, I hadn’t bought seats on the field, where hundreds of drenched fans stood in the rain during her performance. We had very expensive seats that we actually never sat in. Instead, we stood back under the overhang and watched the show.

I am a huge Madonna fan but I was really disappointed in this show. It was full of the typical theatrics, amazing dancers, political statements and ethnic drummer circle/singer folks. While she sang some of her classic hits, they were all remixed and a little on the dark side. Although, she did surprise the crowd when she broke into Holiday and sang it like she recorded it years ago. The sopping wet crowd went nuts, me included. But for me, that was really the highlight.

Regardless of her arrogance and disregard for keeping time, Madonna is a true performer. The show went on under insane conditions and not once did she miss a beat. Neither did her dancers or singers. Even her dancer who appeared to be spineless in a deep backbend while walking down a set of stairs during the show never once showed any signs that anything was wrong.

But, here is the kicker. We left before the show ended!

In a crystal clear moment, I knew that I was done with Madonna for the evening. No matter how much we had spent or how long we had waited for her to start the show. No matter how curious I was to see her drop her pants to show us her faux Obama tattoo. No matter how cool it was that her son Rocco danced on stage with her. I knew in my bones that I would rather be in my pajamas, curled up in my comfy bed instead of standing behind the seat where I was supposed to be sitting…while it poured rain.

Southerner and the City: Eagles and Otters and Whales, Oh My!

Posted on August 16, 2012 by djc_adminSeptember 26, 2013

The heat of summer has forced many New Yorkers to cooler places. Lots of folks head to Long Island and the Hamptons to enjoy the sandy beaches and summer breezes. However, we ditched the east coast for the west coast and headed to Vancouver and the outer islands for a Canadian wild life adventure.

What was billed as a once in a lifetime trip, turned out to be just that. We left Vancouver on a float plane and landed at Poet’s Cove on Pender Island which was where we spent the first half of the trip. Within a few hours we were out on the water checking out a pod of orcas a.k.a. killer whales. Spotting the pod took a while and was part of a nauseating and cold ride through choppy water.

Corbin, Mark and I spent the next few days on the water searching for seals, whales, bald eagles and bears. With a guide leading the way, we headed out in sea kayaks for a day of geo-caching. I’d never been on a geo-caching excursion. If you’ve never done it, I highly recommend it. You use a GPS device to find a hidden treasure box. When you find the box, you can take a small treasure for yourself out of the box but only if you leave one for the next person who will find the box.

On that particular day, we were joined by a seal and her seal pup. We spotted several bald eagles, too. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve only seen one other bald eagle in the wild. For me, to see at least six in eight days was simply awesome. We even checked out an eagles nest. Did you know that an eagle’s next can weigh up to two thousand pounds? That tidbit of bird trivia may come in handy if you ever find yourself on an episode of Jeopardy!

We flew on to Tofino for more whale, bear and eagle watching. Our bear watching excursion was a bit of a bust. The most we saw of a black bear was his back side as he walked back into the woods as we pulled up in our Zodiak (fancy float boat). Corbin laughs when he tells his friends he saw a bear butt. There is nothing like 7-year-old boy humor!

Did you know you can surf in Canada? I did not. Turns out you can indeed surf. We stayed at Long Beach Lodge where the waves were perfect for the novice surfer. We headed out with our instructor after getting into a wet suit. Keep in mind it was about 65-70 degrees and he water was much cooler. I don’t see myself chasing down any huge waves in the near future but it was a fun experience none the less. Corbin and Mark really enjoyed it.

No trip to the western coast of Canada would be complete without salmon fishing. Mark snagged several salmon that should be heading back to New York City very soon. It looks like we will be eating salmon for the coming months. We also saw several humpback whales on our fishing trip. A sea otter even popped up out of the water to check us out, too.

If you find yourself wanting to escape the scorching heat of the summer, I highly recommend heading north…way north! The Canadian weather was perfect and the people were friendly. It is a great place to unwind and relax with your family. The only bad part was returning to the heat of New York City.

Tripp Edwards was kind enough to share some of his photos with me. Due to a strict 25 pound bag limit, I left my nice Canon camera behind in New York City. There was really no decision to be made when it came down to either taking a camera or bottles upon bottles of lotions and potions and clothes.

Follow D.J. on Twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook at D.J. Cunningham Duckworth. D.J. is a contributing writer for New York Family magazine.

July the 4th Fun

Posted on July 7, 2012 by djc_adminMarch 18, 2013

While most of the city seemed to be away for the 4th of July, we found ourselves hanging out in Manhattan. Corbin is in the middle of his first year of summer camp. He’s loving every minute of it, too! So, we didn’t want to take our annual trip to Vail, CO for the holiday and have him miss out on all of the fun. Instead, we rolled out of bed on Wednesday and headed to Union Square for breakfast and shopping at the farmer’s market. I love the farmer’s market at Union Square. It is a site to behold during the summer months when just about everything is available for sale. Here is a look at some of the things we saw and bought!

Fun with Fries at the Coffee Shop

Checking out the sugar plums

Radishes….not my favorite veggie. But these are beautiful!

Squash Blossoms for sale…get your squash blossoms here!

A great place to get to use an EBT card or WIC vouchers! Better than using them at McDonald’s!

Black raspberries taste fabulous

Rainbow Swiss Chard…what do you do with this?

Fresh fish even on a hot July day!

The wittiest thing about the day!

Okra…on pizza? Read the sign!

Calla Lillies in a bucket

Hard to walk away from this when everything looks so good!

Beautiful and delicious!

If you have a farmer’s market in your area, I highly recommend checking it out for the best of summers garden glory!

Southerner and the City: Selling New York

Posted on June 7, 2012 by djc_adminSeptember 26, 2013

When I was recently asked by my friend, Rebecca Martin, if I’d be interested in doing some writing for the magazine she worked for, I said, “of course.” I was not certain what all it would entail, but I was eager to branch out from writing for this blog and my personal blog as well. After a quick introduction followed by a meeting, I was brought on board New York Family magazine to write for their blog and possibly do some writing for the magazine. Writing for the magazine’s blog was a way for both me and the editor Eric Messinger to get a feel for how we would work together.

Shortly after our meeting, I received an e-mail asking me if I’d like to be thrown into the fire and take on an official assignment for the magazine. I said yes. Eric informed me that I would be interviewing the mom-daughters real estate team, the Kleier’s, from HGTV’s hit show “Selling New York.”

The date was set for the interview at -mom- Michele’s Park Avenue apartment and I began my research on her and her two daughters, Sabrina and Samantha. I watched numerous episodes of the show to see how they worked as a team. You can call watching TV for “research purposes” work, but it really felt indulgent to me. Either way, I liked it!

The Kleiers were very easy to talk to, and an hour went by in what seemed like only a few minutes. I checked my recording device, said my goodbyes and headed back across the park to my apartment. In my old job as a television journalist, I would have taken my tape, hit the edit bay back at the station and started logging in sound bites from the interview. However, this time around there was no video and I had an hour long conversation to listen to and sort out. I also had more than three minutes to tell the story like I would have had for a television piece. This time I had between 1,000 and 1,200 words to write and a deadline in five days.

I’m thrilled to report that the story has been published in the June issue of New York Family magazine. I am really happy to be back in the world of journalism again. I have missed it – parts of it at least. I have not missed the crazy hours at a TV station, covering tragic stories like a school massacre or reporting on city and county government. That last category falls under watching paint dry!

If you’d like to read the article, you can find it HERE.

For more of DJ’s adventure in the Big Apple check out djduckworthyoga.com/blog, follow her on Twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook. DJ’s stories can also be found at newyorkfamily.com.

Canada Interrupted

Posted on April 28, 2012 by djc_adminSeptember 26, 2013

My trip to Canada with the boys is in the books. It was a once in a lifetime excursion off the coast of Vancouver.

: One Big Happy-yet slightly sick-Family

It was an amazing adventure that I would have never booked for myself. Luckily, someone else planned it and we decided to join in on the fun. That is usually not how I like to travel. I prefer doing my own thing and not sticking to a strict travel schedule. I like my itinerary to look something like this:

1. depart at a comfortable time after 11 a.m.

2. have some fun, relax, shop, eat, shop, explore, eat, shop, explore, eat and drink champagne.

3. remind myself not to eat so much and get my eating-drinking-fluffy-fied self to the gym for some yoga

4. depart after I’ve squeezed as much fun as possible out of my getaway

So the idea of flying from New York City to Vancouver and going on a bike ride in Stanley Park followed by a tour of a world famous aquarium did not ring my bell in the least. After some discussion, I explained to Mark that he and Corbin could enjoy the action packed travel day while I chilled out horizontally at the spa in our hotel. Life was good….until Corbin returned, stripped off his clothes and crawled into his bed with a fever. Not a good start for our once in a lifetime Canadian eagle, bear, whale, seal and surfing excursion.

: Corbin playing dead as to avoid smiling while dressed for our bear watching excursion.

My lifelong friend Tori says you haven’t been on a real vacation until you’ve visited a local pharmacy. When she first told me this, I thought she was crazy. After traveling with a child, I have elevated Tori to the status of traveling genius for passing along this little nugget of wisdom. Our first vacation purchase was children’s Tylenol, Advil, Kaopectate and a thermometer at the nearby London Drug which was across the street from our hotel.

I took Corbin’s temperature. 39 degrees! What? He should be dead. I quickly realized this was 39 degrees celsius and not Fahrenheit. We crunched the numbers (The iPad did all the work. Although I had flashbacks of math classes in Carlisle, Arkansas where I was being taught this very lesson on conversions. This would be the first time in my life I really needed that skill) and figured out he had a pretty high fever. Lovely. And then the diarrhea started. Fabulous.

Poor kid. This Once in a Lifetime bug stayed with him for the entire week.

Life teaches us lessons everyday…even on traveling days that you’ve anticipated for over a year! I was once again reminded to keep my expectations low and therefore not set myself up for disappointment when things don’t necessarily go as planned. However, I am sticking to my guns on leaving after 11 a.m. A morning person I am not!

We only missed one whale watching excursion. Instead, we visited a Canadian doctor who told me we just need to ride out the illness. Not the best of news when you’re little guy could use a quick fix for his stomach bug.

I’ll leave you with a few photos from the trip.

: We will be eating salmon for the forseeable future!

: Corbin finds the geocache with the help of the only person in the family who can find anything….ME!