Author: Pam Kocke

NOLA mom of identical triplets. Talent Acquisition at Automattic. Enjoy reading and photography and sewing and bookbinding.

201

At least this month it’s on time!

Miles does have eyes, I’m pretty sure.

Juniors

The penultimate first day of school picture. I’m fine. Totally fine.

Last year:

Freshman year:

And, of course, the very first year:

But the best part was this:

Miles in the driver’s seat.

Number 200!

I have to thank my children, sincerely, for putting up with me. The 100th picture wasn’t so bad; eight year olds are a lot more tolerant than 16 year olds, and rightly so. But they did it, they took the picture with little complaining, only calling it “corny” seven hundred and sixty two times. Fair enough.

Yes, thanks to American Airlines, this photo is three days late. I wonder if I can get compensation for this?

Now, just for fun, the 100th. I think I’m most proud that they all have fairly clean socks on this time.

Since I’m on sabbatical now, I have plenty of time to make a montage of all 200 pics so far. Sorry boys!

Wherein I ramble about my trip to England

When I was given the opportunity to attend a work event in the UK, can you guess how long it took me to say yes? About half that. Even though my sabbatical was supposed to start on July 1. I pushed that baby back until the end of the month, and on July 8 hopped on a flight to London.

I arrived a day early so I wouldn’t have to attend the event all jet-lagged, and since it wasn’t in London, I decided to spend that first night in Oxford (much cheaper than London anyway. Look at me saving the company money!) As it turned out, my niece Emily was going to be in Oxford for a month for a program, so my plan was to hang out with her a bit before meeting up with my colleagues.

A friend picked me up from the airport (look at me saving the company money again) and we went and had lunch in Windsor. I’d never been! It was adorable, and we even got to see the Changing of the Guards from our table.

After lunch I headed to Oxford and Emily and I got some food and walked around a bit. I stayed in a super cute B&B (well, minus the B) and saw some of the sights. I was exhausted though, and had to allow myself a nap at 5:30pm so I could make it to sleep at a somewhat reasonable hour. It all worked out, I got a decent night’s sleep and then woke up, unsure what to do. I had to check out by 10:30 but couldn’t meet up with my coworkers until 4.

I realized I could store my luggage in London, so that’s what I did. I used this app called Stasher and paid about $8 to have a random hotel store my bags. Very handy. I took a bus through just ridiculously adorable countryside to get to a train station which took me to the city. Then I spent some time wandering around London. I’d be back at the end of the week, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to tick some things off my list so I’d have more time at the weekend.

So I went to Borough Market and had some lunch (if a cup of strawberries drowned with chocolate counts and I think it does) and then I went to the Peloton store to get a shirt for my class on Friday (sound familiar?) I rode a bunch of buses, which was great. I love buses.

HOWEVER. My knee was twinging weirdly in the morning, and by the afternoon I was almost in tears. I could barely walk. It didn’t help that I got on a bus going the wrong direction at one point and had to find the right stop. It was agony. I have no idea what was wrong with it. I’ve never had knee pain like it.

But I had to get to Luton, where we were staying, so I hobbled my ass to pick up my luggage, then hobbled my ass to a train station, nearly in tears, and managed to get to Luton. Bringing my bag up the stairs at the station was truly pathetic, but finally I got to the house and was able to meet up with my coworkers and ice my knee. That helped a bit.

We ordered in Nando’s (my first time!) and tried to watch the semifinals of the Euros, but we were stuffing our faces with chicken when the game ended so we missed all of the excitement.

The next day, we went and had breakfast at the most British cafe you can imagine and I was able to get a knee brace from Boots. Then we headed to the festival grounds for this event.

It’s the strangest thing, a conference disguised as a festival, but it was pretty great. It was for people in talent acquisition (which I am, as an operations manager for our Talent division, that’s what I do now) and there were a lot of interesting talks (in tents) and booths for vendors, and a ferris wheel, and food trucks, and portapotties, and really, it was very similar to the music festivals I’ve been to, only less music. And cleaner.

Afterwards, a few of us went to another coworker’s house for dinner (he’s on parental leave) and I was VERY excited to play with their baby but she was asleep, which was devastating, but we were fed well, and had a wonderful time hanging out. Got back to the house after midnight, like the party animals we are, then passed out.

Friday a few of us took the train into London for lunch, then we parted ways and it was time for phase 3 of my trip: Pam Takes London 2024.

I have dreamt of taking a solo trip to London for literally half my life. (I was going to do it for my 25th birthday, but I moved to New Orleans instead.) And it was everything I could have hoped for.

I checked into my very tiny airbnb, then headed to the Peloton studio for my first class. My knee was doing fine, but there was no way I was going to let that stop me anyway. Fortunately, I felt zero pain during the class (or after.) I won’t go into great detail about the Peloton classes I did, it really wasn’t that different from the New York classes. (But I will say that the showers in London were waaaay better.)

After class, I had dinner at a little French place in Covent Garden, then got gelato, then went back to the airbnb.

Saturday was my big day.

I woke up too early, no coffee shops were open yet, but once one did, I left to get some breakfast. Nothing else was open except one Waterstone’s, so I went there to browse. I still had time to kill so I went back to the airbnb and hung out until I could actually go somewhere.

And that somewhere was Liberty. Which you can read all about here.

My airbnb was very well situated, more than I would have imagined. It was close to the Russell Square underground station, and there were plenty of buses. So it was never a big deal to go back to drop things off or just rest for a bit.

After Liberty, since I wasn’t too far from Soho, I decided to wander aimlessly a bit. I ended up walking by some old sights from our stay in 1997.

Then I went in search of lunch. I couldn’t figure out where to go, so I decided to get the tube to High Street Kensington, where I grabbed a sandwich and pastry from a little cafe and walked down to Kensington Gardens to eat it.

After that, I decided to hop on a bus to go to a bookbinding supply shop that was near Victoria. After perusing and buying some goodies, I went to get on a bus to drop everything off at my room. I cursed my lack of directional sense because it took me forever to find the right bus. But eventually I did, and I dropped everything off while I tried to figure out what to do next.

It was mid-afternoon, so I decided to check out one of the (free!) museums in South Kensington. The V&A won out. After spending so much to go to museums in NYC, it was a nice change to be able to just walk in to this one without spending a dime.

I just wandered around, really, and looked at whatever caught my eye.

It wasn’t open for too long, so I then decided to go for a walk by our old flat. I was tempted to have a drink in the pub we used to go to (not that it’s the same or anything) but I was a weenie and just wanted to get some dinner. I really wanted this pizza/salad thing from Pizza Express, which is, like, everywhere. I didn’t think it’d be a big deal to get a table alone, but the location in Covent Garden can bite me because they just did not seem to want to seat me.

So I went to friggin Shake Shack instead. Oh well.

I was pretty tired after that, so I went back to the good ol’ airbnb.

Sunday morning was a set of two short Peloton classes, after which I met up with a friend. We had a truly Instagram-worthy lunch after doing a little shopping (I wanted to get a baby gift for a friend while I was in London.) Then we had a pint in a pub (so I could tell George I did) then I headed over to Buckingham Palace for the tour I’d booked months ago.

It was pretty cool, I guess. I was most excited about the garden tour. It was to take place after going through a bunch of rooms in the palace. (No pics allowed.) So I go outside for the tour, but decide to get some tea and cake before. After eating, I follow what I assume is the garden tour path, but I am unimpressed. Where are the famed English gardens?

Well, after this path shunted me unceremoniously onto a busy street, I decided that was the worst “garden tour” ever. Only YESTERDAY did I realize I missed the whole friggin thing. I saw zero signs directing me to this alleged garden tour, so the 15 extra pounds I paid for that were completely wasted. I’m so mad. Hmmph.

So. I had time to do things, so I took a bus to Piccadilly Circus to go to some shops (a giant Waterstones as well as Fortnum & Mason to pick up tea for a friend.) Got a few books and the tea, then got on a bus to go back to the airbnb.

Decided I’d try again for the pizza/salad, and this time, I was far more lucky. It was a lovely evening and the restaurant was empty (thanks to the Euro finals, everyone was at pubs instead) and I had my pizza/salad and some wine.

It was a lovely evening, and so I went back to my room to read and relax, and I could hear people yelling during the game, so I really didn’t have to watch it at all.

Monday morning I woke up early again, so I got coffee and sat in a little square with it, and just tried to really enjoy my last few moments in London. It was heavenly, and I really just did not want to leave. Sigh.

Went to airport, had bangers and mash, got on plane, made it home after a million hours of flying and no sleep.

I need to do that again.

Liberty of London

I’ll have a longer post later about my trip to the UK that I just got home from, but I wanted to do a separate post about my pilgrimage to Liberty for fabric.

The last time I went to London was in October 2017. I started sewing in February 2018. So I had little interest in fabric shopping back then. How things have changed!

I literally teared up when I walked into the area with the fabric. It’s just so beautiful. I made a lap of the floor to get the lay of the land, and then had to go peruse other parts of the store because I was overwhelmed. I get decision fatigue at the best of times, I knew it was going to be bad here.

So the fact that I was there only an hour or so is quite impressive. I knew if I didn’t make a decision relatively quickly, I never would. (This was my strategy at Mood last month as well.)

I wasn’t going to limit myself to sale fabrics, but I also knew I could get more if I did. At $38 a meter in today’s exchange rates, I would have limited myself to two meters, but since I hit up the sale section, I was able to get three. Plus a bunch of other stuff.

I really loved this fabric, but they didn’t have much on the bolt, so I just bought a handkerchief:

I bought two one-meter remnants of this, hopefully I can make a top or a skirt out of it:

And I was able to get three meters of this. I think I can get a dress out of it.

I really don’t know what patterns I’m going to use. I don’t want to rush into making anything.

I also got this tote bag:

Now. What am I going to make??

16 years + 7 months

Do you know why I hate July?

Well, the heat, obviously. But also because it means the boys are closer to their next birthday than to their last birthday, and that means they will be 17 in five months and THAT IS NOT OKAY.

But also…when did Linus get taller than Oliver? By like, a lot? I don’t think the backyard is sloped, but maybe it is?!? I need to measure them again.

By the way, this is picture 199. Thank goodness I’ll be on sabbatical next month, because number 200 has to be something good. (Do I still have the gold sparkly backdrop from 100? I’ll have to look.) (Note to self: no dirty, mismatched socks this time.)

Five days in NYC

We got home a week ago from our second-ever family vacation (I mean, that was only the five of us, not the entire extended family.) We were originally going to go to the Pacific Northwest, but uncertainties around the costs of car insurance for teenage drivers and because our mortgage went up a LOT thanks to stupid *$#%& homeowner’s insurance, we opted to save a bit of money and go to New York instead.

Why New York? I mean, why not? The boys had only been once before, and loved it, and I love it, and George loves it. And I was able to get a good deal on our plane tickets, thanks to Southwest miles. (Not to be confused with Southwest Miles, which is Miles in New Mexico.) (Sorry, dumb joke.) (You know what, I’m not sorry.)

We stayed in a fantastic hotel, one I highly recommend, the Life Hotel. It was small, so not overwhelming, and the rooms were absolutely adorable (but not tiny.) And I mean, two big hotel rooms for five nights in NYC is going to be a lot of money no matter what, but for what it was, it was quite reasonable. (And it’s the former home of Life magazine. Pretty cool!)

So, on to what we did:

Thursday

Arrived in the late afternoon. After a taxi ride to the hotel (did you know that even the minivan taxis can’t really accommodate a family of five? George and the boys had to sit four across in the back seat. Yeesh.) we unpacked and rested for a little bit before going to find some dinner.

We ate Detroit-style pizza, as one does in New York. (Look, it was somewhere we’d eaten in 2019 and so it was an easy decision.) On the way, we went into the lobby of the Empire State Building, and then we passed a Paris St Germain shop (Miles’s team) so had to peruse the goods there before heading to dinner. We took the subway to a nerd store for George, then we walked around some more and headed back to the hotel to sleep.

TIP: You won’t spend more than $34 per person riding the subway/bus if you tap to pay with your phone. And we took the subway (and buses) a lot. I put my Apple card on the boys’ phones so I wouldn’t have to tap them in at every station, and we ended up hitting the cap on Monday.

Friday

We went to visit my company’s office space. It was gorgeous! There were free snacks and lovely views and a weird vibrating chair.

Then we walked to a store that sold vintage soccer jerseys, and after that, headed to the 9/11 memorial. (We were going to take the Staten Island ferry there and back, but decided against it when we learned we’d have to wait an hour for a ferry back.) Ate some lunch, then I made them go with me to the Peloton store so I could get a shirt for my classes.

So it turns out, I have a really terrible sense of direction in Manhattan, because I was constantly getting us lost. I cursed Google Maps many, many times, and used the compass app on my phone a lot. And we retraced our steps frequently. And don’t tell the others, but once we stayed on the bus a bit too long and had to backtrack.

We rested for a bit, then took a shorter ferry over to Brooklyn, then went to Grimaldi’s for pizza.

It was a long and exhausting day so I was about to drop by the time we got back to the hotel.

(Did I mention the heat was worse in NYC than in New Orleans? It was so draining – at least in New Orleans, we hibernate when it’s this hot. We don’t walk miles around a city.)

Saturday

In the morning, we met up with Erica and her family at Bryant Park. I finally got to meet her son!! (and her husband, who I know I hadn’t met before, but it felt like it, you know?) We had some food and hung out, then went across the street to the library (not the huge one with the lions, but the building across the street) where there’s a terrace on the 7th floor that was perfect for 2 year olds to run around and grown ups to chat (and teenagers to lounge, sulkily.)

After saying goodbye, we went to the Natural History Museum, which was of course fabulous. Sitting in the Planetarium for a show saved us, but we nevertheless only lasted a couple of hours there, because we were all still pretty wiped from the day before. We did eat an overpriced lunch there, where we had…pizza. (Among other things.) We took the bus back to the hotel (stopping at the PSG store again as well as the Apple Store) and chilled until dinner.

Did I mention the amount of ice cream the boys ate? It was a lot. They’re big soft serve fans, and basically wanted to get a cone any time we passed a truck, which was often.

Dinner was takeout pizza from a really adorable place near the hotel where everyone was delightful. After this, George and I vowed no more pizza.

Sunday

My first Peloton class!

After, we took the subway to Brooklyn to meet Madi and her boyfriend Aaron at a cute little cafe. Madison used to be so shy and now she is almost THIRTY which I cannot handle and it was such a delight to hang out with them. And I was happy to see a part of Brooklyn I hadn’t been to.

We decided to go to the Transit Museum after, because it wasn’t too far away. It was an unexpected delight! It wasn’t huge, but the lower floor was an old platform that was filled with old train cars. We had a lot of fun critiquing them, and sitting a lot.

The boys and I went to Rockefeller Center after that to go to Oliver’s team store as well as another vintage soccer shirt store, and I had banana pudding, so even though we got lost a bunch, it was worth it.

We went back to the hotel for a while, then George really wanted to go to a diner, so we went to the Tick Tock diner that turned out to be in the lobby of the hotel we’d stayed in for our fifth anniversary trip, so it wasn’t our first time eating there. The breakfast fiends were in heaven.

Monday

My second Peloton class!

Afterwards, I went to Mood and I was VERY PROUD of myself for being decisive and just buying two gorgeous pieces of fabric and then getting the hell out.

The boys and George were sitting in Bryant Park again, so I met up with them and we went to the Intrepid, which was George’s big ask of the trip. (And after I went to two Peloton classes, I couldn’t exactly say no, not that I would have.)

We spent several hours there. George was in heaven. It was pretty good, but I had my backpack and it was very heavy and I kind of wish I’d dropped it off at the hotel before we went, but I survived.

We walked around Central Park a bit after that and then went back to the hotel.

Our hotel was in Koreatown, so we found a ramen place around the corner and had delicious soup for dinner. It was the boys’ first time having “real” ramen, and they all enjoyed it.

Tuesday

Sadly, time to go home. I went for a nice peaceful walk by myself because it was FINALLY not sweltering. I also went into the Harry Potter store but did not buy anything because I’m not about to put another dime in that evil woman’s wallet, but it was fun to look around anyway.

And then it was time to head to the airport. In an Uber this time.

And then we came home and picked up Ziggy and all was well with the world.

Taking a class (or two) at Peloton Studio NYC

We just got back from our family vacation to New York, and while we were there, I took two Peloton classes live in the studio. I feel like information is kind of hard to find (or maybe I didn’t look that hard) about what it’s like to do classes live, so I am going to document everything I remember.

Booking a class

First, booking is like getting tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, only much cheaper ($25 $35 instead of $2500.) Okay, maybe not that hard. But you have to be fast and decisive, because classes book up within seconds of the slots opening.

Six weeks before our trip, on a Thursday at 11am Central time, I logged on to the site and was lucky enough to get into two classes. Well, that makes it sound easy. Here are some tips:

  • Six weeks out is hard to figure out, because it’s a Thursday, and six weeks out from what? The week you’re going? I dunno. Calendar math is not my strong suit. So about two months before, I started looking at the booking page for the studio and was able to figure out the exact Thursday I would need to book my class.
  • Before classes go live, make sure you have your payment method READY TO GO. I can’t remember if you can save your payment method ahead of time, I don’t think so. So have the number copied so you can paste it right in, and memorize that expiration date and three digit code.
  • Also, there is a waiver you’ll need to sign. Do this ahead of time as well! I think I did this by finding a waitlisted class, and starting the signup process so the form would pop up. If you wait until you select a class, it may be full by the time you have the waiver done.
  • You won’t know what kind of class it is until two weeks out, so just look for times that work and instructors you like.
  • GO FAST

Okay. So that’s booking. NO STRESS, NO STRESS.

But seriously this was my heartrate at the time. Check out that spike at 11am!

Okay, so now you’re all booked. The day of your class has arrived.

Getting to the studio

Do not go here!

I went to the studio the day before my class so that I could get a shirt to wear, and also to familiarize myself with the location. I’m glad I did this. Also, don’t do what we did and see a building with PELOTON on it and assume that’s it, because that might be the corporate headquarters. Just go to 10th Avenue, it’s right next to the Whole Foods. Trust me on this.

Got my overpriced tank top, yay!

The day of my first class

My first class was on Sunday morning at 10am. The studio was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel, so I left around 8:30 to get there an hour ahead of time. (They recommend 45-60 minutes before. 30 minutes before is the cutoff.)

When you walk in, you go to the desk where a nice person will check you in. They’ll ask if it’s your first time there, or if you’re celebrating any milestones. Then you’ll get a card with a color and a sticker if you are indeed celebrating a milestone. The card will indicate which group you will enter the studio with.

You will get in a higher group if it is your first time or if you are celebrating a milestone. Both applied to me, so I got a red card, which that day meant I’d go in with the first group. I wish I’d known this ahead of time, because I’d have made it so I hit my milestone for my second class and therefore gotten in a better group for that one. But more on that later.

You’ll also get a wristband which I think they said is for pictures after. I don’t remember. Just put it on.

I put my stuff in a locker, then stood around awkwardly until a nice lady talked to me. She’d been there a bunch so answered all my questions, including where the bathrooms were (upstairs.) 45 minutes before the class start, they started distributing shoes if you needed them.

I talked to the nice lady for the next 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, they were setting up the lines by color. It just so turned out that I was standing at the front of the red line. They opened the doors 25 minutes (I think?) before class started. They let someone with a silver card in first, and then I was the second person into the studio. I picked a bike right at the front, to the left of the instructor, second from the mirror.

I got all set up, logged in, and then ten minutes before class started, Jenn (the instructor) came in! She chatted with us while she got set up, and then three minutes before the class time, they turn on the cameras so the outside world can join the class. Then one minute before, the class begins (well, the official intro to the class.) I learned that there’s a 50 second delay from the home feed, which makes sense, in case someone barfs or whatever.

And then the 45 minutes went by, and while I felt like I might die, I did not! It was a super hard class. Plus my legs were dead from walking around the city in the heat for the past few days. But I survived.

look there’s me

One thing I will say, if you don’t need your glasses, don’t wear them. I wish I hadn’t. I always wear them, but I guess I got hotter than usual. I only need them for reading, and I was able to see the screen well enough. It’s smaller than the home screen and only has a little info so not much to see.

Oh, and I liked being on the side I was on because I could see what was on the screen next to Jenn, which was basically the music and so I could see how much longer was in each song, because there was a timer on the screen.

After class, WHICH WAS VERY HARD, there was a line to get your picture with Jenn. I was nervous. I didn’t say much. She said I was tall. She stood on her tippy toes.

After that, I showered there and then went to meet the fam back at the hotel. I also washed my clothes in the sink because I only had one set of exercise clothes. (Do not recommend.)

Oh, also, there was a Peloton celeb in the class. This guy, who was doing his 5000th class. I got a selfie with him while I waited in line for my picture. He was the “silver” member who got into the studio before I did.

Sunday’s class with Christine was at the same time, but I woke up earlier, so I left the hotel earlier and even after stopping for coffee and a snack, I got there over an hour before the start time. I sat in the lobby and read and chatted with a woman I’d sat next to in Jenn’s class. So that was nice.

This time, though, I got a white card. I didn’t know what that meant. I hoped it didn’t mean I’d be in the last group.

ALAS. It did. Now I know for the future, be a first timer for your first class, and for the second class, hit your milestone. (In case, you, perhaps, have booked two classes in London for your trip there next month.)

Being at the end of the line for the last group let in to the studio meant I was in a spot in the back corner of the room, which meant I was never on camera. Which is FINE, I got plenty of camera time the day before. And I got to sit next to my new friend, so that was fun.

Everything basically went the same, but Christine was so social and lovely! She went around to every person and shook their hand and said hello. She admired my tattoos. 🙂

This was a New Wave class, which meant the music was great! She played The Smiths, so I was happy. I loved that the song she walked around to before class was Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.

Even though I thought this class was a lot easier, my output was a lot higher. I wonder if it’s because I was less nervous, or if it was my bike, or what. Anyway, after class, I got a picture. And I admired her lipstick, so she told me the brand and color. (KDV, Jupiter’s Eye.)

(This time, I did not wear my glasses to class.)

And so that was my experience taking classes at the Peloton New York studio. I enjoyed every bit of it and hope to do it again one day!

16 and a half

This blog has turned into a stream of “three boys standing against a wall” and I really need to post about other things.

But! They are halfway to 17 and I’m not okay with that. (I mean okay really they’re halfway to 33 but you know what I mean.)

So I’m going to throw some other things in this post, like…

Miles is working! So is Oliver! They have gotten paychecks and it’s very exciting.

Miles has his driver’s license! He got it two days ago and for his first solo trip, he went to IHOP and got takeout. He had been saying that’s what he was going to do, and by golly, he did it. Gotta respect that.

I’m going to Montreal next week for work, that’s fun! I’ve never been. I’m excited.

Last day of 10th grade

I’m telling you, we are crawling to the finish line of this school year. As usual, it seems like, they got sick, which just complicates everything. (Like the year Miles had COVID and had to just not take his exams.) And Miles and Linus have an AP French exam this afternoon until 4:30 which just adds insult to injury.

But we made it. On to junior year! (GAAAAAAHHHHH)

First day:

I didn’t think they’d gotten that much taller but the window doesn’t lie…

Books, books, books

You may have noticed that I haven’t made any clothes in a while. (That’s a joke because I haven’t blogged about anything, much less sewing so how would you know?) Anyway, it’s partly because I have a new hobby I’m hyperfixated on…bookbinding!

I took it up last summer after being intrigued by it for years and years. (I designed a book right before the boys were born that was published by a local museum.) I enjoy all of it, from typesetting the words to making it into a physical book.

Earlier this year, a “club” was started at work for those who create, and I decided to make a book. There was an “art show” today (on Google Meet) and everyone showed what they made. There were paintings and music and fun sculptures and drawings (and a book.)

All of this to say, here’s my book! It’s a photo book documenting the past ten years of work travel since I’ve been at Automattic.

But this is the real fun part…a sped up video of the making of the book!