Friday Five Beach Trip

In honor of summer, please share your own beachy memories, plans, and dreams with a "Beach Trip" Friday Five.

The Swimming Song by The McGarrigle Sisters

1. Ocean rocks, lake limps? Vice versa? Or "it's all beautiful in its own way"?

I love the Ocean. Sandy Beaches, waves, beautiful sunsets. Lakes?I grew up swimming in Lake Erie, so that's Ok, but small lakes... Muddy bottoms and who knows what's crawling around down there. (anyone heard of the snake head fish that can walk on it's fins from pond to pond?_

2. Year round beach living: Heaven...or the Other Place?

Yes, heaven. I had a year round house at the tip of Long Island, Orient Point, between the 

Bay and the Sound. It was pretty nice. Gone now.

3. Any beach plans for this summer?

Not yet. So far, family plans, taking the niece to Hershey Park, and throwing a 90th birthday party for my aunt-all inland. Maybe we can get a trip to the beach in a long weekend. We do live on a coast. Otherwise it's the pool on 42nd St. (Hey, stop that honking!)

4. Best beach memory ever?

Too many to mention, but it could be the summer we rented in the Hamptons, or one of the many summers we were in Orient Point, NY.

5. Fantasy beach trip?

California, traveling down the coast from San Francisco to Monterrey and hitting the beach!  

Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what the beach means to you.

The Swimming Song by the McGarrigle Sisters

Where's Waldo-uh Joanna

I'm in Albany, NY.
I spent the past weekend at home entertaining my 89, soon to be 90 y/o aunt and my cousin the CSI from Columbus, OH. It was a lot of fun, visiting and sharing memories. Unfortunately we didn't spend much time touring the city due to the high heat, but did manage to see one off broadway play-Add1ng Mach1ne, which was billed as the best new musical of 2008. I guess 2008 is still young.
I'm in Albany for computer training. It's really a chance to catch up with friends that I've worked with who have moved to other offices. New York is a big state. The training is, well some of it is interesting, but some of it is stuff I already know. I'm not sure what I was expecting.
Update on my church search: Because my family was here, I attended St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in NYC. I go to their Lesbian Women's Group and march in the Gay Pride Parade with them. It was a shockingly pleasant experience for me. The priest spoke from the pulpit against the two page advertisement condemning gay marriage. It was in the the NY Times (by Catholic organizations)
Gotta go get my stuff together to train at the state ed. building, a very beautiful (inside) building!

Friday Five Taking in the View

(Picture anticipating landing in Vieques Puerto Rico-another wonderful Place!)

Sally wrote "This week I took some time out to stop and walk and take in the view; my son Chris is studying in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, too often we simply drive up there, turn around and come home! This time Tim and I took time out to take in the view. It occurs to me that we need to do that more in life...."


With that in mind I offer you this weeks Friday Five:


1. How important is the "big picture" to you, do you need a glimpse of the possibilities or are you a details person?
Sometimes the "big picture" is more important to me than the details-which gets me in trouble (like at work-urgh.)


2. If the big picture is important to you how do you hold onto it in the nitty gritty details of life?
Practice, practice, practice and checklists and rechecking.


3. Name a book, poem, psalm, piece of music that transports to to another dimension ( one....what am I thinking....)
Any good book I read can transport me to another place, dimension or century. Did I miss my subway stop again?


3.Thinking of physical views, is there somewhere that inspires you, somewhere that you breathe more easily?
Always the beach at Herring Cove in Provincetown, Ma-Cape Cod. Or, of course Italy. Or Vieques, PR.


4. A picture opportunity... post one if you can ( or a link to one!)

My Day at the Office Yesterday was only a Slightly Worse Than This

The Big Big Boss publicly excoriated me at the senior meeting. After it ended I glanced around the room and all eyes were averted. I felt like this:

Meme from Views from the Road

Barb at Views from the Road tagged me for this:
1.) What first tells you that summer is here?
It's when my Tevas start to beg me: "Wear us to work! Wear us to work!"

2.) Name five of your favorite distinctively summer habits or customs.
* Wearing my Tevas to work (you knew that was coming)
* Vacations & long weekends away.
* Swimming in the pool at my health club (with the roof open) "Hey! Stop that honking!"
* My birthday, July 25th.
* Making salads with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and basil, etc. from the greenmarket.

3.) What is your favorite smell of summer?
Any smell outside of NYC~~~~~~

4.) What is your favorite taste of summer?
There's a place called Shake Shack a little park not far away. Great charbroiled burgers and frozen custard!

5.) Favorite summer memory?
Playing in our huge backyard in Ohio. Not having to wear a shirt!

6.) Extreme heat or extreme cold? Which would you choose and why?
If I had to pick one, I'd rather be cold than hot. (Because you can dress for the cold...) I left this one, but I really prefer no extremes. And my office with bad ventilation-really no ventilation is 80-85o year round.

7.) What books do you plan to read for the season?
I have a stack of books at any one time. It's constantly being replenished. Right now I'm reading Parched by Heather King the book preceding Redeemed. I'm not caring for it, it seems too much like what alcoholics call a drunkalog, like a travelogue only about a drinking a drinking history.

8.) How does the summer affect your faith? Is it a hindrance or an ally?
Since I'm in the phase of actually going to church services, I'd say good. Since in the winter winter I tend to stay inside.

Our Little Wedding in Toronto

The short, but sweet, wedding was beautiful. Much better than we could have expected in NYC. We had an officiant who knew his stuff and had appropriate readings for a lesbian couple. (I think he may have been a priest or former priest and was certainly Irish and probably gay.) The room had flowers and some music. The couple after us was an Israeli couple of men who had to travel to Canada-the only country that Israel would accept as a legal same sex marriage-then they were going to Virginia to visit their surrogate mother-they want a large family! We were their witness and they were ours.

Toronto was celebratory of our 'blessed event' with many congratulations and a bottle of wine from the concierge of our hotel! We had a great time. And then on the very same day:

"

"word came that New York Gov. David Paterson instructed state agencies — including those governing insurance and health care — to immediately change policies and regulations to recognize gay marriages.
For years, gay rights advocates have sought recognition for same-sex marriages so couples could share family health care plans, receive tax breaks by filing jointly, enjoy stronger adoption rights and inherit property.
Many or all of those rights would now appear to be available to New Yorkers who legally wed same-sex partners in other states and countries, according to the memo sent earlier this month from the governor's counsel. Agencies have until June 30 to report back to the counsel on how, specifically, the directive will change existing state benefits and services for gay couples."
Coincidence? I think not!
And to add icing to the wedding cake, while in Toronto, we attended a benefit for a group that helps women in need called Sistering. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Elvira Kurt, one of my favorite comedians. I met her;-)

We're Getting Married

Leaving tomorrow for Toronto, we have a date at city hall on Wednesday. Wish us well!

My Home Town!

While looking around You Tube I stumbled upon an advertisement for "Girard, the heart of the valley." I guess they mean the Mahoning Valley of Ohio-named after the Mahoning River which became so polluted that rumors circulated that if you fell into it, well, life would be very short. There were also rumors of it catching fire, but I was not able to confirm this. This was all is in the Ohio valley area. The town is tiny. When I grew up it was nice with two movie theatres, a couple of clothing stores, a five and dime, a candy store (which also sold ice cream and which was great to go to for a sundae after the movies.) a couple of pizza parlours (large Italian pop.) If you look carefully, although there were a number of churches in the area, the video shows only St. Rose, the church where I was baptised and where I attended and attended school from 1-8. Also, you'll see the high school which was on my street, but because I was so brainwashed, I chose to ride a bus for 45 minutes twice a day to attend the Catholic H.S. I'm not bitter. Actually I had some nice times in Girard, Oh. It was very pretty where I lived, and when you got into the surrounding countryside-which was very close, quite beautiful. Actually I was able to appreciate it best after my parents passed away. Does this sound strange. We're having a 90th birthday party there for my aunt this August and I hope to take BL to the landmarks of my youth. I made the border of the video the color of the sky at night from the blast furnaces of the steel mills. The sky was always red at night, then.

On a Lighter Note

Friday Five Summer Vacation

It is a holiday weekend here in the UK (and in the US too), and the weather forecast for much of the country is not good!!! But we can still dream and so with that in mind I bring you this Friday Five.

1. Getting ready for summer, do you use the gradual tanning moisturizers
(yes gentlemen you too can answer this!!!), or are you happy to show your winter skin to the world?
I redden so quickly that I don’t need the artificial tanners. One time in the sun, I burn then tan and that’s the beginning of the summer for me!

2.Beach, mountains or chilling by the pool, what/ where is your favorite getaway?
I prefer the beach, BL prefers the mountains, and usually we end up at the pool deck on at our Health Club on 42nd St. Could you stop that honking?

3.Are you a summer lover or does the long break become wearing?
There’s no break for me, but I much prefer the sunny, hazy, sweaty, humid, nasty days of NYC summers.

4.Active holidays; hiking swimming sailing, or lazy days?
Lazy days, Though I like to swim and used to like to sail!

5.Now to the important subject of food, if you are abroad do you try the local cuisine, or do you prefer to play it safe?
Local food, if it’s safe from parasites. Italy was great!