out with the old, in with the new!

no, not talking about plastic surgery! much more critically, the mini is gone - caput - a figment of our (twisted) imaginations. that little yellow bee has flown away for good - good! and in it's stead is the red beetle - just on time, for some good luck! now, we've pinned all our hopes on this car and it better come through!

a sense of relief ... yes, it seems totally ridiculous, and yet, somehow we've convinced ourselves that everything will run smoothly now that the VW has arrived. red - a protective amulet of sorts.

the question i pose as we pull up into the driveway is: are we in forward or reverse? when we move into the house eight years ago, we are driving the exact same 'pair' of cars ... a red beetle and a white suburban. and that's what's sitting out there now - so maybe it's just a case of back to the future?

at any rate, it feels good for jane, a fresh start of sorts. a nice clean white interior (pure), a shiny bright red exterior (flashy) - maybe exactly what we're looking for in ourselves!

happy driving,

h

pret a porter

would you believe, it's the car in the shop -
the mini again, oh when will it stop?
we called up vw, said 'one beetle please',
the cooper has really brought us to our knees!

first it caused cancer, of that we are sure,
now motors for wiper blades, that is the cure -
so goodbye dear bad luck charm, hope that we're through,
and with a volkswagen all that's old will be new ...

jane is okay, and feeling quite well,
she's eager for next week, of that i can tell -
for chemo to finish, and be on her way ...
she's definitely looking beyond that friday -

out at the theater with marlee and friends,
a girls night passes, then home in a benz,
legally blonde tonight, and then another,
on saturday with more young gals (and no brothers)

so the boys, we are left to fend for ourselves,
out to a french bistro with wine on the shelves -
some frisée and frites, and good mustard too,
some lamb for dear andi, that cost thirty-two!

we laugh and we chat, while the ladies do play,
and then onto rite-aid for snacks, by the way,
we boys cozied up, all lying on one bed,
to watch bourne identity (all characters - dead!)

jane sees that i am slowing going insane,
and says to me 'why don't you get on a plane'
to paris, you'll go - you could leave tomorrow,
and then you will not be feeling all full of sorrow -

i think about it, make myself well - by the seine,
and then i think about the plan once again,
with air france there's flights, as that's there forté,
too bad that this weekend's the pret a porter ...

not a room to be had, a pity for sure,
so i guess i'll stay home and help with the cure,
a trip we will take, perhaps in the summer,
when we feel as if we're not deep in a bummer

to addis ababa? ethiopian jews?
or cairo and luxor, to see ancient views?
a drive deep in napa, or marfa's artworks,
perhaps back to istanbul, visiting turks!

so good night, my dear friend,
we're nearing the end -
we wish you our best,
and please, get some rest!

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

cooper cancer

never mind ddt, living in long island, electric lines, genetically modified foods, and global warming.

jane has decided that the mini cooper is to blame for her breast cancer! it's the bad-luck-mobile! now, we are not normally superstitious, but please understand, that little faux-bmw has been smashed to smithereens more times than lindsay lohan has been admitted to rehab! from the front, from the back, from the sides it's been crumpled. hit and run, ploughed from behind on the highway, or just plain pileup - we're not fussy, as long as the yellow and black bee is in the shop! and now, a dent on the newly replaced hood, which occured while i was in africa (and obviously not driving the car).

so we feel like it's our bad luck charm - our anti talisman - that's the root of all evil. had a bad day? blame it on the mini. kenya's chaos? the cooper. demise of the dollar? yep, you guessed it!

so we need to get rid of it quickly before our house is swept away, or woodbury is hit by errant tornadoes, etc.! as soon as we sell it, all will return to normal, world peace will reign, and we will all live in health and happiness!!

(oh, if it were only that easy!).

jane is doing great, very sleepy but otherwise well - no pain, nausea, just some fatigue. she is actually a good patient today - shocking - and does indeed rest without me threatening to tie her down to the bed. another day recedes into night, time for bed and some real r&r ... we may even make it to the city to catch the new museum tomorrow!

bonne nuit,

h

haiku from sarah & arnie

dearest jane,

she is a great mother,

she cuts hair, cuts people and fixes people...

she cuts friends hair and irons her own hair...

she is there and everywhere-

she cooks and bakes, nails and pedicures

she puts on make up while harley is driving

she is a very devoted and loving person

she zips out of her mini cooper---?

jane most of all we love you

jane we wish you B.H. a successful operation

we are sure you will be taking part in that too

all our love

mom and dad

goldfinger

if jane doesn't want to have five breasts by the time she's over with this ordeal, she better call her doctors by their right names.

this from a person who says 'keys-house'. it must be all those years in baghdad, coupled with the ddt spraying, that has lead her to call one of her physicians, dr. feingold, by a different name: doctor goldfein. he will definitely by inclined to give her an 'a' cup on one side and a 'double d' on the other if she doesn't cease and desist with this tongue-twisting. who ever heard of 'finger-gold'?

hmmm, today. cyclonic. spend the better part of the day in the city - a gorgeous day in fact ... downtown, brooklyn, very productive. but i forget to eat (don't chuckle!). so i pop into le pain quotidien early on, then mistakenly continue on my way sans kashi bar in pocket - bad idea! towards 2pm, i am seated in the back seat of our dear friends ro & mitchell's car, and suddenly lurch towards hypoglycemia - water, juice, power bar, nothing helps! by the time i get home, i'm slowing inching my way towards a massive coronary, or so it feels ... stress? lack of food? who knows. when jane arrives a few moments later, she looks like a crazed psychopath - and panics seeing me lie down (which i barely do at night to begin with) ... calls to the cardiologist, rounds of peanut butter on brioche toast (what can i say?), pulse checking (48), blood pressure cuffs, etc.. what a glamorous and sexy life we have! i slowly regain consciousness, and jane breaks the news to me - she's been smashed to smithereens by a ford bronco (oj?) at noon, which turns out to be a stolen vehicle. haha. very funny. no really. at least we have our health. oh, never mind!

that damned mini cooper has been repaired about ten times by now - it's worth more than a maybach! how insane. i console myself by baking two cakes, we somehow pull it together, and join our friends for a fantastic, tasty, warm and loving shabbat dinner - wine flowing, music blaring, kids jumping - a riotous affair which we are most thankful for! merci randi & elliot!

rochelle and jeff give jane a sweet gift which she opens at home. accoutrements for post-surgery - which really gets to jane ... she is so thankful for her friendships and for the love and support she is receiving. it truly makes a difference ...

the day ends, all of us exhausted. one year ago, we were preparing for a spontaneous weekend trip to amsterdam for thanksgiving - things are a bit different this year. c'est la vie.

h