#8 Philly Visit

365 Blog Challenge: Post #8

This weekend, I went to Philly to visit my good friend Amy.  Amy and I met working as research assistants at the Bronx VA, and she is now working towards her PhD in psychology at Temple University.  She moved to Philly in August, and this is my first visit to her since then.  Here are some highlights:

Amy's cute little house.  Three floors but teeny tiny.

Funny thing about Philly is seeing all sorts of people in colonial outfits, especially in places like this mall. (Actually the Shops at the Bourse, a sorry excuse for a mall).

Amy and I went to see "I Love you Phillip Morris", and I was amused by the lengths they took to prevent people from sitting in these chairs which were "out of order" but upon inspection, nothing appeared to be wrong with them.  We decided they must actually be soiled.

Amy and the painted plants.

Here I am at Jones, a great breakfast place on Chestnut.  Notice my right eye is swollen.  That is thanks to Amy's lovely long-haired cat, Maya (and my cat allergies despite the 6+ months of allergy shots I've gotten). Pretty sexy.  At least the cat is sweet.

Amy and I went to the National Museum of American Jewish History which opened in 2010.  Did you know the first Jewish immigrants came to America in the 1600s from Brazil??

Amy and I in our Purim masks. 

I thought this was interesting because this story about a Jewish man who was accused of murder and killed by a mob is the premise for an excellent musical, Parade, which is one of Scott's favorites.

Other debauchery ensued Saturday night.  But to put it plainly, I'll just say- Four Loko! (Sorry if you got a text from me.)

Thanks Amy for a great weekend!

#7 Famous Friends & Family #2

365 Blog Challenge, Post #7

Imagine....it's Christmas night.  Your bellies are full.  Your wallets are empty.  Many of your wishes for new things have been granted.  You're happy, maybe spending the evening with family, maybe with other loved ones....or...you're Evan!

Our friend Evan (Scott's coworker), who happens to be good friends with many an older bitty (in fact we tease him that he is getting lucky with the older ladies) spent this past Christmas night at the duplex of a popular NY couple who annually host famous opera singers (think the Met) and their "entourages"  for a Christmas dinner.  Not only did Evan attend this swanky event in which the singers entertain each other, he was also pictured in the New York Times article that was written up about it (in the Fashion & Style section.)!  Here he is:

Photo as seen in New York Times, taken by Deidre Schoo.  Evan is the young gentleman to the far left, cell phone in hand.  Try and guess what he's thinking here....

Photo by Deidre Schoo for the New York Times.  Here Evan is with the hostess.  We told you the ladies love him.

Way to go Evan.  You made the New York Times AND my blog! What a lucky guy. ;)

# 6 There are days....

365 Blog Challenge, Post #6

Having lived in NY for almost 5 years, I've had many people tell me how envious they are that I live in Manhattan, how exciting it must be, never a dull moment.  To be honest, Manhattan is great.  There is an energy and a vibe here that I know I would miss should we ever choose to leave.  However, there are days....

There are days, like today, when being surrounded by thousands of people at any given minute and not having your own space wears on you.  Maybe you're having a bad day, maybe you've just gotten bad news or maybe a bad mood just swooped down out of nowhere and enveloped you.  All you want is to be alone or with your loved one at home.  But it's three in the afternoon.  Taking a cab home from the east side to Washington Heights would be a slow, financial nightmare. You could take the M86 across down and catch the 1 train, but then you'd have to walk the seven minutes home and how your body already hurts from hours and days of being on your feet.  Maybe, you say to yourself, you'll catch the 4 train up to Yankee Stadium and catch the Bx6 bus.  That brings you right outside your apartment building.  You'll even have time to read your book.  You get on the 4 and thankfully you get a seat only to realize you don't understand why the author of this book has dragged this dead girl's history into the story when the book would suffice as a memoir, and it's downright depressing either way.  Then, after boarding the Bx6, you're sitting next to an irritatingly loud couple, trying to read the book you don't like in the first place and feeling your sorrow start to swell in your gut.  You think back to the days of your car, however unimpressive it was, the solace of an empty interior.  The radio playing terrible music that at least you could belt to in privacy, and wallow in your mood.  You miss being able to walk outside without stepping on the heels of hundreds of slow walkers who walk four-across on the sidewalk (which should be illegal anyways).  And you miss going home to a place, a building, a locale, where you alone live with your loved ones.  Instead you're surrounded by more strangers in more apartments, stacked on top of on another, where you hear your neighbors pounding above you despite the fact that they started their construction project over a year ago.  You look across the river at New Jersey and you think life is probably easier over there, easier than being confined to this island with millions of people from all walks of life, some who have no consideration for other people's space and others who have so much consideration (or self-involvement) that they hide in a shell and are unfriendly and closed off and couldn't give you a smile to save their over-priced designer shoes.  

Yes.  There are days like this.  Not many.  But they're there.  They are to be expected.  And then your husband comes in and kisses you on the cheek and you remember that things are OK.  And things will look brighter tomorrow, be more exhilarating, more fresh.  And you sit down and enjoy your solace, as you know it will be interrupted the moment you walk out your apartment door.

#5 Banned for Life

365 Blog Challenge: Post #5

Scott had been raving about this book, "Banned for Life" by DR Haney for months when I finally picked it up.  To be honest, I had gotten a brief email from Mr. Haney (who Scott corresponds with online) after I posted in a caption contest related to his new book ("Subversia") on thenervousbreakdown.com.  I decided after Haney's friendly email that I would see what this book was all about. 

            The book is set in the punk rock scene in the 80s and 90s and, at first, I was put off.  It's not that the writing wasn't good.  It was just different.  It's that I wasn’t that interested in punk rock (after hoping to date a punk rocker in high school only to be turned down).  Also, instead of the flowing sea of eloquent words that I have gotten used to reading by authors such as Daphne Du Murier and Anita Shreve , Haney's book was almost conversational, as if the writer were speaking to you instead of putting the words on paper.  (In fact, it's very beat-like).  His writing was more like (and this is not an insult, just work with me) a herky, jerky ride in a broken down car (perhaps one with a failing transmission?).  Once you start to see something nice while looking out the window, you're jerked back into the reality that this is not the smooth ride you were hoping for.  However, as the book progressed, as I began to care for Jason, the main character who is a beautifully honest, semi-successful, mostly failing screenwriter, I started to enjoy this ride.

            The book, which reads as a memoir (though it's fiction...though I question the fiction of some parts due to Haney’s bio) is about Jason's passionate yet unhealthy relationship with Irina, a Serbian woman who is married to another man.  Irina plays a game of tug-o-war with Jason's heart and with his life.  First she's faithful to her husband, despite her flirtatious ways (with many more men than just Jason), then she's in love with Jason, then she's going to leave her husband for Jason, then it's not the right time.  It goes on like this for quite a bit, all the while Jason is also trying to kindle a relationship with Jim Cassidy, a former punk star who was Jason's role model in his youth.  Jim has since become a chain smoking, beer bellied, drunk agoraphobic who lives with his mother.  Very sexy. And have I mentioned Peewee?  Jason’s best friend and band mate who died in a sober driving accident before Jason became a screenwriter? He’s in there too.

            What I came to realize by the end was that not only was Haney following suit with the punk rock theme by not conforming to the pretty, traditional writing styles of today's NYT best sellers, but also, he wasn't covering up reality with beautiful words. He was being gritty and truthful and refreshing, just as Jason’s character is. This is not to say his writing is bad.  His writing is great!  But it is different, and it took this book to put a connection together: that sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones (in reading and otherwise) to experience something worthwhile.

            A final thought that I had helped me decide that Haney's book is not just a book, but also a work of art.  Perhaps it is more soothing to be drawn along by a string of pretty words and elaborate plot lines, but the waves of that ocean of eloquence sure don’t get you anywhere fast.  That puttering car took me somewhere!  It got me to a place of understanding and inspiration and beauty that I could appreciate for the honest ride that it was.  

#4 Famous Friends and Family #1

365 Blog Challenge: Post #4

I was recently fortunate enough to spend a few hours in NY with my cousin, Katelyn, one of my mom's sister's daughters. Katelyn is the eldest of 3 beauties! She was in NY because she is a twirler for Kansas State University and I had to give her a shout out on my blog because she and her fellow twirler were mentioned at ESPN.com after their performance in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium! Here's the full article: The Sound of Music at the Pinstripe Bowl, and the best line being- 

"But the most impressive performers were the twirlers -- two for Kansas State, one for Syracuse -- who performed an array of dazzling tricks with multiple batons while the bands and played and the cheerleaders cheered. "

Here are some pics of my famous cuz:

 This pic with Mr. Wildcat was taken at a game earlier in the season.

I met Katelyn after working overnight, hence the ugly green scrub pants. (Scott has no excuse for his navy and black ensemble.)

Katelyn (left) with her twirling partner, Jessica, on the subway in NYC.



Props to Katelyn and her fellow twirlers for being amazing enough to be mentioned on ESPN.com. Hope to see you in action some day girl!

#3 We're really going...

365 Blog Challenge: Post #3

...on a Western Carribbean/Panama cruise! Scott and I finalized our plans today to hit the high seas in March for a 10-day cruise. I've never left the continent before so I'm quite excited. Though it's not the European cruise we were hoping to take (too pricey!), I know it's going to be wonderful. Here a map of our future travels:

Expect many a story of sea sickness and cruise ship fun in March!

#2 Further Notes on the 50-Book Challenge

365 Blog Challenge: Post #2

Whats the point of reading 50 books without having some favorites (and least favorites?) Here are some more notes on the challenge:

# of pages read: 20732 pages

Longest book read: Under the Dome, 1072 pages

Shortest book read: Memoirs of My Melancholy Whores- 115 pages

Avg # of pages per book: 384

Avg # of pages read per week: 399

Avg # of pages read per day: 57

# of novels read: 39

# of non-fiction books read (including memoirs): 15

# of memoirs read: 9

# of books in a series: 14

5 Least Favorite Books of the challenge:

5) The Unit- Nikki Holmqvist

4) Storm Front- Jim Butcher

3) The Lost Symbol- Dan Brown

2) The Lost City of Z- David Grann

1) The Gun Slinger- Stephen King

5 Favorite Books of the Challenge

Runner Up 1) Super Sad True Love Story- Gary Shteyngart

Runner Up 2) Imperfect Birds- Anne Lamott

5) Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven- Susan Jane Gilman

4) The Passage- Justin Cronin

3) The Lonely Polygamist- Brady Udall

2) Fury- Koren Zailckas

1) Under the Dome- Stephen King

Isn't it odd that Stephen King wrote both my favorite and my least favorite books?