Sunfest

Another cool aspect of this vacation is Sunfest. A five day music festival on the water, in combination with live music and Florida sun, I'm not sure what could make me happier! Last night we listened to a little Sheryl Crow, not my favorite but, hey. We grooved to George Clinton before that, though, and, man, they still funk it up! His lead guitarist opened the show in a diaper, nice! The cast of characters is truly a riot. He's got "Bid Daddy" on trumpet and 2 dudes who come out on stage to battle in pimp wear, one a James Brown fanatic, the other just a no-name pimp. No sure who won this round, but my vote goes to Big Daddy.

Away again

I am at the beach with my friend Heather. Her birthday is in a few days so we thought, "VACATION!" Here in West Palm, Florida, the sand is the color of my mom's hair of a few years ago. A lovely salt and pepper, a mix of rocks and shells, the sand, mind you, not Mom's hair. The sand is coarse much easier to brush of the skin than that of the Emerald Coast or St. Maarten. The color is darker and richer and still beautiful.

We are at Blowing Rocks nature preserve. A bird sanctuary and sea turtle breeding haven, porous rocks line the beach. From a distance they look like turtles themselves but up close more like sponges. As the tide rises and hits the rocks, water shoots through the pores in mini geysers. The ebb and flow of the water the ocean's heartbeat, slow and rhythmic, I am at ease.

Food on wheels

In New York City, the world is your kitchen. We eat on the train, in the park, in cabs, on the street, not to mention in restaurants. And you are never alone at it. We are a city of spazzes. Eating, talking, walking, scoping.

As we speak, or I write, anyway, I am eating a cranberry scone on the R train and drinking a coffee from the Mud truck. Portable food stands are essential to the NYC experience. Water dog vendors, halal food, coffee trucks, random meats on portable grills, any food desire and on any block is granted here. Can you imagine wheeling your job down the block to set up shop on the corner?

Freebies

Today my mom flies back to Singapore. We met at her hotel for snacks on the Hilton Executive circuit and wow, did we almost get mowed down by by a swarm of older women. A spread of fruits, cheeses, you know, finger foods buffet style with a cash bar, the way these folks attacked, you'd have thought that they hadn't eaten all day. Neither of us could pinpoint where they were from, but my mom had to retreat when they refreshed the fruit platter. Dag, people! On a New York budget, I guess free is free.

Safe flight, Mom. All 18 hours of it.

Moo Moo Moo Moo

My mom got in to the city tonight, a two-day conclusion in the city before her trek back to Singapore. We had a bite to eat and then saw Gypsy, starring Patti LuPone. Hot diggity, she is a hit in my book. I've loved her since Life Goes On, that show that had the kid Corky in it...remember? Anyway, Patti does a great job, no surprise. I've never seen this show before and don't have any other actress to which to compare her, but I had a blast. I laughed. I was captivated, touched, laughing...out loud. There is this scene with a cow on stage. Hilarious!

At other moments, Miss Patti sent chills down my arms and legs. Now, that's rare. While I neither have the training to judge this type of work, nor do I have the Broadway bug exactly, I did grow up singing in a choir, at times with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and even abroad. And I love singing. In a church, in the bathroom, even just rockin' out in the car! What a wonderful show and inspiring performance.

The self

I claimed myself as a writer on my tax return this year. I wonder if that's accurate. Do you have to make money at something in order for it to be your "occupation"? I don't think so. You are what you love. Anyway, I'm hoping that the more I claim myself something, the more viable it shall become!

A kid named Sean came into the restaurant today. He had worked there a short while, years ago; I remembered his face. He came in to confess that he'd stolen money every shift he worked, an estimated total of a grand. His parents passed away this year, one right after the other, and he said that losing them had spurred him to take stock of his life. Part of his realizations involved righting the wrongs he'd done. In his hand he'd brought $1500 which he gave to the owner with deepest apologies. So obviously nervous and ashamed, he shook through the entire conversation. I wanted to touch him, show him some kind of comfort but didn't interject. It wasn't my place. And in New York, you mind your business.

This morning, as well, a co-worker came directly to work from court in tears. She's spent the last 2 two and a half years fighting for full custody and adoption rights for an adorable two year-old who's lived with her since day 29 of life. The unstable biological mother has popped in and out of the process, one month asking for rights, the next few missing court dates. Today was the last of it. The judge put an end to any further objectives from the bio mom's lawyer and severed visitation rights. My friend had just hired an expensive, super savvy attorney, and for a pretty penny. But after having read the file, the new lawyer called my friend to agree to take the case pro bono. She admitted that she'd never seen a case quite like this one.

So the owner comes up on her way out to lunch and says she's going to blow the $1500 on her 50th birthday celebration at the end of this month. I told her that it seemed a pretty serious karmic moment, that maybe she should do something good at least with a part of the money. She talked about donating to the ashram she attends. Me, I mentioned the two-year old who'll now have a chance in life. Turns out, the owner gave the newly official mom-to-be a large chunk of the money for her new official daughter-to-be. It's a day for good things. On a day so dreaded, taxes due, money wasted or gained, it's nice to see evidence of what really makes each of us human.

Fantasy

I'm on the 6 train, never ride it. I went to visit a friend uptown but he wasn't there. So there are four people, three guys and a girl, sitting across from me in the car. The guys are wearing masks backward. It looks like they were playing some fantasy game like Sumo Samurai or something. The guys have long nails, long hair, facial hair. They're wearing white and black only, maybe one has on a cape. The girl is licking a lollipop. One of the guy's hands on her knees and I realize that in this life there's someone for everyone.