HOME!
I love home. I had a blast -- but being home is so very good.
It was a truly remarkable holiday, and I am feeling quite sane once again.
Of course, seeing my friend -- HI GINA!! -- after all those years was THE highlight. I can't believe that much time went by -- but 18 years of friendship has held up. (Yes, we're old. That fact was drummed into our heads each time we told people how long ago we met.)
* I survived the shuttle bus ride from JFK to Grand Central. This outcome was doubtful a couple of times.
* The retreat was wonderful -- all peace and good vibes. The BEST sleep I've had in years. Just being there was rejuvenating. (Capt. Janeway was there, too. Taking a stress management course. That made me laugh.)
* One of my current musical faves -- The Young Dubliners -- was playing a free concert in the park series in Albany, which turned out to be 1.5 hours up the road. I SO WENT!!!
* To get to Albany, we drove through Trixie Belden country. I kept picturing Dan chopping wood. (Some of you may get that one.)
* Turns out I can eat vegetarian meals, and LIKE them.
* Drove through Peekskill, which prompted a sing-along. ("You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...")
* SPAMALOT. *snort* HAY! (And the Evil!Mayor that ascended into a snake now plays King Arthur. When he held aloft his magic sword, I almost expected Giles to enter stage right and ram it through the guy's chest.)
* Queen Hatshepsut. Spent two hours being a pharoah groupie at the Met. And the about face I did when I realized those tall, dark objects I was passing by as I wandered down a hallway were Rodins must have been a sight to see. Felt all special like as I stared at Monet's Waterlilies, too. :) And the Anglo Mania exhibit was very fun.
* Some of the best food I have ever eaten, at a Vietnamese place called Nha Trangs in Chinatown. SO GOOD!
* Serendipity led to some great touring of the city. Yes, that does mean we were lost. But it was a good lost!
* Plane ride home was a trip in more ways then one. One row was full of Shiites. Right behind them was a row of Hassidic Jews. The row right across the aisle from them was full of Marines. I kept looking around for the marshal, wondering if he was having a heart attack or not.
* However, I knew if the plane was suddenly hit by a massive wave of electrical energy and we crashed down onto a mysterious island that suddenly appeared in the middle of Kansas, we'd be okay -- 'cuz sitting up in first class was Josh Bernstein, the Indiana Jones boy from the History Channel. He'd keep us all alive -- as long as we stayed away from the fire ants, anyway. And as long as we didn't make fun of his shoes. (Come on! Powder blue cowboy boots?! Gech!)
* Discovered that I am a small-city gal, and am glad to live where I do. But I'm eagerly looking forward to the next trip to NYC. I still have 3/4 of a museum to see.
It was fantastic.
Now -- I have countless days of catch-up ahead of me. Both at work (where I was told I am never getting time off again, as I guess it was a bit of a mess) and online. Thank goodness for
tea_dumplins! And people who upload TV eps that people forget to record for me! (Both looking forward to and dreading the viewing of that last ep of Dr. Who. Will have the tissue handy.)
Anyone out there that I've been doing some reading for -- hit me with whatever you've got!
It was a truly remarkable holiday, and I am feeling quite sane once again.
Of course, seeing my friend -- HI GINA!! -- after all those years was THE highlight. I can't believe that much time went by -- but 18 years of friendship has held up. (Yes, we're old. That fact was drummed into our heads each time we told people how long ago we met.)
* I survived the shuttle bus ride from JFK to Grand Central. This outcome was doubtful a couple of times.
* The retreat was wonderful -- all peace and good vibes. The BEST sleep I've had in years. Just being there was rejuvenating. (Capt. Janeway was there, too. Taking a stress management course. That made me laugh.)
* One of my current musical faves -- The Young Dubliners -- was playing a free concert in the park series in Albany, which turned out to be 1.5 hours up the road. I SO WENT!!!
* To get to Albany, we drove through Trixie Belden country. I kept picturing Dan chopping wood. (Some of you may get that one.)
* Turns out I can eat vegetarian meals, and LIKE them.
* Drove through Peekskill, which prompted a sing-along. ("You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...")
* SPAMALOT. *snort* HAY! (And the Evil!Mayor that ascended into a snake now plays King Arthur. When he held aloft his magic sword, I almost expected Giles to enter stage right and ram it through the guy's chest.)
* Queen Hatshepsut. Spent two hours being a pharoah groupie at the Met. And the about face I did when I realized those tall, dark objects I was passing by as I wandered down a hallway were Rodins must have been a sight to see. Felt all special like as I stared at Monet's Waterlilies, too. :) And the Anglo Mania exhibit was very fun.
* Some of the best food I have ever eaten, at a Vietnamese place called Nha Trangs in Chinatown. SO GOOD!
* Serendipity led to some great touring of the city. Yes, that does mean we were lost. But it was a good lost!
* Plane ride home was a trip in more ways then one. One row was full of Shiites. Right behind them was a row of Hassidic Jews. The row right across the aisle from them was full of Marines. I kept looking around for the marshal, wondering if he was having a heart attack or not.
* However, I knew if the plane was suddenly hit by a massive wave of electrical energy and we crashed down onto a mysterious island that suddenly appeared in the middle of Kansas, we'd be okay -- 'cuz sitting up in first class was Josh Bernstein, the Indiana Jones boy from the History Channel. He'd keep us all alive -- as long as we stayed away from the fire ants, anyway. And as long as we didn't make fun of his shoes. (Come on! Powder blue cowboy boots?! Gech!)
* Discovered that I am a small-city gal, and am glad to live where I do. But I'm eagerly looking forward to the next trip to NYC. I still have 3/4 of a museum to see.
It was fantastic.
Now -- I have countless days of catch-up ahead of me. Both at work (where I was told I am never getting time off again, as I guess it was a bit of a mess) and online. Thank goodness for
tea_dumplins! And people who upload TV eps that people forget to record for me! (Both looking forward to and dreading the viewing of that last ep of Dr. Who. Will have the tissue handy.)
Anyone out there that I've been doing some reading for -- hit me with whatever you've got!