SoberLeigh

Hope you are having (or had) a wonderful day in NYC.

Gonnachange

I had a fine time in New York City yesterday and the play was better than expected so that was a bonus.

This morning I was at the gym so that I could be tortured by my trainer. All is good.

Gonnachange

Missed this before. Thanks SL; we got home about 8:30. After the play we hung around and waited for Pacino to come out and he signed my cousin's playbill. He was very receptive to the crowd and took time to sign playbills and have his picture taken. Two theatres down was the Gin Game starring James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson and one of my cousins wanted to catch a glimpse of them leaving the theatre so we joined those already assembled over there. After a short while James Earl Jones came out and totally ignored the people waiting. We waited a little while longer, but left before Cicely Tyson came out.

SoberLeigh

Glad to hear that you had such a nice time in NYC, GC. Nice to hear that Pacino was so warm and friendly to his fans.

Gonnachange

Thanks about the day and I completely agree with you about how Pacino acted. My general recollection is that many Broadway stars interact to some extent with the fans after the show, which is in sharp contrast to the way James Earl Jones acted. I kid you not I was within a foot of him, extended my hand to shake his, I could have touched him that's how close I was, and he just walked right past me and the other folks and into the car waiting to whisk him wherever. Whatever, I still think he has a great voice. :-)

It's a bit of a pet peeve for me; be they actors, athletes, dancers, etc. these are supremely talented people who at the end of the day have become famous and wealthy due to regular folks watching them ply their craft. A few minutes a day to give back to that audience would go a long way.

Like many people I have many examples of both good and bad behavior; the first instance I can remember was a positive one. In about 1971 my parents took me and my sister to see Grease on Broadway and Treat Williams was a main character. After the show we waited by the performers' exit door and as Williams started to come out a security guard began shooing the fans away and Williams told him to stop and mingled with the people who had assembled. It obviously made a big impression on me.

Gonnachange

Tonight

Dinner tonight was leftovers; gently reheated filet mignon and wild black rice with sautéed onions. It's Monday and one of the hometown teams are on Monday Night Football so I'm going to grab a piece of the newspaper and park myself in front on the television to watch.

Tomorrow's projects will involve addressing our holiday cards, yes I'm late this year, and going for a run around lunch time.

Gonnachange

I stayed up later than I should have last night watching football, but I've been focused and on track today so there's no harm. My run is done, the holiday card envelopes are addressed and stamped, and I've made arrangements to get my friend's pick up truck later today so I can bring dear son and his dorm room contents home tomorrow.

Tonight's dinner is going to be pork chops that I still have to decide how I'm going to cook and sautéed spinach. Because I won't be getting home with my son until close to dinner time tomorrow I'm going to throw beef, potatoes, yams, tomato sauce, an onion, and various seasonings into my slow cooker before I leave so the family will have a healthy tasty dinner ready for us whenever we arrive. I also plan on going to the gym before getting him so between that and lugging his stuff from his dorm to the truck and then into our house I'm going to have an active day.

SoberLeigh

You are going to have a very active day tomorrow - no need for the gym.

Gonnachange

You're right, there's probably no need for the gym given what the latter part of the day will entail, but I know I'm going to be there. I'll still have plenty of energy to get his stuff where it needs to be so that's not a concern and I'll mentally feel better.

Gonnachange

My gym workout is complete and I'm now off to bring dear son and all his stuff home.

Have a great day!

SoberLeigh

Safe travels, GC.

Gonnachange

All went well. The trip down was a non issue and because my son got a bunch of friends to help move things we were able to leave early enough to avoid rush hour traffic on the way home.

An additional bonus was that because I had five college kids taking his belongings I only had to organize the truck. When we got home my wife pitched in with getting things situated so the lack of real physical exertion made me very glad I was at the gym this morning.

SoberLeigh

So glad that it went well, GC.

Gonnachange

Thanks SL. While I was prepared for just me and my son to move everything from his no elevator dorm, only one flight needed to be navigated, but we had to go up, I'll be the first to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I saw his friends show up. Besides letting some college age muscles do the heavy lifting the turnaround was much quicker which meant that, as I wrote yesterday, we didn't get stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home.

Tonight

Is going to be relatively quiet, but with all four of us in the house it's going to be busier than most of the fall. Dinner tonight is going to be baked breaded chicken leg quarters and a side of quinoa.

I'm going to watch some NFL football tonight with a plan to be in bed at a reasonable hour because I want to lift weights tomorrow around 7:30. And then the fun begins.

My daughter's boyfriend, who lives about 250 miles away, is arriving tomorrow afternoon. We'll have dinner at home and then they're going out and me and my wife may also to see the band that normally plays on the last Friday of the month at a local pub. There's a schedule change due to the next two Friday's being holidays. On Saturday the five of us are going into Manhattan for brunch and then to see a dance/music/spoken word show celebrating Christmas at a very small venue on the Upper West Side of the city. We'll then scoot home because my daughter and her bf are going to one of my favorite restaurants in town for dinner. I'm not sure what my son or me and my wife will be doing. I suspect that since some of my son's friends will be home from college he's going to meet them. Sunday's plans are undecided, I think.

SoberLeigh

You are going to be busy, GC - a good kind of busy.

Have fun.

Gonnachange

A very good type of busy. Last night when we were just hanging out in the living room it was great and earlier today when I heard the kids downstairs yucking it up between themselves I know I involuntarily smiled. They're smart, independent, and taking the steps they need to become successful adults and they also know that our home, the only one they have ever known, is a place where they are secure and loved. Knowing what their upbringing, as well as mine and my wife's has been, it pains me terribly to read some of the posts on SR. Truly sad stuff and I wish I had more of substance to add.

Lest I give the impression that every moment is like living in Shangri La, it's not . It would be unnatural for parents and kids to agree on everything. Furthermore, as much as I like them being around, I'm not promoting the idea to them that it's okay to be 40 and still living at home, not that they would want to. At that point I hope they can support me and my wife in a life style we'd like to be accustomed to.

Gonnachange

The day got off to a good start with this morning's workout. Since then I've been hanging with my son and awaiting the arrival of my daughter's boyfriend in a couple of hours. Plans for tonight are the same as what I wrote about yesterday.

SoberLeigh

Enjoy, GC.

SoberLeigh

Very nice, GC - all very nice, indeed.

Gonnachange

Thanks SL. Big changes in the dynamics of the house this week with my son home and my daughter's boyfriend arriving shortly. All for the good and there's certainly going to be a high activity level this weekend.