labor day no way

the end of summer is always great. some lament the return to schedules, the school shopping, the college drop offs, the end of beach days.

i prefer to drop everything, and after a very intense summer, it's a welcome relief. the kids return home from camp (and continue to incessantly reminisce about every moment of their collective experience), and once the laundry is sifted through and packed away, it's time to play!

end of august weather is gorgeous - warm and dry (despite periodic katrina-like downpours) so the thought is: leave the beds, leave the kitchen, leave the school stuff, the mail, and most everything else. get outside! the kids tend to be at their loveliest: giddy, happy, free, easy, non-complaining, non-competitive, and up for anything. burgers in the city at 10pm? sure! a walk to kismet on fire island at 6pm? great!

this spontaneous and easy-going nature seems to set the perfect tone. yesterday, we head into our customary breakfast spot. we order, and continue to giggle. the kids are downright delicious, as is the friande and café creme. marlee looks straight at me to let me know that directly behind us, in tiny café gitane, is none other than david schwimmer, 'ross' of friends fame. when i ask her if she'd like to gently go over to introduce herself or request a photo with my newly purchased iphone, she insists that it would be rude to interrupt him. he's eating breakfast with a friend, and i am admonished by marlee for even entertaining such a thought on her behalf. yeahhhh!!! a real new yorker! i'm so proud ...

and why the iphone? yes, it's sleek, and as a long-time apple fan, it seems appropriate. however, i am actually goaded into the purchase after thursday's events. andi and i are guests of friends at a red sox - yankees game - basically, we find ourselves in the best seats at the house that ruth built, practically sitting on the field. A-rod and jeter are within whispering distance (no sign of madonna!). the game is spectacular, the weather gorgeous ... a perfect afternoon. all of the excitement occurs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and we leave en masse with, say, 50,000 other fans. the traffic - horrendous - and even leaving the parking lot is an exercise in patience (and futility!). finally, we are on our way, and i decide it's quicker to weave our way through the local streets of the bronx (never did read 'bonfire of the vanities'!). what do i do? i pull out (what andi characterizes as) a life-size map of the bronx. the three boys (whose cumulative age is still well below my own number of years) stare at me - equal parts disbelief and horror! have i ever heard of something called GPS? the following day, the purchase is made, so now i can make calls from abroad, and leap buildings with a single bound (not to mention actually use the damn thing to help me navigate!).

ahhhhh, summer. labor day, the last licks - ice cream, sand, nothing planned - we'll miss august!

she's havin' my baby!

or so she thinks - poor jane, chemo has left her feeling as if she's carrying twins - yikes! no buns in the oven however, just the remnants of chemicals running through her veins. so be it, this too shall come to pass!

sunday in the city - isn't it a pity! so absolutely lovely, cool and clear. whilst listening to radio france internationale in the car on the way to nolita, we get a call from henry and ali - it's 8:30 in the morning, they'd like to meet us at café gitane - great! we peruse the paper and warm up until they arrive, and enjoy a lovely breakfast together - so nice to catch up! a stroll in soho, past the apple store (maroon 5 concert with people having slept out in front of the store in order to snag a spot), making a loop, a bit of furniture shopping, then we part ways ... so nice to have the company!

back home, to a clean home i might add (thanks kids!) and a bit of lazing about. marlee and i go for a drive on the north shore while jane relaxes - much needed - and andi and jared enjoy friends' company. we convene for dinner with the 5c's for sunday night ben's dinner - again, great to be in the company of our special friends!

end of the school break, everyone back on track tomorrow, jane back to work, and life returns to it's rhythm for now.

the mini cooper's windshield wipers are not working - always an ominous sense of doom prevailing when the car starts to falter ... wish us luck!

h

la cage aux folles

well, the good news is that it's 7pm, and when i ask jane if she needs to get ready (we're leaving in 15 minutes), she says "not really". just a flip of one of the many wigs, sitting ominously on their hollow head racks, and she's good to go ... sure beats hours of haircare every day! jane comments that when she has her makeup done, and just prior to putting on a hairpiece, she feels as if she's something out of the film la cage aux folles - too funny!!!

someone doesn't sleep a wink all night ... when i am up at 5:30 i find jane slumped over in a fatboy beanbag in front of the flat screen, kind of listless and staring into space! alas, she's fine, just in need of a latté, and promises to take a good afternoon nap.

i spend a few hours out alone with marlee, shopping and running errands on this glorious winter day - crisp and clear. we have a great time, and return home to make giant bowls of asian noodle soup with bok choy, napa cabbage, udon noodles, thai chilis, scallion, carrot, and thinly sliced chicken - all in an eastern coconut broth (delicious). the afternoon passes, jane rests, and i walk in the state park behind the house with the [complaining] kids. lovely all around.

we enjoy an intimiate and warm dinner party, celebrating a friends' 50th in the company of riotous, fun, and good friends. a spectacular time is had by all, and at 11 we depart - fearing jane will turn into a pumpkin. she looks fantastic and is feeling great this evening - good color, energy, and spirits - leading all the rest of us into a relaxed state of mind.

and of course, demain matin, café gitane!