Friday, June 25, 2021

The social dance


For Father's Day last weekend, our son came over and our daughter and her love brought their dog Munch as well as three kinds of frozen desserts that they had made from scratch: key lime pie ice cream, banana caramel ice cream, and raspberry Campari sorbet. So delicious. We just hung out all day, starting with breakfast of scrambled eggs (made the way my dad used to do it) and maple bacon, then ordering in burgers for lunch from Harlem Shake, and then ate little scoops of ice cream all afternoon, relishing the tastes and the company until my son had to leave for his shift at his firehouse, and the other two left to meet up with some Boston friends who had come to the city for the weekend. But for the firefighter who had to work that evening, there was some day drinking involved.



Next there was our lovely gathering on Monday night, followed on Tuesday morning bright and early by my first in person interview with my book subject. Crazily, the entire proposal I wrote for her was developed from phone conversations, and now, with the proposal sold and the two of us fully vaccinated, we were finally meeting in the flesh to start work on the book. I chose a restaurant in my neighborhood that I knew would be quiet at that hour. We know the owner by now, an always warmly welcoming man, and I had spoken to him beforehand to make sure conditions would be conducive to potentially intimate sharing. 

My subject arrived on time, in a festive pink floral summer dress, and I noticed at once that she is far more beautiful in person than the photos she posts of herself on social media. She has no vanity; I love that about her. She's on TV, and in person she looks much the same as she does when she's all dolled up by the studio stylists. 

Incredibly beautiful people often make me feel awkward and self-conscious, but I felt perfectly comfortable with her. I suspect she might not even know how attractive she is. She was a fat child till she was 13, and we both agreed that the image you have of yourself at 13 is often the one that stays with you for life. Our conversation roamed all over the place. For the book, I needed to drill down deeper at so many points, but I let the conversation skip around, as I didn't want our first in person meeting to feel too heavy, I wanted her to enjoy the encounter, and besides, she seemed to be in a very lighthearted mood. She was worried about whether we'd get the book done in time. I laughed and said, "Oh don't worry, we will. We have contracts!" So now I need to sit myself in the chair and start writing in earnest.

On Wednesday morning, I met my daughter in Battery Park to go and see the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit, which was spectacular. The paintings are shown in darkened rooms, with spots of light illuminating the art installations and the descriptive panels of text. As you walk through the galleries, meditative music fills the space, with a man's voice speaking quotes from the artist's writings and conversations during his lifetime. 

But the piéce de rèsistance was the final gallery, a cavernous room with chairs and benches and carpet on which people sat in the darkness and watched a visual presentation of the artist's life and work and death sliding across all four walls, the dancing light playing across the audience, too, so that we became part of the show, which was accompanied by a heart-lifting sound track that spanned Japanese traditional music to Beethoven, with narration by the same man's voice, I think it was Jeremy Irons. We could have stayed in that room for hours, but we left at around noon, as my girl had a work conference call she had to be on. We found a bench next to the water and she took her call, while I watched the lovely dappled light under the trees, and enjoyed the breezy unhumid day. After her call, we headed to Seamore's for lunch and watermelon margaritas, and just had the best time sitting on the patio and talking about everything. It was in all respects a perfect and soul-nourishing day.




The social dance continues. My daughter's in laws (as we call her partner's family, even though she and he are not married) will be in town for the weekend and staying with us. My girl and her guy will join us for dinner tonight, and tomorrow, they'll take his mom and sister sightseeing around Brooklyn, and the man and I will join them later for a dinner of soy-glazed salmon steaks grilled on their roof deck. Somewhere in there, I will also find time to watch the greatest gymnast of all time Simone Biles and the rest of the Americans as they compete for a spot on the U.S. team in the gymnastics Olympic trials to be held this weekend. I absolutely and unironically love the Olympics, especially gymnastics (because, hello, Simone Biles) and track and field, in which my little island of Jamaica has long dominated.

New York is experiencing a very low incidence of covid at the moment, with a less than one percent positivity rate in the city. Even though I'm still wearing masks, I do feel my guard coming down, which isn't always a good thing. My girl just called and reported that she's come down with a cold. "It just came on hard and fast yesterday, "she said. Definitely not covid, she assured me, but my poor girl is under the weather, and with her in laws coming into town, too. 

To end on a sweet note, yesterday marked one year since adorable Munch joined our family. Our girl posted pics to mark the occasion, which she referred to as "Happy Gotcha Day." Munch's mantra, or rather my daughter's mantra for him is "Stay weird, little dude." He doesn't have to try.

 


25 comments:

  1. You are bridging the social distance so adeptly. Thank you for the art. My heart aches for it. You are a lioness.

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    1. Darling Rebecca, hello dear friend. I am trying my best.

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  2. I don't know if there will come a time when I consider a cold "just a cold" ever again. We came back from vacation last Friday and on the last day, my daughter came down with a cold. Sore throat, runny nose that turned into congestion...the works. Of course, of the four of us, she was the one who was especially diligent about mask wearing in public areas. I had to keep telling myself that people do still get summer colds.

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    1. Melissa, people still do get summer colds indeed. I hope your girl is feeling better, but how lovely that you all managed a vacation together!

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  3. That is the thing about mask wearing, forever part of my being among other humans wear. People are germy and colds are no fun! We do not know what other virus are waiting in the queue.
    Your family once again gives me a bit of confidence in this human experience. I look to you and yours to ground me and to know that yes indeed, perfection does exist! And love, and intellect, and cutest dog dude.I am so grateful for you.

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    1. Linda Sue, I think masks have becoming a permanent part of my wardrobe, too. And hardly perfect, but there is definitely love.

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  4. What a wonderful update! I wish I could have joined you for some small part of that day with the Van Gogh immersive and watermelon margaritas.

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    1. Elizabeth, what fun we would have had! One day!

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  5. Wow, great post! And, Munch is so cute...Sorry daughter is under the weather.

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    1. e, thank you. She's on the mend, helped by cute overload from Munch!

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  6. What a lovely time you have been having! We spent last night with our " best friends". We went to the pub and played cards, just like we used to do 18 months ago. Life felt almost normal again.( Apart from having to walk to our table in the pub with a mask on) My youngest son is visiting from Oxford for the weekend with his live in girlfriend . He has got to wrap all the Xmas presents that he ordered and had delivered here, expecting to be able to be here for Xmas, but we weren't allowed, so presents will be opened today!

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    1. Frances, how special these simple gatherings are, and how much we missed them. I'm so glad everything is coming back online for us both. Xmas in June sounds perfect.

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  7. I am so happy that I found your blog. Thank you!

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    1. Maudie, I'm so glad you commented so I could know you're here! Welcome! Pull up a chair.

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  8. How wonderful that you met your newest "subject" and like her and feel easy around her. And in public! New York is truly open again, isn't it? Are there a lot of tourists? I bet there are. That Van Gogh exhibit sounded amazing. Soul food for sure. And then getting to hang out with your loved ones, relaxed, easy, sweet.
    The gymnast Olympic trials are this weekend? I am not keeping up with the world.
    Munch is a wonderful granddog and excellent practice for when the human ones come along.
    Also? Your husband.
    Sigh. Talk about nobility.

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    1. Mary, New York is wide open, and I hope as safe as the current numbers suggest. More than 70 percent are fully or partially vaccinated, and there's not much resistance in the city to staying safe. We had such a time of it at the beginning, so many died, so many felt the effects first hand, we don't want to go back there. That said, I occasionally find myself doing something unconsciously and then pulling myself up short, thinking, "Um, that's not safe." But my girl and I had a wonderful time, and yes, gymnastics! Hugs.

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  9. I love reading about your time with your beautiful family and friends and puppy dogs! So much love surrounds you always.

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    1. robin, it's the only thing I feel truly fed by, this love. Thank you for being here, friend, for increasing the goodness around here. Love.

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  10. that's a lot of socializing in one week and more to come. I didn't do that much socializing even before covid. I'm just basically anti-social. I grew up in an isolated neighborhood with one acre minimum lots and most had more and no kids my age so I was alone a lot. I guess that whole image at 13 works in other ways too.

    you know, I do not get all the hype about van Gogh as if he was the best and most fantastic painter of all time. I don't think he was any better or worse than any of his contemporaries. I guess if you want to be famous go insane and cut off your ear. I'm sure the exhibit is enjoyable but modern media can make anything enjoyable.

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    1. ellen, a lot of socializing for this introverted Taurean, that's for sure! I agree with you, Van Gogh wasn't any better or worse than his contemporaries, and even his story is not the only one marked by tragedy. But the exhibit was a marvel, and yes, modern media made it so. I think you'd have enjoyed it.

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  11. I can't believe Munch has been around for a year already! We have that same Van Gogh exhibit going on here -- I haven't been yet. I didn't realize it was taking place in multiple locations, but I guess given the medium there's no reason it couldn't. I'm so glad you feel like you have a rapport with your book subject. The idea that your self-image is formed at 13 is very interesting -- I've never really thought about that. I'm not sure it's true for me, but I need to ponder it more!

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    1. Steve, maybe it seems like a quick year with Munch because I didn't really introduce him here until a couple of months after he arrived, by which time I was besotted and in love. He is such a weird funny little guy, a bulldog's body with a schnauzer's shaggy brindle coat. If you do go and see the Van Gogh exhibit in London, let me know how you like it. There are actually two different competing Van Gogh shows in New York at the moment. I wonder if the multiple locations in London are actually different shows?

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  12. It really does not seem like a year since Munch arrived. Where does the time go?

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    1. Allison, it was a fast year for sure, possibly faster on this blog because Munch was already adopted for a few months when he first made an appearance here. He is loving his summer in NYC!

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  13. I'm not into dogs but Munch is damn cute!

    Isn't nice that we are all getting out and about again? Sounds like you are having fun.

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