September Photos

 

 Oh my we've had a full month. 

I'm so happy to be leading such a full life, even without a paying gig.  Wanted to share the end of September photos with you.

Brennan was asked to join the city-wide Children's Choir - we're really proud of him.  He's got such a beautiful voice.  After a Saturday choir retreat, we headed out for sushi.  Brennan asked for the fresh made coconut drink with sliced coconut.  He absolutely loved it.  The waiters at this restaurant know Brennan well.

 

 

David and I headed out to a movie together, something we don't do that much - partly because I see chick flicks with my girlfriends, and because there haven't been that many great movies out lately.  It was fun even though Prisoners is hugely depressing.

 

I taught Thomas to mow the grass.  He LOVED it.  David also let him move the car back into the garage after the mower went back.  He's getting so big!

 

 

Brennan's been on a Calculus kick the last few weeks.  He had lots of questions for Dad, who was happy to break out the graph paper and calculator.  They crack me up.

 

Oh, volunteering.  I love you so.  I really, truly do.  I just need to volunteer smart and not hard, if that makes any sense.

 

Our city hosted its first marathon (a Boston qualifier) at the end of September.  I volunteered with Mary and others on the Friday before the event.  I loved being a part of all the excitement!!

 

 

 

A few friends ran the marathon, many more ran the half-marathon, and lots of friends ran the 5K, including David and Thomas, who both PR'd!  And, first time for Thomas to beat Dad (by just a minute).

 

 

But back to volunteering.  In one of my activities on the Philharmonic Board, I attend pre-concert activities, including this one at one of the local retirement centers.  It was a beautiful mini concert, and I would have happily nodded off like some of the residents if I had thought it appropriate (or that they wouldn't have noticed).

 

 

 

Sophie is moving!

We hosted a going-away party for our school and church friend Sophie (far left in this picture below).  We had 25 middle schoolers over to swim, eat pizza, and say bon voyage to Sophie.

 

They had sooo much fun, and we did too.  Although it was bananas at times.

 

 

Thomas had a ball - he loves having friends over of course.

 

 

Thomas and Sophie

 

 

 

They swam, ate, played Capture the Flag in the serious darkness, karakoed on the Wii U, and pulled up some video on YouTube and all sang along.  Oh, they also knew a surprising about of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and (mis)quoted it throughout the night.  What a great bunch of kids.

 

 

Early the next morning, Brennan and I loaded up for a trip to Chicago to see old friends!! 

 

Renee and Lika and daughter Maren did a Midwestern tour from their respective homes in DC and NYC.  They started at Lika's sister's house outside Chicago.

 

Jacki (background), Maren, and Renee

 

Brennan and Nolan (Jacki's son)

 

Here Lika and Renee are reading books I made for the 3 of us using all my photos from our time together in the late 80s in high school in Hawaii.  Some GREAT memories and I had such a ball making the Shutterfly books.

 

 

 

I haven't seen Lika since Renee's wedding in Hawaii in 1991!

And I haven't seen Jacki since I graduated in 1988!

 

It was amazing how we all just fell back into easy conversation like the last 25 years just flew by.  Which it DID!

 

We headed to an Oktoberfest party near Jacki's home.

 

Look how HUGE my baby looks - and yes, he was appropriately sized for the ride he was waiting on.

 

 

Renee and me

 

Like, Renee, and me

 

Brennan and Renee

 

Kai (Jacki's daughter), Brennan, Nolan, and Maren

 

Not quite yet, but almost!

 

Grandma Nan and Aunt Shelly went to the National Book Fair in DC and Brennan LOVES his new sweatshirt!

 

 

Well, lots more October photos to come but I must stop at this point and feed my children lunch!

 

Fall Break Rocks!!



Our Trip to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart!

It has been a FULL couple of weeks!

But before I forget the details of our surreal visit to The Daily Show, I wanted to get it all down.

 

I bid on and won 4 VIP tickets to the show back in March at the Philharmonic gala.  I was so excited because David especially loves the show.  After thinking through childcare arrangements and timing, we asked our friends Mike and Mary if they wanted to join us.  They were as excited as I was!

 

We planned our trip for late September, knowing that Jon Stewart was off this summer directing a movie in Jordan.  Of course, it would have been great to see John Oliver too.

The trip:

 

David and I arrived on Monday afternoon, but this post isn't about our wonderful 2 days in NYC - just Tuesday night, October 1st.

 

WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED that when we planned the trip it would be Day 1 of the Government Shut-Down.  We knew it would be addressed in the show.  And, we had no way of knowing who the guest would be.  I looked it up the night before - author David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) discussing a book by a 13 year old Japanese boy with autism.  It was going to make for a great show.

The Daily Show is filmed in an unremarkable warehouse type building.  It's not a part of a larger studio complex like NBC at Rockefeller Center.  Comedy Central World News Headquarters just sits on its own next to a mechanics shop on 11th Ave.

 

 

  

We arrived early and it turned out there was no need, so we popped into the Subway next door and had a Coke.

 

Then we went back in time to get our VIP passes and head in to the waiting area.

Mary and me with our confirmation letter and our VIP tix

 

Lots of people waiting in the ticket line, hoping to get in

 

 

 

Next to the security scanner

 

In the waiting area

 

 

Daily Show employee giving us some instructions before we entered the studio

 

 

We were asked to turn off our phones and not take any photos while we were in the studio.  We were also told that we were going to have a chance to ask Jon questions and "if the question sounds creepy in your head, it will sound creepy to the rest of us, so please don't ask for a lock of Jon's hair, or a kiss, or a hug". 

 

We went in by number (we were numbers 7-10 so we sat RIGHT up front).  20 feet from the desk.

 

Once all 200 of us were seated (and it took awhile!), we were told that we could in fact take out our cameras and phones and take photos from our seats.  You don't have to tell me twice!

 

Distance shot

 

 

Close up shot

Normal shot - I was THIS close!

 

All of the non-VIPers

 

I was so happy to be there - it was incredible!!

 

Mike and Mary

See the guy in the light pants next to Mike - you can see up to him in the opening - but you can't see us next to him.

 

And then we were asked to put our phones and such away.

 

During all the waiting, they played the oddest playlist of music - REO Speedwagon, Backstreet Boys, Air Supply, etc.  I'm not sure if it was supposed to pump us up really.  It was rather odd to be honest, but it didn't dampen our spirits.

 

Then The Daily Show music started up and it got exciting.

 

Out came a blunt comedian who was there to warm us up.

He started with David and me (oh, fun).

We were holding hands and he jumped on that - how long were we married, what had David done wrong to make him want to hold my hand so sweet.  He was pretty benign with us thank goodness, but went straight to Mike and Mary - where he wasn't as benign.  But they handled him like the pros they are.

 

There was a gentleman in a wheelchair that the comedian also jumped on - giving him hell and the guy loved it.  They bantered and it was a lot of fun for everyone.

 

Lots of cheering and more instructions, then back to the playlist for several minutes.

 

Then ALL OF A SUDDEN, they announced Jon and out he came.

It was awesome.  He stood just a few feet from all of us, and welcomed us and said he was happy to take questions.  He answered questions for 15 minutes or so.  Very conversational.  It was great.

 

 

Q&A with Jon Stewart

 

Q:  Will he ever do another rally like the Rally to Restore Sanity a couple of years ago?

A:  No way (lots of laughs), they weren't prepared for the number of people who showed up on the Mall in DC, then he told funny stories about the Cat Stevens/Ozzy Osbourne/Alice Cooper bit that almost didn't go off. 

 

 

Q:  We just listened to some music, what songs does he find it impossible not to sing along to?

A:  Happy Birthday - he said he'd feel like a real heel if they were in a restaurant and they started singing happy birthday to someone - he'd have to sing along even if he didn't know the person.  He said music in general impacts him and he listens to music a lot.

 

 

Q: What was the most memorable part about being in Jordan for the summer?

A:  He said just how much of an outsider he felt (and the fact that there weren't any bagel shops - ha).  He said that it was extremely hot and men would wear next to nothing to cool off, but women were working constantly covered from head to toe.  He made a comment about how he felt the real disparity between men and women in the Middle East.

 

 

Q:  Most memorable interview

A:  The one with former Pakistani President Musharraf, with snipers on the roof, serious security detail, and a Kevlar cover over the front of his desk.  They were very concerned for the President, but when Jon said "what about me behind that desk", an American security person, clearly NYPD, said "you better duck".

 

 

There were plenty more questions.  David and I can't remember any others at this point!  If I remember one, I'll edit the post later!

 

If I had it to do over, I would have asked him how he got involved in Autism awareness.  He's been involved for years - hosting the Autism fundraisers on t.v.  I'm assuming a family member or friend has been diagnosed, but I don't know that for sure.  I wish I had thought to ask.

 

He sincerely thanked everyone, and the show started.

It was quick and it was happening!

 

The main topics were the Government Shut-Down & Obamacare as you would imagine.

 

And then David Mitchell was brought on.

I'd encourage you to watch the extended interview on Comedy Central.  It was really moving and clearly effected a few of us in the audience.  You can find the interviews here.

 

 

Jon Stewart - "this is one of the most remarkable books I think I've ever read"

"it's truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid"

"it is the most illuminating book I think I've ever read on the syndrome and the individual"

"I don't normally urge you - please if you get a chance, pick it up"

 

 

While this blog post is intended to remind David and me about our great time at The Daily Show, I can't leave out a couple of points related to the interview.

 

Tears sprung to my eyes in this part of the interview,

"the most heartbreaking parts to read are the parts where this child is very aware of the stress that the condition is causing on his parents",

"his low self-worth based on not being able to control these things that he knows you want him to control" - and the follow up discussion to this point.

 

 

By the end of second part of the extended interview, I was crying.

Mike or Mary handed me a handkerchief and I pulled myself together.

 

But not before I looked over and saw that Jon Stewart had looked over at me and we made eye contact.  It was during a quick break in the taping.  He gave me a little empathetic smile and I smiled back.  Mary saw it too so I didn't dream it.  He walked to the back of the set and wiped his eyes (or maybe just wiping his brow or something).  And then returned and went straight into The Moment of Zen and the end of the show.  I recovered and was ready to enjoy our last few minutes of the show.

 

Mary said afterwards that one of the crew squatting near us watching the show also had tears and was wiping them.

 

There was something magical about that interview and my being there.  I needed it.  And Jon Stewart smiled at me.

 

The show ended, everyone thanked us for being there, and out we went!  Just an incredible experience that I loved and felt so lucky to be able to be there.

 

And I loved sharing it with Daily Show superfans - David, Mike and Mary.

 

But the night wasn't over.

 

Mike and Mary treated us to an amazing dinner at Print.

Located just down the street from the Daily Show studio, we headed straight over after the taping.

 

 

 

We had drinks at the rooftop bar upstairs.  It was stunning, the weather couldn't have been more perfect.  It was beautiful.

 

The food at Point. is incredible.

We had wine, appetizers and entrees and no one could even think about dessert or after dinner drinks.

 

I had this kale salad that was absolutely amazing.  If I only could figure out the kind of dressing that was used.  It was unbelievable.

 

I also had a corn flan over edamame and vegetables.  So good.

 

David had salmon and it looked great.  All of our meals did.

 

I highly recommend Point.

 

We said our goodbyes to Mike and Mary and headed back to our hotel, just a block or two away.

 

But I didn't turn out the lights until I had a chance to order The Reason I Jump from amazon.

 

 

 

In fact, now that I've finished this blog post - I'm headed to read the book tonight!

 

 

 

 

 

What I've Been Reading - Late September 2013

In an effort to make blogging faster I'm going to streamline my posts.  I loved formatting and adding more to my What I've Been Reading posts, but I just don't have the time these days.  So - I'm going to still tell you what I'm reading, but just do it in a simpler way!

And of course, for those of you on Goodreads and Facebook, this is probably old news!  But I love to hear about good books, so I'd like to share my recommendations too.  You can see all of my comments and lists at goodreads.

My Favorites over the Last Month

Loved the writing, pace, and characters.

 

Goodreads description - After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

 

 

Recommended by friends whose opinions I trust, but I hadn't heard about this book anywhere else.

I couldn't put it down.  Not at all what I was expecting.  Young adult, but for much older teens or adults.

 

Goodreads description:  When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

 

 

 

This was such a great Young Adult series, for tweens and teens.  I loved the world of the Gallagher Academy.  Girl power, strong role models and friendships.  A great series, and I enjoyed this final 6th book.

 

Goodreads description - Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet.

 

 

 

I read all of Dan Brown's books, but some keep me far more engaged than others.  This one I flew through, and I more than ever want to travel to Italy!

 

Goodreads description - In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

 

 

 

 

Others I'd Like to Recommend

Goodreads Description - Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

Goodreads Description - Art history is more than just a collection of dates and foreign-sounding names, obscure movements and arcane isms. Every age, for the last 50,000 years has left its unique imprint on the world, and from the first cave paintings to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, from the Byzantine mosaics of the Hagia Sophia, to the graffiti-inspired paintings of Jean-Michel Basquiat, art history tells the story of our evolving notions of who and what we are and our place in the universe.Whether you're an art enthusiast who'd like to know more about the history behind your favorite works and artists, or somebody who couldn't tell a Titian and a De Kooning--but would like to--"Art History For Dummies" is for you.

 

 

 

 

Goodreads Description - With unflagging suspense and pitch-perfect period detail, The Bone Garden deftly interweaves the thrilling narratives of its nineteenth- and twenty-first century protagonists, tracing the dark mystery at its heart across time and place to a finale as ingeniously conceived as it is shocking. Bold, bloody, and brilliant, this is Tess Gerritsen’s finest achievement to date.

These Were OK

Goodreads Description - Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man-perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined.

*Didn't Finish* 

Goodreads Description - When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.