Tag Archives: widowed

I Wonder ……

…… what the hell was I thinking??!
These last two days I’ve been packing up the house by myself.
Alone.
Solo.
A five bedroom, 5,000 square feet house.
This.
Is.
Insane.

The first two days I had the help of a few friends, for which I am very, very grateful.
Especially after doing it by myself.

Yesterday the packing became very emotional, so maybe it was a good thing that I was alone.
Although if I’d had someone to help, maybe they could’ve done the emotional stuff.
Like the refrigerator that had a multitude of magnets on it.
Magnets that we collected from every place we visited/vacationed.
And from every Broadway show we’d seen.

I didn’t really see that coming.
I was just working my way through the room, and then I was next to the fridge. So I grabbed a bag and started removing the magnets.
And about 30 seconds in, the wave hit.
And then another, and another, and another.
Sigh ……

And then there was this:

The wall that I measured the kids on every August.
Deeper sigh ……

I had a desk that had a glass top on it. Beneath the glass I had placed pictures. A whole lot of pictures, from many different years and stages. I loved having those pictures there.
I didn’t love having to gather them back up, although I did smile a lot at the memories.

And then there were these two items that Sons #2 and #3 made me, back in their pre-school days. I hated to part with them, but I had to be realistic.
Sometimes realisms sucks.
Beyond belief.

Now my study looks like this:

Which is kind of how I feel right now …… empty.

And exhausted.

I know that I’ll be ok, and that I’ll be glad to have all of this behind me …… no matter how difficult it is in the midst of it.

Before I post this and head off to bed, I’ll show you something a bit different.
At least a bit different for all of us down here.
The real estate market here in our community has gone a little nuts.
It’s definitely a seller’s market (other than me as a seller).
And just to show you how hot it is in my neighborhood …… here’s a sign that went up yesterday:

Can you read that?
Note that it’s not “for sale”, but “coming soon”!
What the what?!?!

I’ve never seen those words on a real estate sign.
I can only imagine the tizzies and the frothing at the mouth that’s going on around here, just at the thought of another house going on the market.
I may have to hunker down and keep all the windows and doors bolted when that house actually becomes available.

I hope I’m done moving when that happens.
🙂

An Addendum ……

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…… to last night’s post.

I forgot to write about THE most important lesson I learned yesterday.
Seriously.
And it’s another cab lesson.

Most of the cabs here have monitors in the back that show entertainment blurbs about stuff going on in NY. It’s entertaining, unless you’re in the cab long enough to see it loop around several times.

But yesterday I saw a blurb that I hadn’t seen before. Last month the city passed a new law: the speed limit in NYC is now 30 mph. They wanted to make it 25, but the mayor gave in at 30. From 40, I think.
If you’ve never been here you need to know that no one ever follows the speed limit. Not at 40 and certainly not at 30.

So, this is the blurb/commercial that I saw:

“If you hit someone at 40 mph they have a 70% chance of dying.
If you hit someone at 30 mph they have an 80% chance of living.”

And that was it.
Really, seriously, and truly …… that was the entire message.
So it sounds like hitting someone is inevitable. It’s going to happen, so just make sure you hit them at 30 mph …… unless it’s someone you don’t like, and then rev it up to 40.
Good to know.
(OK, the next to the last sentence is just my thought. It wasn’t implied in the commercial. For those of you who are more literal than most.)

In other news …… I had the best time tonight! Yes, at the supper club (which was Studio 54, for any of you who know that name) that I was leery of going to because I’d be by myself, seated at a table with other people.
I will never be leery of that again.

When I arrived I was taken to a table and a seat where I sat next to a woman, who came with her mom, who sat across from her. They were chatting with a woman who sat on the other side of the daughter. On my other side there was an empty chair, and then a woman who sat across from her husband, and both were staring at their cell phones.
Those two were next to the stage. Front and center. It was a great table in that sense.
I was perusing the menu, not talking to anyone, when 3 men came up to the couple at the end and started saying hi and hugging them. It was clear that one of the men was friends with this couple and had not seen them in a while. One of the men sat next to me and the two others sat across from me.
The man directly across from me started talking to the mom and daughter, introducing himself. He said that they were from Houston. So I piped up and said that I, too, was from Houston. He was surprised and asked where in Houston and I told him.
Then he told us that he and his partner (the guy sitting next to me) had seen these two women (who were the people doing the show) 18 years ago in Houston. They loved them so much that when he saw they were performing in NY, he got airline tickets immediately to come see them.
I was impressed.
And glad that I had received one of my great emails about the show, and decided to see it.

He then somehow mentioned that he and his partner were on the board of a small theatre in Houston.
I, being the theatre person that I am, asked which one. To which he replied, “Stages”.
The theatre that Daughter #1 did her internship at six years ago.
Yes, really.
He was surprised and asked her name. I told him and he recognized the name, though he wasn’t sure if he had ever met her.
He then texted the director of the theatre to tell him that he was having dinner with Daughter #1’s mom. The director replied, “You’re kidding!!!?”.
Small world.

Then I remembered that one of Daughter #2 and #3’s friends has performed quite a few times at that theatre. So I asked him if he knew her.
He stared at me incredulously for a moment and then said, “Yes, we know her well!” I said that I had known her since she was 14, or younger. He then texted this young lady to tell her that he was having dinner with me. And she replied, “Whaaaaaaaat??!!!”
And now the four of us (and hopefully Daughter #3) are going to dinner Sunday night.
Very small world.

The women who sang tonight were really wonderful. They’re sisters and the show is called “Sibling Revelry”. One has been the lead in 6 Broadway shows (one of them “Cats”). The other has won several music awards. They both sang (and one wrote) the theme song of “The Nanny”, which we all sang together. 🙂

It was a very fun night.
It was great to meet these men, who have been together for 33 years. THIRTY THREE years.
Amazing. Not many couples, no matter what gender they are, can claim that.
The one next to me is a doctor in Houston, and he and I sang along with quite a few songs (when it was appropriate). He claimed that I was his new best friend and that we should travel together.

After the show a woman came up to me and asked if I had known the words to every single song. I admitted that I did not. There were two or three that I’d never heard before. She said that was surprising and that she had enjoyed watching us sing along.
Evidently she couldn’t really hear us all that well.
Thankfully.

As the show was getting ready to end, one of the sisters came out into the audience to talk to a few people. She came to our table and asked a couple of questions to the party on the other end (3 guys and 2 women). One of the men asked if he could say something. She looked surprised but gave him the mic. He thanked the two of them for bringinf music to people and making them feel better. Then he stood up, took out a small box, and proposed to his partner, who was sitting next to him. And who was hugely surprised.
The entire room erupted into applause and congrats, and the waiters brought out a cake with sparklers. The men’s mothers were there, but had been at a table on the other side of the room, so that the man being proposed to wouldn’t see them. They were very happy and excited and there were hugs all around.

The proposal:

The sparkler cake:

And while this might not be a popular thought …… I was very proud to be living in a city where a room full of people could celebrate and encourage love. No condemnation, no judging, just simple support of love.

It was quite a night.
I’m so happy that I went, and didn’t let being alone stop me.
I smiled as I walked home.
I love this city.
Ridiculously and totally love it.
It’s not a perfect place, but no place is.
But I still love it. Faults and all.

And I’m really going to miss it during the month of May.
But hopefully I’ll love being in Texas …… and in the house that will be my home.

Lessons Learned ……

This Is Not the Post ……

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…… I thought I’d write tonight.

But things change, and sometimes change quickly.

Tonight I went to see the Broadway musical, “If, Then”, starring Idena Menzel.
It was wonderful …… but ……

Why does it seem there always must be a “but”?

I really did love this show and would highly recommend it …… to most people.
However (and here’s the “but”) …… I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who’s still rawly widowed.
Those of you who are widowed know exactly what that means.

Fortunately, for me, I’m no longer living in the rawness.
And yet I still had to struggle to maintain control and just cry softly …… rather than cry the ugly cry.
And you know exactly what that means, too.

If you are still existing in the raw, go no further. Close this page and maybe come to it later.
For the rest of you, here’s the song that did me in. Well, it’s the first song of a few.
I love it …… and I hate it.
Because I get it.
And I wish I didn’t.

I wish I could’ve found a better video, but the only one was of her on The Today Show last week.
The first song is the song I’m referring to.

It says so much.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll post the funny post I had in my head.
But tonight, you get this.

Hopefully you’ll tell me what you think.

Now, THAT ……

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…… was a blast.

I just got home from attending “Drunk Shakespeare”. And it was SO much fun.
I received an email about it yesterday. And a discount code. So I decided to go. I may have to go again.
And again.

They’ve been doing it for 3 weeks and the regular priced ticket is only $30. I only paid $14. Pretty good deal, right?

It’s a company of about 2 girls and 3 guys and they perform this in a bar down on 44th. A pretty decent bar. Upstairs.

They take turns choosing one of them to be the one who has to do shots, and bigger servings, at the whim of the audience.
It was hilarious.
Tonight they performed “Macbeth”.
And all things considered, they did a great job.
And they were hilarious.

Here are some pics from the evening:

This is me, in the mirror.

This is the guy who had to drink. Obviously.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and highly recommend it.

Afterwards, the guy who sat next to me asked me if I wanted to go downstairs and have a drink.
I respectfully declined. He was very nice and was in NY for business and is returning to England on Thursday.
But I had 3 (small) margaritas over the two hour performance, so I decided that I didn’t need anything else to drink.
That, and I have barre class early in the morning.

The weather did a bizarre turn today.
Yesterday it was beautiful and around 70.
At this moment it’s 35 and snowing.
Yes, snowing.
And hour ago it was 45 and raining.
Go figure.

Yesterday it looked and felt like spring.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll be taking pictures of snow angels.
Ha!

Actually, I’ll be too busy to take many pictures.
I have barre class, then have to rush home and get ready for our monthly book club meeting, then leave that early to go with a group to see a play, “The Realistic Joneses”. I don’t know much about it, except that Toni Collette is in it and it got a great review in The Times.
(I try not to read too much about any show I’m going to see …… it seems to work better that way. Except for “Spiderman”. I should’ve TOTALLY read the reviews on that.)

Then tomorrow evening I’m going to see Idina Menzel’s new show, “If Then”.
Otherwise known as Adele Dazeem to John Travolta.

Writing all of that just made me realize that I need to go to bed.
Like now.

See ya later.
🙂

Another Week ……

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…… in pictures.

It was a great week. As most of them are, here in NY.
There is ALWAYS something to do.
And there are ALWAYS free things to do.
Whoop!

So, my friend Kelley scored two comp tickets to see the comedienne Elayne Boosler. And she invited me to go with her. She and Elayne are friends and I was thrilled to go with her. I’ve liked Elayne for eons! Or so it seems.
It was a great evening. Elayne was hilarious, as I expected, and she was also very, very nice. We hung out until most of the crowd was gone so that she and Kelley could talk.
And take pictures, of course.
I thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
And now Elayne and I are friends on Face Book.
WHOOP!!!!
This is Elayne with Joy Behar. They’re good friends.

This is Elayne with Kelley and me. 🙂

I signed up for a free walking tour of Greenwich Village earlier this week. The following pics are from that day. It was a lot of fun and VERY interesting!

This was the building that housed medical services for the hired help back in the day. That class of folks couldn’t afford to go to ordinary doctors, so this was a place where they could go and be treated.
It later became a dental office building, but now it sits empty. That’s because the original deed states that it has to be used as a building that offers public services and the building needs so much updating that no one wants to buy it.

I took this picture so that you could see that this building is built in the shape of a triangle. If you look through these windows, you can see through the windows on the opposite side of the building.
There are quite a few triangle-shaped buildings in Greenwich.

This is a building that connects to an underground tunnel, which was used for the Underground Railroad surrounding the Civil War.

See that door down there? That door leads to a tunnel that runs under the street and up a ways. So very cool.

This is the only wooden house left in NYC:

This is the building where the girls lived on “Friends”. Recognize it?

This is the coffee shop on the first floor of the building that the “friends” sat in all of the time.
Only it’s not really a coffee shop. And it’s not called Central Perk. It’s a nice restaurant that takes weeks to get in to.

This is the smallest house in NYC.

It’s 8 feet wide, on the outside, and 30 feet long. And the address is 7 !/2 (I think).
There are now quite a few 1/2 addresses.
This is one of them, but the actual apartment/building, is behind these buildings. So you go through this door and enter a courtyard, and then see the building.

And yet another 1/2 residence. Or the door that leads to it:

This is a cafe/bar where Jimi Hendrix and many other singers of the 60’s hung out and sang. Cafe Wha …. google it.

This is in Washington Square Park. If you saw “Chasing Bobby Fischer” then you’ll recognize the area where people sit and play chess. All day long. Players sit there and charge $60 an hour for you to play with them. When we were walking by I spotted this little guy playing. He looked all of 4 years old. And was very, very good:

One side of the park is projects …… home for the poor.

The other side of the park has homes that were once single family homes …… for the very rich.
Quite a difference …… from one side to the other.

These are statues of George Washington …… on each side of the arch:

And these two pics are from outside the arch, where Sally dropped off Harry when they drove to NY in “When Harry Met Sally”:

And these pics of of my spoiled cat, Oliver, who was very glad to see me when I got back from Florida and Houston:

These pictures are of Faberge eggs that have been “hidden” all over NYC. There’s a contest to find all of them, and they’re selling small versions of the eggs.
I didn’t enter the contest, but saw several of these amazing eggs.

This one was made out of money. You know, bills.

This egg was very cool. It’s a globe, and it looks like it’s made of very small pieces of egg shells. Lots and lots of egg shell pieces:

My friend Jeni and I went to see this show Wednesday. This was a stretch for me because we didn’t have tickets. We just walked to the theatre and asked if they had any tickets left for the 2:00 matinee (we got there at 1:30). This is how she likes to see Broadway shows. Me? Not so much. I like to make sure I have a good seat. And a ticket.
But it totally worked, and we got the most amazing seats. We had no idea that they sold tickets for actually sitting on the stage. The play takes place in a club, where Billie Holiday is singing. So they had several tables on the stage. If you had tickets there you also got champagne.
Score!!!
Audra McDonald played Billie Holiday and she was amazing. If you don’t know who she is, Google her.
She’s wonderful!

Last night I went to one of those “Wine and Painting classes”. I’d never been to one before but it was so much fun! A friend went with me and we had a great time. And we also came home with some pretty neat paintings. 🙂

OK, that was pretty much my week.
Today I did laundry, ran errands, and packed to head to Oklahoma tomorrow.
I’m going to hang out with Son #3 because it’s Mom’s Weekend at OSU. I can’t believe that I’m old enough to go to a Mom’s Weekend. I have great memories of my mom coming to Mom’s Weekend when I was there. It seems incredible that enough time has passed for me to be doing this.
But I am.
And I’m going to hang out with Vicki and just enjoy being in Ok.
I’m also going to visit Jim’s dad, because his birthday is next week. Daughter #2 and Son #1 are driving up from TX to join Son #3 and me at the farm. Hopefully this will be a surprise for my father-in-law. I think he’ll expect Son #3, but not the rest of us.
I’m looking forward to spending time with him.
And there.
Even though it’s a very bitter-sweet place for me.
For all of us.

The house stuff seems to be moving along, so it looks like I’ll close on the new one May 1st. I plan to be in TX for most of the month of May …… to close and get moved in.
Now I just need my current house to sell.

I’m really looking forward to moving into this house.
A new house …… for new experiences. A house that will be mine. A home in which to make new memories.
I have no doubt that it will be heart and gut wrenching to finally move out of our current home.
I have such mixed feelings about that.
On the one hand, I can’t wait to walk away from that house.

On the other hand, it will be another kind of grief to leave behind a home that holds so many memories.
Nothing is ever easy.
But it’s time.

Have a great weekend, Peeps.
I know I will.
🙂

Sometimes a Project ……

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…… doesn’t quite go the way you hoped.

I’ve had a project in mind for a couple of years. Today I decided to sit down and start it. I’m not going to say what it is, but it involves looking up lots of older pictures.
Pictures of Jim.

Last time I went to Houston I packed up a few external hard drives to bring to NY so that I could start.
This afternoon I started going through the pictures.
I didn’t get very far.

I’m really not sure why.
I’ve looked at pictures before.
But I guess, in retrospect, I haven’t really looked at them. The ones I’ve spent the most time looking at are those of Jim before I knew him.
Like his baby pictures, toddler pictures and teenage pictures.
I love them.
And I can look at them for quite a while.
So I didn’t think twice about looking at “our” pictures.

The feeling of sadness slowly draped over me. My nose started to tingle/burn as tears kept trying to form. I refused to let them come.
Instead, I stopped looking.

I was/am surprised by this reaction.
I’m hoping that this is just something that hit me today, and won’t hit me tomorrow.

I don’t like feeling sad …… feeling like I can’t control my reaction to something.
But, on the flip side, feeling like this right now …… makes me feel grateful that it only happens once in a while …… and not all day long, every single day, the way it used to.

I’ll try again tomorrow.
If it doesn’t work …… well, I guess this project has been on the back burner this long …… what difference does another year make?

Breaking News ……

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…… or not.
It’s actually more like the Daily Demented, or the Certifiable Citizen, or maybe The National Enquirer.

Today, for the second time in my life, I received …… wait for it …… wait for it …… a proposal.
Seriously.
Here it is:

Will you marry me
Regards

See? How can one convey the love, the passion, nay …… the gravity of that question, but with …… “Regards”?

I’ve had a couple of hours to ponder this ~~lunatic’s~~ lovely man’s proposition, and I’m afraid I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just not ready for marriage.
Yet.
Who knows? Maybe if he asks again in 6 months, or 30 years, I might feel otherwise.
But for now, I’m humbled …… and laughing uncontrollably.

I was busy counting all of the “I want to know you more better” messages today, so this one caught me by surprise.

Do you see what I have to deal with???!!!

And you thought I was just kidding when I used the term “cray-cray”.
Now you know better.

In news unrelated to my dating/requests of marriage life …… I’m still hitting the barre, but it’s no longer kicking my butt …… most of the time. It still has its moments.
Today a woman who was next to me during the class, turned to me after it was over (and I was dripping with sweat), and asked me …… oh, so naively, “Does this ever get easier?!”. To which I replied, “No, not really.”
After seeing her crestfallen face I did clarify my answer and told her that she would get stronger and be able to hang in there better, but as for easier?
Not so much.

I went to Harlem today for my volunteer stint. Those kids (ages 3-5) are so freakin’ hilarious. Except for one. Who whines and cries at the drop of a hat.
Every single day.
All day long, according to his teachers.
Who, in my opinion, are saints.
I only have to deal with him for an hour. Which is really a good thing for him.
I don’t know what goes on at home, but he gets upset over the tiniest thing, and then points at what he wants and talks “baby talk”. And cries. Loudly.
That kid works on my last nerve.
Today I told him that, as long as he cried and talked like a baby, I couldn’t help him.
Which didn’t seem to matter to him …… for a minute or so.
Then he stopped crying, got a tissue and blew his nose (is “blew” even a word??), and then proceeded to try to tell me what he wanted.
I’ve never seen a preschooler act so helpless. Most of them are almost defiant in trying to do things themselves.
This kid is going to make some woman a miserable wife.

Tonight I went to see “Bullets Over Broadway”, which starred Zach Braff. You know, the guy from “Scrubs”.
Woody Allen wrote the play.
And the movie, which I remember seeing years ago, with Jim.
I didn’t care for it all that much.

So I didn’t have high hopes for the musical.
It was entertaining, I guess. But not a “I’ve GOT to see that!” show.
Even though I was in the second row.
Center.
So I was about 5 feet from Zach.
Thankfully he didn’t spit when he spoke.

It’s time for me to go to bed.
I have barre class again in the morning.
It’s definitely a love/hate relationship.
I hate having to drag myself there, but I love being done with it.
I’m truly conflicted.

I’m totally psyched for the weekend.
Because Saturday night I’m going with my friend Kelley to see Elayne Boosler!
Kelley is a friend of hers and Elayne gave her two tickets to the show. And she asked me to be her date. Whoop!!
If you’re too young to know who Elayne Boosler is, then I have to, once again, ask …..
what are you doing here?!!!

OK. I need to hit the hay.
And ponder how to gently let down the guy who proposed to me.

Oh, who am I kidding?! I’m not going to gently let him down!! I’ll probably just delete his message and pretend I never received it.
Or message him back with a, “Yes!! When and where??!!!”
That should make him think twice.
Or six times.

Adios, Peeps.
Have a great weekend.
🙂

How to Spot a Dating Site Scammer ……

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…… in one easy ~~lesson~~ post.

In the last 24 hours I have received about 6 “Hello” messages on OK Cupid. At least four of them are from fakers/scammers/people who most likely do not live in this country.
But I’ll let you be the judge of that.

I will tell you, with some knowledge, that this is getting very tiresome.
But, on the bright side, I thought I’d choose two of them to post as examples of what to look for …… should you ever, EVER find yourself on a free dating site.
The old adage, “You get what you pay for” never rang so true.

Here is Example #1.
(You might want to have a barf bag handy.)

Wow you look very radiant like the morning sky,i really appreciate God for a wonderful creature like you.you are like a gift from God , seeing you has really made me to forget to ask how u are doing. Well let me not be carried away by your beauty, I must tell you the truth you are among the wonders of God’s creature.i will be very glad if i can get to know you more better.Meeting with you will be my first joy, please it will gladden my heart by giving me a response. please do include your email address or cell phone number, when reply so we could start by chatting…You are beautiful, Cheers up till i hear from

Yep, that’s how it ended. I didn’t crop anything.
(I’d like to crop something, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.)

I know what you’re thinking.
How could this guy know, from just my picture, that I am among the wonders of God’s creature?
It must have been all the radiance shining through that picture of me, on the top of a mountain in Oregon, wearing sunglasses and standing far from the camera.
My radiance is hard to contain.
It’s a gift.
And a curse.

When you’re done with your gagging/retching/spit-takes, you may proceed to Example #2:

Hello how are you doing ,I just saw your profile and i couldn’t resist to send you a message am so sorry if this got you upset, will i just did some criteria search for singles Women and felt your photo was interesting and profile,i will really be happy if you can write me back on my Cell Phone to know my hope in you thanks >>>>>>>XXX) XXX)-XXXX.

This guy’s hope in me is going to be dashed.
And please note that I’m not totally heartless …… I put X’s where his phone number was (but I didn’t take out the parentheses or the 8 or so greater than symbols).
Don’t ask.
I have no idea.

I’m really struggling to not delete my info from this web site.
I am getting very tired of having to wade through these types of messages,
but you guys …… this is comedy/blog gold! I’m really going to have to incorporate this into a stand up routine.
I’ll keep you posted.

In the mean time …… I interrupt this program for a moment of advertising. I can do that because it’s my blog. 🙂
If you or anyone you know would be interested in purchasing this:

or this:

let me know.
The first picture is, as you can see, a pool table, but it’s also an air hockey table and it’s VERY heavy duty.
Emphasis on heavy.
It’s not one of those cheap tables.

The second picture is of a NordicTrak E500.
It’s in perfect condition and is a great all-in-one workout item.
I won’t have room for them in a smaller house.

Speaking of a smaller house, things are proceeding. The inspections are done and most of the paperwork is signed and in place. Of course, nothing is truly settled until every T is crossed on closing day, so I’m still in a “we shall see” mode.
I’ve found that a pretty good place to be most of the time.

That’s it for today.
I’ll keep mining for comedy/blog gold …… just to keep you all entertained.
And as always …… you’re welcome.
🙂

Optimism or ……

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…… a little cray-cray.
I’ll let you decide.

This picture shows the sidewalk area of three restaurants in a row:

See all of the outdoor tables set up for customers?

Now look at this picture, which was taken right after the above picture:

If you click on it you can see that it shows the temperature as 34.
DEGREES!
Who’s going to sit at sidewalk tables when it’s a flippin’ THIRTY FOUR DEGREES outside?!
I’ll tell you who …… NO ONE!

Say what you will about New Yorkers and their strength, perseverance, and optimism …..
I’m telling you that whoever decided to set up those tables (and each restaurant who followed suit) is indeed, a whole lotta crazy.
Especially when you notice that the time was 4:55 p.m.
(And it was in the low 20’s this morning.)
So yeah, they were getting ready for the dinner crowd. Which, I have no doubt, was going to crowd up inside these restaurants.
Sometimes I just shake my head.
And smile.

Speaking of smiling, I took these pictures from the airplane last week as we were descending into LaGuardia:

That sight never fails to make me smile.
And no complaining. I took a lot of pictures.
You’re lucky that I only showed you seven.

This past weekend I went to NJ to attend/help out with my friend Beth’s fundraiser that her family/community holds each year in honor/memory of her husband, who was a high school teacher and basketball coach there. This was their 6th year to host this event and my first one to attend.
It was very fun, successful and exhausting. Which means I had a great time. I met a lot of people, her friends and family, and I saw how much community support her family has received these past 6 years. It was amazing and so very nice.
And …… I won two raffle items. One package was the last 3 Batman movies (I think I put one ticket into that one) and the other was a necklace that I really like. I may have put about 6 tickets into that one.
I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed to not win the margarita basket, into which I probably put at least 20 tickets.
And yes, I do know that I could’ve gone out and bought everything in that basket for less than I put into it, but that’s not the point.
If you’ve never put tickets into a raffle you cannot judge.
It’s the thrill of the moment.
And the lure of a great margarita.

And then there’s this. Remember when I showed you the pictures of the pigeon that was hanging around my gate at the Newark airport? Well, I forgot to tell you that when I returned from Tampa, into Newark, and was walking past that same gate, a pigeon flew past me and into that gate area.
I kid you not.
It was the strangest thing.

But even more strange, was this …… at the Port Authority bus terminal, where I was waiting to get on the bus to Jersey:

If I was a big “signs” believer, I’d tell you that these pigeons were a sign.
And that maybe it was Jim, showing himself to me.
But I’m not, which is probably a good thing because how pissed off would he be to know that I thought he was a rat with wings?!
Pretty dang pissed off.
And rightfully so.
But just between you and me (because I don’t think he reads my blog) …… I’m going to pay a little bit more attention to pigeons from now on.

I came home Sunday afternoon, in time for me to make a barre class.
I was beyond exhausted after the weekend and riding a bus 2 1/2 hours back into the city. But I put on my big girl tights and went anyway.
And holy cow.
I only thought I was beyond exhausted before that class.
And in what I can only imagine was a moment of complete insanity brought on by said exhaustion, I signed up for three classes in a row.
Three days in a row.
So this morning, at about 10 minutes into the second in-a-row-class, I was cursing the exhausted me who signed me up for that.
I have no doubt that there will be even more cursing tomorrow morning.

After I got home from Sunday’s class, I heard a lot of car horns going off. And for me to notice that here in this city, means that it really was A LOT!
So I looked out the window to see what was going on and found this:

It was an anti-Putin/pro Ukraine demonstration. And these pictures show only a very small amount of the cars involved. They must’ve gone on for close to a mile.
Never a dull moment around here.
Thankfully.

And now I shall leave you with this, which is probably going to start “coloring” many of my posts …… something from OK Cupid.
I really wasn’t going to share much from this “experiment” here, but I’m finding it way too tempting. I just can’t help myself.
Hopefully you’ll understand why.
This is an excerpt from a “match’s” profile (honestly, I could NOT make this stuff up, even if I tried):

My self-summary
Caring, thoughtful, intelligent, well educated, fit guy, in search of a good friend as well as a wonderful lover…. My ideal partner is sweet, intelligent, creative, and seeking the same sort of substantive connection as I am. I have no desire to be possessive, but I do want to be filled with desire when a favorite image of you comes to mind, bringing a smile to my lips, a thrill to my heart, and a charge to my loins….

A “charge to my loins”?!!???! What the hell????
Is there a woman, anywhere on this planet, who would find that enticing??! Because, really? That received a quick and strong DELETE.
And a whole lotta gagging.

Again, don’t be jealous.
We can’t all live this kind of life.
And it can’t be all fun and games, and theatre.
Evidently God feels that there should be some nausea thrown in.
At regular intervals.

And no, I haven’t noticed that I’m getting “more attractive” men.
Sigh ……

There now.
Don’t you feel better about your life?
You’re welcome.

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My Second Plan A

After my first Plan A ended tragically, and all too soon, I came up with my second Plan A. It took a while, but now I'm ready to live again. And live fully.