I went early to walk about the neighborhood a bit--I've not spent much time there yet. There is a Housing Work Thrift Store I wanted to check out. I've been to most of them now in Manhattan. The bookstore and cafe is a clearly a well used and loved as a central community meeting place and venue. The thrift store itself was not much to get excited about. Best ones in my opinion remain the Upper West side, Gramercy, and Hell's Kitchen. Still need to check the one out in Tribeca. Just walking around the neighborhood was a trip in hip. It's hard to explain, it's all visual, dress, product, graphic and attitude. When the weather gets better I'm headed for Soho for a good long walk. Soho is completely surrounded by other quintessential NYC neighborhoods, it'll be a new dimension for me.
I will say that when we went for a walk at a tiny little children's park near Mulberry Street it was rather dismaying and somewhat disturbing to see and smell an old man completely blotted who had peed all over himself and absolutely reeked. He was passed out on one of the benches. Luckily he wasn't so close to the actual play structures and basketball court. It's hard enough for parents with kids to find safe play space in the city without it being so compromised by such a troubled person. I found it sad all the way around though the kids seems pretty inured to the whole scene.
Knowing that my mom is coming to town for a week's visit, I now have started to see the city as I think she might see it. Yikes!!! The warmer weather is bringing out the homeless more and I've noticed more inebriated and down and out people. The streets are increasingly more crowded out and about in the city and the street fairs are starting up again...........classic NYC scene. We walked through our first one of the season on Saturday. We will be wheeling my mom around in a wheelchair during her visit .... it's hard for me to imagine how it's all going to go. We'll just need to give ourselves plenty of time to get wherever we are going.
Friday night we went to see the new movie, HANNA, very suspenseful, psychological, and alternately funny and touching with great story twists. The young actress put in an oscar worthy performance. Definitely worth seeing. It was Bob's pick and I was initially skeptical (these types of movies are not normally my thing) but quickly won over just a few minutes into the film.
On Saturday, we went to the Macy's indoor flower show and it was pretty spectacular. So much effort to pull off such a feat.
We headed over to our favorite Indian grocery store after shopping at Macy's to pick up a few things and to try out a restaurant in that neighborhood, Saravanaas, that specializes in south Indian cooking. It was very authentic and many Indians were getting their fill of poori, dosa, coconut chutneys, sambar, and Madraas coffee.
We spent Sunday watching four Elizabeth Taylor movies (Raintree Country, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, BUtterfield 8, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf). She was really an amazing actress in high drama movies.
We have tickets for a Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees game in July that will finally get us to a game at Yankee Stadium we've been wanting to do for years......albeit it will now be in their new stadium not the old classic one.
Just when I came closer to my own acceptance and psychological resolution that I am not going to pursue securing my professional psychologist license here in NY state, I finally get the documentation from Washington state to submit to the licensing board here to move my licensing process along...........I've been waiting for it for 6 months now. Strange timing. It may be a sign but it still doesn't take care of the five graduate level courses the NY state board is asking me to complete prior to licensure. After much discussion, Bob and I agreed that it was time for me to allow myself the flexibility to travel and enjoy visiting friends and family in ways I didn't allow myself before because work always came first. We are making our plans for spending five weeks in India, August 5th to September 10, as Bob will be teaching at Amma's university again. MS really wants to keep Bob happy and they are granting his request to telecommute from India so he teach there again and still work on projects for MS. He's done this a number of times before and I was never able to go with him, now I can and it's important I do. I am so much more available emotionally and psychologically for Bob day in and day out. My emotional and psychological availability to Bob was so compromised when I was working such long hours. All I wanted to do was shut down and bury myself in the newspaper when I got home from a long day at work or just cruise TV channels--not even watch an actual program just cruise. I found it hypnotic and relaxing. Now we have so much more quality time together that neither of us want us to go back to my being over involved in a work life. It's so easy for me to do once I get started. I know if I was seeing clients, I just wouldn't be able to say no and would get myself completely tied up with work again and there would go the quality of life we've finally achieved here. So at least for now, we are going to stay the status quo of our new life. We will see if that is enough for me over the long haul. It is certainly plenty now.
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