Concert roundup

Pre concert:

We planned on leaving for the concert by 4:30 since we would have to try to make it around Boston in rush hour traffic, which could easily take a couple of hours.  My beloved but time-optimistic (read: often late) husband called at 4:30 from work.  Since I am a bit of an early arrival maniac, this got my heart rate going just a tad.  Then, in a little internal lecture to myself, I decided to not sweat the small stuff.  Except out loud to G I promised to get really mad (issuing an anger i.o.u.) if we missed Elvis Costello.

Not to worry, guys!  We got there in plenty of time (especially since I thought it started at 7. Oops.)  So I ripped up the anger i.o.u. + was glad I wasn't prematurely bitter.

First priority, get sustenance.  And try to peek into the VIP tent section for local celebrity sightings.  No Tom Brady or weathercasters or Kennedys.  Where else would they want to be, I wonder?

Next stop,  the tshirt stand, where we laugh at the earplugs for sale and deliberate on a tshirt selection.  I chose #7, the white one with the pink lettering.  It's pleasingly retro, like I've had it for years and don't care a bit about fancy new tshirts.  But, obviously, I DO care about fancy new tshirts because I paid concert prices for one.  (Speaking of pleasingly retro, look at my beautiful sister Nancy who was stopped on the street in NYC for a photo blog. Cool, yes?)

Then we settled down to our seats.  We were very geeky...the first ones in our section pretty much.  Did I mention I'm a little particular about being early?  At exactly 7:25 (as Deirdre pointed out yesterday five minutes EARLY) Elvis started.  Oh, I love him.  His slower ballads are my favorites.  His new album is called Momofuku and G had great fun trying to say that all night.  Turns out it's pronounced a little differently than you might worry.

Sting came out and joined Elvis on Allison, which was very cool (but not unexpected since I had seen the video clip already).  Two great voices + it was thrill to hear them together.

Here we are waiting for the Police to come on: 

(I never like these hold-the-camera-up-and-snap-yourself photos. Oh well.)
And the Police set was marvelous. He's aging well, that Sting. Yoga serves him well.

Finally, this one's for you, Jackson.  The quality is poor, you can't really see Sting but that WOO-HOO at the beginning?  One hundred percent, enthusiastic, thrilled me.

Today my ears are ringing and I'm saying "WHAT?!" and "huh?" a lot. Maybe I should have taken the earplugs.

Sweet escape

With both daughters at sleep-over girls' camp this week and Greg ensconced in work projects, that left Sam and me at home this week. Which I was really looking forward to: quality time with my son, one on one. We could go to museums! Hikes! Make bird houses! Catch up on all the scouting requirements! I started whistling the Andy Griffiths show theme song just thinking about it.

But then I started noticing that we were having a lot of conversations like this:

Me: hey! We have a free afternoon. Do you want to go on a bike ride?
Sam: (after long pause) ...with you?
Me: yeah...I have a bike, you have a bike...we can ride them together.
Sam: Um (considering) no, thanks.

(Not having gotten the full hint yet)
Me: What about a movie?
Sam: Just you and me?
Me: (beginning to get the hint) Well, yes.
Sam: No, thank you. (One thing you've got to say about Sam, he rejects you with his best manners. And deep down I know I'm one of his very favorite people in the world. Just not one he necessarily wants to be seen alone in public with.)

Not to worry; I brainstormed a great Plan B. Thanks to a great last minute deal, we've headed to St. Louis for a few days to stay with some of our favorite people. It's a win-win. For Sam: terrific boys to play with (and the requisite distance from me, I suppose). For me: a good friend to talk/laugh/steal ideas from/watch movies with (and, truthfully, I've been just looking for an excuse for a Christie fix).

^
in the Chicago airport this morning on a layover.
Hmm.
Apparently being seen with your mom
at an airport
is completely fine.

Made in Manhattan

Yoo hoo! Psst. Over here. No, not there. Down the coast a bit. Here I am, in NYC. I'm stretched out on the foldout sofa bed on the 27th floor of a hotel with the glow of Times Square seeping through the sheer drapes. My parents are in the next room + I'm enjoying hearing one of the sounds of my growing up: laughter from their room as they watch the Tonight Show (in fact, one of my brother Chris's first phrases was "Here's Johnny!" True story.)

I was born here a few dozen blocks away and several decades ago. I think my cells remember my Big Apple beginnings because I love to make the pilgrimage and soak up the city. Even the stinky summer sewer smells don't dampen my love of this place. This time I'm here with my parents for a few days then we'll head back up to Boston for the 4th of July weekend with the fam.

Yes, this is a kid-free (thanks to G for holding down the fort at home), just-me-and-my-parents getaway. Evidence: I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. Funniest moment today: watching my mom be interviewed by CBS News for a man-in-the-street interview about travel. Don't know if she made it to the broadcast, but if you see someone on that show ask about boutique hotels, that would be my madre. Besides that brush with fame, we walked around, ate dinner at a cafe (delish) in the West Village with my sister (who lives here) and her boyfriend, and saw the movie The Visitor (very good).

Di Fiori Marquet photo courtesy of NY magazine
don't you love that mustard yellow on the outside?

Tomorrow is a theatre-packed day: August, Osage County for the matinee and South Pacific at night. I know, lucky am I. I'm thinking I need to find some way to pay it forward to balance out this trip. Does anyone need their toilets scrubbed? Their wallpaper stripped? Let me know.

[I wrote this last night but, in my sleepy haze, forgot to post.]

===>tired & whooped & somewhat victorious

When they called it the Mt. Tom Road to the Pogue race, I thought it was an interesting name. Hmm..what's a pogue? I asked. (It's a pond). When they said it was a "challenging but beautiful" course, I chose to emphasize the scenery aspect. Perfect. Who doesn't love beautiful surroundings?

Translation====> a 10k where you run up a mountain (ohhhhh! MOUNT Tom) and back down. A 10k that is challenging for even seasoned runners.

But, after some major qualms, I did it! It wasn't pretty but I did it. And (my only goal besides finishing) I wasn't the very last person. I was the 5th to the last person, but still. Definitely NOT last. Did I walk? Yes, on many of the steep inclines. Still, I ended up with a 12 minute pace. {Greg was a rock star! He kept a just over 9 minute pace & ran the whole thing.}

I had a minor panic attack in the parking lot before the race where I suddenly decided it was much more imperative for me to stay with the kids.

But then Lauren said: No, go do it, Mom! Do it for Dad!
Maddy said: Do it, Mom! Do it for yourself!
Sam said: Yeah! Do it for the dog! (Huh? Unsure what the connection between my running and our potential dog is???)

They were very encouraging and I didn't want to let them down. But you know what really made me keep going?

You. Or rather, knowing that I had blogged about it, had posted some rather out-on-a-limb rhetoric about going outside my comfort zone, blah, blah, blah. I was too embarrassed to come back home and say "oh yeah, about that. didn't end up doing it after all. oh well!" So thanks for being my invisible motivator. Let's hear it for accountability!

By the way, the scenery really was stunning: woods and meadows and, of course, the pogue. The outlook at the summit was breathtaking--sweeping views of Woodstock and the surrounding countryside. They had a bagpiper serenading us as we ran around the pond, a drum group cheering us on halfway through, & a fantastic breakfast awaiting us at the finish. Hindsight is so idyllic, isn't it?

* * *

Speaking of idyllic, Woodstock is such a great town. We had driven through but never stayed there. I felt like I was in Gilmore Girl's Stars Hollow, what with...

the gazebo outside our Bates-motel-style lodgings,

the quaint town announcement board

{there's our race announcement. And the oboe concert!},

the cute town center,

and (my favorite) the quirky signs.
What do you think made the pavement
so scarified?

Never say never

I was afraid spring break around here was going to be a little bit of a downer (by the way, I would totally hire this company if I needed to move my piano--extra points for black humor) but it turned out to be a great week.
The gorgeous weather didn't hurt.
We did NYC last weekend,
went to Six Flags on Tuesday,
had a picnic and hang-out day on Wednesday,
the kids went to work with G on Thursday,
another free-form day on Friday,
and kayaking on the river on Saturday.
Bonus=I'm so glad I'm not driving back from Florida today.

However--word to the wise.
If you have a Nuvi navigation system, be sure you have it set to
"fastest route"
rather than "shortest route."
Otherwise, when you drive to NYC, you will be boggled
and confused about why you keep getting directed off
of the modern 21st century freeway
to travel the scenic byways of Connecticut and New York,
complete with stoplights every 100 feet or so.
Certainly check on the setting while this is happening,
rather than waiting until you arrive back home.
Just a suggestion.

Notice the oldest child cowering behind the others. Lauren has reached the age of weariness with her photographing mom. She's been heard to mutter "don't you think you should be experiencing this instead of taking pictures of it?" and "Not again!" Kids these days and their exasperating logical conclusions! What she doesn't realize is that I need proof of the great times we all had! These are my evidence exhibits in the court of we-never-went-anywhere-when-we-were-kids! Unfortunately, it will appear that I myself never went anywhere with them, since I am always behind the camera but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Maddy's getting ready for a big violin recital next week. She continues to read books that are too sad and make her cry, although she feels that a book isn't truly great unless it does make her cry. This results in an almost daily cleansing cry and hugging fest. (Hint= if the character has a serious illness at the beginning, it's probably not going to end happily.) My favorite Maddyism this week was when we were winding through side streets in the Bronx (thanks confused Nuvi!). Noticing the brownstones and the porch stoops she said cheerfully "This reminds me of Sesame Street." [pause while drunk down-on-luck guy crosses in front of us and yells] "Except he's not so happy."

Sam is just glad he didn't have to spend more time in the car. He spent his free time this week making up impossible logic quizzes for me and G to stumble through. And grading them with big fat sorry scores. For some reason he started a balloon collection, blew them all up, and plans to sell them. I'm not sure who conducted his market research of the demand for blown-up balloons...but I'm pretty sure who's going to end up being his primary customer! Especially if it means clearing them from our house!

And, finally, in the never say never department
here's the newest addition to our household:

We finally wore down G and, after lots of conversations with breeders, etc.
we have (or will have when he can come home in a week or two) a puppy!
Four of us love him and one of us hopes he doesn't shed, bark, chew, poop, or stink.

Please help us
name this dog
If we choose your name suggestion (left in the comments),
I will send you a fabulous prize
having to do with a book shopping spree
and nothing to do with dogs.

(our naming guidelines: people names preferred...
nothing too cutesy...think manly with a hint of sensitive(?)...
uniqueness preferred...)