Maximizing March

 

"You are you.  Now isn't that pleasant?"  

Dr. Seuss

March definitely came roaring in keeping it tempting to continue the hibernation from the cold.  But, it is busy work rebuilding a life!  It is also daunting, scary, and exhausting.   Also extremely exciting, empowering, and exhilarating.   All good.

   So, on that note, I continued teaching my CPR a bit all over the city.  Loving it, and getting more and more confident, thus better at it.  I am awed and grateful for the peaceful impact I have on people.  Now, I know fully well, those nearest and dearest to me shake their heads and laugh at such a thought.  What I know for sure, is that my healing process is in full swing, and it shows.  (Also was able to pick up an “odd job” helping a Lady (friend of a friend) pack up her beloved home of 50 years to move closer to her sister in Philadelphia.  It felt good to help Mary as it was quite an emotional and overwhelming day for her.)

"My" Sojourn

Along with teaching my month was filled my “normal” routines, meeting with friends for birthday brunches (Pupleria), lunches (Irving Farm Coffee Roasters) and dinners (of course my Sojourn, Sushi Para, Luke’s).  I have many different people I can really call friends.  Life does get good, again.  (And, I have gotten over the “guilt” of not cooking enough.  Thank God.  Cooking for one, is not fun, and can be sad.  Getting rid of guilt in many areas of life, actually.  Finally…)

On International Women’s Day early in the month, I ventured over to Brooklyn to ART NY’s South Oxford Street Space for the International Women’s Artists Salon “Salon Symphony 2015.”   (As I walked up to the building it gave me a smile as it was originally the home to the Visiting Nurses Association.  Nurses are very special to me..especially the one in Sierra Leone right now.)  What a lovely afternoon of performance art of every variety, song, dance and readings.

From Broadway Cares website

How lucky am I that my old NYC “Roomies” invited to join them once again for Broadway Backwards, the annual benefit for Broadway Cares?!  It was another wonderful evening of song, dance and comedy with some of Broadway’s best, present, past, and future. 

The very next day I was treated to a special lunch at the Student Dining Room of City Tech’s Culinary and Hospitality program.  A, new friend, I hope, and I are forming a very nice collaboration between the school and the Food Film Festival.   We worked together last fall, and plan to make the relationship even stronger.

My friends at Rooftop Films asked for some help at a very special screening close to home at yet another beautiful church on Park Ave, St. Bartholomew’s.  And, there was champagne involved.  Ethan Hawke directed “Seymour: An Introduction.”   (Play a life more beautifully.)  It was a beautiful documentary about a renowned concert pianist who left the stage to teach.  Both men were in the house, and the talk back made me want to bring Seymour home.  (Just kidding, but he does seem like a sweet man.  He is very happy living alone.  Hmm, we do have that in common.)

I must share a fun story about that evening.  Setting up the coat check area, and running it, (Yes, I am a very good coat check girl…).  During the periodic rushes, I would barley look up until after taking the person’s coat to smile and say hello.  At one such time, I saw a man fumbling to take money out of his pocket.  I looked up and “Oh, thank you, but I really can’t.”  Mark Ruffalo smiled and said, “Oh, but I insist!”  The young college student working with me was speechless.  I gave her the money.

One of my favorite fireplaces..

Venturing up to Boston for a few days mid-month for a couple of appointments, allowed me to be   We headed further north to Vermont, enjoying the beauty and peace of Woodstock, even in mud season!  Taking a small road trip to Brandon Vermont, we visited my “Hat Ladies”, Nora and Sam (Swan & Stone Millinery, at their studio.  Beautiful and fascinating.  And, they bestowed yet another of their gorgeous hats on me as a gift.  Thank you!  Xo

with Mom for her Birthday.

March was also the month for 4^th U’s Vday celebrations which reunited me with “old” friends from last year (Weird to say something like that.  I now have a “history” of sorts in my NYC!)  The celebrations kicked off with a benefit concert: “Bach With Chatty Pianist”.   Once again Emir Gamsızoğlu mesmerized, enchanted, and entertained us for a wonderful evening of music in the beautiful gothic setting of 4^th Universalist Society.  Yet again, the weekend of presenting an Eve Ensler's play “Emotional Creatures, the secret life of girls around the world” preceded by “Women’s Voices”, was indeed very special.  There was not a dry eye in the house during the talk back of the cast with a group of middle school Ladies who attended the Saturday matinee performance.  100% of the proceeds from this weekend go to beneficiaries who deal with women’s and girl’s issues.  This year they were: GEMS, Her Justice, and VDay.org.

The Frick

My March ended at one of my favorite places, The Frick Collection, yet again!  Having been invited as a past member, I invited a friend and we enjoyed a lovely evening sipping wine, surrounded by the magnificent art, chatting with other art lovers.  Doesn’t get much better than that!  (Waiting patiently for the lamb weather to arrive.)

 

February Fun..

                "To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent - 

that is to triumph over old age."                                            Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Leaving you in suspense!  I will share that I had a wonderful treat, and pajama party, in my New Home with my two favorite people.    Katie had a two week break from her stint in Sierra Leone, and came back to the US for much needed R&R.  Due to yet another storm in Boston, her flight from Newark to Boston got cancelled.  I got her for a day and night!  My Angel gypsy cab driver was literally waiting for her at Newark and drove her right to my door.  (Thank you so much, dear man.)  Katie and I had a lovely long chat.  She napped.  Kristi came and we watched cheesy tv and ordered in sushi as good New Yorkers do.  It was nice to taste the great food from a restaurant in my new ‘hood, Ko Sushi. 

Eve Ensler and VDay celebrated One Billion Rising for Justice in glory on February 7 ^th at Hammerstein’s Ballroom again.  It was an evening of intense “conversation” and performance, surrounded by beautiful art, voices, joy, and dance.  Again, I was proud and honored to act as Volunteer Coordinator.  There were many special moments, surrounded by dear people who have become friends.  (It was a special treat to have Kathy Najimi sit next to me, and Rosie O’Donnell in front of her, and be a very small part of their conversation!)

From its website

NYC being a city of feasts of things to do, it was with some disappointment that I couldn’t spend too much time at the Athena Film Festival this year as it was the same weekend as VDay.  But, I did manage to get up to Barnard to help a bit, and very fortunately caught the closing film, Difret.  A beautiful, amazingly poignant film about one of Ethiopa’s oldest traditions, abduction into marriage; it was a special treat to have Director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari and Producer, Mehret Mandefro join the audience for a Q&A after the film. (with their gorgeous toddler as entertainment relief playing on Dad’s lap!)
involved with the

A gallery in The Frick (from its website)

As the month progressed even more visitors came to play.  Some stayed with me, others in a special hotel.    Funny, I hadn’t been to The Frick in almost a year and I found myself there twice in a week with my Guests.  I love The Frick.  The art that that not so nice Robber Baron collected is amazing, and more than a little impressive.   From there I shared The Boathouse with my special Friends and Cousins.

Kim Nalley (from her webssite)

Dizzy's

My Friends were in and out as they traveled to Copenhagen.  My Cousins were in for a mini-vacation so the time I had with them was like a Marathon of special fun.   Following our time exploring art and brunching at my Boathouse, we relaxed at their very special hotel overlooking Central Park from the South.  Then to help complete a bucket list item of theirs: having a cocktail at every Four Seasons in the world, my arm was twisted.  From there we meandered to Dizzy’s Coca Cola Jazz Club at Lincoln Center (which is actually at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle) for a great set of music with Kim Nalley singing songs of love.  As if that weren’t enough for one day, we celebrated a nightcap at the Champagne Bar at The Plaza and were surprised when told that last call was quite early for a private party. (We just missed the 40^th Anniversary Party of Saturday Nigh Live!)

A piece of Maggie's work.

A couple of days later, we met in Chelsea at Freight and Volume Gallery to visit a special exhibit indeed.  A family friend’s daughter had her first show; Margaux Ogden and her “Down the Rabbit Hole”.  What a thrill!  From there we poked around some other galleries, thoroughly enjoying the balmy day, 28 degrees.  We actually walked up to Midtown as it felt so good to be outside, and enjoyed a pre-theatre cocktail at Bar Centrale.

Constellations (from its website)

Kristi was able to meet us for yet another special treat: Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson in “Constellations.”  Being at a loss as to how to begin to describe it, I thought this description by The Hollywood Reporter summed it up well, for me, “Exquisite, hypnotic, & richly affecting.”  It was a wonderful weekend of playing, exploring, and being in my NYC with very special people!   Thank you, again, my Dear Cousins, for sharing so much, especially your precious time with me!   Xoxo

Manhattan Cricket Club (from their website)

Lunch with a Dear Lady who started our Library writing group at a neighborhood fav of hers, Pesce Trattoria (www.trattoriapescepasta.com); Oscar party at another dear friend’s home with “the Girls”; wine tasting preceded by dinner at my dear FFF friend’s Burke & Wills/Manhattan Cricket Club; seeing another FFF friend play in Chekov’s “Three Sister’s” at the The Stella Adler Studio (For my writing class at Gotham I wrote a review of it!) all rounded out the dreary, cold month of February.

Of course, it wasn’t all play and frivolity as many CPR classes were taught from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Astoria to New Jersey.  One of my favorites so far was putting a “babysitting” class together for some Girls Scouts.  It was a compliment, indeed, when a science teacher who had taken one of my classes in the fall asked me to teach her Girls a class!

Thank God for all these events and adventures, as even though I hibernated a lot from the cold, I did make myself get “out there.”