Discovered Priorities Upon Returning Home

Parent Cafe
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<p>We just got back from a 12-day trip, a whirlwind that included visiting TheMom’s stepmother and 91-year-old aunt plus siblings, cousins, etc., in Saint Louis; attending D’s college orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall and then playing tourist with events including “Spamalot,” New York City Ballet, and walking our feet to stubs at the Frick and Metropolitan museums in NYC; dropping the D back in Northampton after frenetic day that included brunch with a well-known Smith alum and writer I’ve known for years [mostly on-line] and who wanted to meet D, an afternoon with my half-brother and his family, drinks with CC co-founder Sally Rubenstone who, it turns out, was in the same Mommy-and-me group as my half-brother’s wife with <em>their</em> first child, and dinner with D’s college chaplain; and two days visiting Boston, which included dinner with Marite and family, walking our feet to more stubs through Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Gardner Museum, and a tour of the USS Constitution and me climbing all 294 steps in the interior of the obelisk that serves as the monument to the battle of Bunker Hill (my thighs are still complaining), all while navigating Boston streets where both the white lines and the signs are mainly decorative. And this doesn’t count the flat tire in Northampton on the way back to JFK, said implicit delay causing us to miss our flight and have to scramble for a later plane.</p>

<p>Upon returning home, there are 12 days of mail, 12 days of phone calls, 12 days of on-line postings in three completely different arenas, 12 days of newspapers, 12 days of client doings and not-doings, et cetera et cetera et cetera to confront me, not to mention a cat that issues periodic vocal rebukes at our extended absence.</p>

<p>So what winds up being the <em>first</em> task that I address after breakfast? Catching up the missing days in “9 Chickweed Lane” to explain how circumstances came to be as they were in this morning’s comic pages.</p>

<p>Yeah, yeah, I know…I like the Andre Maurois quote, “In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.” It also applies to real estate and post-vacation priorities.</p>

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<p>Welcome back. All that in 12 days-did you sleep?
Glad the only bad news was the flat tire.How was Spamalot? I am trying to convince husband to attend his sister’s 50th BD in PA with stop in NY to see Spamalot for son’s 19th BD.</p>

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<p>My H saw Spamalot in preview in NYC a couple months ago while on a business trip and recommended it highly, as long as you’re good with silly.</p>

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<p>I hope you gave Marite and family all our virtual best.</p>

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<p>Wellcome home! Now that you’re back I’m glad you’ve got your priorities straight. That’s the first comic I read every morning.</p>

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<p>“Spamalot” is well worth seeing, though it could easily be called “Spoofalot,” a hybrid between “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and send-ups of various musicals. Alas, I don’t go to many musicals…I caught the digs at “Phantom,” TheMom thinks she caught some digs at Cher, but the show works pretty well even if you don’t catch everything. </p>

<p>Nota bene: if you’re thinking of getting tix, order <em>now</em>, they’re sold old for months in advance. Bearing in mind that this was only our second trip to NYC and who knows when we’ll be back, I engaged the “secondary market,” the euphemism for “scalpers.” Glad we did it but looking forward to seeing it again in LA at face-value prices when it gets here. </p>

<p>Our seats were towards the rear of the Orchestra…in retrospect, the third row of the mezzanine would probably be a better choice but I don’t think I could have known that in advance without having seen the Shubert. It’s a good enough show that I’d avoid “partial view” tix…optimally, I’d go for the 7th to 10th row of orchestra or first three rows of mezzanine…rear of balcony and you’ll miss too much.</p>

<p>AlumMother, I did indeed pass on virtual best. Marite’s farewell post was just before we left and I hadn’t queried at that time because of Too Much To Do in too little time. </p>

<p>I thought of the recs you might have given. We stayed at the Copley Square Hotel, which suit our purposes as far as location, and they nicely upgraded us to a suite, in this case one honoring Wm. McKinley, who used this hotel as his campaign headquarters. Easy access to Copley Square (duh!), the museums, etc. For those visiting Boston, avoid a car if you can…parking is $$$$$. We spent $22 just for one afternoon at the Museum of Fine Arts and that’s on top of the $$$$$ hotel parking charge. The second day at the MFA we took the T.</p>

<p>We had an exquisite dinner at the Atlantic Fish Company on Boylston, an easy walk from the hotel. I had crab-stuffed lobster, a truly great clam chowder, and TheMom and I shared a lobster-stuffed ravioli as an appetizer, something she wished she’d ordered as her entree though the red snapper, a sentimental favorite of hers, was very good. The glow of the trip no doubt added to that from chi-chi champagne-with-Godiva-with-raspberry-liqueur cocktail but what the heck. (And after NYC, or even LA, the price of the meal was astonishingly low for value received.)</p>

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<p>A long x-post. MarDad, I’m disciplined, putting off “9 Chickweed until I get to it in its proper order.” First “Doonesbury,” then the bridge problem, then the rest of the comics in sequence…even the lamentable “Rex Morgan,” I’m a completist…with special attention to “9 Chickweed,” “Sally Forth” (I could swear they’ve bugged our place sometimes), “Frazz,” and “Get Fuzzy.”</p>

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<p>Sounds like quite the trip. And you got some CC in there with seeing Sally and Marite, both of whom I have also visited. We miss Marite here!! </p>

<p>I stayed at the same hotel as you did in Boston 2 1/2 months ago when my daughter had her Boston Conservatory audition and we ALSO were upgraded to a suite and it was just the two of us and it was pretty impressive considering how little I paid. I wonder if we had the same room! </p>

<p>Glad your trip was full of good times.
Susan</p>

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<p>Susan, it was room 406.</p>

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<p>Sounds like a great trip. Glad for the connection with Marite. Hope your NYC digs were ok…</p>

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<p>TheDad, I vaguely recall ours as being on the sixth floor. But my mind is going, ya know. I also was in so many hotels with her all winter that I cannot keep it straight. When we left that hotel to get the car to go back to Vermont, my child was keeled over in pain and I was unsure what to do as we had a long ride home on a Sunday night in the middle of nowhere. I ended up with her in an ER in Boston where she checked out and I still do not know what caused it. Little did I ever imagine in my wildest nightmares that seven days later, she’d be in an ER under much worse circumstances. So, maybe I am trying to forget the details at this point! </p>

<p>On that note…just to update forum friends…my D who was in that serious car accident…walked without crutches for the past day and is going to her prom tonight…walking…not sure about dancing but it is still a big deal.</p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>WOW Susan that is the most amazing news of the day! Thanks for the update on your D, and here’s hoping the prom goes swimmingly tonight!</p>

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<p>Best news I’ve heard in a couple days, Soozie…thankful, congratulatory cyberhugs to you both. Hope she has the time of her life tonight!</p>

<p>I think I may have missed this – where did she decide to enroll?</p>

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<p>Susan, I’m so happy for your D’s continued recovery. Good for her, good for you for getting through it.</p>

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<p>Yea to Susan’s D!!! So glad to hear of it!</p>

<p>TheDAD! Sounds like a culture vulture’s dream come true. Sitting out here in the boonies, I envy you greatly.</p>

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<p>Wow, Susan, I am thinking that tonight is the best prom ever. Blessings on your d.</p>

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<p>Oh, Susan that is fabulous news! I hope she has a great time at the prom.</p>

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<p>oops…I feel guilty…this is TheDad’s thread…one thing led to another and my mind was on how he mentioned the hotel we stayed at one week prior to her accident and all that has happened since and then tonight…yeah, she is real happy and if I know her, against all advice, might even be dancing right now. Amazingly after only two days putting weight on her leg, she looks like normal walking even though she is obviously still in therapy to build strength and get everything back and be able to dance (serious dance, I mean). She wanted to be able to walk without crutches by prom and by graduation and that has all come true. </p>

<p>Since this is a shameful hijack that I did not mean to do and realize now that I did…but to finish it up while I am at it, lol…</p>

<p>Tonight has its bittersweet aspects. Actually had she NOT been injured in that accident, she would NOT have been at prom. This weekend is the annual dance performances by her studio at a theater in VT, a performance she has been in in a significant capacity for TEN years. This was to have been her final performance here. Every year, my kids have the conflict of the dance show with our high school prom. She would have had to be in the dance show and would have sorely missed prom. She does say that the silver lining in her otherwise terrible ordeal is that she IS going to prom and can’t imagine what this week would have been like to be out of that loop as would normally have been her situation. However, to not be in all her dances in her various disciplines including likely her last pointe ballet, as well as the many dances also included in this show by her select repertory troupe, is pretty difficult. Her last moments with this, moments to be treasured, just cannot happen. </p>

<p>However, they have incorporated her into the show anyway. Each year, for the seniors in the repertory company (just one aspect of the show…as every student of all ages who takes dance also dances at this show but the repertory troupe does MANY and all these kids are ALSO in many OTHER dances via their classes)…but the director choreographs a special dance for these departing seniors in the select troupe and this year there are three including my daughter and it so happens that the music the director planned to choreograph the piece to is Lennon’s Imagine as sung in the style of Eva Cassidy. And by coincidence, my D has recorded a CD of herself with that same song in the same style. The director has opted to have my D sing the song (my husband onstage accompanying on guitar) as the other two dance it. This senior dance is usually a huge tear jerker for those on stage and in the audience. Tonight, cause of prom, she is not performing and they are using a CD but the next two nights, she is singing as they dance it (normally there are no live singers in this show). I saw dress rehearsal last night and it is very moving. So, she will have this one moment on stage in this show after all. She feels good about that. </p>

<p>Also prior to her accident, she had been asked to choregraph a tap dance for the troupe as she has in past years (is kinda her forte) and in fact, when she had her accident she was coming from her studio where she had taught her choreography for this dance for the first time that day. In the last few weeks on crutches, she has somehow continued to choreograph it and that dance is being performed in all three shows this weekend, so her “work” will appear. She opted to choreograph to an a capella group from her sister’s college, Brown. Her sister, just got home from college last night (actually arrived at dress rehearsal before ever getting to even come home). So, this weekend has its myriad of ups/downs but luckily could all be viewed as “ups”. On the one hand she missed many of her “lasts” but we all know, these are not truly her lasts on stage. Thank God, she is going to be fine and will be performing again, her true passion…and will be in shows this summer and apparently good to go for college in the fall. Beachy, she is going to matriculate in the BFA program for musical theater at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Brighter days ahead. </p>

<p>I have bought a parting gift to leave at her dance studio…a director’s chair that is embroidered with Dance Mom for the next crop of moms (sorry to theDad here!) who will sit for hours every night for ten years (as I have) in the foyer as their kids are in dance classes. I joked about doing this for years as I was a fixture in a chair there every night while my kids grew up and time to leave a warm seat for who comes next. My D will sign it. </p>

<p>TheDad, I am very sorry that your thread got into this and it’s MY BAD. It was not planned and I regret that. With posters reponding to that mention of mine, I feel obliged to return to it but forgive me. </p>

<p>Maybe I can link it to your mention of having seen a Broadway show?? LOL…that is my D’s passion…and Spamalot is one she has yet to see. I guess she has the next four years to catch the shows. </p>

<p>Sorry once again.
Susan</p>

<p>PS, I should have created a new thread to respond to the questions but I am flat out exhausted and was waiting up until my D called as instructed when she reached her final destination for the night following the actual prom. And thankfully, she just called as I finished this post, LOL. I can go to bed!</p>

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<p>Nighty-night and sweet dreams, Susan…thanks for the update. Wishing your D many, many more wonderful performances.</p>

<p>As for this thread…back to you, TheDad!!</p>

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<p>Back to you TheDad - but soozie my D just told me tonight that the boy who kills us all every time with his voice in her senior class (Catholic high school…)will also be at NYU next year! And I thought of your D! And made sure my D would ask what was the studio! So your D in many ways has made her way across the country. I just am dying to hear her some day. And I have a secret fantasy where I send Sir Cameron Mackintosh, my first job after college, a note letting him know to hire your D. A fantasy, I know, but I do imagine that somehow if she has compelled this level of imaginative effort something is there. I hope her prom was fabulous. Fabulous. Fabulous.</p>

<p>Alu</p>