Back to the Berkshires

Friday evening we drove both cars out to the Berkshires. The Tanglewood season doesn't start for another week and a half, but we had access to the house early and had a great weekend of R&R. Went for a jog around the neighborhood, enjoyed some nice meals, and most of all enjoyed each other's company. I just wish we didn't have to come back to the city so soon.

Five

Thursday, June 10th marked the fifth anniversary of my first date with Michael. After he played a concert at Union Station and I worked a shift at my summer Gap job, we went to Reverse at the Plaza for mojitos. I remember that it was the most fun I'd had in a long time and we finally (after three introductions) hit it off. Times flies when you're having fun.

It's not the caffeine I'm addicted to...

Before I head out for my walk to work, Michael hand makes me an Americano every morning. He takes very special care in purchasing the best beans he can find, making sure the beans are perfectly ground (yes, there is an art to it), getting the tamp just right, and having the precise 25 second pour of espresso. He makes it personal and it tastes beautiful. Before going to Toronto yesterday, he showed me all of the steps to make sure I could take care of myself while he's away. This morning I did it myself and it was like the movie version of a book: pretty good but not the same. I'm not one who is the demanding type to be waited on...he started doing it for me because he likes the hobby of it and creating the perfect espresso. Plus, everything tastes better when it's made with love.

Speak no evil.

I went with Mom to her 30 year high school reunion back in 1999. One of the women I met told me that she never heard Mom say anything negative about anyone. When I was younger I remember sharing with Mom how a girl was telling me bad things about another girl. She advised me that it's best not to say anything mean about someone because the person I was sharing that with might wonder what I say about them.

Last fall someone said to me they couldn't believe how big a friend's butt had gotten. I'd only known this person for a few weeks and blurted out, "Makes me wonder what you say about me when I'm not around." I should have kept it to myself (like I always do), but there was no hesitation and no holding back. It completely caught her off guard and I was proud of myself for being so bold (even if by accident).

I'm surprised by what people say (about people they know and don't know) and especially when they broadcast for everyone to know if by blog, facebook, or even at the office. Again, makes me wonder what they say about me when they know I'm not listening or reading.....

She's from Kansas.

Lindsey Wixson is on the radar. She's 15, from Wichita, Kansas (more Midwest pride for me to boast) and is Miuccia's little star. With her exaggerated jaw and kisser, how can you not love her Miu Miu ad?

Drill Baby Drill

Don't give me that shit. I am ENRAGED about this oil leak. What makes me even more sick to my stomach is that I feel like I can't do one thing to stop the problem. When the earthquake hit Haiti, a body could travel to help with the cleanup, provide medicine, food, shelter, listen to the people to see what they need for recovery. With this massacre I feel like my hands are tied and that makes the knot in my stomach feel tighter and bigger. How in the world are we going to stop the leak? How are people going to go back to fishing and support themselves and their families? How is the wildlife of our planet going to recuperate from the rape?

When Michael and I were driving to Maine for the holiday weekend, we needed to get gas and the first station we saw was a BP. Rage shouted out of me: Don't go there! Just because we're not in the Gulf doesn't mean we aren't affected by it or that we can't do something to show the injustice we're experiencing.

I hate, hate, hate that I can't stop the leak but what I can do is decrease my use of oil:

1. Use less gasoline. My car has been in storage since August; I walk everywhere or take public transit.

2. Use less plastic baggies. I limit the use of ziplock bags but when I do use them, I wash them out, let them air dry and then reuse them. Thanks for showing me that habit, Mom!

3. No more plastic grocery bags. I always get paper bags and then reuse them for trash bags (thanks again, Mom!) but now I will start carrying in my purse a light weight reusable shopping bag.

4. I am recycling all my plastic, aluminum, glass, and most of my paper. On Earth Day I blogged that that's the one thing I'm not doing that I should be and now I'm back in the habit. M's not as aware of it as I am, but I don't mind pulling out his yogurt cup out of the trash, rinsing it, and putting it in the recycling.

What else can we do to be less dependent?

My First Crush

My first Hollywood crush was Christopher Reeve. I have no idea who introduced me to Superman, but one of the very few VHS tapes we owned was "Superman IV." I know I watched "Annie" and "Wizard of Oz" more than anything else, but oh, Clark Kent made my four year old heart race. When I went to hear John Williams conduct the Pops a few weeks ago, they played his theme from "Superman" and showed clips on the big screen. It inspired me to watch the movie all over again and thanks to the Boston Public Library, it didn't cost me a dime to take a trip back to my childhood love.

When Christopher Reeve had his devastating horse riding accident, I found the address of the hospital where he was being treated and wrote him a letter. I received a hand written note from his daughter thanking me for the good wishes. It was really nice to hear John Williams speak at the concert about how much everyone enjoyed working with the young man playing Superman and how the crew saw a tremendous future for him. I might add that it was the horn playing in that theme song that made me want to play at age five. It still makes me want to pick up the horn. Love it.

Rising Above It All

I DVR'd Larry King's interview with Lady Gaga and watched it at 6:30 this morning while doing my hand weight exercises. She talked a lot about the rejection of social standards that can become barriers to a person and how it influences her costumes, music, and life. She said that she didn't have very many friends and was called a "freak" every day. She identified more with men than with women, wanted to dress differently, and was scrutinized for being her. Now look at her: she has millions of fan, great show business success, has won Grammy awards, is a gay rights activist, and seems like a very peaceful yet hard working young woman.

Rising above the name calling, isolation, misunderstanding, and prejudice accusations got me thinking about how we deal with people's reactions. There are some of us who never hear "good job" from a father and struggle a whole life with needing a man's approval. There are the few we hear about in the news who are called, "freaks," go to school with ammo, and gun down their classmates and then kill themselves. And then there are people who hear all the hatred words can hold and it somehow rolls off their back.... It's curious how we all respond differently to a spectrum of problems and how each one affects another differently. One can seem huge to you but small to me.