Halloween Howl for Doggies at Carl Shurz, Sunday

Halloween is lurking right around the corner, so it’s time to round up costumes for everyone in the family: that means you, your kids, and… even your bull dog. I don’t have a dog, myself, but I am delighted to discover that there is going to be a canine costume party here on the Upper East Side. It’s called the Annual Halloween Howl and it’s taking place Sunday afternoon (October 25) at Carl Shurz Park, 1-3 pm. If that doesn’t make you wag your tail then I don’t what will.

Turns out the Howl has been going on for about 12 years and is a fundraiser for the dog runs, which are maintained by volunteers and funded by private donations. If you want to register your companion in the contest, gussie him up, and arrive at the basketball court by the dog runs between 12 and 1 (enter the park at 84th Street and East End Avenue). It’s just a $5 donation fee to participate. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Small Dog, Large Dog, Group (dogs and their humans or more than one dog), and Best New York City Themed Costume.

Then, it’s your doggie’s chance to shine, to strut his stuff for the esteemed judging panel. The judges, culled mostly from the world of fashion, will be looking for originality, demeanor, attitude, and behavior. First, Second and Third places in each category will win ribbons and also gift certificates from Three Tiny Terriers, a dog boutique on First between 91st and 92nd.

There will also be a raffle, chances costing $1 each and $5 for a book of 6. There is an extensive list of prizes including gift certificates to lots of UES businesses like Maz Mezcal, Glaser’s Bake Shop and Yorkville Creperie. You could also win doggie-centric treats like a hand-knit sweater by Canine Couture, a 45 minute telephone consultation for animal communication with Cynthia Fellows, and 1 year’s supply of Frontline from University Animal Hospital, among many other great offerings. Besides, the merchandise table will be selling Carl Shurz thermal mugs, tote bags, flashing lights for dog collars, and leashes in addition to T-Shirts, sweatshirts, and hats.

I had the chance to catch up with one of the organizers, Nina Mortellito. She’s a volunteer and board member of the Carl Shurz Park Conservancy and specifically works with the dog runs. She got involved with this group about four years ago when she started taking her West Highland Terrier, Lily, to the park. She noticed that the runs needed some attention and decided to help out. “One of the things people don’t realize is that there is only one paid employee for the whole park. People think there’s a whole staff, but there isn’t.” She said that this and their annual Schmooze Benefit, which took place earlier this month, really keep the dog runs going and that’s good for the whole park. She told me, “we’re excited that the dog runs will now be renovated and we’re hoping that they’ll break ground as soon as next month.”

Mortellito’s Lily won’t be participating in the contest this year, but she’s previously dressed up as an oreo cookie. Mortellito says that the Halloween Howl is a great opportunity for UES dog owners and lots of kids to all get together in good spirits. While some owners purchase fun canine costumes online, others put a lot of creativity into making their own. Some of the most memorable entries, in her mind, were the Three Little Pigs (one dog, two owners) and one couple who built a dog-sized replica of the 86th Street crosstown bus, complete with the corrugated middle. “I don’t know how they trained their dog to stay in there, but they did!” I personally think this collection of snapshots would melt the heart of any Halloweeen scrooge.

Last year, there were about 100 small dogs and 50 large and group entries and Mortellito says they’re usually very well behaved. “There’s the Pug contingent, the Yorkie contingent, lots of Golden Retrievers, and always a few American Bulldogs.” She has noticed that there are more and more adopted mixed breeds coming out for the event. “It seems like a lot more people are reaching out.” In fact, the ASPCA regularly uses the dog runs to help acclimate the adoptables. They will have a table at the event.

So if your dog is ready to show off his ghoulish best, or just wants to enjoy the festivities, then stop by Carl Shurz on Sunday. See you there, woof woof!

Yup, Finger Therapy at New York-Presbyterian

Please don’t make fun of the fact that I am currently in finger therapy at New York-Presbytarian Hospital. Never mind, go ahead: everyone else seems quite entertained by this, so you might as well be, too. And I do see the humor in this situation. I do. That is, when I’m not writhing in pain.

Here’s what happened: a few months back, I cut my left index finger with an extremely sharp pair of scissors. I did this while visiting my mom down in Delaware. We rushed over to the local Emergency Room for stitches. No big deal, except that the cut was right on my finger joint. This meant I had to wear a splint for two weeks because bending the finger would keep re-opening the wound. A special bandage kept my finger straight for a few more weeks.

As a result, my finger froze in a straight position. The joint tightened up and so did the skin. Point is, bending it is now surprisingly excruciating. So yes, silly little injury. Big pain in the…finger.

The other thing is that the scar looks…well, odd. It’s still red and shaped kind of like a tiny piece of pizza with rounded edges. The skin flap didn’t heal down onto the rest of my finger. Instead, it curled up, kind of like a hook. It looks almost like a tiny 6th appendage. My brother likened it to the snout of a little rodent, perhaps a mole. In a genuine attempt to make me feel better, one friend said it looked like a wart.

It has been suggested by a few medical practitioners that I should have requested a plastic surgeon while still in the ER. In fact, the concept did cross my mind, but it felt somewhat vain to do so. Now, I’m on deck for some reconstructive work, however the plastic surgeon won’t touch it until I regain full mobility.

Hence, finger therapy. This takes place in the Occupational Therapy department on the 18th floor of New York-Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical Center on York Avenue at 68th. Here, they work on all the upper extremities: arms, wrists, shoulders and hands.

I am a lifelong athlete, so am no stranger to therapy. In fact, all my limbs have gone through some kind of therapy at one point or another. I know all about electro stimulation, deep tissue massage, icing, heat, oversized rubber bands for resistance exercises. I know about re-building strength and flexibility and I’ve engaged in a lot of weird rehabilitative exercises.

This process has been the strangest to date. Let’s start with the Jane Fonda-esque exercises. I invite you to imagine my finger wearing a headband and a spandex leotard while I count “and one…and two…and three…”. The corresponding resistance exercises don’t involve a tiny barbell, but you can imagine one of those if you want. There are sponges of varying sponginess to squeeze. There’s a tiny finger-sized sling to wear that holds it in a bent position.

The quirkiest activity is wrapping my hand around dowels of varying circumference and stamping holes with them into a lump of blue putty. The resulting pattern looks like some kind of alien flora or deep sea creature.

My therapist is Upper East Side resident Lora Stubin-Amelio. She’s been an Occupational Therapist since 1988 and certified to focus on hands for 17 years. She became interested in the field during high school when she dislocated her own finger playing softball and had to receive hand therapy.

I like Lora, even though she repeatedly hurts me. First of all, it’s obvious that she knows what she’s doing and second of all, she’s nice about it. Before she bends my finger all the way (and my sweat glands transform into individual shower spouts), she says, “I know you’re going to hate me for this…” But I don’t. She’s purposefully chatty – in order to distract me from the pain. She tells me that she enjoys seeing the change in patients and helping them go back to daily activities. Just interacting with people, in general, is one of her favorite parts of the job.

She says that, in her department, they see a lot of distal radius (wrist) fractures and also, due to the hospital’s burn center, they work with a lot of burn victims. She told me that skin injuries often result in the tightening of the joint capsule. In my small way, I can confirm this. This process has been a learning experience and an interesting little window into another career path, another nook of New York.

Granted, my situation can be classified as more of an annoyance than a tragedy and I’m sure I’ll return to full finger health, soon or soonish, anyway. I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Even just walking down that section of York Avenue with all the hospitals on a weekly basis provides a dose of perspective. Seeing people who are dealing with far more serious issues reminds me to be generally thankful for my health.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some exercises to do and putty to poke…

Nirvana at Naulo Nails

Before living in New York, I thought that getting your nails done by someone else was an extremely luxurious, chi-chi thing to do. Now, after being here for while, so-called mani-pedis seem like one of those NYC “things” – like getting your laundry washed and folded by someone else or getting Thai delivered right to your apartment door – that are just part of the Manhattan (or shall I say Mani-hattan?) experience. I don’t indulge all that often, but when I do I come away feeling quite relaxed and rejuvenated.

Like many women on the Upper East Side, I tried out a few spots around the neighborhood before identifying one location to call “my nail place.” For me, this is Naulo Nails on First Avenue between 76th and 77th, chosen for its convenience, competence and cleanliness.

Over the years, I’ve rushed there before dates, treated myself to some pampering on gloomy afternoons, and booked appointments there for the whole gang the day before my wedding. Of course, it’s nice to get the nails re-shaped and a fresh coat of polish, but these are only the most obvious parts of the process.

Truthfully, what brings me back even more are probably the mini-massages: 1) the foot/toe/shin/calf rub-down that comes with the pedicures ($19) and 2) the 10 minute neck/shoulder/back/arm massage I spring for ($11), almost every time. These take place on the weird back rub chairs with the donut-shaped face rests, the chairs that look more like instruments of torture than pleasure.

All the massages I’ve received at Naulo have been excellent, but when manager Sam Gurung comes out from behind the desk to work his magic, you’re in for a serious work-over. In fact, for one unfortunate epoch, involving a shoulder injury and a herniated disc in my neck, I popped in to see him a few times per week, not even bothering with nails.

Gurung tells me that they’ve been open six years. In addition to manicures, pedicures, and quickie massages, they offer threading and waxing services. Like most nail spots, they cater to regulars with appointments and, with seven or so technicians on staff, they can accommodate lots of walk-ins. He tells me that their busiest days are Fridays and Saturdays, with women beautifying for the weekend.

On Columbus Day, I stopped in for what I call a winter pedicure, i.e. skipping the polish. Of course I like my feet to sport some color all year but this time of year I leave that job to my socks. My pedicurist this time, Veronaca Caneta, who is from Mexico and has been working at Naulo for one and a half years, trimmed my little piggies and filed them down while I got lost in the pages of good old People Magazine.

Then she scrubbed at my skin with exfoliating gel. By the time she started to dig into the arches of my feet with the peppermint lotion, I was beginning to reach an extra-relaxed state, in extreme contrast with the hustle and bustle outside and the mad-dash that would be the rest of my week. I closed my eyes and breathed deep.

Over in the chair, she kneaded a bagel-sized knot on my right shoulder until it became more like a bialy. And I felt extremely thankful: glad I had the day off, and glad that there are places like Naulo where you can buy some nirvana 10 minutes at a time.