Nine Days in New York

Sunday – got up early for a race in Central Park, came back, showered and laid around most of the day since it was raining.  Then we headed to see two movies for the Tribeca Film Festival.  The first one was great,  BURN – a documentary about the Detroit Fire Department and the dire straits that this city and department are encountering.  Denis Leary was there as producer and I was a huge "Rescue Me" fan but this was just as compelling.  Thirty thousand fires a year in a city that now has only 700,000 residents…almost unimaginable.  Visually it looks like Katrina but structually reminds me a lot of what the South Bronx went through in the 1970’s here.  Luckily we were able to recover but I am not sure if Detroit has the funds/tax base to do the same.  I hope so.  

After that we hit our local for some dinner, then headed downtown to the big Tribeca theater to see Deadfall.  It was all right, nothing amazing.  I usually like a good thriller but this one wasn’t super-exciting to me.  We stayed for the Q&A with Stefan Ruzowitzky, Olivia Wilde, Eric Bana, and Kate Mara (creepy Hayden from "American Horror Story"!)  Kris Kristofferson, Sissy Spacek, and Charlie Hunnam who was the original Nathan/Justin from the UK "Queer as Folk" were also in the movie but didn’t come to the premiere.

Monday – The next night we went to see Hysteria, the movie based on that vibrator play from a few years ago.  It was all right, again nothing amazing.  We’d just seen Hugh Dancy in "Venus in Furs" and he always does that same confused/charming Hugh Grant before the hooker thing.  My excitement was when Clare Danes, who is his wife, sat in front of us.  Like every other woman of my generation, I will forever love "My So Called Life" and the Baz version of "Romeo + Juliet" so that applies to her as well.  I lived next door to her ex-boyfriend Ben Lee for three years and never saw her, so this was a (quietly) squee moment for me.  I feel that S did not share my excitement though! I saw online later that Ed Burns (looooove) and Christy Turlington were also present but they didn’t sit near us so no sighting of what is probably the hottest couple in all of Manhattan.

Tuesday – We had tickets to Lola Versus which I had kind of mixed feelings on.  On the plus side, it was completely bizarre in places and referenced old-school 90210 and Jessie Spano’s "I’m so excited" episode of Saved by the Bell.  On the minus side, it was kind of pathetic and boring.  I hate that mumblecore crap.  The lead actress is also in the new Whit Stillman which I also hate.  Boring talky entitled a-holes.

Wednesday – Kind of a shitshow.  We got dressed for dinner on the LES, had some time to kill before our reservation so popped into The DL for a drink.  Then we headed over to Hotel Chantelle for dinner.  I started with a Moscow Mule and shrimp with stone ground grits, cheddar cheese, chorizo, and greens as an appetizer.  I had grilled snapper as my main course, which was served over fennel.  S had fish too, I forget what kind but it was a whole fish with the skin and head and everything so I was glad I didn’t choose that one.  I had a Kir Yvette to conclude the meal and practically rolled downstairs.  We had another drink in the downstairs bar, which was very cool, then headed over to my old fave, The Delancey.  It was off the chain as usual, with a live band downstairs and burlesque on the main floor.  I am kind of sick of burlesque but they gave out free shots so that was good and I guess it’s something to look at at least.  Stayed for a while then started towards home but got waylaid at R Bar, formerly Pioneer which was the bar we never really loved but sometimes went to because it was so close to where we lived on Bowery.  Much more fun now…stripper poles and sparkle and drag queens.  I of course didn’t want to go home but S talked me into it and even treated me to a cab because we are degenerate souls who stay out all night on a Wednesday.

Thursday – We hit Two Days in New York, our last movie of the Tribeca Film Festival, and the one I was most looking forward to.  Julie Delpy from "Before Sunrise" wrote/starred in this sequel to "Two Days in Paris" which we saw at FIAF SF and really loved.  This one found the photographer character now living in Brooklyn with her boyfriend Mingus, a radio DJ played by Chris Rock.  Her crazy family comes to visit and shenanigans ensue.  Most interestingly, she hosts a gallery opening where one of the items up for auction is her soul.  I don’t want to spoil the ending but the actor Vincent Gallo buys her soul and keeps it in a velvet pouch near his groin.  Yeah.  I wanted to love this one but left with mixed feelings.  Very charming but something missing I thought.  Another 90’s flashback excitement moment – Ethan Hawke sat to the front left side of us,guess he was there to support his former co-star.  Very tall, broad-shouldered, and good looking – I’m a fan.

Friday – S was doing one of those Tough Mudder adventure races in Pennsylvania somewhere so left after work to pick up rental car and drive out to some ski house he was renting with a bunch of folks out in the Poconos.  It was a bit of a weird situation as his close friends had all bailed on the plan (they had been planning this for at least six months) so he was left with one guy he went to HS with (who is kind of a jerk) and a bunch of dudes he didn’t know who were friends/army buddies of the guy from HS.  Since it was originally a boys weekend thing, I had already made plans to be in NYC for the weekend before he found out that none of his friends were going anymore.  Oh well. It was A’s (my best friend from undergrad) birthday so I took her out to a club and we got bottle service (with sparklers!) and drank champagne and just chilled out until the wee hours.

Saturday – Slept in nice and late, got dressed for class, stopped at bodega for some sliced assorted fruit, a large bottle of water, a vitaminwater, and an iced coffee on steroids.  Mmm.  Class was fine, then I got groceries, ate a ton of food, took a nap, and watched "The Cutting Edge."  Possibly the best movie ever!  After that I got showered and ready for A’s official birthday party.  I had a new skirt, red and black silky flowery print, kind of a mini-skirt in the front but with a long flowy back, wore it with black tights, black lace up ankle boots and a black tee-shirt.  Walked to the bar that was hosting her party, made it in probably about two minutes before they started charging a cover.  When I got to the reserved area there were only two other people there, neither of who I knew.  Luckily one guy recognized me from A’s pictures online, and even knew my name, mainly because it’s the same as his.  Hung out with them for a while before people showed up, pretty random night.  We did a countdown at midnight for A’s birthday, hung out until around 2 am and then went to another place to dance but it was ridiculously loud and hurting my ears so I left a bit early.  (Because I am old.)  Walked home, and on the way at least eight different men hit on me/asked me to have a drink/smoke weed with them/offered a ride in their car/etc.  (Does anyone ever say yes to these types of offers?  Like, "Oh yes random stranger, I would love to go to some unknown place and partake in illegal drugs with you!"  Okay, scratch that, my old roommate did once go home with a dude she met on the street.  Not normal though!   Overall a weird night…I blame all the unwanted attention on the new skirt and its red flowy-ness, like a matador’s cape.  Stopped at the drugstore on the way home to get facewash, then went home.

Sunday – Woke up at 10:30am, which is super-early for me on a Sunday, and straightened up the house, which seriously, looked like a bomb had hit it.  While S was away I apparently decided it was a good idea just to throw everything on the floor and leave dishes in the sink.  He got home as I was putting the last bits of clothes away, so I managed to hide my secret slovenly nature for another day.  The race went really well for him, three hours for ten miles, but apparently that is pretty good with all the obstacles.  He was all bruised and scratched up, but very proud.  Spent the rest of the day just hanging out, reconnecting, and ventured out only for groceries.  Good lazy Sunday!

Monday – Worked from home, met S at his work, got an icecream cone and quick dinner at a local diner spot.  I had a hotdog and our waiter was the funniest – he kept folding little origami animals and flowers and giving them to S to give to me.  Like seriously, six different things!  I kept a little paper crane whose wings flap when you pull his tail.  S folded the tip into a little origami shirt he likes to do, and we walked down to the Library.  We had a wine reception in the beautiful rotunda, before a guided tour of two of the current exhibits, then more wine afterwards.  I love the Library, it’s the most magical and also relaxing place in the world to me.

One more event tonight, then some laid-back evenings ahead.  I am really hoping to use this time to get focused on fitness and training for the summer/fall season.  I always have this moment of sheer panic where I realize how far I still have to do and worry that this will be the year I don’t get things done.  I think the fear is what motivates me though, so hopefully dedication and diligence is ahead for me.