Author: ruhlwrite

When Molly Gelb’s husband died early last year, she didn’t break down. She tore down. She removed nearly every wall in the living room and kitchen of their apartment, which also serves as the nerve center of their business, LL Overhead Garage Doors, so she could build herself up again. She also removed her wedding band, replacing it with the gold and onyx ring her soul mate always wore. “It’s my way of taking him with me wherever I go,” she says, looking at the oval stone…

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“I’ve been a ham since day one,” declares Mara Jill Herman. “I’ve always liked to be the center of attention.” What, you don’t believe her?   Mara makes a series of funny faces – she sticks out her tongue, she bulges her eyes out bug-like, she pouts and even tries to look like a mean girl. Then she reaches out for a street sign and makes it her dance partner, twirling around it like Gene Kelly in the musical . This is New York City; nobody notices. This is…

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“I L-O-V-E life,” purrs Connie Arroyo. “Every day is a gift.” Smiling, she wraps herself in her white mink (it’s second-hand from Buffalo Exchange), slips her bare feet into a pair of white ankle boots with 3-inch heels and heads for her white Hummer. She’s 4-foot-10, and the Hummer’s 6-foot-5. It’s no contest: She conquers the behemoth, climbing behind the wheel like a mountaineer scaling Everest. “I’ve had a lot of practice,” she says. “And I know where…

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There’s a lot going on. The pet rats, Softee and Gray Spot Star Sword, are climbing their cage. The children, 5-year-old Leif and 3-year-old Finn, are tucked into a corner hovering over a smartphone. The adults, Chad Williams and Lindsey “Z” Briggs, are playing with puppets. Z literally has her hands full with Grandma Ellie and Grandma Nancy, while Chad is armed with Mystery Max and Finn the Fox. The husband-and-wife duo make funny faces and say silly stuff. They’ve…

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The first time New York Cosmos defender Jonathan Borrajo kicked a soccer ball, it was down the hall of his apartment. “I was 2,” he says, smiling at the memory. “My father told me, ‘Don’t let the ball hit the walls.’ That’s how I learned precision.” The connection went from his foot straight to his heart, where it has remained for the last 29 years. “Soccer’s in my blood,” he says. “My father, who is from Spain, loves soccer – he even got a college scholarship…

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