My mom and I had a nice little trip to Staten Island NY which is the quietest borough out of all of the boroughs of New York City. I love being surprised and boy were we pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful garden tucked away within the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. The center is a historic maritime site that was converted to a public park. I'd been before but didn't know they also had a beautiful formal Chinese garden. Here are the pics. I am still learning my way around my birthday present to myself [e.g. a Nikon D5000 camera] so hopefully the pictures do the garden justice.
After having a terrific Rosh Hashannah dinner with friends on Saturday, Sunday was the day to work it all off. I met up with two friends and like Japanese tourists, the three of us took our cameras on a photo walk. We started on Riverside Drive at 79th street to see the new addition to the Riverside Park. This stretch between 79th and 57th street is very nicely done and faces mostly Trump properties on the land side so you know no expense was spared. The best parts were where they preserved the old ship yard details and commemorated the work that was done previously on that shore.
Next we went over to the new Highline Park which is a public park built on top of old elevated train lines. The park itself is kind of like a highway but instead of road for cars, it's a walk way for pedestrians with wild flowers and grasses on both sides. There was lots to see as it stretches from the Chelsea to the Meat packing district. It was also very popular as the narrow walk way was filled with lots of people enjoying the sun and sights. We spotted a few celebrities [actually I did] and were very glad that the park was not closed as it does get so full that they no longer allow people up the stairs onto the walk.All in all a great weekend. Here are the pictures from the Hudson river and Highline Park walk. Enjoy. [note: if you don't see a wall of photos below, then be sad and click here to see the set page at flickr.]
This past weekend was great. It started with helping Rob move his things to his new apt on Friday. He's moved in the same town I am in so that will be nice to have someone who can dogsit and water the plants while I"m away.
After that relatively painless move, I high tailed it to IKEA to pick up a sofabed and some other items. Of course no visit to IKEA would be complete without a swedish meatball and gravalax lunch. These foods alone make me want to go to Sweden.
On Saturday morning I drove up to the Catskills region of NY. I got to spend some time with an old friend from high school and her lovely wife. She got us the weekend home of a celebrity friend to stay at which of course is much nicer than staying in a hotel. It was picture perfect and in the adirondack style that I love so much.
We enjoyed the scenery of the Catskills region of NY and by Saturday night we were ready for the reunion. It was quite a time warp sensation for me as it was my 25th year reunion and my first. Some of the faces hadn't changed at all! Everyone looked great and was happy to see everyone else. Sunday was a day of travel back home and also redecorating as I now have the house to myself again. It'll be quite an adjustment but I'm looking forward to having more space and time to do the creative things that I neglected recently. That and getting in better shape! :)
Lately, I've been tracking my happiness on https://www.trackyourhappiness.org It's an interesting system. A few times a day you get an email that prompts you to fill out a brief survey. Things like how well did you sleep, how long did you sleep, what are you doing now?, are you talking with others now? etc.
The survey responses are collected and then graphed so that over time you get a picture of what you're doing when you're happiest. It's interesting in that not only is the data interesting, but the things you realize answering the questions are as well!Here's a little graphic of what has been making me happiest lately. No surprises there huh?
So I had a little time and figured I'd see an intriguing film called "Everything is Illuminated" starring Elijah Wood. This work was directed by fellow actor Liev Schrieber. The story follows a peculiar young man who travels to Ukraine to try to piece together some of his family history which was ripped apart by the Holocaust.
The story is clever and touching and the direction was beautiful. The supporting cast were so interesting and lovable despite being from a different time and place. While I was watching the movie I couldn't help but see some similarities with Jim Jarmusch's directing style which places strange and compelling characters in mundane situations and let's magic happen.
Elijah Wood, best known for the Harry Potter Lord of the Rings films, comes into his own playing a type that reminds me of Andy Warhol in his youth. Someone who is painfully shy and neuorotic but still lovable. All in all this is a film that I'd recommend for more than a few reasons. This film highlights the lasting effects that the holocaust has on families lives. It does so in a compelling and creative way. I really enjoyed it.
Last week I went to Colorado for the first time. The occasion was my annual Children of Deaf Adults conference. As usual it was great seeing old and new faces and the backdrop of the mountains made it even more special.
Here are the pics from my trip. I hope you enjoy. I really must go back when there's snow on the ground to do some skiing.
So Rob and I got invited to attend the pre-school graduation of our first foster child. She's been back home with her biological family for quite a while so it was a pleasant surprise to hear from the family.I'll be honest, in that I had some concerns about us attending the small town ceremony in rural NJ. I was hoping to just shuffle in and sit in the back and celebrate with the little one quietly and unobtrusively as is my style.So Rob and I arrived and the little kids classroom was already packed with parents and teachers. We looked and within seconds were noticed by the little princess, who is now 4 years old.Immediately she hollered at the top of her little but loud lungs..."MY 2 DADDIES ARE HERE!!!" She then ran up to us and gave us big hugs and grabbed both of our hands and proceeded to parade us around the room to everyone who would listen, teachers and parents of friends.She always introduced us as 'MY TWO DADDIES' and threw in a few "I HAVE 2 DADDIES BECAUSE I"M LUCKY!!" for good measure.It was both surprising and heart warming. As friends have noted, the little ones don't know prejudice or bigotry, they have to learn it. This was a perfect example of how much this is true.
This past Saturday night, Peaches played the world famous Stone Pony in Asbury Park NJ. After a lifetime [literally!] of hearing about the Stone Pony, this music fan finally got to see a show there! I can see what the press was about. The space is perfect for live music. Plenty of room and a good view from anywhere in the room.
Peaches took to the stage in a colorful harlequin type outfit and the room lit up as soon as she started her show. I've heard so much about her live shows and have been looking forward to catching her live. All of the buzz is true. She worked extra hard and rocked the house from start to finish.
Costume changes, audience banter, great sounding music, a sexy and tight band of men and women musicians, and high energy kept the audience hooting and hollering for the entire show.Peaches is an experienced performer who knows that once you lose a crowd it's hard to get them back. She took no chances and kept us on our feet, clapping, and singing along for the full show.At one point she came out in a bathrobe and engaged the audience in a funny skit that turned into yet another costume change and her performing her current single, I don't want to lose you.The video for her current single, Lose You, gives a taste of her strange but very interesting sense of humor. Here it is:If you've not heard of Peaches before let me describe her. She is an artist from Canada by way of Berlin. Her music started out as very sexy electronic music which I describe as music for titty bars. Along the way she realized her inner Iggy Pop and started putting out very hard rock jams that sound right at home next to the MC5 and the Stooges. This mash-up between synth pop, hard rock, and sex positive lyrics makes for an interesting catalog. Something for everyone!Here's one of my favorite tracks from her set list featuring Iggy Pop.Kick It, it explains what I was hoping to see when I caught her live: When the show was over, I was sweat drenched and hoarse.I also had a very satisfied smile on my face.Yes... its true, Peaches turned me out.
