Paul's Graduation

Paul's graduation from Manhattan College was this past Sunday, May 20, 2007. The festivities began with the Baccalaureate Mass, held in the school's gymnasium. The atmosphere was spiritual as the clergy honored the graduates at the mass. It was especially exciting for my family as my brother read the first reading and his friends were in charge of the incense, candle-lighting, and prayers of the faithful.

The celebration continued with a breakfast. Parents and graduates were invited to a continental breakfast under tents in the quad. Because of my brother's achievements at the college (see previous post), my family was invited to the 'VIP' breakfast buffet where we had the opportunity to meet with the school's president and the honorary degree recipient. Oh, and we also got to sip on mimosas.... At the breakfast, it really sunk in what my brother had accomplished in his four years at Manhattan. Only 10 students were invited to this special breakfast; my brother earned this recognition not for pulling impressive grades or having an influential family, but rather for truly making a difference at the college. He harbored his talents of his outgoing personality and drive towards service to create change. It amazed me that everyone knew him and respected him.

After the delicious breakfast (where I got some ketchup on my new white dress), we went back into the gymnasium for the Commencement exercises. The ceremony was beautiful and the keynote speaker was terrific. After we double-checked to make sure Paul did indeed receive his diploma (there was some concern due to an unreturned library book and an economics grade requirement....), we headed over to a local Italian restaurant where we joined the families of Paul's friends for some good Italian food and celebration.
Paul will be in a volunteer teaching position for two years somewhere in the country. He's not sure yet where he will be placed, but he's requested either California or Chicago. Both will make excellent vacation spots, so I don't care which he gets (though I am personally leaning towards California...).

Congratulations Paul, I am so proud of you!

Tales from the ER

This past Monday, I landed myself in the ER. Through the weekend, I had these bad pains on the right side of my abdomen. The pains were so bad that my friend Annie had to drive me to my doctor's on Monday. After some jabbing, my doctor told me that I had classic signs of appendicitis, minus the nauseau and fever. Off to the ER we went, where even the surgeon there was convinced I'd be undergoing the knife by nightfall. Turns out, my white blood cell count was normal as was my CT scan. I underwent some other tests the next day, all of which came back negative for anything 'major' going on. I still have the pains, but they are considerably less with the anti-inflammatories the doctor gave me. At least I got some days off from work and had some fun 'people-watching' in the ER.

Review: Paris je t'aime

Last weekend, I headed out to the beautiful Paris Theatre in New York. What I love about this theatre is that it's a real old-fashioned theatre, showing one movie at a time and with a balcony. Of course, it's completely re-done with cushiony seats and plush carpeting. We went to see "Paris je t'aime", which translates into 'I love you, Paris.'

The movie was composed of 20 short films, each taking place in a different district of Paris, and each by a different filmmaker (Wes Craven and the Cohen Brothers to name two). The stories encompassed the cultural characteristics of the districts and the people who live there. Most were spoken in French, with English subtitles, but some big-name American actors and actresses were also featured. Stories varied in genre, mood, and atmosphere, with some lighthearted, some darker but all revolved around the theme of love. There was even a vampire story in the mix.

Some more recognizable actors included: Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Elijah Wood.

I truly enjoyed this movie. It took a few films for me to adjust to how short each segment was. Once I did, I looked forward to the start of each story. This is the perfect movie for people who like to reflect and discuss movies after they see them: my greatest enjoyment was comparing and contrasting the films with my friends, and discussing possible endings to each vignette.

The Fall/Winter Collection

Well, it's that time of year for Spring Cleaning. Into storage goes my winter spicy-scented candles, dark curtains, and heavy blankets. Out comes colors of yellow and light green. Space Bags become filled with wool and cashmere sweaters to make room in my closet for light cottons and silk. Boots and dark-colored heels get packed away; strappy sandals come out of hiding. As a final send-off to my favorite winter heels, I thought I'd take a few photos. After all, the colors and textures of fall and winter are my favorite, and although I'm looking forward to the warm weather, I will deeply miss the burgundies, rust oranges, and browns of the season. So, goodbye, farewell, and I will see you in September....

Bragging Rights

Last night, I attended the Manhattan College Honors Convocation/Gunn Medal Presentation. It was a special night for my family: not only did my brother receive an award for campus ministry, he also received the highest honor that a student can receive, the Gunn Medal. In summary (from the college's website), "The Joseph J. Gunn Alumni Medal: This medal, awarded annually, is merited by the graduating senior who has been prominently involved in leadership activities over a period of four years at Manhattan College. Established in memory of Joseph J. Gunn, ’30, by his family." It is given to the graduating student who has left the biggest mark on the campus.

My brother had his bio read to an auditorium full of people. Some highlights include: Student Body President (where he introduced the 'swipe card' to Manhattan College), representing New York at a Lasallian leadership conference in Rome, volunteer tutoring of middle school students in Harlem, working at soup kitchens, speaking at retreats, and organizing various concerts and activities for the student body. Congratulations Paul!

I Ain't No Itzhak Perlman...

Earlier in the year, when our school's music department emailed the faculty with the idea to end the music season with a big number that included band, orchestra, and chorous, and that also featured faculty members, I thought "what the hay? It could be fun" and I signed myself up. If there's one thing I've learned this year, it's to think twice before 'signing up' for anything.

A week before the concert, I very bashfully approached the orchestra teacher and admitted to her that not only had I not practiced the piece she had put in my mailbox weeks ago, but that I no longer had a violin (my cousin is borrowing it). My hopes these excuses would get me out of my commitment were soon crushed when she told me with gentleness (a gentleness that only orchestra teachers possess) that had extra violins, and she switched me over to the less intense "Alternate Violin" (aka second violin) part. I was invited to join the ensemble's rehearsal during 6th period.

Turns out, I had a blast. The kids were thrilled to see me join them, and everyone asked, "YOU play the violin?!" . It felt so good to pick up the instrument again. Also turns out that I am TERRIFIED of the band teacher, who will be the conductor for this joined ensemble. At one point, I actually thought that I was going to get yelled at! But anyways, so here I find myself, practicing in my apartment to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". The beat is pretty easy: mostly just half and quarter notes, but the hard part is that there's a bunch of flats. I can't believe how much of my memory is still sharp in terms of reading music and translating it into fingering. The only bad thing: The violin has obviously been in storage for a little too long because it reeks of moufa (that moldy smell that resembles wet towel for those of you who don't speak Italian-American slang). And now my neck and shoulder also smells of moufa.

Well, Monday night is my big night.... for anyone who'd like to see, it's at 7:30 in the auditorium.

Wait 'til Next Year

Today I attended a funeral of sorts - I attended the last game of the New York Rangers' 06-07 season. Their Eastern Conference semi-finals series against the Buffalo Sabres was quite a roller-coaster ride:

Game One (in Buffalo): Rangers lost big, a very fair loss

Game Two (in Buffalo): Rangers lost due to some 'interesting' calls; Rangers could have and should have won this one.

Game Three (in NYC): This is the game I went to (see previous post). Down 2 games to 0, the Rangers came out flying, the Garden was rocking, and a double-overtime win by the Rangers narrowed the series to 2-1. During this game, the officiating was horrendous, and utter embarrasment to the NHL - calls that were consistently in favor of the Sabres; even a legitimate goal by the Rangers was waived off....

Game Four (in NYC): The Rangers take this game, evening the series to 2-2. The officiating was definitely more fair.

Game Five (in Buffalo): Up until 5 minutes left in the game, the score remained 0-0. The Rangers scored, leading the game 1-0. With a minute left, Buffalo pulls their goalie to put a 6th player on the ice. The Rangers ice the puck, moving the face-off deep in the Rangers' zone. There's about 10 seconds left. With 7.7 seconds left, Chris Drury (a former BU player!) ties up the game for the Sabres. The scoring is very controversial because (surprise....) Buffalo committed a penalty that was not called by the refs.... In OT, Buffalo scores (during, guess what - a Rangers penalty...) and takes game 5.

Game Six (in NYC): I'm also at this game: the Rangers score first, but the Sabres take the lead, and the Rangers are trying to play catch-up the entire time. The reffing for the first two periods is bad but not as terrible as the past games. Period three is a different story: Jagr was called TWICE for penalties when he never even touched a Sabre... very fishy... The Sabres capitalized on their power plays and the Rangers just could not catch up. The refs did not call some obvious penalties on the Sabres and the saga continues... After the game, the fans gave a standing ovation to our Rangers, and it made me proud to stand as a Rangers fan. This is the best sports town in the world.

SO, Congratulations to the Sabres who won with a lot of help from the refs (some research also enlightened me to the fact that the officiating during their first series vs. the Islanders was also pretty horrendous and one-sided), who I'm sure was somehow influenced by NHL chair Gary Bettman.

And, a truly heartfelt Congratulations to the Rangers, who outplayed the first-place Sabres, and who should have won the series. Thank you for a wonderful year. We'll have an even better year in 07-08, under the leadership of Jagr and Shanahan, the amazing goaltending of Lundqvist, and the new talents of guys like Calahan. Let's Go Rangers!

Review: Romeo + Juliet (NYC Ballet)

This Saturday, I decided to take advantage of the culture in my own backyard by seeing the New York City Ballet's production of Romeo + Juliet. It took place at Lincoln Center and was a classical rendition of the ballet (Peter Martin, choreographer), to Prokofiev's score.

Our seats were up high, and rather than this being a disadvantage, it really allowed us to see how everything came together to create a beautiful production. In ballet, there are no words; it is up to dance, expression, and costumes to 'tell the story': to tell us who each character is, what their position is, what they are doing, and how they are feeling. From up high, it was possible to note the intricate choreography and the formation of the dancers. The costumes were vibrant and looked spectacular from the birds-eye view. Even from a distance, we were able to tell the fabrics and textures. The costumers dressed the Montagues in cool colors and the Capulets in warm, easing interpretations during full-cast scenes. The music and the lighting, swelling and waning together, added to the emotions experienced in the story of the star-crossed lovers. The entire production was beautiful and moving - it amazes me that all of this talent is put together for a mere 2-week run; and whilst it seems a shame that it doesn't run for longer, it also makes my opportunity to share in the event even more meaningful.

The New Rules of Driving

So, I've lived on the "Gold Coast" of Long Island for about 5 months now, and my strongest observation here is that people cannot drive. Actually, I should say that they do not abide by the rules of the road. My theory is that the people on the Gold Coast feel that they are priviledged, and thus the same rules do not apply to them as does apply to the rest of us. I'm so glad I drive a small car so that I can navigate around all these obstacles (and that it's red and thus visible to oncoming nuts). Here are the new rules of driving for you to be aware of, just in case you venture to visit me:

1) Signals are entirely optional

2) Cars making turns have complete right-of-way over cars driving straight, ESPECIALLY if you're making the left turn....

3) If you are pulling out of a parking spot, you DO NOT have to yield to traffic. Heck, you don't even need to look to see if there are any oncoming cars! Oh, and you can just open up those car doors without looking first for oncoming traffic too!

4) Lane markers are mere 'suggestions' - feel free to drive between two lanes!

5) Slow, leisurely driving and 'coasting' is highly encouraged, especially when you're driving between two lanes so that no one can pass you! Why wear out your accelerator pedal?!

6) Double-parking is highly encouraged, especially when you're directly across the street from another double-parked car so that the road becomes nice and narrow...

7) Should you find yourself as a pedestrian, you can (a) cross in the middle of the streets (b) take your time walking across said street (c) no need to look before you cross!