Tyler, a VP Account Manager at work, used this phrase in a mass distro email this morning. Cracked me up. Anyhow. So I think I've got a cold sore...on my chin! Ew. Gross. I gross myself out. Hopefully it's a PMS inspired zit. Funny how desperate my hopes get in light of pure evil.
Today: woke to my charming, gentle "Marimba" iPod alarm at 6:30AM and grabbed my stuff, stuck in my contacts and headed to the LES for a swim. 7 laps today. That's 770 yards or 704 meters for you non-English folk. I've decided that on the day I swim 10, I'm going to order steak and eggs from this Spanish (Latin) place I used to frequent circa 2000. AND I caught the bus to and from the subway--amazing. I know, it's ridiculous that I don't like to walk the few blocks between the subway and the location of my 'work out' but the walk is hot and gross. The bus is air-conditioned and, well, still kind of gross, but not as gross. And faster. And since I have an unlimited Metro card, virtually free.
Arrived at the office a bit before 9 to witness the sparse crowd of early birds--all five of them. (I shared this with Pam, my roommie, today to her astonishment.) Rinsed my suit and goggles and swim cap and hung them on these convenient hooks right by my cube to dry. And made friends with the guy who is the company's Controller. I've always wanted to meet him. And my freelancer's cube is situated right across the aisle from his office. So one day last week, this guy was walking into his office but I didn't notice him and Mr. Controller says a big: hello, to which I instinctively respond with a comparably volumed: Hi! And then, when I saw the guy who Controller-man was obviously greeting standing in the doorway, said mock-shyly: Oh, I thought you were being friendly. So TODAY, Mr. C is at the kitchenette when I am brewing my morning tea and he is getting water (or something, guess I'm not too observant--could never be Psych, darn) and now that we have this mutual embarrassment, I ask how his commute is and blah blah and say, btw, my name is Irene. He told me his name, which of course I already knew.
Anyway, stealthily read my bible as I don't punch in until 10AM and eat Ezekiel 4:9 Flax Seed Cereal + Maple Brown Cow yogurt + blueberry mash. Apparently, Ezekiel doesn't hold up as well as the granola I had last week. Oops. (I find it comedic that the Food For Life people don't continue with the rest of the chapter because--astute marketers that they are--they don't want the word 'manure' on their packaging.)
[My volumes of rambling prove what someone told me once (was it Linsey?): the more you talk to someone, the more you have to say.]
Um, meetings, continue copy deck update, email, etc. Lunch was a sandwich from this Italian place (booth, really) in Chelsea Market that I adore. Chicken and thinly sliced grilled squash on a crusty bread. And today, there was a bit of jalapeno snuck in at the end that was so tasty I had to share with my colleague about it during a status meeting when I should have been paying attention.
Met Patricia, we became friends on a mission trip to Detroit back in 2005, for dinner. She suggested Baluchi's and we started walking up Broadway. At 55th we both thought we'd passed it and became unsure about its location. I stopped a woman and asked her and while she didn't know, she enthusiastically texted Google to find out for us and shared. Not only did she stop on her way home but she also explained how to do this: text "Baluchi NY" to 466453 and in nano seconds, our way was made clear (it's on 56th). My brother-in-law had taught me this about a year ago when I was in the back seat of their minivan wedged between my nieces and their carseats and he needed an AT&T store en route. But I forgot. So this came in handy later in the evening, after a nice meal of catching up, when we wanted to find the Jamba Juice that I was pretty sure about being IN Whole Foods, just not 100%. And, as I brilliantly surmised to Patricia, it's either there or it's not. After I got a 16 Peach Perfection and she got a 16 Mango something, we sat by the fountains in Columbus Circle and chatted and prayed. It was a lovely lovely evening. Patricia recalled that we once sat for a long time by the fountains at Brooklyn Museum of Art. Traditions. :)
Ok. So then I came home and planned with Joyce her potential visit. And got a message from Amy (shout out for reading!) about another possible meet up. So yay! I like seeing friends and looking forward to seeing friends. It makes me happy. Tomorrow is breakfast with Alex, my first voice lesson(!), and dinner with Martine. No thunderstorm forecasts are going to get the best of me!
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Two 28-year-olds
Gosia and Stacey are both 28. My best friend in Richland and my best friend in, well, Poland.
This is a bakery by the bus stop. We catch the 718 to go to Gosia's apartment. Easy to remember because it's the Brooklyn area code.
Resurrection Sunday morning, we got up and caught the 9:30 bus to Gosia's church which is held in a movie theatre--very Bethel West Pasco. It was a shorter-than-normal service full of singing and prayer. I was especially touched by all the men praying. Gosia stood behind me and Stacey whispering translation to us. We shook hands with some of the congregants and the pastor and his wife. Her mom met us there and her dad picked us up.
This was the small lunch (taught Gosia the word 'nosh') not to be confused by dinner that Gosia's mom served us. Later, Gosia's sister, nephew, grandfather (jadek), and grandfather's girlfriend arrived for dinner. Lesser eating followed by greater eating. Followed by, in my case, a nap. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
After I woke and a bit more talking (Grandfather recited a very funny poem in English and I was embarrassed at not being able to reply with another poem--in English or Polish)Gosia's sister dropped us off here at the King's Bath Garden/Chopin Park and we strolled around like the stuffed birds we were. Somehow I managed to fit in a waffle--strawberry jam and chocolate syrup.
This was from the previous night at Starbucks, Gosia demonstrating Polish body language for 'being friendly'.
Monday morning, Gosia bid us farewell at the elevator and her kindly father took Stacey and me to the Central train station. He waited with us on the main concourse, walked us to our platform, led us to the correct place where our car (wagon) would pull up, blocked out some old ladies and ushered us onto the train, and ultimately I think I saw his baseball cap on the platform as the train departed. What a sincere moment feeling the doctrine of adoption.
Krakow is about three hours from Warsaw so it was still mid-morning when we arrived. A quick cab ride to our Hotel Jan and check in was smooth. Stacey rested a bit before we set out to wander the Old Town (Staremiasto) open square, market, cavernous cafe where Stacey had her first pierogi, shops, and closed museums--Easter Monday is an all-Poland holiday.
The next day we went to a museum and looked at armor and swords and the DaVinci painting "Lady with Ermine". Then we walked down to Wawel Castle and contented ourselves with the exterior courtyard. Here, a successful volley in the on-going photo war Stacey and I have.
Hyacinths in the Wawel Castle courtyard, I kept commenting how good it smelled. We walked back and saw the remaining bits of Old Town, spring is in full bloom. And collected our luggage and walked to the train station. I think I'm turning into my mother. Happy to sit outside the train station for half an hour if that means I don't have to hurry and rush.
This is our sleeper cabin to Berlin. I love this picture. The bottom of the three bunks was occupied by a very nice Polish woman who has been living in Berlin for the last 14 years. We communicated in Spanish. Though the car was very hot, I enjoyed meeting her and rested decently.
Our room at the Hotel Pension Elba on BleibstraBen was so pretty. I took many photos of the curtains and accents. You can see Mooch next the photo of my nieces and nephew. Continental breakfast was vastly superior to those of my past hotel stays: fresh mozzarella, gouda, chevre, prosciutto, rolls, hot milk for coffee, boiled eggs, ripe strawberries, apricot jam...The unlit candles were green and the walls happy yellow. I told Stacey it reminded me of A Room With A View where I could envision all the pension guests sitting down to dinner together.
In college art history, I particularly loved learning about Bauhaus. This colors my view of Germany in that I think all their design is so clever and graceful. Contextualizing it with my visit to the Warsaw Rising museum and, later, the Saxonhausen camp (see below), I realize Bauhaus fell just between the first and second world wars. An unusual time of peace for Germany and it shows what beauty can come of freedom from oppression. That's my semi-educated opinion.
Even this window display of a toilet is lovely. This doesn't happen in the States.
Wednesday, the day of our arrival, we joined a walking tour of the main sites in Berlin. This is across the street from a remaining portion of the Berlin Wall. These Berlin Bear statues are dotted around the city. Mooch makes an unusually energetic appearance. It was a great tour even though it was five hours long. Our very knowledgeable and good-looking guide Derek from Canadia kept us moving through the museums, churches, memorials and thinking through the 20th century.
Here's a memorial to the strike on June 17, 1953 by East German workers. It's juxtaposed with a large Communist mural on the nearby wall of the built-by-Nazis-currently-Finance-department office.
After the tour, we went to the Staatsoper where Macbeth was showing. I can only guess that it was an Italian opera--the subtitles were in German so I never really knew for sure. The costumes were kabuki and space-aged style. Even though Stacey was enjoying it, we left at intermission to have dinner. Never found the restaurant Linsey told me about so wound up at Cafe So in Kreuzberg across the street from the Hebbel Theatre. The waitress was very kind about my English. And eventually we got back to the hotel safe.
The next day, we took a different tour by the same company to Saxonhausen, the capitol concentration camp run by the Nazis in WWII in that it was where the special prisoners went and where they experimented with gas chamber methods before deploying them to other camps. This is the first gate that read 'Work will set you free' which was likewise promulgated to other camps as those trained here went onto leadership in other more notorious camps like Birkenau and Treblinka. Very grim but something in me is satisfied by seeing a death camp with my own eyes. I've been told a lot, seen lots of pictures but to walk the same earth as thousands of murdered people is...real.
Our tour guide Nigel was great to inject some levity where appropriate, commenting about the side mirrors on buses that are tourist catchers, and the best place for the loo.
Back in Berlin proper we went to the Deutsche Guggenheim where the exhibit was "Picturing America: Photorealism in the 1970s". Really cool. There was even a painting of the NY Guggenheim. The museum shop had a graffiti coloring book, and some great postcards. I picked up an Optrixx for Gosia, who said she'll use it in her classroom to indicate the student in charge.
Then we went to see what I thought was going to be a movie on Bull Dancing from Brazil at the Hebbel. Had I thought a little harder, I would have realized it must be performance and must be outlandish given that I only know of the theatre because Big Art Group has performed there. Anyhow, I really liked it but Stacey had major objections and this was (after a day apart) gainful in the emotional health and depth of our friendship. (Yay counseling! Yay Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!)
Thursday, we indeed took our separate routes through Berlin--I to the Bauhaus Archive (photographs of New York in the 1940s--I've decided there's a deep love affair between Berlin and NYC) and she through Tiergarten--and met up for lunch at Monsieur Vuong. Then I wandered through the Neue Nationalgalerie and neighboring sculpture sites, witnessing Berliners sun themselves and shop.
Here's Mooch with Alexander Calder's Tetes et Queue (Heads and Tails). We rendezvoused outside the Zoo Station and then got our last bratwurst before collecting our stuff and getting back on the train. This time, we were an HOUR early so had more than sufficient time to settle and chat and pray. It was Godsend, truly.
The three-bunker was just ours on this return trip. And the conductor took very good care of us, bringing us coffee and tea respectively in the morning and making sure we knew which way to walk after debarking.
This is my favorite word in Polish: Uwaga--meaning 'Attention!' printed on the very cup of coffee furnished by the kind conductor.
So, observing the Sabbath today as 1) directed to in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and 2) commanded by God. It's been nice to drink tea and blog. Gosia's flipping through a catalog and Stacey is napping/journaling.
I love you, my dear readers, and hope you are edified and resting in the particular rhythm for your life. More to come, as it happens. Next stops: Turkey and Montenegro.
This is a bakery by the bus stop. We catch the 718 to go to Gosia's apartment. Easy to remember because it's the Brooklyn area code.Resurrection Sunday morning, we got up and caught the 9:30 bus to Gosia's church which is held in a movie theatre--very Bethel West Pasco. It was a shorter-than-normal service full of singing and prayer. I was especially touched by all the men praying. Gosia stood behind me and Stacey whispering translation to us. We shook hands with some of the congregants and the pastor and his wife. Her mom met us there and her dad picked us up.
This was the small lunch (taught Gosia the word 'nosh') not to be confused by dinner that Gosia's mom served us. Later, Gosia's sister, nephew, grandfather (jadek), and grandfather's girlfriend arrived for dinner. Lesser eating followed by greater eating. Followed by, in my case, a nap. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
After I woke and a bit more talking (Grandfather recited a very funny poem in English and I was embarrassed at not being able to reply with another poem--in English or Polish)Gosia's sister dropped us off here at the King's Bath Garden/Chopin Park and we strolled around like the stuffed birds we were. Somehow I managed to fit in a waffle--strawberry jam and chocolate syrup. 
This was from the previous night at Starbucks, Gosia demonstrating Polish body language for 'being friendly'.Monday morning, Gosia bid us farewell at the elevator and her kindly father took Stacey and me to the Central train station. He waited with us on the main concourse, walked us to our platform, led us to the correct place where our car (wagon) would pull up, blocked out some old ladies and ushered us onto the train, and ultimately I think I saw his baseball cap on the platform as the train departed. What a sincere moment feeling the doctrine of adoption.
Krakow is about three hours from Warsaw so it was still mid-morning when we arrived. A quick cab ride to our Hotel Jan and check in was smooth. Stacey rested a bit before we set out to wander the Old Town (Staremiasto) open square, market, cavernous cafe where Stacey had her first pierogi, shops, and closed museums--Easter Monday is an all-Poland holiday.
The next day we went to a museum and looked at armor and swords and the DaVinci painting "Lady with Ermine". Then we walked down to Wawel Castle and contented ourselves with the exterior courtyard. Here, a successful volley in the on-going photo war Stacey and I have.
Hyacinths in the Wawel Castle courtyard, I kept commenting how good it smelled. We walked back and saw the remaining bits of Old Town, spring is in full bloom. And collected our luggage and walked to the train station. I think I'm turning into my mother. Happy to sit outside the train station for half an hour if that means I don't have to hurry and rush.
This is our sleeper cabin to Berlin. I love this picture. The bottom of the three bunks was occupied by a very nice Polish woman who has been living in Berlin for the last 14 years. We communicated in Spanish. Though the car was very hot, I enjoyed meeting her and rested decently.
Our room at the Hotel Pension Elba on BleibstraBen was so pretty. I took many photos of the curtains and accents. You can see Mooch next the photo of my nieces and nephew. Continental breakfast was vastly superior to those of my past hotel stays: fresh mozzarella, gouda, chevre, prosciutto, rolls, hot milk for coffee, boiled eggs, ripe strawberries, apricot jam...The unlit candles were green and the walls happy yellow. I told Stacey it reminded me of A Room With A View where I could envision all the pension guests sitting down to dinner together. In college art history, I particularly loved learning about Bauhaus. This colors my view of Germany in that I think all their design is so clever and graceful. Contextualizing it with my visit to the Warsaw Rising museum and, later, the Saxonhausen camp (see below), I realize Bauhaus fell just between the first and second world wars. An unusual time of peace for Germany and it shows what beauty can come of freedom from oppression. That's my semi-educated opinion.
Even this window display of a toilet is lovely. This doesn't happen in the States.
Wednesday, the day of our arrival, we joined a walking tour of the main sites in Berlin. This is across the street from a remaining portion of the Berlin Wall. These Berlin Bear statues are dotted around the city. Mooch makes an unusually energetic appearance. It was a great tour even though it was five hours long. Our very knowledgeable and good-looking guide Derek from Canadia kept us moving through the museums, churches, memorials and thinking through the 20th century.
Here's a memorial to the strike on June 17, 1953 by East German workers. It's juxtaposed with a large Communist mural on the nearby wall of the built-by-Nazis-currently-Finance-department office.After the tour, we went to the Staatsoper where Macbeth was showing. I can only guess that it was an Italian opera--the subtitles were in German so I never really knew for sure. The costumes were kabuki and space-aged style. Even though Stacey was enjoying it, we left at intermission to have dinner. Never found the restaurant Linsey told me about so wound up at Cafe So in Kreuzberg across the street from the Hebbel Theatre. The waitress was very kind about my English. And eventually we got back to the hotel safe.
The next day, we took a different tour by the same company to Saxonhausen, the capitol concentration camp run by the Nazis in WWII in that it was where the special prisoners went and where they experimented with gas chamber methods before deploying them to other camps. This is the first gate that read 'Work will set you free' which was likewise promulgated to other camps as those trained here went onto leadership in other more notorious camps like Birkenau and Treblinka. Very grim but something in me is satisfied by seeing a death camp with my own eyes. I've been told a lot, seen lots of pictures but to walk the same earth as thousands of murdered people is...real. Our tour guide Nigel was great to inject some levity where appropriate, commenting about the side mirrors on buses that are tourist catchers, and the best place for the loo.
Back in Berlin proper we went to the Deutsche Guggenheim where the exhibit was "Picturing America: Photorealism in the 1970s". Really cool. There was even a painting of the NY Guggenheim. The museum shop had a graffiti coloring book, and some great postcards. I picked up an Optrixx for Gosia, who said she'll use it in her classroom to indicate the student in charge.
Then we went to see what I thought was going to be a movie on Bull Dancing from Brazil at the Hebbel. Had I thought a little harder, I would have realized it must be performance and must be outlandish given that I only know of the theatre because Big Art Group has performed there. Anyhow, I really liked it but Stacey had major objections and this was (after a day apart) gainful in the emotional health and depth of our friendship. (Yay counseling! Yay Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!)
Thursday, we indeed took our separate routes through Berlin--I to the Bauhaus Archive (photographs of New York in the 1940s--I've decided there's a deep love affair between Berlin and NYC) and she through Tiergarten--and met up for lunch at Monsieur Vuong. Then I wandered through the Neue Nationalgalerie and neighboring sculpture sites, witnessing Berliners sun themselves and shop.
Here's Mooch with Alexander Calder's Tetes et Queue (Heads and Tails). We rendezvoused outside the Zoo Station and then got our last bratwurst before collecting our stuff and getting back on the train. This time, we were an HOUR early so had more than sufficient time to settle and chat and pray. It was Godsend, truly.The three-bunker was just ours on this return trip. And the conductor took very good care of us, bringing us coffee and tea respectively in the morning and making sure we knew which way to walk after debarking.
This is my favorite word in Polish: Uwaga--meaning 'Attention!' printed on the very cup of coffee furnished by the kind conductor.So, observing the Sabbath today as 1) directed to in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and 2) commanded by God. It's been nice to drink tea and blog. Gosia's flipping through a catalog and Stacey is napping/journaling.
I love you, my dear readers, and hope you are edified and resting in the particular rhythm for your life. More to come, as it happens. Next stops: Turkey and Montenegro.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Catching Up (w/ Beach 2 of 2)
Hello readers! Allow me this moment to appreciate your reading, truly it makes me feel loved. Because, as I told Ken, one of the ways I think I'm made in God's image is that I have a desire to be known.
So as I sit feet-up on Brigid's couch, her baby asleep in the next room, exhale, and finger-tap, it's time to recollect what I want to share. Now that I'm really into blogging, stuff will happen to me or I'll have a particular thought and immediately want to blog. So, you're all on my mind, what I want to show and tell you.
First off, NYC. Part of my heart rests here. I can tell by the way I feel: relaxed, at home, purposeful, awake. Staying with Juanita has been such a blessing! Though I have loved all my previous hostesses and their families and homes, somehow, being with this sister in her studio, a few feet from her pet rabbit's cage, pigeons cooing on the A/C, I'm so comfortable. It's amazing.
She lives in Queens, not Brooklyn where I lived most of my eight years here, and treated me to a lovely dinner at La Flor the night I got in.
The next day I ran errands, including ordering my bridesmaid dress for Grisel's wedding coming up Memorial Day weekend--one reason I didn't buy the Round the World Ticket, for all you wondering 'why not'. Then I met up with Anna who has taught me to say "I don't speak Polish" in Polish--this will be a helpful party trick next month in Warsaw. She is an aspiring furniture designer. And I had another yummy snack with her at Doma Cafe where I felt very uncool. I'm consoled by knowing I limited myself to three pairs of shoes for a two-continent, 10-state trip.
Saturday, Juany and I headed to Brooklyn for breakfast at Tom's, where the waitstaff remember me and ask how I'm doing even though they see hundreds of diners in the average morning. Love that. Juanita loves the lemon butter. I chatted with a young french woman who was visiting Brooklyn and directed her to Vanderbilt for more shopping. Nothing is more validating to me as an ex-New Yorker than helping visitors find their way. I want people to enjoy the city as much as I do.
At Joyce Bakeshop, where I was so full I could only finish half the banana bread pudding, I reconnected with Karin. Last time we saw each other was in Olivia, MN on my cross-country drive from NYC to WA. She's doing great, making a living and vocation by writing. It was nice. She smelled like oysters because the sweater she was wearing had soaked up some Massachusetts coast air during a recent getaway.
She walked us up to the Brooklyn Public Library where we parted ways to wifi and read. Juany and I then met a Wellesley classmate Wendy on the Promenade where we goofed around to Dumbo. Wendy, like Karin, is employed and hanging in there. She helped me find organic baby skin products for Karen whom I'll be seeing soon in Turkey. She also treated me and Juanita to hot chocolates at Jacques Torres. It's amazing that I weigh the same as when I left Richland.
If that wasn't enough, Juany and I went to meet her ex-roommate Brigid (whose apartment I'm now in and whose mini Acer I'm using) and her little baby for Italian dinner at their favorite spot Donato's. [Website needs a little help so if you've been clicking through, don't judge by the site. They're clearly putting more effort into their food.]
And that was just Saturday! I love NYC.
Sunday, I attended 10AM and 3PM at my beloved Times Square Church (TSC). Had lunch with Suansee at some Thai place (I forgot the name) and then sat in a corner park with her and Tiffany sipping lattes and avoiding pigeons. That evening I tried a new church, the Gallery wonderfully suggested to me by Jessica. God used TSC in a major way to get me back to Him, but it's neat to go to a church like Gallery and chat with the pastor by the time service starts and meet several other people by the end. I even met another blogger and heard her fantastic story of how she wound up in New York.
A different Jessica treated me to dinner at Momofuku [steamed buns--very tasty, like Peking Duck only with pork) where we were thankful to not be on the stools but rather the low seats. I've known Jess since my first year at college, and we've stayed in fairly good touch since--we lived near each other in Brooklyn for a while and then towards the later years of my NY time, had dinner often. She and her family are dear to me. As she said: it's nice to have a friend you can look slobby with. (Not that she looked bad, she looked great, just casual--I'm west coastified now.) We caught up on each others lives, she's happy to have her job as an attorney and also wondering if it's what she wants to do. Good thoughts, IMO.
The next day, I caught a morning flight to Ft. Myers, FL where Ken's lovely wife Julie and her mother Mary picked me up from the airport and whisked me over the causeway to Sanibel Island, i.e. paradise. Man, it is beautiful there. I will post photos. Ken is my only male friend from college--he is still the stagecraft instructor at Wellesley. But his Real Life is on Sanibel where he recently bought a restaurant with his buddy Richard, the Sanibel Cafe. After a quick stop at Mary's condo, Jules and I went to the Cafe and had lunch. Chicken salad with dill and grapes, yum. Ken and I rode bicycles to the beach and watched the waves and talked about Real Life according to him, me, the bible, and as nature evidences. I have always admired and continue to Ken's pursuit of life. He is one of my favorite persons and I have learned much from him.
Tuesday, Sanibel Cafe had a new hostess: me! My first try at restaurant work and it was great: messy, hurried, theatrical, profitable, and (best of all) temporary, because, as my small glimpse provided, it is above all exhausting!
Julie and Ken were off Wednesday so we got a slow start after breakfast ala Julie and coffee ala Mary to Captiva where I soaked up some sun, read the book I got at Noah's Ark (Julie's favorite spot on the island) by local author Randy Wayne White, watched pelicans and dolphins(!) and a man persist in flying a kite despite the lost interest of his grandson. Julie likes eagles and I like wildflowers so our ride back took a bit, we can cite the headwind. From a hot, breezeless footbridge spanning the Sanibel River, we saw wrens and a baby alligator(!!). Outside the hotel where we stopped for a poolside drink with a view of the ocean, Ken dug up an aloe vera plant to treat our sunburns. Wonderful. Evidence of the Creator. The Perfect Ego, as I said to Ken.
I woke to Mary's: it's 4 o'clock! Yes, I booked a 6AM flight for some now-silly $-saving reason. Jetblue isn't charging for the 1st checked bag, thankfully. Back in (cold) New York, I took a short nap and then met Tiffany for late lunch at Excellent Dumpling House. [If you visit the site, I ordered what's shown in the 2nd picture.] Our plan was to take the ferry to Ellis Island but when we got to the ticket booth, it was sold out. Bummer. Or so we thought. We walked across Battery Park to the Starbucks and caffeinated. And in so doing had the best conversation. Counseling is paying off! (see previous post re: angst) We overcame some fear in pushing certain topics and it was great! She's looking for co-visionaries in a movement. I'm unsure how to proceed yet hopeful. And within 24 hours, we both received relationship-building interactions. That's as detailed as I'm going to get. Suffice to say: Yea and Amen. Or, Yay and Amen.
In the evening, I surprised Loretta and Lisa/Patron by showing up to rehearsal for The Gate, the Friday night youth rally held weekly at TSC. I got home later than expected but it was refreshing to be with folks who depend on the Holy Spirit to work, cover, and move. Rode the 7 train with one of the actors who, earlier in the night, said she thought I was younger than her. Excellent, as she's just a year out of college.
Friday, it wasn't raining but sunny. Perfect for Tiffany and my actual trip to Ellis Island. Tourists. Exhibits. Black and white photos. More pigeons. Ferries. We skipped the Statue of Liberty (I've already been there) but I got some good photos of her.
###
Ok, Brigid and Juanita are back from Target. I gotta go. Four days left to recount and I'll be current. Except for photos.
So as I sit feet-up on Brigid's couch, her baby asleep in the next room, exhale, and finger-tap, it's time to recollect what I want to share. Now that I'm really into blogging, stuff will happen to me or I'll have a particular thought and immediately want to blog. So, you're all on my mind, what I want to show and tell you.
First off, NYC. Part of my heart rests here. I can tell by the way I feel: relaxed, at home, purposeful, awake. Staying with Juanita has been such a blessing! Though I have loved all my previous hostesses and their families and homes, somehow, being with this sister in her studio, a few feet from her pet rabbit's cage, pigeons cooing on the A/C, I'm so comfortable. It's amazing.
She lives in Queens, not Brooklyn where I lived most of my eight years here, and treated me to a lovely dinner at La Flor the night I got in.
The next day I ran errands, including ordering my bridesmaid dress for Grisel's wedding coming up Memorial Day weekend--one reason I didn't buy the Round the World Ticket, for all you wondering 'why not'. Then I met up with Anna who has taught me to say "I don't speak Polish" in Polish--this will be a helpful party trick next month in Warsaw. She is an aspiring furniture designer. And I had another yummy snack with her at Doma Cafe where I felt very uncool. I'm consoled by knowing I limited myself to three pairs of shoes for a two-continent, 10-state trip.
Saturday, Juany and I headed to Brooklyn for breakfast at Tom's, where the waitstaff remember me and ask how I'm doing even though they see hundreds of diners in the average morning. Love that. Juanita loves the lemon butter. I chatted with a young french woman who was visiting Brooklyn and directed her to Vanderbilt for more shopping. Nothing is more validating to me as an ex-New Yorker than helping visitors find their way. I want people to enjoy the city as much as I do.
At Joyce Bakeshop, where I was so full I could only finish half the banana bread pudding, I reconnected with Karin. Last time we saw each other was in Olivia, MN on my cross-country drive from NYC to WA. She's doing great, making a living and vocation by writing. It was nice. She smelled like oysters because the sweater she was wearing had soaked up some Massachusetts coast air during a recent getaway.
She walked us up to the Brooklyn Public Library where we parted ways to wifi and read. Juany and I then met a Wellesley classmate Wendy on the Promenade where we goofed around to Dumbo. Wendy, like Karin, is employed and hanging in there. She helped me find organic baby skin products for Karen whom I'll be seeing soon in Turkey. She also treated me and Juanita to hot chocolates at Jacques Torres. It's amazing that I weigh the same as when I left Richland.
If that wasn't enough, Juany and I went to meet her ex-roommate Brigid (whose apartment I'm now in and whose mini Acer I'm using) and her little baby for Italian dinner at their favorite spot Donato's. [Website needs a little help so if you've been clicking through, don't judge by the site. They're clearly putting more effort into their food.]
And that was just Saturday! I love NYC.
Sunday, I attended 10AM and 3PM at my beloved Times Square Church (TSC). Had lunch with Suansee at some Thai place (I forgot the name) and then sat in a corner park with her and Tiffany sipping lattes and avoiding pigeons. That evening I tried a new church, the Gallery wonderfully suggested to me by Jessica. God used TSC in a major way to get me back to Him, but it's neat to go to a church like Gallery and chat with the pastor by the time service starts and meet several other people by the end. I even met another blogger and heard her fantastic story of how she wound up in New York.
A different Jessica treated me to dinner at Momofuku [steamed buns--very tasty, like Peking Duck only with pork) where we were thankful to not be on the stools but rather the low seats. I've known Jess since my first year at college, and we've stayed in fairly good touch since--we lived near each other in Brooklyn for a while and then towards the later years of my NY time, had dinner often. She and her family are dear to me. As she said: it's nice to have a friend you can look slobby with. (Not that she looked bad, she looked great, just casual--I'm west coastified now.) We caught up on each others lives, she's happy to have her job as an attorney and also wondering if it's what she wants to do. Good thoughts, IMO.
The next day, I caught a morning flight to Ft. Myers, FL where Ken's lovely wife Julie and her mother Mary picked me up from the airport and whisked me over the causeway to Sanibel Island, i.e. paradise. Man, it is beautiful there. I will post photos. Ken is my only male friend from college--he is still the stagecraft instructor at Wellesley. But his Real Life is on Sanibel where he recently bought a restaurant with his buddy Richard, the Sanibel Cafe. After a quick stop at Mary's condo, Jules and I went to the Cafe and had lunch. Chicken salad with dill and grapes, yum. Ken and I rode bicycles to the beach and watched the waves and talked about Real Life according to him, me, the bible, and as nature evidences. I have always admired and continue to Ken's pursuit of life. He is one of my favorite persons and I have learned much from him.
Tuesday, Sanibel Cafe had a new hostess: me! My first try at restaurant work and it was great: messy, hurried, theatrical, profitable, and (best of all) temporary, because, as my small glimpse provided, it is above all exhausting!
Julie and Ken were off Wednesday so we got a slow start after breakfast ala Julie and coffee ala Mary to Captiva where I soaked up some sun, read the book I got at Noah's Ark (Julie's favorite spot on the island) by local author Randy Wayne White, watched pelicans and dolphins(!) and a man persist in flying a kite despite the lost interest of his grandson. Julie likes eagles and I like wildflowers so our ride back took a bit, we can cite the headwind. From a hot, breezeless footbridge spanning the Sanibel River, we saw wrens and a baby alligator(!!). Outside the hotel where we stopped for a poolside drink with a view of the ocean, Ken dug up an aloe vera plant to treat our sunburns. Wonderful. Evidence of the Creator. The Perfect Ego, as I said to Ken.
I woke to Mary's: it's 4 o'clock! Yes, I booked a 6AM flight for some now-silly $-saving reason. Jetblue isn't charging for the 1st checked bag, thankfully. Back in (cold) New York, I took a short nap and then met Tiffany for late lunch at Excellent Dumpling House. [If you visit the site, I ordered what's shown in the 2nd picture.] Our plan was to take the ferry to Ellis Island but when we got to the ticket booth, it was sold out. Bummer. Or so we thought. We walked across Battery Park to the Starbucks and caffeinated. And in so doing had the best conversation. Counseling is paying off! (see previous post re: angst) We overcame some fear in pushing certain topics and it was great! She's looking for co-visionaries in a movement. I'm unsure how to proceed yet hopeful. And within 24 hours, we both received relationship-building interactions. That's as detailed as I'm going to get. Suffice to say: Yea and Amen. Or, Yay and Amen.
In the evening, I surprised Loretta and Lisa/Patron by showing up to rehearsal for The Gate, the Friday night youth rally held weekly at TSC. I got home later than expected but it was refreshing to be with folks who depend on the Holy Spirit to work, cover, and move. Rode the 7 train with one of the actors who, earlier in the night, said she thought I was younger than her. Excellent, as she's just a year out of college.
Friday, it wasn't raining but sunny. Perfect for Tiffany and my actual trip to Ellis Island. Tourists. Exhibits. Black and white photos. More pigeons. Ferries. We skipped the Statue of Liberty (I've already been there) but I got some good photos of her.
###
Ok, Brigid and Juanita are back from Target. I gotta go. Four days left to recount and I'll be current. Except for photos.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
First Quarter Interim Report
It's been two months since I stopped working and 2.5 weeks since left Washington State. I've already been in four locations and now am in Virginia Beach with my high school friend Shannon, so it feels like longer. The adage "time flies when you're having fun" apparently falls prey to the theory of relativity--time expands the faster the body is moving.
My mom has been emailing me, and some of you have been FBing and stuff, which I super appreciate. Thanks! Got a ticket to Fort Myers because Ken IS going to be at his restaurant in Sanibel during Wellesley's spring break AND I just paid the fee for the RZIM course in Chennai, India for October. Budget-wise, everything is working out.
In answer to many prayers, here's one cool evidence of God's protection. In my last Alabama stop, folks told me to eat at Chick-fil-A once I got to Atlanta since the chain started in Georgia and I hadn't gotten the chance to eat there yet. As I was outlining my objectives to Joyce's sister and her husband (H-mart, Whole Foods, Chick-fil-A), the husband asks me, "Do you have a peanut allergy?" I do. And only because their sons have a plethora of food allergies are these two parents hyper-sensitive and aware. Apparently Chick-fil-A, though having superior chicken product, fries in peanut oil. Do you see the hand of Providence?! And my Epipen remains unused in my suitcase. :)
And I just remembered I didn't follow up about the glassblowing class. Well, it was terrific. My instructor Drake (or was it Blake?) was the perfect Southern punk gentleman who saved (in some way) all three pieces I made from disaster. I FBed about the burn I got, it really wasn't that bad, more surprising that the glass was so hot as to give me a mild sun burn. This is out of the furnace, not even glowing just HOT. Two vases and a cup were shipped to Richland. Addicted? No, but very interested. Drake told me two funny things: 1. (as he's lighting up) Don't be a glassblower who smokes, it's bad; and 2. Everyone makes a mess, but the kids especially.
My mom has been emailing me, and some of you have been FBing and stuff, which I super appreciate. Thanks! Got a ticket to Fort Myers because Ken IS going to be at his restaurant in Sanibel during Wellesley's spring break AND I just paid the fee for the RZIM course in Chennai, India for October. Budget-wise, everything is working out.
In answer to many prayers, here's one cool evidence of God's protection. In my last Alabama stop, folks told me to eat at Chick-fil-A once I got to Atlanta since the chain started in Georgia and I hadn't gotten the chance to eat there yet. As I was outlining my objectives to Joyce's sister and her husband (H-mart, Whole Foods, Chick-fil-A), the husband asks me, "Do you have a peanut allergy?" I do. And only because their sons have a plethora of food allergies are these two parents hyper-sensitive and aware. Apparently Chick-fil-A, though having superior chicken product, fries in peanut oil. Do you see the hand of Providence?! And my Epipen remains unused in my suitcase. :)
And I just remembered I didn't follow up about the glassblowing class. Well, it was terrific. My instructor Drake (or was it Blake?) was the perfect Southern punk gentleman who saved (in some way) all three pieces I made from disaster. I FBed about the burn I got, it really wasn't that bad, more surprising that the glass was so hot as to give me a mild sun burn. This is out of the furnace, not even glowing just HOT. Two vases and a cup were shipped to Richland. Addicted? No, but very interested. Drake told me two funny things: 1. (as he's lighting up) Don't be a glassblower who smokes, it's bad; and 2. Everyone makes a mess, but the kids especially.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Seattle visit 2 of 3
Well, my sister was surprised on magnitude for her 40th birthday party, though she 'knew something was up'. I'm glad that my part (the slide show) went off mostly without a hitch; my brother-in-law admitted to getting misty-eyed at the end. So the sentimental chord was struck, which I count as dramatic success (Thanks, Elijah!).
My newest niece was "presented" (I think was the word the pastor used) today. And among other things (like Nordstroms with my mom and Costco with my dad) I tried to teach my eldest neice a song in round while she worked on some Valentines (these are for real--sorry I don't know how to rotate them for ease-of-reading):
I called my health insurance to see if they cover international and they don't. So for those of you who pray, I could use some wisdom figuring out what to do about the times I'm abroad. Also, I just finished reading The Treasure Principle and am thinking a lot about giving. My tax return should be deposited soon. And I have some sold stock value sitting in cash...TMI? Anyway. Really, I'm not that worried. Recent provision: very reasonable airfare to Poland for me and Stacey, parking spot at Mars Hill 11:15 service, hassle-free drive back home including interesting conversation with dad. So, all will be well.
Tomorrow, visiting friends in Pullman. Hope to have Wi-Fi there.
And also I think I may have a 'job' idea: consulting but for families rather than businesses. Like helping families deal with some chronic issue that's process/task-natured, not psychological. Think I could get anyone to pay for that? Somehow utilizing my project management skills but in a domestic setting. With most my clients being moms...
My newest niece was "presented" (I think was the word the pastor used) today. And among other things (like Nordstroms with my mom and Costco with my dad) I tried to teach my eldest neice a song in round while she worked on some Valentines (these are for real--sorry I don't know how to rotate them for ease-of-reading):
I called my health insurance to see if they cover international and they don't. So for those of you who pray, I could use some wisdom figuring out what to do about the times I'm abroad. Also, I just finished reading The Treasure Principle and am thinking a lot about giving. My tax return should be deposited soon. And I have some sold stock value sitting in cash...TMI? Anyway. Really, I'm not that worried. Recent provision: very reasonable airfare to Poland for me and Stacey, parking spot at Mars Hill 11:15 service, hassle-free drive back home including interesting conversation with dad. So, all will be well.
Tomorrow, visiting friends in Pullman. Hope to have Wi-Fi there.
And also I think I may have a 'job' idea: consulting but for families rather than businesses. Like helping families deal with some chronic issue that's process/task-natured, not psychological. Think I could get anyone to pay for that? Somehow utilizing my project management skills but in a domestic setting. With most my clients being moms...
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