Last Sunday I went to the funeral of the mom of a dear friend of mine waaaaay out in Mulberry, Florida which for a South Tampa girl (yes, that's "South Tampa" - Capital "S". Capital "T") is akin to driving to... say... Georgia for the afternoon. Way outside my comfort zone.. As I said, this is a dear, dear friend. On the drive back we happened upon Ruby C. Williams' farm stand. Now Miss Ruby is well know around these parts and within the art world as a particularly gifted primitive folk artist - she has actually been included in a folk art show at the Smithsonian which ya know, if that isn't a stamp of approval I don't know what is.... Anyways, Miss Ruby is OLD. Like old-as-dirt old... Biographies state she was "born in the 1920s" kind of old. As a consequence of her age, Ruby doesn't man the Produce and Art Gallery much any more, what with painting and preaching, but Lord Have Mercy - there she was! At the stand! Out in the middle of nowhere on Route 60, just outside of Mulberry! Well, we HAD to stop... even if it meant being a tee tiny bit late dashing back to the house to help set up of the after funeral luncheon... We had a delightful, if brief visit with the estimable Ms. Ruby and I had the good fortune to purchase one of her works that afternoon. See what happens when you leave town for the afternoon? Big Girl Art. (By the way, I did NOT wear flip flops to the funeral. The heels are in the car. promise.)
Chuck stopped by and spent a night with me (and Elaine) on his way to Europe for Jason and Dani's wedding. Back in January I was under the impression that I too would be going to this wedding, my how times have changed. Boooo......
I had my first two exams on Monday and Tuesday. The information was manageable, there was just a TON of memorization involved so my Advanced Physiology teacher posted this link to help us remeber the effects of certain neurotransmitters in the brain by showing us how they are blocked when you take certain drugs! My favorite is the ecstasy mouse because of his dance moves, I also like how when you pick up the alcohol mouse, he drops his bottle. Here we are having our own Mouse Party at the bar after the exams last night:
For those who aren't native New Englanders, it's very difficult to explain the connection that Bostonians have to their sports teams. Red Sox games are never really about baseball, but about generations families heartbroken by loss and disappointment, redeemed in a miraculous 2004 season. Celtics games are far from simple basketball games, but are glimpses of the greatest dynasty in NBA history and the franchise with more championships than any other. So for a pretty dedicated sports fan such as myself, this week has been difficult on the psyche. Last night, the Celtics lost the NBA Finals in Game 7 to their arch rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. They had the lead going into the fourth quarter and couldn't get it done, leaving me at the mercy of thousands of front running Lakers fans here in LA. This picture pretty much sums up that fourth quarter:
So it was up to the USA Soccer team to pick me up this morning in their second game of the World Cup. They are coming off a dramatic tie against powerhouse England, and had a chance today to all but seal their advancement to the elimination round. So it was with utter agony that Dan, Tim and our new roommates Patrice and Riker (a coon hound) watched the USA concede not one, but two goals in the first half. There was no defense. There was no one willing to challenge Slovenia's ball handlers. There was no excitement or creativity on offense. There was, quite simply, no energy. Agony.
Thankfully, our best player Landon Donovan took over in the second half, scoring in the third minute. The coach's son, Michael Bradley, then put in a second goal with under ten minutes to play to tie the game. The crowd was in a frenzy. We looked unstoppable. Our hearts were pounding. Could we really win this game?? Then it happened: Maurice Edu put in a third goal, the go ahead goal, completing the greatest comeback in soccer history with just minutes left to play!! We screamed! We jumped up and down! Riker barked! Ecstasy!!
And then...the official disallowed the goal. He did not explain the foul. He did not card a player. In fact, he refused to tell the players or coaches what the call was. He just disallowed the goal and offered no other explanation. Was it offsides? Was there a foul? WE STILL DON'T KNOW. And we never will, because FIFA, the group running the tournament is not requiring the official to report what the foul was or who it was called on. The commentators called it "unfair," a "disgrace," a "nightmare." Agony.
So the USA tied Slovenia 2-2. In order to advance, we'll have to win our next game and hope the numbers work out. And it's not fair.
But my parents do have their 33rd anniversary tomorrow, so I made them this video. Enjoy!
It turns out that there is another girl living in my building who grew up in Florida (Miami) and graduated from the University of Florida the same year I did! Our doorman introduced us because we are both students at Columbia (he had no idea we had everything else in common) so last night we went out for a drink at the local Gator bar, called The Gin Mill. What are the odds? I coerced Katie and Sheldon into coming along so while I don't have a picture of Cristina and me, I did take one with the betrothed couple.
I managed to get out to a bar with some of the other students to watch the first World Cup game today but I have to admit that we were no where near as patriotic as Chuck and Dan were (back on the west coast). Why is the bar so empty behind Dan you ask? That is because they arrived at the bar at seven this morning.
Now that we are living in the same city, Katherine and I have grand plans of getting together every Sunday. We are doubtful that we will be successful, but this weekend we started off on the right foot with some dim sum this morning! It is almost 7pm and I am still full, that is a sign of a good breakfast.
Today we had a breakfast with the local alumni of Columbia's School of Nursing and then we took a trip to The Cloisters. The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. In a monastery, a cloister is a square or rectangular open-air courtyard surrounded by covered passageways. The museum was full of beautiful religious artifacts, some of which I knew the significance of, but many of which I did not so it should come as no surprise that my favorite part of the museum was the herb garden! They chose the plants for the garden according to a ninth century edict of the emperor Charlemagne naming 89 species to be grown on his estates. Here was my favorite section in the garden: and here was my favorite plant in that section:My favorite indoor artifacts were the Unicorn Tapestries. These 16th-century tapestries depict the hunt and capture of a unicorn. Here is a picture of one of them entitled "The Unicorn is Attacked":
So much gear was acquired today! I got my ID, signed up for the gym, configured my computer for wireless internet at the library and got books! I also stopped by the traditional Columbia campus (the Medical, Dental, Nursing and Public Health schools have their own campus) and it was beautiful! Unfortunately, there were tents set up for an alumni reunion today that were blocking all of the beautiful photos I wanted to take so you will all just have to come see for yourself :)
At the end of eight hours of orientation yesterday, they informed us that there would be a free boat cruise for all new students this afternoon. After glancing at my new tuition bill this morning (we registered for classes yesterday!) I determined that I should take advantage of whatever perks I can so I showed up for the boat, not sure what to expect, and found myself at a floating prom party! Actually it was better than prom: the boat was two stories, the top was an observation deck (which was perfect for those of us who are still unabashed tourists in this city) and the bottom had a DJ, a dance floor, a buffet and an open bar! I'm glad to see all those loans I took out being put to good use ;)
I made it! My internet has not yet arrived however so, until it does, you will have to be satisfied with some disappointingly blurry iPhone photos. Here is one of the front of my apartment building:I am renting a room from Elaine. Elaine is 80 years old and has lived in this apartment for 50+ years. She has a seven room apartment and rents out one of them for company. I have my own bathroom and full sized fridge, my room (and the kitchen!) is furnished, there is a dishwasher, we have a washer and dryer in the basement, there is a secure room for bikes and the building has a doorman - all these points make living in an apartment that has not been updated since 1960 well worth it :) We are near the intersection of 91st street and Broadway and the Columbia University Medical Center (the campus where I have class) is at 168th and Broadway. Initially I thought I would ride my bike to school, but then Chuck pointed out that I would be riding through Harlem so I now take a 15 minute subway ride instead. I am also sandwiched between Riverside Park and Central Park so there is no shortage of running routes! We had orientation at Columbia this past Wednesday:So now I have a couple of days to get my bearings and then, as of Monday, I will officially be a Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist (SRNA) - ahhhhhh!
Dad and Julie surprised me on my last weekend as a free woman by bringing Chuck to Put! He took a red-eye and arrived Saturday morning, we spent the day playing with all of the things I had been telling him about over the last two weeks (baby chicks, segways, weed wacker, etc). Sunday, we drove to Canton and surprised his mom and his sister who were in town for the store opening (his Dad was in on it). Chuck stood at the front door handing out coupons and his mom and sister walked up and their jaws dropped when they saw him (very similar to my reaction, only there was less yelling because we were in public). We got to see the new store in operation, which was very impressive, and we got to take a peek at the other ShopRite, which is in West Hartford, that Chuck will be working at. Sunday evening we drove back to put for a cocktail party that Dad and Julie had planned and then we spent Monday (Memorial day) kayaking and BBQing. It was a VERY fun weekend and as soon as I get an internet connection set up in my new apartment I will get some pictures posted! For now, I will leave you with one of Chuck displaying his mastery of the Segway and one of his ShopRite name tag!
I eased the transition from LA to NYC by spending two jam packed weeks at Dad and Julie's house. During that time we got a new batch of baby (meat) chickens, stocked the lake with carp (a type of fish that will eat the weeds that grow in there) and got bees! Bees are good because they help pollinate all of your plants which means that you will get many more flowers and fruits and veggies. Their honey also helps build your immunity to local allergens since it is made from the nectar of the plants around your house. All in all they are pretty great, if you can get past that whole stinging part. Rob (a local who knows everything about everything when it comes to being a country boy in upstate NY) let me help install the hive and I am proud to report that I did not receive a single sting! Here I am preparing the old hive for the new bees:And here I am with a few "clingers" (Rob's term, not mine)!
Now Miss Ruby is well know around these parts and within the art world as a particularly gifted primitive folk artist - she has actually been included in a folk art show at the Smithsonian which ya know, if that isn't a stamp of approval I don't know what is.... Anyways, Miss Ruby is OLD. Like old-as-dirt old... Biographies state she was "born in the 1920s" kind of old. As a consequence of her age, Ruby doesn't man the Produce and Art Gallery much any more, what with painting and preaching, but Lord Have Mercy - there she was! At the stand! Out in the middle of nowhere on Route 60, just outside of Mulberry! Well, we HAD to stop... even if it meant being a tee tiny bit late dashing back to the house to help set up of the after funeral luncheon... We had a delightful, if brief visit with the estimable Ms. Ruby and I had the good fortune to purchase one of her works that afternoon.
See what happens when you leave town for the afternoon? Big Girl Art. (By the way, I did NOT wear flip flops to the funeral. The heels are in the car. promise.)
