Man, if this is true, it's so freakin' cool...

Seen on William Bragg - the guy who was "Deep Throat" to Woodward & Bernstein has finally declared his identity. I printed out the Vanity Fair article and will read it tonight, hoping it's all true. I swear, I love this sort of stuff...

*Update at 4:41pm - Here's the story from CNN. It looks like it's all true, with a confirmation from Woodward & Bernstein on the Washington Post's website today (subscription required).

Random 20 - With a Twist

I got this from greyduck.net, who got it from someone else, who probably got it from someone else... You can follow the trail backwards if you want to. Here's the meme:

Step 1: Get your playlist together, put it on random, and play.
Step 2: Pick your favorite lines from the first 20 songs that play.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from.
Step 4: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly. - Except I just realized I'm not techie enough to know how to "cross out" anything, so I'll change the color instead...

Obviously, y'all come in at Step 3. I've made it a tad easier (on both you and me) in that I've skipped Italian tracks. I've also eliminated any duplication of artists. Finally, due to the number of jazz albums in my collection - most of which do standards - if it's a jazz song just the title (and not the artist) will do nicely.

Good luck...

1. I’m standing here in your closet/Unbuttoning all your clothes/I sleep in your bed tonight/But I never find you home/You're giving me crooked answers/I'm cracking your little code/I'm learning another language/So full it's about to explode

2. Hold me love/I can't sleep again/Will I have to kiss your nose?/I wanna lay here next to him, love/I remember walking in the rain/Rain was falling on my hands/I don't wanna live through that again, no/Outside the heart it gets dark now/And I was walking in the park now/Children singing songs/That will now make all our dreams come true

3. I'm told the case is now closed/So I can come to my senses/But when the question is posed/I'll have this meager defense/ ... /So I wasn’t thinking clearly so you didn’t think at all/I thought that was Protocol

4. A cold and wet November dawn/And there are no barking sparrows/Just emptiness to dwell upon - The Shins, "Young Pilgrims" - guessed by Beth

5. My heart is longing for you, love/I cared for you more than you knew/Though you have broken each promise/Yesterday's dreams are untrue/Alone, I'll be yearning tomorrow/When sunshine brings memories of you/My sunshine will turn into sorrow/As a dream of the love you once knew - Bono, "Dreaming With Tears in My Eyes" - guessed by Jim (who is responsible for me even knowing this song exists in the first place)

6. I believe in you/You know the door to my very soul/You're the light in my deepest darkest hour/You're my savior when I fall - Bee Gees, "How Deep is Your Love" - guessed by Lynn

7. If I listen close I can hear them singers/Voices in your body coming through on the radio - Duran Duran, "Union of the Snake" - guessed by Toni

8. Well, I’m lost out of reach of somebody’s arms that I can’t get close enough to/I can still feel her breath and still taste her lips, still hear her beating heart/ ... /I can look in her eyes and still understand though our ears hear a different tongue/Still we seek some excuse of what can go wrong though we claim to live to explore

9. I'm crying everyone's tears/And there inside our private war/I died the night before/And all of these remnants of joy and disaster/What am I supposed to do/I want to cook you a soup that warms your soul/But nothing would change, nothing would change at all/It's just a day that brings it all about/Just another day and nothing's any good

10. Gee, it’s nice to see you looking swell, baby/Diamond bracelets Woolworth’s doesn’t sell, baby - jazz standard, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" - guessed by Beth

11. Sleeping on a planter at the Port Authority/Waiting for my bus to come/Seven scotch-and-sodas at the office party/Now I don't remember where I'm from/I think I had a black wallet in my back pocket/With a bus ticket and a picture of my baby inside

12. Baby, can I dress you - I mean, help you pick out your clothes before we go out?/I ain’t sayin’ you’re helpless, but sometimes those are the things that being in love’s about - Prince, "If I Was Your Girlfriend" - guessed by Toni

13. Sun is shining in the sky/There ain't a cloud in sight/It's stopped raining/Everybody's in a play/And don't you know/It's a beautiful new day/Running down the avenue/See how the sun shines bright/In the city on the streets where once was pity

14. I want to take you down to the river/I want to wash the blood from your hands/I want to make you see - you belong to me - you won't ever win/I want to walk out over the water/I want to tear my heart from my chest/I want to change my face - want to leave this place - start all over again/ ... /I want to turn you into a Corvette, I want to drive you out of your mind/I want to watch your face - When you reach that place that you could never find

15. Wish I knew why I’m so in love with you/No one else in this world will do…/Though I know no good will come from loving you/I can’t do a thing, I’m so in love with you

16. Salt scales upon my drying arms/Burn my back beneath the sun/But I am cold beneath the burning rays/Looking down, looking down, down, down again - Franz Ferdinand, "40 Feet" - guessed by greyduck

17. Well it's a lonely road that you have chosen/Morning comes and you don't want to know me anymore/And it's a long time since your heart was frozen/Morning comes and you don't want to know me anymore

18. This little squirrel I used to be/Slammed her bike down the stairs/They put silver where her teeth had been/Baby, silver-toothed, she grins and grins - Belly, "Feed the Tree" - guessed by Toni

19. Take a trip, down memory lane/You will never wanna go again/Take your leave, take your leave/I don't wanna sing at all

20. They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family/Right down the line it’s been you & me/Loving a music man ain’t always what it’s supposed to be - Journey, "Faithfully" - guessed by Toni

Eww...

Oregon is known for its rain. That's pretty well understood. The fact that the rain brings giant banana slugs is less well-known, which is a good thing (or else no one would visit). This one was in my mother's backyard this morning. I refused to put my hand anywhere near it - that's hers. And this guy wasn't nearly fully extended either. Ew. Double ew.




(So, this link doesn't have anything - really - to do with banana slugs. But I think it's pretty fun anyway.)

Welcome to the world, Matthew!

You may recall the baby shower I went to in April. Well, it turns out April showers bring May babies! The little guy was scheduled for a C-section this coming Thursday, but just couldn't wait. He was born on Friday, and luckily I was visiting my mother for the weekend - she's just a half hour from the hospital where he was born, and we visited the happy family earlier tonight. Baby Matthew is beautiful, Daddy Mike is a real trooper (at our visit, he'd changed all the diapers so far), and Mommy Nicole looks fantastic. Someday, Matt will know what a fabulous set of parents he was born to. In the meantime, I wish the new family all the happiness in the world.


Baby Matthew, about 33 hours young, in my mom's arms

And I couldn't recall this at the time, but I knew Friday's child was a good one:

Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace
Wednesday's child is full of woe
Thursday's child has far to go
Friday's child is loving and giving
Saturday's child works for its living
And a child that's born on the Sabbath day
Is fair and wise and good and gay.

Basso: Rockin' the House

Yeah, had it not been for whatever tummy bug he had a week ago, Basso would be winning the whole damned race - he won today's time trial. And as you can see from the picture, he gets a fantastic maniacal grin on his face when he's working hard. You can't tell if he's smiling or grimacing, but either way it looks badass...


"The Smiling Assassin," as the Italian press are calling him, in May 27th time trial (photo from Gazzetta dello Sport online)

The Giro goes into the mountains one last time tomorrow, and then rolls into Milan for the ceremonial last stage on Sunday. That means two things - for racing fans, it's another weekend glued to the television and OLN's coverage; for folks who have been confused by all this cycling mumbo-jumbo, it means a return to your regularly scheduled non-cycling programming (both on OLN and this blog!).

And that's an order...

If you've not yet started reading Conor's blog, you're missing out. Seriously. I'd almost say that the time you spend reading this piddly little thing would be better invested over his way, but Andiamo! is so tiny in comparison to his that I think you can get to both...

Really, I'm not kidding. Read the man's work - in addition to being well-written and one of more well-described travelogues I've seen, it's indescribably funny. (I read two posts in a row this afternoon that had me laughing so hard I was crying and could no longer see the words on the computer screen. I'm not exaggerating.)

If you want to read from the beginning, start here and just keep clicking on the title to the right of the word "Main" until you're caught up. Otherwise, jump in anywhere and enjoy.

Twins on Deck

Jasmine got her fifteen seconds awhile ago, and the twins got jealous. Better pictures later when I'm not too lazy to use the "real" camera (these are with the digie). Oh, and that's Abby on the table in the first picture, her brother Bub below.


The twins on (the) deck


(L) Abby keeping watch over the neighborhood; (R) Bub hanging out under the deck table (I think he's checking out the catnip plants to see which branch he'll devour next)

Bravo Basso! (Again)

So, he apparently felt better today after his tummy troubles - he won today's stage! Wahoo! He's still nowhere near the top of the leaderboard, so his initial hopes of a Giro win are kaput this year, but he's come back from the depths to win on a mountain in Italy. Not bad.


Basso winning May 26th stage (photo from the Gazzetta dello Sport online)

Oh, and here is a picture of him yesterday - smiling, despite being so ill a few days ago...

Laundry Discoveries

Pulling the laundry out of the dryer, I found a Hong Kong dollar coin. It made the whole mundane task of doing laundry a travel-inspiring pleasure...

Calling All Photographers

A friend sent me a link to this notice, and I thought I'd post it here in case anyone might be interested...

We are looking for a photographer who has a sense for the “Americana” theme for use on the upcoming CD “Falling Down Blue” from the Seattle alt-country band “The Wakefields”. In the past, we have used images of “Airstream Trailers”, older American pickups and weathered diner signs. We want a very morose and moody picture to compliment our past releases and website theme. It’s not as important how big your resume is, but rather that you can capture the feel we want. So, if you’ve snapped a high resolution image with your digital camera that you like, chances are we may too! Students, interns, high school artists, hobbyists, amatures etc. are encouraged to contact us as well, don't be bashful.

We don’t have a ton of cash, but are willing to pay $100 per picture for the rights to use your image. We would credit you as the artist in the liner notes (including website URL), on our website(s), and your art would be on a 1000+ CD’s for sale in the US and world wide. You would be expected to enter into a verbal or written consent contract allowing us to use your image on the CD, for merchandising purposes, and display on the website for the agreed upon price.

More details, submission requirements, etc. can be found here.

Povero Basso

Well, it looks like Ivan will have to set his sights on something else - either this year's Tour de France, or next year's Giro d'Italia - because a bout of nastiness in his gut over the weekend has set him back over 40 minutes on the current leader, Paolo Savoldelli. Basso's shown his class, though, a couple times over the weekend. When asked why he didn't just abandon the race mid-stage on Saturday if he felt so badly, he said, "It would be better to climb in the ambulance." And he's still smiling when he gives interviews. He clearly thinks the race deserves more respect than if he just abandoned (tell that to Robbie McEwen), and is intent on finishing in Milan. Good man.

In other and completely unrelated (except that it's health-related) news, I finally got around to calling my primary care doctor to ask her what vaccinations I should get before going to China. The nurse on the phone said, "Yeah, she doesn't really keep up on that kind of stuff, and recommends that people go to a travel medical clinic." A what?!?

I'd never heard of such things. But they exist. And one is right down the street from my house. So I have a consultation appointment next month. Of course, none of this is covered by my health insurance. Apparently, traveling is bad.

Teabag Tag

"It is better to light one candle in the present than curse the darkness of the past."
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

Happy Little Bag

This was the insert in the package of red bean mochi cakes Chris brought back from his last trip (purchased at Narita during a layover). We have no idea what it means. Something on the left makes the little bag very sad, and apparently receiving a red bandage (in the right picture) makes it very happy, indeed.

Weekend Update

Friday
Chris has been working late hours these days (I’ve joked that he might as well still be in China, for as much as I’m seeing him), and Friday was no exception. Some friends had invited us to join them for dinner in our neighborhood, as they were going to be in the area, and Chris had declined due to work. At the time, I thought, “But I don’t have to work!” Thankfully, they thought the same thing, and called me from the restaurant. I met them and had a lovely dinner at a local French place better known for its breakfasts and pastries. I can now attest to the fact that they’re no slouches when it comes to dinner, either.

Saturday
Chris was at work for several hours on Saturday as well, so a friend and I went to the farmer’s market without him. Because of all the rain we’ve had lately, my favorite stand actually already had gorgeous (and huge!) strawberries for sale. I bought two containers, thinking of ice cream.

Chris did take me on a “date” on Saturday night to make up for all the time he’d been out of touch the past week. I’d been inspired after my French dinner on Friday, so we went to Carafe – a place we’ve been hearing about from a friend (who’s also a friend of the chef), and never got around to trying. We had a splendid meal, and the waitstaff was great – the atmosphere is very Parisian café, and as she handed us the bill our waitress even said, “No hurry, take your time, we’re here all night.” Very unlike many of the American-ised places that try to usher people in and out to cram more guests into one night. Nice to be able to relax, finish our wine, and enjoy being out. It’s a place we’ll definitely return to, and one where we’ll take friends.

Sunday
We got to sleep in – which is the kind of thing that feels decadent, even on a Sunday – and then had a late brunch with some friends at the new(ish) M&S Grill in the new (and mostly still incomplete) Bridgeport Village shopping center. We only realized later how lucky we were to get a parking spot – when we left M&S, everywhere we walked after that as we checked out the stores, there were countless cars circling the various parking lots. Yes, it was the “grand opening” weekend, so I’d expect it to be a bit busier than a normal Sunday afternoon… But if it’s already this hard to find parking, I’m not encouraged about shopping there later on when all the stores are open or (I shudder to think) during the holiday shopping season. I’ll reserve judgment until later on, but Sunday’s experience doesn’t bode well.

I ended up making not one, but two kinds of ice cream Sunday night – strawberry (with the berries from the market), and chocolate. It was the first time I’d tried to make chocolate ice cream, and I’m happy to say it turned out to be divine. Now I have to try to remember what the hell I did...

Senate Shenanigans

I couldn't have said it better myself. So I won't try.

Random 10

Haven't done this in a few weeks, and I'm at a loss today, so here goes:

1. Nek – Sana Gelosia
2. Garbage – Bleed Like Me
3. Seal – Tinsel Town
4. Jellyfish – Hush
5. Diana Krall – The Look of Love
6. Jane Monheit – So Many Stars
7. U2 – Miracle Drug
8. Ben Folds – Sentimental Guy
9. Gerald Levert & The Funk Brothers – Reach Out I'll Be There
10. Prince - Horny Toad

Bravo Basso!

My guy is in pink today...


Basso takes the Maglia Rosa

Grocery Store Excursions

I've written about this before, though the store in my post was in Beaverton, Oregon - the store quoted here is in Singapore. Still, Conor describes the same sense of wonder I have in the aisles of my local Asian food market - transported by groceries. Conor's post is, however, sublimely hysterical. Here's an excerpt:

I was so taken with all these new foods that Vivien took me to a local grocery store to get a sampling of everything to take home and try. For the most part, this consisted of fruit. (Though I was more than tempted to take home a box I saw in the frozen food section. It was obviously some kind of bird, like a chicken, but I wasn’t sure exactly. I was about to ask Vivien, when I saw on the side of the box a dialogue bubble, the kind of circle you see used in comic strips when people talk, coming out of the box. And what this thing inside the box was saying, anticipating my question, was “I’m a Spatchcock!” And the only think I could think was “Buddy…you were a Spatchcock.” Whatever that might be.)

Whipped by a Brit

I heard a portion of this on Al Franken's radio show this morning, and there's a great excerpt at This Modern World, which sets up the story thusly:

In case you missed it, British MP George Galloway gave an incendiary speech before the U.S. Senate's committee investigating the oil-for-food scandal.

Incendiary. Perfect word for this thing.

It sounded blistering, and I only wish I'd seen the Senators' faces during the speech... Here's the story on Reuters.

Giro Traveling

When we're not traveling, we like to pretend we are by watching European bike races on television. We're in the middle of the Giro d'Italia at the moment, and I'm happy to say that even though I don't follow cycling with the focus that Chris does, I've settled on the next guy I'll cheer for when Lance retires - Ivan Basso. It doesn't hurt that he's Italian and yummy to look at, he also appears to be a good guy and a good cyclist. Nice. (Also found a good, if a bit old, interview & bio here.)



Basso & Armstrong on 2004 Tour de France podium, & with his wife & daughter
(photos from IvanBasso.it)

Teabag Tag

"A great man is always willing to be little."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

China Pictures

I'm posting a few of Chris' pictures from the China trip; he may have to step in to re-caption them, though I'll do my best...


(L) The MagLev train in Shanghai; (R) A Kowloon Street in Hong Kong - the oddly fancy building at street-level looks dilapidated on the upper stories.


(L) The Hong Kong skyline with the Golden Bauhinia in the foreground, erected by the Chinese as a symbol of friendship at the 1997 handover; (R) A "wet-nap" from a Pudong (Shanghai) restaurant with an unfortunately translated name.


The I.M. Pei building in Hong Kong

Donuts & Pizza!

Our farmer's market finally opened this past Saturday, and not a day too soon for us. Those tiny asparagus were calling, to be certain, but the real draw for us every Saturday is the Lowhill Village Bakery's fresh donuts. You absolutely cannot beat hot, crispy donuts for a breakfast in the midst of the market bustle. Two donuts apiece later, we were sated.


Lowhill Village Bakery donut stand & a happy Chris

Then on Sunday night, Chris got back into the post-China-trip swing of things and whipped up a beautiful pizza for din-din. You may recall the Totonno's delight we scarfed down in New York - this one was just as lovely, and just as delish. Yes, I married well.


Chef Chris' famous pizza

Apologies

Chris pointed out that he and I both apparently suffer from "blogarrea" (and you thought it was just me!), so we'll be making more of an editing effort in future.

Another Tidbit

So, I guess I'm destined to just be posting other people's goodies this week. I'll let Chris take care of the heavy lifting.

This movie is hilarious. Truly. Even with broadband here at work it took a minute or so to download, but is totally worth it.

T-Ball

This post made me giggle hysterically (at work, of course, where all hysterical giggling takes place so as to increase the level of embarrassment). Chris & I have a 6-year-old nephew, so should be hearing about this stuff shortly. I can't wait.

Sei Fuori!

Chris got an Italian-phrase-a-day calendar for Christmas, which we've been enjoying. This phrase came up last month, and I kept it because it's so funny. Here 'tis:

"Sei fuori come un balcone!"

It means, "You're out of your mind," but the literal translation is, "You're outside like a balcony!" I love the Italians.

Tidbits

Check out this postcard from This Modern World. Funny, in a reality-is-too-scary-to-think-about kind of way.

And these, which I got from Frytopia:

• Colorblind Web Page Filter
• Strangely Cool Clock
• Kitten War (it sounds bad, but it's a good thing)

123.5

More from this thing I find so addictive:

"Bolder thoughts enter my mind from time to time, but they drift away, like gentle mists."

And from one Chris finished recently:

"Skip the tartufo, the berries and the ice cream, and note that there are terrific ports, Sauternes and late-harvest wines that would make a very sweet ending to the meal."

Way Back When

In New York, Aunt Vicky gave me an envelope full of old pictures of me and my brothers. I've only scanned these two so far, may or may not do more, but I thought I'd post them for fun. I vaccilate between being embarrassed by old pictures of myself and knowing that I can't do a damned thing about how I looked back then... Apparently today it's the latter, or I wouldn't be posting these here. (These were taken by Vicky, I think.)


Beach trio


Me in a floppy hat

Seeing Al

I'm going to see Al Franken tonight downtown; very excited about that. Chris is leaving for China this afternoon, so has to miss out, but I've recruited a fellow Franken fan to take the spare ticket. Chris has taken the digie with him, however, so if we meet Al, there will be no photographic evidence. You'll just have to believe me.

Sunday in New York & at Home

Chris always says the last vacation day is wasted. You're always looking at the clock, afraid to get too involved in something or to get too far away from your departure point in case something goes wrong and you miss your plane/train/whatever. Such was Sunday in New York. Luckily for us, there was a flea market and craft market in the three blocks around Doreen's apartment, so while we didn't do some of the things we would have loved to do, we didn't sit around waiting to get to the airport!

The morning started oddly, as there was a new person staying with Doreen - an Italian woman called Ann who apparently stays with her regularly. Doreeen later said she knows Ann isn't shy, but even she was surprised by the turns the breakfast conversation took. Ann was saying some things about America which Chris & I don't think are entirely true, stereotypes that we disagree with. It was unfortunate, as in general we're not exactly cheerleaders for the way our country does things - so it was strange to feel defensive. In fairness, she was making generalizations about the U.S. vs. "everyone else" that, in our experience abroad, just weren't true. In the end, however, we realized that it wasn't going to make any difference to try to convince her otherwise. We were glad when breakfast was over...

The trip home was uneventful, though we got in later than we'd hoped. (There was one odd encounter with an American Airlines rep in New York who thought Oregon was in Canada.) A couple things I saw in our Dallas layover reminded me of some things I'd noticed over the weekend - moments of what I've called "hidden whimsy." For instance, a woman whose glasses look boring and black from the front are multi-colored stripes on the stides, or a conservative-looking man's rolling suitcase's wheels lit up as they rolled. These things just delight me to no end. And I really want to know where he got that suitcase...

So, we're back home now, trying to get back to normal. The cats were thrilled to see us last night. We have unpacking and laundry to do now, and then Chris leaves for a four-day trip to China tomorrow afternoon. (He's promised to blog a bit while there.) That leaves me four days to watch all the girl movies Chris doesn't want to see... Any recommendations?

Saturday in New York

The weather reports Chris had checked online were dreadful - rain most of the day, wind, and gusts up to 40 miles per hour... Doreen said the local forecast had said it would clear by the afternoon, so we chose to be optimistic. (Of course, everyone at the party brought coats, scarves and umbrellas anyway - we joked that as is generally the case, the fact that we'd brought umbrellas ended up keeping the rain away!)

Chris & I spent the morning before the scheduled rendez-vous at the Museum of Natural History. We didn't see most of it, and spent an inordinate amount of time with the dinosaur fossils. My father told a story Friday night that once when I was little and we were leaving the museum, I turned to wave and said, "G'bye, bones!" And it's still fun for me to see them - especially Triceratops, of course!


Me & my buddy


The exceptionally cool Hayden Sphere at the Museum

On our way to the meeting point, we ended up walking through what we later learned was the "Romania Festival," though there was nothing remotely Romanian about anything we saw. It was the typical street market, only it had a sign that said "Romania Festival" over it. It was fun, at any rate, even though it did nearly make us late for the rendez-vous. We turned a corner to finally see the gang waiting in line for the Ellis Island ferry, holding three signs that read, "Veni," "Vidi," and "Vicky" - Antonin's themes for the three stops he'd planned for the day. ("Veni," from the Latin "to come," was signified in this case by Ellis Island and the countless immigrants who came to America that way.) When Vicky showed up with the folks who were bringing her there, it was great to see her face - she knew only that Antonin had made plans, and she knew who was coming... But she had no idea what was going to happen. I'd been waiting for days to see that look on her face!

While we waited in the line for the boat, went through security (as stringent as the airport), and also during the boat ride, I got to meet and "re-meet" many cousins who said they remembered me from when I was little, people whose names sounded familiar but about whom I know very little – I'm still not even sure how some of us are related (no one could quite figure out the whole "second," "third," "removed" thing, so we all just resigned ourselves to being "cousins" and called it a day). Some people I do recall, and it was fun chatting with them. Others I swear I've never met (though I have, I was just too small to remember) and it was truly a pleasure to meet them and find that we have quite a bit in common!


Lady Liberty & the Birthday Girl

The weather, of course, turned out to be beautiful. The boat ride was fantastic, we got some great views of the Statue of Liberty, and the sun was lighting up all the buildings on the skyline. Just lovely. (We thanked Cousins Pierre & Francoise for France's gift of Lady Liberty!) The visit to Ellis Island itself was underwhelming. The best part - from my standpoint - was watching my father react to Antonin's retelling of the story of how my father and his parents arrived in New York (my dad was 5). Antonin told this story, which I'd heard before but forgotten:

My father and his parents left a Europe which was dark at night from the blackout curtains. They arrived in New York by boat at night, and the city was all lit up. My father, in his first language of French, said to his mother, "Maman, c'est paradis!"

As Antonin said these words, my dad was visibly choked up. Characteristically for him, of course, he immediately lightened the mood with what he called the "rest of the story" - the guy who picked them up at the harbor insisted on giving them a tour of the city in his convertible, with the top down. My father remembers riding through Times Square in an open convertible on January 29, 1941. So, a cold paradise, but a paradise nonetheless...


Ellis Island and the gathered party-goers

The second stop was about "Vidi" (from the Latin, "to see") which alluded to Vicky's history with welfare rights movement in the 1960s and being able to "connect the dots," as Antonin put it, of ideas such as freedom and social rights. From there, we had an hour to make it to the restaurant and final stop in Tribeca. Chris & I walked there slowly, via the construction area around Ground Zero. The final destination was the Gallery Viet Nam (next to the Viet Cafe), where the room was set up for a party. Antonin, a professor at the New School, even had an overhead projector set up. He gave us bits of a lecture, tying the day together and talking about Vicky's life, between dinner courses. He was really the absent-minded professor, putting the overheads on updside-down and backwards. It was pretty cute.

My father gave a very strange toast, some of his "spit-balls of wisdom" about sisters, and then Antonin asked me to deliver my "ode" again. I prefaced my toast with, "I have two things to say... First, I have no overheads; and second - yes, that's my father, but it skips a generation." Lots of laughter. Overall, it was a wonderful (if a bit hectic) day, and Vicky absolutely glowed as cousins and friends alike rose to toast her. She's really loved, and that's fun to see.

Unfortunately, the night ended on a somewhat sour note. Chris hailed a taxi for us and Pierre & Francoise, and the driver turned out to be a real jackass. We can't remember if his number was 3Y69 or 7Y69... But we're going to see if we can register a complaint. Seriously, that's the most rude a cab driver has been to us - ever, in any city. Our only consolation was that it would make a funny story... Later.