Monthly Archives: August 2009

The Hungry Wolf

Well I just got back from a fun visit with Harpy to the American Museum of Natural History. It’s a great place to visit, to see your relatives. Always busy and always crowded though.

The first time I had ever gone to the museum was on a class trip with St Francis de Sales in 4th or 5th grade. Somehow they had gotten it together and got a bus or two full of students into the city which was not as kid friendly as it is now.

Eventually, we were herded together into the museum and the Hayden Planetarium. It must have been 5th grade because word was Jimmy Murray had copped a feel on a girl during the planetarium show in the dark.

He said he did, whether or not that was true remains unknown. She was a girl that I recently re-friended on Facebook and if we ever meet again I’ll have to ask her.

I do remember the big blue whale in a great hall. Not as darkly lit as it was today. Creating an environment that looked as natural as possible wasn’t a concern then.

The other thing I mainly remember was most of the boys fleeing from the class mother, Mrs. Munafo and running wild up and down the stairwells in the museum creating a ruckus.

The second time was probably 15 years ago with Meghan Taylor, the funniest girl alive. Meghan and I took Meghan’s daughter Lily to the museum. I believe it may have been an early spring day, with Meghan and myself pushing Lily in her stroller.

Meghan and I enjoyed ourselves as did Lily. The main thing I remember from that is that the three of us with our Irish faces looked like a family which cause a few other people to comment on what a lovely family we were. We didn’t discourage them.

That is when Lily became my ersatz daughter basically. We decided to run with that and we are still running to this day. The other time was when I took Perry Brody for a trip to the museum.

Perry lived around the block from me in Weehawken, the son of Cheryl Welch and the late Don Brody. Cheryl thought I would make for a good male role model in Perry’s life at that time and a trip to the city sounded like a fun idea.

Perry must have been around 6 or 7 at the time. We rode in on the bus and took a subway. I chose the first car of the train and Perry and I stood looking out the door window next to the engineer. It had a roller coaster effect that we both enjoyed.

Perry, of course loved the museum but we had to hurry through the dinosaur skeletons since they were a bit overpowering and scary for his young mind. Basically I picked him up and hustled him from one end of the hall to the other which his face buried in my shoulder.

After that was a trip to a playground in Central Park where Perry fell and nicked his knee. He cried a bit so I made it looked like I had hurt myself too and I wasn’t crying, so why should he?

It seemed to have worked but that was the last time I ever went anywhere with Perry. I did babysit a few times for him and his sister Molly though where I was declared to be cooler than Coolio.

I went once again after going with Perry, this time with Annemarie and Earl when he was a kid. Another good time with Anne and Earl but the main thing I remember was running around in the summertime heat in the Diana Ross playground, getting wet in the sprinklers.

So today was a visit with Harpy and it was a lot of fun. But by the end after schlepping around the museum, dodging strollers and restraining ourselves from braking the mini-mega phones that a few kids had going on and on, we were exhausted.

We parted ways, Harpy and I. He getting on the C train heading uptown and me trekking south to get a hot dog at Gray’s Papaya. Most of the pictures were posted on Facebook but there are some posted here as well.

This is actually from yesterday. They were all startled by a pigeon.

This is actually from yesterday. They were all startled by a pigeon.

8.31.09 AMNH with Harpy 001

8.31.09 AMNH with Harpy 014

Does anybody really know what day it is?

Does anybody really know what day it is?

John Ozed time!

John Ozed time!

Napping guard in the Amazonian room

Napping guard in the Amazonian room

8.31.09 AMNH with Harpy 025

8.31.09 AMNH with Harpy 026

Triceratops!

Triceratops!

Stegasaurus

Stegosaurus

Marc Bolan

Marc Bolan

♫ 3 Buffalo Gals go round the outside ♪

♫ 3 Buffalo Gals go round the outside ♪

Hanging with a bear

Hanging with a bear

Me and my wolf brethren

Me and my wolf brethren

An unhappy Toltec god about to take his revenge

An unhappy Toltec god about to take his revenge

the ancestors

the ancestors

Great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great ad infinitum grandma and grandpa

Great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great ad infinitum grandma and grandpa

Dear sweet Lucy

Dear sweet Lucy

'You're a pest'

'You're a pest'


Grrrr!

Grrrr!

I heart BATS

I heart BATS

The magnificent Blue Whale

The magnificent Blue Whale


8.31.09 AMNH with Harpy 090

Blue Whale belly!

Blue Whale belly!

Harpy on the Moon

Harpy on the Moon

That is it!

That is it!

The Cool Out

Well let’s see, I slept later than usual today. Bill had a bus charter trip to Bear Mountain today, fulfilling his desire to drive a bus again. It’s been an nice day, not so much rain.

I ran some errands this morning, though it was discouraging that the Daily News didn’t have a comics section so I won’t know what Winnie Winkle is up to, or whether Sarge will be saved or fall into the ravine on Beetle Bailey when the tiny tree branch breaks after the strain of Sarge’s weight. Or even the Lockhorns!

What abusive spousal hijinks will they be doing?How will I get by?

The news agent offered me a free NY Post but I refused. Just not the same and how much Mallard Fillmore do I need?

Today’s plan was to go to Central Park to see Conjunto Imagen in which my friend Excer plays keyboards.

He said it was at the band shell. Following that I thought about going to Brooklyn to see Grizzly Bear doing a free show. But from what I read it was a crazy scene last week when Girl Talk played and many people were turned away.

And Grizzly Bear is way bigger than Girl Talk, plus True Blood is on and I didn’t want to risk not catching tonight’s episode, especially since it’s leading up to a big showdown between Sookie and Marianne, plus Bill meeting the Vampire Queen of Louisiana.

Let’s face it, I’m pretty much addicted to True Blood.

I made it up to Central Park with no problems, avoided the crowded street fairs which was totally different than the street fair I strolled through yesterday on Second Avenue.

Lot’s of people in the park, the Sheep Meadow was closed for some reason so instead of the sheep being penned in, they were roaming freely throughout the park. I walked up to the band shell expecting to see and hear some Salsa but there was a puppet show of sorts going on there.

It turned out that Conjunto Imagen were playing at the Rumsey Playfield behind the band shell where Summerstage usually goes on. And they were at the end of the bill.

Lot’s of different things going on. It was a big Puerto Rican festival, featuring geriatric dancers, Puerto Rican puppets and a few other Salseros. I tried to walk out the entrance but was stopped. I took a picture of the guy stopping me who told me it was illegal to take his picture.

I wound up wandering around, sitting on the rock, walking over to Bear Hill overlooking the Skate Circle. Finally went back in just as Excer’s band was setting up.

Stayed for half the set and started feeling hungry. Decided to head home and make dinner which is what I did after walking down to the Path train.

A very pleasant evening followed by a good dinner of what else but penne, pesto and chicken. Light and easy to make.

Now True Blood is on, and my attention is compromised.

OK True Blood is over. Tried to stuff too much in this episode, trying to tie up loose ends before season finale in two weeks. Still it was sitting at the edge of your seat type stuff.

That’s it, I’m tired.

8.30.09 Central Park Etc 040
Pretty in Punk

"You can't go out this way and taking my picture is illegal" "You can't go in this way". The woman was p-i-s-s-e-d!
Yeah, THAT ended well.

Yeah, THAT ended well.

Where the show wasn't

Where the show wasn't

Excer, far left

Excer, far left

Ladies and Gentlemen, Excer Rivera!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Excer Rivera!