Sundays with Steven

Lately I’ve been spending some lovely Sundays with Steven, the man I call my gay husband. He’s a guidance counselor at my school and he is just FABULOUS. One of my favorite things about him is that he’s like the paparazzi. Always taking pictures. We took over 200 at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens two Sundays ago at the cherry blossom festival (pictures can be viewed here). Yesterday he met me at Fish, a restaurant that I love for their Red White and Blue deal - 6 blue point oysters or clams on the half shell plus a glass of house wine or a PBR for $8! Can’t be beat. We each had two rounds. And Steven photographed along the way.

With a glass of white and an oyster in hand.

YUM!

Clams.

Fish has a delicious bowl of peanuts for you to munch while you’re waiting for your oysters to be shucked.

Um yeah, don’t ask.

Afterwards we went to the Blind Tiger Ale House across the street where they have many craft beers.

I had a tough time choosing one.

And scene.

How I Spent My Weekend

Saturday morning I woke up and went for a run.  It was unseasonably warm and I was overdressed.  I also did not adequately hydrate.  I ate 1/2 a banana with almond butter and went to meet my friend Jenna for a long-anticipated brunch at Prune.  We’d been waiting in the sun for nearly an hour when I started to lose vision.  I saw purple spots and felt nauseous, like I was going to faint.  I got some juice at the spot at the corner.  That helped a bit, but I was still going in and out of vision.  I felt like I wasn’t there, like I was watching a cartoon.  So Jenna put me into a cab, where I slowly regained vision, and we went back to my apartment (and still, I was so bummed about the brunch!).  Despite my nausea, we thought I should eat something.  So I ate the other 1/2 of the banana and Jenna bought us bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches.  I drank some water and she left around 3.  I had a dinner date with my dad at 7 and plans to go out later so I decided to take a nap.  When I woke up at 5, I felt worse.  Dad and I decided to cancel sushi plans hang out on Sunday instead, and I canceled my plans for going out.  Thank god on all counts.  At around 6 (the time I was originally going to meet my dad for a drink at The Regency),  I threw up for the first time.  Then again nearly every hour till 10.  My dad came over at one point with ginger ale and gatorade and we watched the Georgetown basketball game.  Liquids were barely staying down.  I threw up again after he left.

The next day I woke up feeling woozy and slightly nauseous.  My dad came over around noon with a bagel that I spent all afternoon working on.  He hung out and watched more NCAA with me.  I’m sure I was great company ;)  He said he’d planned to spend the day with me anyway, so hey!  It really helped to have him there, just to have someone to hang out with and talk to.  I didn’t want to be alone.  And I was able to keep food down - hooray!

I didn’t go to school today.  Still feeling woozy/stomach unstable.  Didn’t want to risk it.  Instead I got to spend 3 hours at a clinic to see a doctor so I could have a note to show my principal.  All I wanted was to be in bed, but she requires doctors’ notes when we miss Mondays or Fridays.  Cunt.

I’m a real big baby when I’m sick.  Especially when it’s stomach-related.  This weekend, more than anything, I missed having the ex around.  When I’m sick, I really need to be taken care of.  And I have too much time to spend in my head.  But, I was lucky.  I had my father around.  And when he left, I still had my friends.  My girl Melissa came over after school today to sit and talk and order noodle soup with me.  And everyone has called to check up on me, my lovely little network of people.  It helps so much to have those friends, even when I’m not sick.  I think everything’s gonna be alright.

Oooh, what a little sunshine will dooo…

Thanks to all for your sweet comments.  It’s been rough.  It’s getting easier every day (so they tell me).

Last weekend I went to Florida for Mets Spring Training.  Best vacation ever.  Seriously.  Stefi and I went last year for the first time.  Since then, she started a Mets Blog - You Can’t Script Baseball.  We met up with a whole bunch of her blogger friends this time around and it was lots of fun.  The Mets won all 3 games I went to (even if they were not the best wins), I met some players, enjoyed the sunshine (even got a little burn), started running, eating, and sleeping again.  Course that hasn’t held up as well since I’ve been back in NYC, but what can you do.  I’m a work in progress.  Can’t wait till next year.  Or my next vacation!  I leave you with the girls of spring training.

Coop, Zoe, Stefi, Me!

I am in love…

with my friends. This past week, I have been dealing with an excruciating heartbreak. I don’t remember heartbreak feeling this bad. I can’t eat, sleep, function, breathe. It looks like I have lost someone I saw a real future with, someone I’d considered the love of my life, the only reason I’ve survived this winter thus far. And I’m falling apart. When you’re in a serious relationship, there’s the tendency to alienate your friends. Even though I swore I wouldn’t be that girl, I always found myself prioritizing the time I spent snuggled inside, being in love, to the time socializing with others. But, despite the way I’ve removed myself, in this past week I’ve realized, or maybe just rediscovered, how incredible my friends are. People have come out of the woodwork in ways I never would have expected them to. It’s remarkable the way my friends have stepped up when they know how much I need them right now. Even the ones who never supported/trusted this relationship from the start. They are surpassing the definition of “good friends.” They are my heroes. I am thankful right now for the people in my life who consistently love me and are there to hold me right now. For the people who are still helping to pick me up. In my last post, I mentioned being lucky. I think I am truly blessed.

Pieces on a February Morning

I started a new book the other day. One of the many I’m reading. Some people don’t understand how I can read more than one book at a time. I wouldn’t call it a skill; it’s more like an ADD. Plus being in a book club necessitates that I have at least one other book for my own personal pleasure – the two don’t necessarily coincide. Anyway, this book started with a quote, “A child needs your love most when he deserves it least.” This has stuck with me for nearly a week now. At first I read it and felt somewhat angry. It made me think of the kids I teach and how sometimes they are so incredibly infuriating that I don’t want to help them. Last week one of them flung a pencil at me that narrowly missed my face. I felt shaky all day, despite the fact that he was removed from my classroom. Then the quote made me sad for that very same reason. It made me feel like maybe I’m not giving them enough. It made me wonder if I take things in my own life for granted. Someone told me that I’m too sensitive to work this job. Maybe so. Anyhow, this book is about a parent, not a teacher. And although I’m not one yet, I grew up believing that parents loved unconditionally. I don’t know when that belief was shattered, but it’s extremely devastating to think so. I’m someone who loves openly and proudly. My family, friends, lovers. I wouldn’t say without condition, but I think that there are certain things you can overlook in the people you love. I’m sure there were times growing up when I was horrible to my parents but they still loved me. Because I was a part of them. And because of who I am as a person. I’ve always tried to look for the redeeming qualities in my students, as difficult as it can be sometimes. It’s always easier to forgive the ones you really love for their transgressions. I’m lucky, I have a lot of people I love, a lot of people who love me. My kids are lucky if their parents love them enough to send them to school with lunch for a field trip.

I’m on my February vacation right now. It’s easier to look at them with clear eyes through the distance. It’s easier to look at a lot of things.

I’ve spent much of this time thinking about my future. I’m no fortuneteller, but I know this job isn’t it. You all know this isn’t it. So much of it boils down to my own sensitivity. In every aspect of the job. My mother was a psychiatric social worker. I could never. So much for my hope and optimism. Someone once told me that the New York City Board of Education was declared a failure by the supreme court. One person can’t save the world. Or can they? I’ve applied to teaching jobs at other schools – private, high school, charter. I’m not sure that’s it either. I got an email about a food stylist. Maybe that’s it. Maybe I’ll leave the country when my job and my lease end in June. Run away somewhere without cold weather. Teach English in the Greek islands or learn how to surf in Hawaii. The fantasies are endless. Scratch that, the possibilities are endless.

I had drinks with an old friend last night. We went to preschool together. God, can you believe how long ago that was. We were friends for most of our childhoods and we reconnected when both of us first moved to the city. Every time we meet up, we ask ourselves why we don’t do it more often. I love friends like that. I need to see her more regularly. It’s funny when you disconnect from someone, only to discover that you’re still so similar. Last night, after rounds of conversation and Guiness, we ran outside the bar, in just our sweatshirts in the freezing cold to see the lunar eclipse. Amazing that you can see these things even in the brightly lit skies of the city. There won’t be another one until 2010. I never would have remembered. I’m so glad she did.

Life is good…

I spent my Sunday on a boat. Did you?

PS- Did I mention that I love my co?

Hot times, summer in the city

Went to the Mets game tonight. Yikes. There were some positive things going on with our team (making contact with the ball, not getting struck out by Santana), but where is our pitching? And can we please get more hits than errors next time? For a better written recap of the game, be sure to check out Stefi’s blog You Can’t Script Baseball. Of course, we still had a great time. But that’s to be expected, we always bring our own fun. And tonight our fun was aided by some goofy boys on the subway.

Oh it is summer in the city, and the boys are about. And when I say boys, I mean young ‘uns. Not like I’m that old, but I feel like I keep getting hit on by these kids just out of college. Makes me feel a little koo-koo-ka-joob. Wasn’t anyone in this city born before 1984?

This is a good week: Sunday night was a ten mile run, last night was fajitas with coworkers, tomorrow I have another hash run in store, Thursday night has some potential, Kindergarten graduation on Friday, and before I know it, I’ll be in Europe! Somebody wipe that smile off my face

Don’t forget to RSVP for BBB/BVB!

Things ‘n stuff

First of all, in great news, welcome home Kaz!!! I finally got to pick my kitty up tonight, and am very relieved to have him back. I’ll have to closely monitor him for a few days, but he should be alright.

Last night I went to my first Hash run. Alice played a heavy role in getting me there, as I had been on their email list for a while. For those of you who don’t know, the Hash House Harriers are “drinkers with a running problem.” It’s a social run with a bunch of people. As the website says: The trail is set by another Hasher called the Hare. The Hare marks the trail in flour or chalk. Periodically the Hare ends the trail with a “check”, and starts the trail again somewhere nearby. The Hashers - called a Pack - try to find the continuation of the trail. The idea is that the fast r*nners will get to the check before the slower r*nners; will expend a lot of time and energy finding the continuation of the trail; this will allow the slower r*nners to catch up; and the whole pack - fast and slow - will finish the r*n at about the same time. There is an explanation conducted by the Hare of the marks used at the start of each r*n. The length of the trail varies from too short to too long. Forty-five minutes for a good r*n, one and a half hours for a lousy one.

Get it? Maybe? Basically it’s a bunch of people trying to find arrows, chasing each other through the streets of the city while almost getting killed by cars and trying not to knock people over in the process of getting to a bar. And it was great! The trail we went on was over six miles long - we started in Midtown, took us through Central Park, around and into the Ramble, past the Museum of Natural History, through the Boat Basin to the West Side Highway, up the stairs at Lincoln Center and ended at Circus in Hell’s Kitchen (where I was last seen wearing a sailor hat…). Water, beer, pizza and hazing were had by all. Good times.

And lastly, the Big Apple BBQ is this weekend. Who’s coming with me?

I love this city

Last night, I finally got myself to the Met to see the exhibit on Barcelona artists! -Barcelona and Modernity: From Gaudi to Dali. It was an excellent exhibit, one that I had been longing to go to and finally got the push when I realized it was closing tomorrow. After perusing the art (and being thoroughly amazed and disturbed by the Franco-era artwork in the last room, including some of Picasso’s preliminary sketches for Guernica), Stefi and I had drinks on the roof of the Met.

Even though drinks were on the pricey side ($11 for a cup of sangria), it was worth it for the spectacular views of the park. I definitely recommend going, preferably on a less cloudy evening, for drinks and picture-taking.

Last night was also the bearer of the worst pickup line ever (not on the roof at the Met, but several hours later at an Irish pub) - “Are you guys, like, BFF?” I’m sorry, did you just approach me using IMspeak? No dice for that man.

Save the date - June 29

I just found out that one of my best friends (who I have known since I was 5) will be in NYC for the last weekend in June. Seeing as how this coincides with the end of the school year, my completion of the Teaching Fellowship, the beginning of my European adventure and my birthday, I am planning a big Birthday/Going Away Party/End of the School Year Bash!!! Friday, June 29th - don’t make plans for Saturday morning.