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.

The Important Stuff

I am in the midst of doing laundry so the we can pack for a vacation. This is an honest to goodness vacation, not a tag-a-log on someone's business trip (the usual "vacation" around here). We are going to NYC with the drama department from the high school. Aside from no work happening (supposedly) on this trip, someone else made all of the arrangements - hotel reservations, show tickets, transportation - all taken care of. I am not used to this kind of treatment! All I have to do is pack and get to the airport on time (6 am, but I am not bitter).

Packing clothing is the easy part. I am not a fashion diva. I live by the philosophy that you can go almost everywhere in jeans or khakis and T-shirts during the day and a button down at night. If I am wrong, don't tell me now. So, I have the jeans and the shirts in a pile ready to put in the backpack. Oh, I don't like suitcases either. They are kind of a stuffy way to travel.

The more important packing is the "other" stuff. These are the things that separate an OK trip from a great trip. The other consideration is to travel as lightly as possible. I am lazy and don't want to carry or keep up with a bunch of extraneous stuff. So, where to begin.

1. The camera - it always goes. Unfortunately, it is like traveling with a baby. The paraphernalia (lenses, flash, portable drive to download pictures) takes up more room than the camera itself.
2. Computer - This may count as camera paraphernalia. But also, I want to be able to blog while I am gone. You guys do want to see pictures of the Big Apple, right?
3. Knitting - I am definitely taking the yarn that the Accidental Knitter brought me a few weeks ago. It will be a pair of socks when I return. I will probably take another skein of sock yarn, which one is yet to be determined. Knitting socks requires few tools so they are great traveling projects. If I run out of yarn, I guess I will have to find a yarn shop. That sucks, but hey, the sacrifices we make for our art.
4. A book - I have a shelf full of stuff that I bought during the school year and have not had the opportunity to read. I will probably choose something that falls into the category of brain candy since reading is likely to happen in short bits here and there.
5. A Crossword puzzle book - If I going to read brain candy, I need to take something that will keep the brain agile. Oh, we are going to New York. I bet I can find the New York Times crossword puzzle in the paper. Scratch puzzle book.
6. My Ipod - I am as bad as the teenagers. I can't leave home without it. Besides, if the plane crashes, I want to leave someone with a great sociological study about the screwed up person who has everything from Bowling for Soup to Brahms and Jack Kornfield on their Ipod.

Does that sound like too much? If so, I am willing to leave some of the clothes, but this stuff has to go. I could borrow Brooke's T-shirt that says "same shirt different day". I am not proud. This sounds like a lot of amenities; the truth is I could be happy for a very long time with these things.

I am looking forward to knitting in Central Park, taking pictures of Ground Zero and the surrounding area, listening to show tunes in and out of the theatre, and having a little down time.

Wow! A real vacation. Stay tuned for the travelogue beginning Tuesday.

On The Soft Side

Last week I got a Phone call from a member of the men's fellowship at church. He was soliciting donations for the silent auction that is to take place during the annual parish fish fry this weekend. Two years ago, I made a knitted teddy bear that raised $75 for Habitat for Humanity. He was hoping that I would make another one for this year's auction. In a moment of weakness, I agreed.

Tonight I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to finish the last of the bear. I like this particular pattern because it is all done in one piece. The only tricky part about it is that you have to stuff the body of the bear before you knit on the arms. Off to the craft closet I went to find the bin of poly-fil.

The eveining was rather the calm. The cat was asleep on the table and the dogs were playing quietly underneath. I was feeling pretty good about the progress I was making. I had no doubt that I would finish the knitting of the bear tonight, leaving only the application of the ears and facial features for tomorrow.

I was in the knitting zone. Suddenly I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

"Wow! I did not realize that Mom saves all of the stuffing that Adidas and I rip out of our toys. I always thought that we made her mad when we dissected things under the kitchen table. How sentimental of her."

"I wonder what else she has saved. Do you think that she saves all the underwear that we chew? The socks? Maybe she saved all those cell phones that Adidas chomped when he was a puppy."

"This is cool stuff, Mom. How many toys do you think this took?"

"How come she gets away with this? She is you favorite! If I had climbed into the bin you would have yelled at me. You would have taken my frisbee away. I would be on cookie and TV restriction too. How come the baby gets to do things that I can't?"

"Whine, Whine, Whine. If it is that big a deal, I will get out and we can go fight over a rawhide bone or something."

In case you are wondering, I did not finish the bear. Tomorrow, I promise!

Rules To Dye For

I think that it is safe to say that we survived graduation, my dad's visit, and the graduation party. We can now get down to the business of summer vacation and, for Brooke, living as an adult. She is not yet 18 but high school graduation does bring with it the expectation that one will act a little older and a little more responsibly.

Today Brooke took her first big step as one who is free of school rules. She survived twelve years of private school dress code - plaid skirts and white blouses were really not her thing. She did OK with the public school rules, and she even wore :"proper" shoes for graduation. All and all, I consider these things marks of success. But, it is all over now.

I promised a picture of "my angel" as she appeared in The Laramie Project. The angels appeared in the scene where Fred Phelps,the conservative preacher, is protesting at Matthew Shephard's funeral. The angels encircle him as a peaceful protest to his message.

A picture perfect angel, don't you think? Oh come on, humor me just this once! Notice the long cherubic curls.

Well, the long curls are gone. After hating the haircut that she had when she was two because "it was so short it made me look like a boy" (She was bald until that point so any haircut was an accomplishment.), Brooke chose to get her hair cut really short.

This is what whacked off naturally curly hair looks like. I think it is a pretty good look for a college freshman. When she rolls out of bed at 7:55 for an 8:00 class, the fact that her hair always looks like she just rose from a three day nap will not give away the fact that she has only been conscious for five minutes. Really, I do think it is cute.

Then there is the front. This is the part that harkens back to having followed the rules long enough.

No, the various colors are not the result of bad lighting for this picture. They were carefully chosen - the miracle of modern hair dye! School rules said that a child's hair must remain a natural color. It did not have to be their natural color, just a natural color. Unless clown wigs are considered natural, this definitely would not have passed the test! But, school is over and hey, it is just hair anyway. In six weeks the color will have faded and it will be time to try something different. It is summertime, time to have a little fun and show a little whimsy - the whimsy is a big step for Brooke. Though she is way out there on the inside, this side of her rarely makes it to the outside.

So, Brooke's first major decision as an adult is to dye her hair. This is the future of our country. Are you scared? This is the brightest of the brightest. Are you scared now? As salutatorian, she was interviewed by the newspaper. They asked her what advice for success she would share with upcoming high school students. She said, do your homework, don't do drugs, and learn to drink coffee. Not such bad advice. Do you feel a little better about the future?
.

This is the face of a happy kid, one from whom I expect great things. She plans to major in neuroscience. I have to believe that one who is willing to think outside the box personally will do the same professionally. It is those that are willing to take such risks that accomplish greatness in terms of research. Only time will tell . . .

The only person who does not like it is Erin. She seems to be embarrassed by her rainbow-headed sister. I keep telling Erin that Brooke will be gone in a few months. She will not be a source of embarrassment for much longer. Come September, someone else will have to fret over her hair - and the tattoo that Brooke is threatening to get when she turns eighteen

Not A Party Animal

I have finally managed to roll to the computer after eating way too much great food last night. We had a graduation party for Brooke although she is not the party type and probably would have rather had a quiet night with a season of CSI or Bones. I felt like I should do something for her and an opportunity to gather friends should not be passed over.

The guest list was a mix of my friends, and a few each of Brooke's and Erin's. To clarify how not a social butterfly Brooke is, as one of the girls was leaving, one who Brooke has played soccer with since first grade, she said, "I am glad that I finally got to see your house." Sad, but true.

We had fajitas for dinner. If any of you are ever looking for a great meal for a large group of people with dietary likes, dislikes and restrictions that run the gamut and then some, I recommend fajitas.
VEGANS - tortillas filled with grilled veggies
VEGETARIANS - add a little cheese and sour cream to the above
CARNIVORES - skip the veggies, just meat please
WELL ROUNDED EATERS - pile it all on
Add some tasty salsa, homemade tortilla chips, pinto beans, fruit and a cooler full of sangria (adults only) and you have the perfect party meal. It is even better if you have people who love you enough to bring the hot off the skillet tortillas.

Brooke really did not like being the guest of honor. Throughout this whole graduation process, she has not wanted to have a big deal made over her. She tried to get out of going to the senior awards assembly and the district wide recognition program. She was not successful. It looks bad when the salutatorian is a no show. Unfortunately she was not safe in her own home either. Lucky for her, the only chore she had to do as the honoree was to open her gifts - not a bad job.

She was most appreciative of the generosity that was shown her. Interestingly though, she did not expect gifts. I know kids who ordered a bunch of graduation announcements just they could send them all out hoping to rake in the gifts that each should inspire. Brooke did not send out her announcements. The main reason for this was because her name was misspelled on the calling cards that were to be included. It looks bad when the top of the class can't even spell their own name correctly! I offered to have them reprinted; she said she did not care. She did not think that she was owed gifts. For this, I am proud of her. Nonetheless, she did get a bunch of cool stuff -

• Batman Lego from her sister. Every college freshman needs some Lego to remind them of those early years. I hope she leaves some of those little pieces on her dorm room floor to keep out unwanted guests.
• A fleece blanket in University of Chicago colors - someone else knows that she is going to freeze her butt off next year even if she has not taken delivery on that little fact yet.
• A flash drive so that she can take all the pictures, in a compact and concise format, of her beloved family with her to school, and proudly share them with all of her friends
• A nice pen so that she can hand write a letter to me each evening
• A Harley Davidson T-Shirt from the Temple, Texas shop, which she can wear as a sign of how proud she is of her Texas roots.
• The Book of Useless Knowledge so she can look up all those things that I have told her over the past 17 years and see if it all really is useless information.
• Cash that she can put in her savings account and save so that she can care for me in my old age.

Yep! A nice selection of stuff.

In all seriousness, it was a fun evening. Brooke was not overflowing with enthusiasm or social grace, but I do think that she appreciated all that was done for her. She, like me, has a hard time being in the spotlight. Rest easy, Brooke; it will not be your turn again for a while!