Saturday, October 25, 2008

Rain Date

Every year around the anniversary of my father's passing, I remember him by doing something that reminds me of him. A day that we might have spent together doing things that he would have liked to do.

As I planned this year's day it occurred to me (as it does, I think, every year that I do this) that many of the things that he liked to do are things that I already regularly do so taking time to do something 'out of the ordinary' is really redundant.


Still, this year it meant a lot to me to remember him this way and for I think the first time ever, I brought someone along - the BF.


8am The day started off with busywork: laundry. The price I pay for not going to the gym: doing laundry while the BF works out. It's been a long time since I've been a regular gym goer and while I sort of miss it (and am watching my waistline enlarge) I'll take sleeping in any day.

9:30 Breakfast. A Dad breakfast with eggs and sausage.

10:30 I stop at a Lens Crafters across the street from the BF's place in order to transfer my account from another store across the city to them. The workers at this Lens Crafters are incredulous and roll their eyes when the other store wants to charge me $10 to fax my records to them. I say to them: "now you know why I don't want to be a patient over there any longer"

11:00 I stop by Ricky's Halloween store to pick up a costume. I'm MCing two Halloween contests in the next few days and I've got to have something that's a little sexy (they are, after all, contests in gay bars) but not too revealing (that waistline and all) as well as affordable, reusable and easy to manuever in while I'm ushering contestants across a stage.



I pick a fireman outfit. It's a little drab but I think I might be able to sex it up a little. Did I just say that? In any event, as I write this I remember I used to have terrible nightmares growing up that the house would catch on fire. I'm sure someone smarter than me could analyze that.

Noon The BF and I leave the apt and have a harrowing cab ride from the West Village up to the upper east side. We arrive shaken AND stirred at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, become members and spend the next two hours nosing through exhibits both permanent (Greek, Roman, Oceania) and temporary (Jeff Koons). Dad would have stopped to read every card on every object and painting but neither of us do that. Yet.











1:30 We discover the cafeteria, settle down with a couple cokes, a salad and soup. The woman next to us has trouble opening a super sealed cellophaned bag of three chocolate chip cookies. The BF asks if we can help. She shows us three cookies in a cellophane bag sealed with a twist tie. I struggle with getting the twisttie unraveled but that doesn't work. Then I struggle with getting the twist tie up and off. That's not working either. This is one strong flippin bag.



Success, I finally open the bag and the kind woman offers me one of the incredibly moist cookies.


As I bite into it I realize how much chocolate chip cookies remind me of Dad.

It doesn't hit me until I'm writing this that what saved us from losing our minds at his funeral was Pastor Holten's ridiculous analogy how "God doesn't throw away his children like a baker tosses out a bad batch of chocolate chip cookies". Later, the BF asks me if I think Dad (and a mutual friend who passed away) are still with us. I say 'yes' but I don't think I know exactly why I think that until this very moment.



2:30 We're walking down Fifth Avenue enjoying a cloudy and occasionally rainy autumn day. The leaves on the trees are still green but there are bunches of yellow and brown leaves swirling on the sidewalk aside the Park. It's gorgeous out.











2:45 Dad and I used to enjoy the Best Popcorn In The World from a little old fashioned red popcorn wagon that sat next to a bookstore in Wausau and so to that end, the BF and I decide to catch a show at the Paris on W. 58th just across the street from the Apple Store. This is a bust. The 2:20 show has already started and the line for the Apple Store (I think Dad would have been all into the gadgets so it seems a sort of natural place to go) is so long that we opt out of both and in the confusion I forget about the popcorn. We'll catch up on this sometime this week as the movie (A Secret) looks really good.



3:15 We're walking across 57th Street passing by Rivoli Books (Dad would have spent hours in there) and dodging raindrops when we pass by what used to be a typical sight in New York - people being outrageous. This has nothing to do with Dad and everything to do with just wanting to get a picture of the fabulousness. I ask to take his picture, he consents, I tell him I'm a New Yorker and he says "well, then definitely yes, then!"















3:30 We arrive at the newly renovated Museum of Art and Design (MAD) on Columbus Circle. Back as a kid I read Harvey Comics (the ones I would file away in the metal filing cabinet drawer that dad gave me) which had a Columbus Circle address but by the time I moved to the city, they'd moved their offices to Florida and Columbus Circle was a dreary muddle of outdated buildings.





Over the past 15 years I've seen in evolve into one of the most spectacular parts of town and the renovation of the building that now houses the Museum is the final touch.


Back three years ago when I recovered from a crippling relationship, the fountains in the roundabout in Columbus Circle had just opened up and Somehow they spoke to me and I would go there and sit and enjoy the calm (in the midst of cars .. I know, strange).


Perhaps appropriately, MAD's premiere exhibit features objects given a second chance - forks made into a vortex, spools of thread creating a picture of the Mona Lisa, vinyl records shaped into butterflys and so on. One ooohing and aahhing piece after another topped by the opportunity to watch artists create pieces for the exhibit. The staff is still a little rushed (they just opened a month ago) but the museum is a must stop for museum lovers.

4:30 Our feet are tired and we're a little cranky and so we subway back to Chelsea and top off the day with a pizza but pretty damn excellant at Roccos on 7th Ave.


5:30 Between the cookies and the pizza, this has been a pretty food filled day but we head to Baskin Robbins anyway. Dad, mom and I would often have dinner at Shakey's pizza joint followed by ice cream at Howard Johnson's, but neither exist in New York (do either even exist at all anymore?) so we got the next best thing. But BR is cleaning their ice cream vats and so we're out of luck but given everything that we've done already, I'm good.



Yeah, I think Dad would need a lay down on the couch with NPR on at this point and I think it's pretty much what I'm going to do as well.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Moved me to tears. Well done Andrew. And I'll make you chocolate chip cookies anytime you want. Meatballs to

Anonymous said...

You forgot the fried potatoes for breakfast:)!

Anonymous said...

And when you do get that ice cream don't forget the soda crackers.