My dear, generous and huge with heart friend Donna hosted a bridal tea for me before my wedding. She sent me this note after the party weekend:
"So I was very tired Monday morning & barely able to function & apparently see. I slapped Luke’s sandwich together & the rest of his lunch & stuck it in the fridge & took off. Well, I pick him up yesterday about 5:30 & our conversation begins with [after initial greetings]. Luke: “Do you know what food group fungi is classified as? Is it a carbohydrate? Do you think it is on the food pyramid?” Me: “Why are you asking me this?” Luke: “Well my sandwich bread was pretty much green with mold/fungi & I was wondering what you were trying to feed me. You know I have not really been properly fed since Friday since you were so busy preparing for your party & not preparing me meals.” He went on to explain that he had to negotiate/trade 1 sugar cookie & half his chips for 2 slices of white bread from a teammate [they eat in the locker room….talk about exposure to fungi!] who happens to bring a loaf of bread & a jar of peanut butter for lunch daily! He trashed his bread & removed the outer portion of his lunch meat to salvage his lunch."
I appreciate this idea:
The screen shot below details an exchange I experienced with an unknown texter. I honestly don't know if the sender intentionally tinkered with me, or if I was the accidental recipient of a legitimate military communications exchange. I watched the news carefully over the next day or so to ensure that I wouldn't need to carry any guilt about potentially disrupting an important undercover operation. My responses are in blue background below.
A little Kool & The Gang to accompany your Sunday afternoon, ladies and gents.
My dear friend (plus an original road dog) Jamie traveled with me recently to New York City in an effort to celebrate her 40th birthday. And, as my campus teammates know well by this catch phrase, "Effort Produces Achievement." We had an absolute ball. You know you're in a true friendship when you travel with someone and afterward know you can happily travel with said person again in the future. Thank you for a spectacular time, allowing me to share in your birthday celebration, Jamie!
Here are the top moments, from my perspective:
Flying with Jamie on her first ever air travel experience! That's not something to take lightly. The older a person is, the harder it is to try something new, especially something like flying - the physics of which never fail to utterly creep me out if I ponder too long...
I've been to NYC previously, but Jamie introduced me to Broadway! We took in two shows, The Fantastiks & NEWSical the Musical. Both shows were off the charts entertaining, and one of the photos below is a bootlegged image taken inside The Kirk Theatre. Jamie and her clan are community theatre directors, actors, singers, etc., and I jokingly refer to them collectively as the von Trapps.
The New York Public Library - another destination I had not yet explored. Gorgeous! Vast! Historic! Regal! Grand! Jamie is a librarian and sweetly purchased NYC library bags, with the iconic lion's profile on them, for each of her library colleagues back home. One of the photos below was taken in a free photo booth set up in the library. There was also a marvelous children's exhibit that we took in: The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter. Did you know that in the beginning days of libraries, children's books were not included?
M&M Explosion: a theatre guest at The Fantastiks brought her own 16 ounces of peanut M&Ms to the show. In fumbling around, unsuccessfully trying to open the bag, the bag seemingly said, "Oh yeah, you wanna poke around on me, well I'll show you, lady!" and, well, you get the picture. The theatre barkeep dropped his head into his hands, appalled. I wondered later why I didn't get up to help clear the candy explosion, but thinking back, neither did the M&M launcher herself. Well all just silently watched the M&Ms roll about to varied destinations on the lobby floor. I watched the barkeep retrieve the vacuum cleaner, thinking that plucking the candies off the floor by hand would be much simpler, but then I watched, mesmerized, as the barkeep sucked up each M&M, one by one, with the vacuum attachment. Place, suck, ping. Place, suck, ping. Place, suck, ping.
Little Italy. Always a favorite. I'd like to spend more time in that area in the future, explore the museums there, check out the streets off of Mulberry, take in more hearty Italian food and people watch. One of the photos below is of a gal walking her Standard Poodles in Little Italy.
Miscellaneous: "Stop with ya horns!" - NYC traffic cop, yelling (justifiably so). "We're trying to take off, here!" - Heather, teacher command voice, directed at a passenger still using his cell phone, after a weather delay. "I'm just a gay boy in Times Square, don't be afraid of me!" - a gay boy in Times Square, handing out NEWSical the Musical flyers and sensing that I was steering Jamie away from what I was just sure was merely another tour guide sales pitch. I'm glad he said what he did - to capture our attention (and Peppermint Patty Laughs) because it was the motivation we needed to decide upon which show to see that day - and it was stellar! "Gimme that other ten!" - jazz musician on the streets who earned a sale from Jamie, upon seeing she had more cash in her wallet after she paid him for his CD. To which Jamie replied, paraphrasing, "Hey, I have five kids to feed, you got your money from me!"
Gyro from a "roach coach." Delicious meal.
Some photos:
New York Public Library photo booth
Above: post office
Above: parade, reason for parade, unknown
Above: Chinatown
Above: lunch on patio in Little Italy
Above: lunch location
Above: Mulberry Street, Little Italy
Above: Little Italy pooches
Above: I really like these lights seen in some of the subway platform areas
Above: Children's annex at the public library
Above: genealogy research area of library
Above: Jamie, in the library children's books exhibit
Above: Jamie, taking a photo of Dean & DeLuca (Jamie just finished watching all seasons of Felicity)
Above: Jamie, with New York's finest
Above: Jamie and Heather, at The Kirk Theatre
Above: best little accidental stop in New York City. Beer Authority Bar & Grill, and fun patio band
1) For students, parents of students, and educators: http://fedupwithlunch.com/ It's a blog written by, I believe, a teacher who accidentally arrived at school one day with no packed lunch*** and was prompted to buy the cafeteria lunch for fuel. The blog, I think, chronicles a year long journey of observing what is served by our nation's school cafeterias as she intentionally bought cafeteria lunch each day, for the remainder of that year. I by no means dig at the cafeterias themselves, as they must comply with federal and state laws in their daily menu offerings, while wrestling a bone dry public school funding stream.
2) This photo and its highlighted information will tickle anyone who has supervised in any capacity a wily toddler simply not interested in staying in bed:
3) This photo, I believe arranged by a secondary school classmate of mine, is innocent animal humor at its very best. As an animal advocate, I wholly approve of this 8 second engagement:
***Beware of photos the blogger logged, if you're weak of stomach. Also, for those who are well aware of my school day lunch preparation failings, I will just say this: my food organization flunky status did lead me to one of my dearest friends and golden humans, Ms. Sharby/Tharrrrby Jo.
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