Winners And Losers

I just finished watching this year's Tony Awards. I must say that having just returned from a week on Broadway, I was more engaged this year than I have ever been before. Spring Awakening, a show that I did not see, was clearly the winner tonight. There were several nominations from shows that we saw, but if I remember correctly, none came out on top. As I considered what we had seen and what won, I began to think about the process of determining "the best", not just the best in theater, but the best in anything.

The message that prevails in this world is that if you are not the best at whatever it is you choose to do, then you are not "good enough"- whatever that means The reality is that only one (or possibly a small few) can be at the top of any venture. Does that render the rest of us meaningless? If so, we have a whole world of pointless people. How absurd is this?

We watch championship ball games and talk about winners and losers. My family watched as the Dallas Mavericks experienced a terrible upset in the first round of the NBA play-offs. I can say that we were disappointed as I am sure the Mavericks players were. And yes, they did lose the series. But should we really call them losers? What did it take to even get to the play-offs? A great number of successes. Each of these players along with thousands of other young boys dreamed of being a professional basketball player. A handful of them realized this dream. The fact that these players were even in a position to "lose" makes them winners.

We see the same type of quantification as we watch Olympic events. "So and so had to settle for a silver medal." Settle? Why not be proud of that accomplishment? Second in the world; what a failure! What message are we sending to our children here?

No one can always be "the best". But, we can all strive for and be "our best". If we live to be the best we can be at whatever our gift is in life, the world will be a much happier place because we will be free of the anxiety that comes with discontent. Living up to our individual potential is the greatest accomplishment for any of us. Always needing to be the best, the expert, the all-powerful, is the quickest way to unhappiness, not to mention madness. In a nutshell, we need to learn to be happy with who we are and what we are. If we are truly happy in our own skin, we are our best. We can attain nothing greater than unqualified contentment in life. When we are happy, we have the capacity to set higher goals for ourselves and have a real chance of achieving them.

To those who received awards tonight, Congratulation. To those who received nominations, Congratulations. To those who dream of one day singing on Broadway, Congratulations. To those who are happy singing in the shower, Congratulations. And to those who are happy just listening, Congratulations.

To steal a phrase, be all that you can be . . .and you too will be a winner.

Observations From NYC: The Sequel

Here are the last of the pictures from New York. There is nothing spectacular here, just the everyday images of the city.

This horse just had "a look".

I am still fascinated by the tranquility that is found in Central Park.

The first time the girls were in New York, about nine years ago, they called this the troll bridge.

I couldn't resist this one.

Yesterday we went to Chinatown for the infamous "Coach purses." Erin did get one but she was not thrilled about the process - make sure no cops are around, shove four people into the "secret closet" behind the vendor stall, "that will be $30, Okay, $25, how about $22?" She was much happier buying this hat on a corner of Fifth Avenue.

Here is Offspring #2 and our adopted third child for the week. Lainey spent much of her free time and had many after show dinners with us. We promised her mom that we would take care of her on the trip. She is a great kid and we'll take her anytime. She and Erin share an interest in drama and she and Brooke talked comic books-especially Batman.

Offspring No.1 with Bailey. Bailey and Erin are stage buddies. They have done several shows together. At the beginning of this trip, Bailey told Brooke she was scary because she had blue hair and big feet. After five days, they are best buds. They spent a couple of hours playing together in the airport while we waited for a slightly late plane to depart.

I don't know exactly where this sculpture was. Since it looks like the image from stamps a few years ago, I might venture a guess that it was in front of a post office but I am not sure. I just liked it. This is definitely a point and shoot picture!

The last show we saw was Legally Blonde. I did not have high hopes for this one but I was pleasantly surprised. It was energetic, well done, and had some great one-liners. We have all been humming "Oh my God, Oh my God you guys" all day. I am looking forward to watching the Tony Awards tomorrow night. Having seen so many shows, I have half a hope of knowing what they are talking about!

Though we had a fun time, we are all glad to be home. Brooke missed "her" kitchen and TV time. Erin missed her social life. We all missed the dogs. Liz picked them up from the vet this afternoon so they were here when we got home. Yeah! They seemed glad to see us. We will all be happy to sleep in our own beds tonight. I am sure that the vet did not provide a king-sized bed with extra pillows for these spoiled mutts.

Speaking of bed, I am still on east coast time where it is an hour later. I should go to bed.

Dichotomy In Central Park

I finally made it to Central Park today to take some pictures. I had no real agenda as to what I wanted pictures of, I just wanted to take pictures. Brooke and I took the subway to Fifth Avenue where we got off and just started walking.

One of the first sights we came upon was a group of musicians playing in the park. They seemed to be having fun with the music as they enjoyed the beautiful, though a little warm, day. Their music was mixed with the songs of the birds, the hum of people talking, and the aleatoric street sounds that surround the park. Somehow all the sounds formed a symphony whose title was "Today".

As we continued to walk, I was struck repeatedly by how things that are opposites or extremes shared common space in a harmonic way. The park is surrounded by vendors selling hot dogs, ice cream ad pretzels. Afternoon snacks were shared by brothers an sisters, mothers and children, and husbands and wives. People were no the only creatures sharing bites. The horses that draw the tour carriages were also sharing their afternoon snacks. The pigeons love to gather around the feed buckets hoping for some bits of dropped oats.

While in the midst of the lush greenery of Central Park, it is easy to forget that just above you, on all four sides, is the hustle and bustle of a busy city. The packed streets and people-saturated sidewalks seem so far away. Though the skyscrapers are visible through clearings every now and then, they too seem a world away.

Central Park is home to the Central Park Zoo. We did not walk through the zoo today, but we did walk around it. The zoo inhabitants were not visible from the path we were on, but there were many critters that were encountered on our walk who wee not zoo residents. Here goose and turtles enjoy the sun-soaked rock together. We stood watching for ten or fifteen minutes. The goose turned his head a few times but his feet never moved. The turtles too were like an extension of the rock on which they were perched. Perhaps they were watching al of the humans who were basking in the warm afternoon sun.
New York taxis deserve every bit of the reputation they have. It is amazing to me that there is not an accident at every intersection in every hour! these cabbys'are crazy drivers, yet, somehow, they manage to share the streets not only with other cars but with humans and animals as well.
Central Park offers a beautiful place for people in the city to take a break and enjoy plants, animals, each other and a respite from the hectic world that surrounds it and us. How nice it would be to spend a little piece of every day watching the ducks, talking a horse and buggy ride, or sharing some ice cream with someone you love. As I get ready to head home, I left wondering where the Central Park in my neighborhood is.

Not Enough Knitting or Pictures!

It was a brisk morning in NYC. Brooke and I had a nice breakfast at a deli around the corner from our hotel and then Erin and I did some shopping. We found M&M World. I had planned to spend the afternoon taking pictures in Central Park and knitting. As with most things in my life, the day did not work out as I had planned. While the girls and I were enjoying the tastes and sights of the city, Mike went and put our names in the lottery for tickets to the taping of tonight's David Letterman Show. I was hoping that we would not be picked, but we were. This meant that we had to pick up our tickets at2 and be back for the show at 3:30 for the 4:30 taping. This screwed up the whole afternoon. No pictures! I am hoping for another opportunity tomorrow.


Seeing the taping of The Late Show was one of those that things that I can now say that I have done. The one interesting thing was that the Late Show tapes both Monday's and Friday's show on Monday. (The others are taped on the days they air.) Apparently at the Monday taping for this Friday's show, Dave got a great deal of mileage out of the fact that Paris Hilton was in jail. Unfortunately for him, she was released today so the monologue intended for tomorrow lost its punch. After taping today's show, they retaped a new monologue for tomorrow. Other than that, everything looked exactly like it does when we see it on TV.

We saw The Color Purple tonight. For those of you who watch American Idol, the lead (played by Whoopie Goldberg in the movie) was played by Fantasia, the 2004 Idol winner. All and all it was a good show. We were all wondering how they would deal with all of the violence in this story on stage. It was done tastefully and effectively. This is an emotionally tough show to pull off on stage night after night. The cast gave the show, and the audience, their all.

I made it to this morning before succumbing to the urge to call the vet and check on the dogs. The tech said that they were fine as long as they were together. Neither of them likes it when one goes for a walk without the other. I told them that when I dropped the dogs off but I don't think they were convinced. They are now.

Searching the Internet, we could not find a yarn shop to which we are willing to make an "on speculation" visit. That gives me another opportunity for photography in the park, and perhaps a hot dog and pretzel too! I am also behind on my knitting. I am still working towards finishing a pair of socks but it is looking right not like I might have to admit defeat. We'll see how much knitting time tomorrow brings.

Observations From NYC

In no specific order, here are my observations from NYC today:

1. There is more than one meaning to "bounce in your step". - We started this morning bright and early with a musical theater workshop at a local studio. Musical theater is the triple threat (singing, acting, and dancing). I had hoped for a little of each. As it turned out, the person leading the workshop was primarily a dancer so we danced the entire time! The session began with warm ups and stretching. I was grateful for my somewhat tenuous relationship with yoga. I was surprised at the flexibility I had. We are of to a good start. Next, the meat of the morning - we are going tom learn the choreography to the opening of Hairspray. Here is where the bounce comes in. I did okay with the dance steps but there was a little more bounce in my steps (and other places) than in the perky, skinny dancers on the live. Nonetheless, it was fun and my metabolism got a jump start this morning. Feeling good about that, I had a Belgian waffle with non-fat frozen yogurt for lunch. Yum!
2. Bigger is better. I have often heard that people in big cities are rude. I have found just the opposite here. The sidewalks are jam packed with people yet no one pushes and shoves like they do in Dallas, particularly in the malls. Each person has relatively little persona space but what little there is is respected by those around you. We also stood in a long line at TKTS for matinee tickets. Everyone was patient and friendly as we each waited our turn. People in Dallas are less courteous while standing in the grocery lines at Kroger to buy 10 for $10 bottles of soft drinks.
3. There is a Starbucks in every block. And, there are no seats in any of them.
4. Seeing two shows in a single day is awesome! We got matinee tickets for Mamma Mia!. I had hoped to see Avenue Q but it is dark all day on Wednesday. Oh well, that means another trip to New York or one to Las Vegas. I did not know much about Mamma Mia so I had no expectations. it was hilarious. I did not realize how many ABBA songs I actually know. I had joked with BK on the plane that I was considering a belly button piercing as a souvenir from the trip. After seeing this show, it is a toss-up between that and my own sequins studded Lycra jumpsuit (a la the Jetsons) like the older woman wore in this show. The only problem with this is that the shoes make the outfit, and they were six inch (at least) platforms. This Birkenstock wearin' girl is not sure she can handle these. As of now, I'm still souvenir shopping . . . We saw Wicked tonight. It was well done, but overall the production we saw last summer in Chicago was better. This one was very good though.

All in all, today was a day full of good food and great entertainment. I am looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.

Ground Zero

We arrived in New York after an uneventful flight from Dallas. After checking into the hotel and a few minutes to get our bearings, it was down to the subway for a trip to Ground Zero. Many images from September 11, 2001 are still vivid in my mind. All of them are of the immediate aftermath of the loss of the World Trade Center. I really had no idea what I would see today.

The streets that had been dark tombs in the early days after 9/11 look normal now. It is not until you get right up to the spot (or as close as you are allowed to get) that the devastation is still evident. Wire fences separate the spacebetween what is and what was.

As I peered through the square mesh, I was struck by how odd it is to see that much sky from any street in the city. There is definitely a void that left me with an eerie feeling. It is not the present state of the area that is responsible for this feeling, but the experience of what was. To be honest, all that surrounds this spot now is represented by a feeling of great hope. Progress is happening though nothing has been forgotten. Huge images of the aftermath hang on the barriers - amazing photography of horrifying times.
St. Paul's chapel, which served as a place of physical and spiritual respite for those working, stands behind the previous image. It is a working parish in that Mass is celebrated here,but the more important work is the shrine to all those who have been touched by the events of 9/11. Its walls are lined with pictures, gifts and tokens left by loved ones of those lost. It is a capsule of the love that does exist in this world.
This is the empty skyline taken from the churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel.

Here are pictures of the cots that were used for a few minutes of rest by the volunteers. Notice the hand knit afghan (though it is on wrong side out).

One has to be a much better writer than me to fully articulate the emotions that flowed while visiting these places. It is really one of those "you had to be there" moments.

On a happier note, we went to see Mary Poppins this evening. I was not terribly excited about seeing this shoe; I was not a fan of the movie and have never read the book. Technically it was an awesome show. This is not to say that the performance was not good - it was, but the set and technical elements were amazing. There was much flying about. I think the casting of Mary Poppins had more to do with finding someone who did not have a fear of heights rather than someone who can act or sing. In this case, she had it all.

Though the flow of the show was a little disjointed, the message was clear. Simply stated, it was that we should all believe in dreams; believe that anything is possible. The juxtaposition of this message with the emotions of the afternoon left me with much whirling around in my head. It is all still spinning around. Perhaps I should have waited to write this, but I didn't. I now have a few days to let everything settle.

It is late and I am having problems with my computer so I will quit now. Hopefully I will write before 1:30 am tomorrow and there will then be a hope of more coherent thoughts. Thanks for sticking with me.

Empty Nest

No, it has not finally hit me that I am sending a kid off to college, it is this vacation thing. Vacation time for us is usually spent in the mountains of New Mexico and ALL of us go; that includes the dogs. The dogs can't go to New York. So, this afternoon I had to take them to the vet where they will be boarded while we are away.

BK has spent the evening making fun of me because I am more upset about leaving the dogs than I get about leaving anyone else behind. I have to admit, that is true. The reason for this is because when I leave the kids or friends, they are usually only a phone call away. I can hear their voices, listen to how the day went, still feel like I am there even if only in spirit. I can't talk to the dogs. I don't know what is going on with them. Oh, the vet did say feel free to call and check on them but I doubt they are going to say that your dog is miserable. I am sure that I will call (Note to self: remember to take the number with you) a few times while we are gone. And I am sure that the reception will say, "Oh, they are doing just fine." 95% of me will believe that but there will always be a little piece of me that is not sure.

Don't get me wrong, I love our vet and I trust the entire staff. They have been wonderful to us and all of our animals many times. It is just that I have not boarded the dogs before. I have always been lucky enough to have someone who would stay with them. I did not try to find anyone this time because it really is easier to board them. At the last possible moment this afternoon, I dropped them off with their blankets. Though they were hesitant to do so, the vet promised me that they would put them in the same run. They were afraid that Adidas would get excited and step on Harley. He will be much calmer if they are together.

So, I sit here writing with no dogs at my feet. It really does not feel right. I had a doughnut earlier and had to eat the whole thing myself because there were no begging eyes staring at me and urging me to share. I folded the last of the laundry without having to refold it a time or two because of canine wrestling on the bed. It feels really empty around here. Even the cats are wondering what is going on though I don't think they are really missing the dogs. They will get first dibs on the pillows tonight.

Just to make sure that I didn't miss them too much, Adidas left me a de-stuffed toy under the kitchen table - more pol-fil for Harley's bin and Harley left me a "puppy pile" in the laundry room. How they love me!

There was one good thing about them being gone this evening. I remembered way late that I still needed to change the cat box. Normally I must carry the old litter to the dumpster outside immediately else the canines will rip it open and have a feast. Gross, I know, but unfortunately true. I did not look forward to traipsing outside in my pajamas. It then dawned on me, there is no one here to tear the bags open. You can carry them out in the morning when you leave. There is a positive in nearly every situation.

Once we are away from home I'm sure that I will feel better. It is me being here and them not that feels so strange. I am very lucky that BK's daughter is going to pick the dogs up and bring them home on Saturday morning so they will be here when we return on Saturday afternoon. The vet closes at noon on Saturday so if she could not pick them up, they would have to stay until Monday. I don't think I could stand that!

I will stop whining now. I am looking forward to this trip and I promise not to stop and talk to every dog that we pass on the streets of New York.