…… it’s not even winter yet.

Yet I give you exhibit A:

Yesterday I didn’t think to take a picture of the CNN sign, but it was 22, at its lowest point.
I KNOW!!!

Here are a few more more exhibits:

This shows the snow in the window frame:

This is at Columbus Circle (pretty, isn’t it?)

This is the play I saw last week.  It wasn’t all that great.
But I got to look at Daniel Craig for a couple of hours. And while he’s no George, he’s not half bad.
🙂

This is one of the window displays at Bergdorf’s.  Santa’s arm goes up and down as he drinks his hot chocolate. It’s pretty cool. 🙂

This a piece from a nearby museum that currently has an exhibit of ceramic art. The artist is from Finland. He made this piece not long after several children were shot there one afternoon, while on a school outing. (I am neither advocating, or against gun control here …… I’m just showing/explaining a very haunting/interesting piece). All three children are wearing school uniforms. A boy and a girl are on their knees, begging the girl who stands before them. The kneeling children have real eyes (deer eyes put in by a taxidermist). The standing child has no eyes. But she does have something they don’t have. She’s holding a gun …… a pistol …… behind her back.  Eyes are the windows to the soul …… and she has no soul.
It took my breath away when I saw the gun. I stood looking at the piece for quite a few minutes, smiling and thinking they were maybe asking her to choose them to be on her team. And then I moved to the right …… and saw the gun.
This artist often uses children and/or animals and places them in “adult” situations in order to shock the viewer.
He did a good job with me.

Daughter #3 has a friend here who came in Friday night. They’ve been busy hitting the city ever since. I’ve seen very little of her, which means that she’s having a good time. In spite of the cold. She’s a huge wimp when it comes to cold weather. Kind of how I used to be …… only a year ago.
Sigh …..

So last night was our comedy gig. And while I was very nervous from the very first night of class, I wasn’t nervous last night.
Yesterday I was hit by a wave of grief, that kind of came out of nowhere. If you can consider 3 days before the “death day” out of nowhere.
I had to be at the club at 7:00. At 6:00 I was still crying, and praying that I could stop.
Thankfully, I did. Though tears prickled my eyes during the subway ride to the club. But as soon as we got there my mind was on everyone else and on hoping that I wouldn’t forget any of my routine.

We all met upstairs and got a little pep talk and received the order we were going to perform. Daughter #3 and I were the last two. She was after me.
I couldn’t believe I wasn’t nervous at all. I watched my friends go up and do their routines, after the hostess did her gig, and our teacher/my friend Kelly did her gig, and after one of the headliners, Judah Friedlander, did his gig. Yeah, he’s a little famous.
🙂

When it came my turn to get up on the stage I just walked right up and felt instantly right at home. The crowd was great. It didn’t hurt that I had two sorority sisters and their husbands there, plus Beth, and another friend. And then Daughter #3 had several friends who also know me, so at least there were several people who were going to either love me, or act like they loved me. 🙂

But I seemed to click with mostly everybody. It was impossible to see anyone’s face because the light was incredibly bright in my eyes, but one of the tables right in front of me was full of wonderful people who laughed a lout. Like huge, guffaw belly laughs. Right from the start.
I felt like I owned the stage for those 6 minutes.
And that felt wonderful.
I know that Jim was watching and was/is very proud of me.
And of Daughter #3, who did a fabulous job.
She’s hilarious!
Hopefully she’ll let me post her video, too. I just haven’t seen her long enough to ask. 🙂

Tomorrow I start my volunteer job in Harlem at a Head Start school. I’m really looking forward to that.
Son #1 and Daughter #2 will be arriving this weekend. What’s more, Daughter #2 will be looking at prospective jobs while she’s here.
I KNOW AGAIN!!

Daughter #3 finished her internship at the school on Friday, so she’s now on the job hunt. She is now the proud owner of a Masters degree (those degrees have 1 and 2 record with me, so I’m not that thrilled …… yet).
But she has decided to stay up here, too, which I am THRILLED about.
Who knew that I’d be up here, let alone have possibly half of my kids up here?!!

Sons #2 and #3 are staying in Texas for Christmas. Son #2 has school through the holidays and Son #3 wants to make money. I tried to get both of them up here, but their minds are made up. Besides, Son #2 doesn’t really like to travel all that much. He’s a homebody. Which I totally get.

I have no plans for the 18th. I may walk to Rockefeller Center and stare at the tree for a while …… and remember.
And remember and remember and remember.

And I’ll also wish my sister, brother and stepdad a very happy birthday.

Happy Monday/Tuesday, Peeps.

From me and my tree.
🙂