abandoned (lyn)

Since M is on hiatus from writing, it seems silly to keep writing under the banner of two friends two cities when it's become one person one city, so......for now anyway, I'll be writing at a new address.  I've moved all my posts for 2013, and will be writing at:

                   www.nycdiarist.com

Hope you'll come visit!!!!

and the winner is... (lyn)

Alexander leaves tomorrow morning to return to school.  He spends the day sleeping and watching football with a friend.  He squeezes in a few loads of laundry and somehow manages to lose two of the four dish towels I bought at William Sonoma this morning.   

I tape the Golden Globes so we can watch it later, and head out for dinner around eight.  We go to Dresners, a restaurant around the corner from us.  Their burgers are great and I’m one of their youngest patrons.  We typically order in from there but used to go often when Alexander was young.  Our waiter sees Alexander for the first time in years.  He tells Alexander he remembers when he used to spend as much time under the tables then at them.

We bring home dessert and turn on the Golden Globes.  The highlights, for me anyway, are:

• Ben Afflek winning best director
• Argo winning best picture (drama)
• Quentin Tarantino winning best screenplay (for D’Jango Unchanged)
• Homeland winning major acting awards and best TV drama
• Speeches by Jodi Foster and Daniel Day Lewis

But the real treat is watching with Alexander.  He makes me laugh. 

When I suggested we watch Amour as a family over Thanksgiving, I wrote:

just got Amour, a love story about people in their 80's...

might be a great one to watch with the whole family

Alexander responded:

Sorry mom.  All of my friends and I at school were so dying to see "Amour," the love story about the people in their 80's, that we camped out at midnight the day it was released and saw that instead of going out, so I can't see that.  I don't know if you would like it that much mom, but I think that Jack and Adam would love it.  Other than that, I'm fine with most movies.

Tonight Alexander is half watching as he’s on his computer.  We hear, “And the nominations for Best Foreign Film are…….  Amour….”

Alexander looks up from his computer.  “Whoa, whoa, whoa….Amour isn’t even in English?  I can’t believe you forgot to mention this.  And this is what you wanted us all to watch over Thanksgiving?”

I miss him already.

living with more wrinkles (lyn)

I can’t pinpoint when it happened but one day I tried prime steak, and then I never bought choice again.  Similarly, one day I had my sheets sent out and loved the feeling of pressed sheets.  I have become a sheet snob.  I look at the sheet’s origin (Egyptian is best), the thread count (the higher the better), is it one ply or two (one is better), long staple or short — who knew there was so much to know about sheets.  But sending them out is expensive ($3.50 a pillow case and $10 per sheet), so it’s a luxury I can no longer afford.  But it's not a luxury I have to give up.  So tonight I wash several sets of sheets and take out my rarely used iron.

I ask for advice first.  M suggests steaming sections first, then ironing.  It’s a good strategy and one that works.  I go online and watch a few YouTube videos of accomplished homemakers.  They make ironing look effortless, almost fun.

I set up my iron in front of the TV and intermittently watch Tom Brady do his thing against the Texans.  Ironing has to be the most exhausting household chore.  And it is definitely not fun.  After five pillowcases, one flat sheet, and one fitted sheet, I give up.  My white cotton duvet cover goes on my bed wrinkled.  I make an attempt to iron it while it is on my bed, with the duvet inside.  I feel ridiculous but it sort of works.

I think I can manage ironing the pillowcases, but not the sheets.   I’ll now be adjusting to more wrinkles, but at least they’re not on my face.

another reason to eat right (lyn)

True, the infrastructure in NY needs improvement.

And 350 pounds is a lot for a women to weigh.

But still…

Today, a woman in NYC was waiting for a bus on the Upper East Side, about a mile from my apartment, and suddenly the sidewalk cracked and she plunged into a six-foot hole.  A crane-like mechanism removed the women, who fortunately suffered no serious injuries.

Sidewalks should be strong enough to withstand the weight of a 350-pound woman.  But I guess at least in this city, it's best not to take any chances.

a better body (lyn)

Alexander discovered the gym this past semester.  He now eats tons of protein, rarely has desserts, stays away from fatty foods, makes shakes with 100% whey, and seems to always be hungry.  He’s at the gym at least four times a week.  And he runs, rather sprints, at a nearby track.  His new body is impressive.

I think Alexander is more body-conscious than I was while on weight watchers.  The other night he had dinner with Eric, his father.  Apparently Eric has been working out too, and according to Alexander, “He’s mesomorphic.”  I have called Eric a lot of things, but never that. So Alexander enlightens me.

There are three basic body types.  A mesomorph has an athletic build, a developed upper body, and can gain and lose weight quickly. 

Alexander has a hard time gaining weight, so his friend Sam says, “Well, that’s because your mom is an ectomorph: someone with small bones and a high metabolism.  You are a combination of these two types.”

I am happy to fall into this category.

Maybe my son’s commitment to a healthier life style will inspire me to exercise more.  Or said more honestly, maybe my son’s commitment to a healthier life style will inspire me to exercise.

another season over (lyn)

We make a night of it.

I go to Agata and get a dinner I know Alexander will love: pistachio-crusted salmon.  We have it with shrimp cocktail and a corn salad.

While we eat, we watch the last episode of Homeland’s second season.  The hour long show takes us almost two hours to view.  We want to savor every minute.  “Wait, re-wind it.  What did Carrie just say?”  Or, we pause the show to speculate on what we think is about to happen.  I ask Alexander to re-wind so many times he finally takes his turn.  “Hold on,” he says as he stops the action.  “I need to re-wind.  Was Brody just drinking Bud or Heineken?” 

After many pauses and wrong guesses, it’s Alexander who accurately predicts tonight's explosive event   Homeland does not disappoint.

We’ll now have to wait until next Winter Break to see what happens to our favorite duplicitous hero and his complex, unpredictable lover.  It’ll be a long wait.