Filed under: Emotions, Family, Good day, Vacation, memories | Tags: Family, new york city, Vacation
(I just flew in and boy are my arms tired.)
I got home last night from visiting my sister and brother in New York City and it is a homecoming mixed with a million memories, bittersweetness and thankfulness. I had what can only be described as a magnificent time and I’m marking my calendar already for a return visit.
I’m going to share all of my photos and thoughts and funny anecdotes from each day and hopefully capture for my own historical prosperity how wonderful it was. This trip couldn’t have come at a better time for me, everything about my life is changing and it is all for the better. I’m becoming more of the person I am and less of the person I thought I should be. Finding out that the people I love are going through the same thing is comforting and reassuring.
My life has never been so turned upside down yet so exciting and hopeful at the same time.
Filed under: Art, Family, memories | Tags: Art, contest, Family, moma, NYC, photographs, The Museum of Modern Art, Vacation
(written 11-13-08)
My sister has got to be the best traveling host in the entire world. On my third day in NY Mike had to go visit his parents in NH for a few days and my sister and I were left to our devices. And she was so obliging; our first stop in Tara’s Tour of NY Art Museums: The MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art).
Holy Picasso! I cannot really describe how much it meant to me to be there, to witness those things that I only saw in books growing up thinking that I was so far away from that world. And here they were before me. Sometimes I get the question, “Do you regret not using your degree?” It’s one of those rhetorical things I let roll off my back now, I don’t take offense to it and why should I? No, I don’t regret it because art lives inside of me, it runs through my blood. Art isn’t an action for me, it’s a reaction to everything in my world and beyond.
When I woke up that morning I wasn’t thinking, “Hhhmmm, I should dress to coordinate with Warhol’s soup cans.” Really, I didn’t…?
Another Warhol
My favorite artist of all time, Robert Rauschenberg, who just passed away this past May. Believe me this was an existential experience, like seeing the Holy Grail:
A little Pollock: Masterpiece or mess, you decide?
And, yes, this one did have cigarette butts and keys and such embedded in the paint. You know, I try to do my art drunk and it definitely won’t be hanging in any museum.
AND NOW FOR A LITTLE ART FUN…
NAME EACH ARTIST BY THEIR WORK:
1) 
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8 )
9)
10)
Hey, get the most right or all of them right and I think a little sadieandleo prize package is in order!
I’ll leave it up for a while and see if anyone is up for it.
*CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED, SEE POST FROM 11-15-08 TO SEE WHO WON!
Filed under: Vacation, memories | Tags: american museum of natural history, central park, memories, new york city, photographs, stage deli, Vacation
Mike and I visited The American Museum of Natural History, and no, Ben Stiller does not work there, but it still rocks!
I recommend getting to museums as they are opening. You get the run of the place.
Probably the most photographed feature of the museum now, “Dumb Dumb give me Gum Gum”. Why aren’t we smiling? Because the very friendly tourist who offered to take our picture couldn’t figure out how to use our camera. There are a few I’ve deleted of our feet, over exposed, under exposed and this is the best of the lot.
But she did her best:
Out of all of the amazing things they had on display here, and even at Mike’s dismay that “these are real animals… stuffed animals… that’s not right!”, my favorite animal on this planet is still the manatee.
After the museum, my sister and brother-in-law took us into the city for the best damn sandwich I think I’ve ever had at a place called Stage Deli. I’m pretty sure this place will be in my version of heaven.
Oh, and we had a piece of cheesecake that was bigger than my head. Check.
They then walked us through Central Park and it is as romantic and as wonderful as you have heard. We even stole a kiss on one of its many historic bridges… yeah, we’re love nerds.
Filed under: Vacation, memories | Tags: Empire State building, memories, NYC, photographs, Times Square, Vacation
Here it is a little reminiscing of my outstanding and wonderful recent vacation in New York City, I wish I was still there…
On our first day, Mike and I did the NY tourist thing and visited Times Square and the Empire State building.
I was overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. I’m sure our Dad brought us here when we were kids but I don’t remember it. For some reason all I remember from that trip was Trump tower and my Dad acting like a kid on the escalators.
So there are a lot of people (tourists) here and its like an outdoor mall. I’m not saying it isn’t cool or wasn’t cool to be there, but it’s a little like going to Hollywood, CA for the first time, at the end of it you kind of scratch your head and wonder, “Was that it?”
You are immediately reminded of how small you are in NYC. The moment we got into the cab and started whizzing around the city you can feel how everything is so packed in. It’s an awesome feeling, how the city is busting it is being pushed upwards.
Going up the Empire State building was surprisingly fun! It is such a production nowadays and I know I sound like “in-my-day”, but in my day you just went in and went up and I think there was a little admission but it’s so different now. I think my favorite thing about this time were the 100s of Japanese kids apparently here on a school field trip.
It was rainy that day and wicked windy at the top, as I am sure it always is. But seriously, some of those kids almost blew away. I love the feeling of looking down and thinking that we’re some Godzilla type creatures and we could just stomp on all of those little buildings. I’m such a kid.
How cute are we? You have no idea how cold we are! Burrrrr… but having a blast!
Later on that night we walked to a couple of bars in my sister’s neighborhood (btw, everything is in my sister’s neighborhood, to me at least!). I got hit on by token creepy guy and we had so much fun watching the patrons, my they haven’t changed. I fell asleep very quickly that night.
Filed under: Commentary, Emotions, Food, Good day, Vacation | Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Coach, Food, Phoenix, Scottsdale, shopping, sisters, The Persian Room, Tucson, Vacation
April 7th, 2008
7 Days into April and for the record I haven’t posted a proper post yet, so here it is.
My sister left Tucson yesterday for business in Phoenix and is heading back to NYC tomorrow morning. I had an absolute blast with her here, as I always do, but this trip was somehow even more special than the others. I see us getting older, but not just that, I see us growing into ourselves wiser and more relaxed too. I think the more we come to terms with who we are, where we are going and what has made us, us, we have an even stronger relationship. We’re sisters, we have always been sisters. Time and circumstance may have come between us, but as the years go by we both, in our own way, have come to realize that what it comes down to is what it is that we both want out of a relationship with each other, and what the other is capable of giving. On some level we have both always wanted a “normal” relationship but because of the past, because of our somewhat trying although pretty common tumultuous, we have always sought that normalcy without knowing that we could achieve it by just letting go. Individually we have calmed down, we have let a lot of our quest for strength, control, and independence go and have come to understand that opening ourselves up to change and accepting that sometimes the change is good and sometimes the change is bad, is not only the path of least resistance, but the smart path. It was good to be with her.
I apologies for not properly posting and I must admit that on Saturday I wasn’t even able to get to my computer. My poor little Mac sat waiting in its slumber mode until Sunday when all I did was excuse myself for another day. The reasons though, are completely satisfactory, more than I must confess.
Saturday, my sister, Mike and I set out for Scottsdale and embarked on a shopping spree of that of which dreams are made. Holy Retail Batman! I got to shop in stores I have always wanted to shop in, I got to step into stores that I have only dreamed of stepping into… my sister probably thought I was a shut in, but she understands that we just don’t have those stores around here, and not too many opportunities to shop in high end shops. I went into a Neiman Marcus and a Nordstoms, Juicy Couture, kate spade, Betsy Johnson, BCBG, Michael Kors, Swarovski, and of course a giant Coach store. Hello! The best thing about going into these shops is that they assume you have money and they HELP you! I had some of the best customer service I have ever had anywhere, and I wasn’t even buying! Mostly, not buying, just buying a little…
(My big purchase)
Whatevs.
It was such an outstanding day, and Mike had a great time too. It’ll always be remembered as the day we walked 3 miles in a mall, the Great Pocket Square Hunt and so many other great memories.
We finished off that night at a super restaurant of Mike’s choosing, The Persian Room, and it was so good. Now, I’ve never been a fan of Mike’s family cuisine and before you judge you must try some of these dishes, and I’m not talking the one’s you may think you know, Middle Eastern food, Persian food, Indian food and Mediterranean food is all very different. Mike’s dad is from Iran and that falls under Persian food. I’m not saying it is bad or bad tasting, what I’m saying it is that it is very different from European/American flavors. It is just about on another planet from Italian food, what I grew up on. Let’s just say it isn’t my ab-fab favorite. But this place had some awesome food and I would recommend it to someone, who say has lived in a culinary coma for most of their life.
And I’m a sleeper and of course I didn’t even make it out of Phoenix before I fell asleep in the back seat of the Jobing Kia. And that in a nut shell is my vacation recap (highlights) and my apologies for not properly posting on my blog.
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Battlestar Galactica: final season premiere episode-
I waited a whole year for that. Did I miss something? What the f*(bleep)ck?
I know he’s a Cylon, she’s a Cylon, those two are Cylons, and now what? What the…?
I need more. It’s like a drug. A mean, cliff hanging mind bending drug. Damn you Sci-Fi channel.
April 6th, 2008
I’m pretty sure that I’m one day behind on my posting and that is what this vacation was all about, getting away from the routine. No fear, I can’t stray for long from the common road.
April 4th, 2008
My sister knows how important time for crafting is so she explored the streets, mountains, scenery and shrubbery of Tucson whilst I made some new jewelry pieces. Tonight we dine and tomorrow we shop, no holds barred. I feel a new Coach in my future.
April 3rd, 2008
Enjoying myself immensly.
Had my appraisal at work today, making more money than I ever have in my entire life, had a surreal and strange and soul cleansing conversation with my District Manager, brought my sister to my usual haunts: post office, Target and Jo-Ann’s and we ate at a really good vegetarian restaurant.
Took this incredibly handsome picture of Leo in his new tie, I think it’s business casual, what do you think?
