A beach, a burn, and a ballet.

Saturday was my first beach day of the summer, and it was major. Temperatures were in the 90s, but the breezes near the water made it relatively lovely. As always seems to happen, we went out with just a couple friends and managed to run into about a dozen more (so popular, I know). Impromptu beach party!

On the train home I started noticing some faint pinkish splotches on my knees and the tops of my feet, which any seasoned pale-face knows is a harbinger of future pain.  By evening time it was clear that I'd maybe, just maybe, missed a couple spots.  But I've definitely had worse, and it was worth it for time spent with friends soaking up some vitamin D (as well as like 50 Golden Oreos).

 Then it was off to the Metropolitan Opera House for the American Ballet Theatre's production of Swan Lake.  Going to the Met has been on my NYC bucket list for a while so I jumped at the chance to go, especially since it was freaking Swan Lake.

[source] 

I'm not a dancer, but it has always been a secret wish of mine to be a talented ballerina, if only for a day.  (I once had a dream that I made it to the Top 4 of So You Think You Can Dance, and I remember being super confused as to how I'd made it that far.)  I'm always amazed when dancers can do such difficult and athletic things with their bodies while somehow looking flawlessly graceful and light as a feather.  The ABT dancers were wonderful, and I was constantly in awe of their beautiful shapes and lines, as well as the obvious power with which they danced.  I also really love Tchaikovsky, so it was just a fantastic way to spend a couple hours and the perfect end to a pretty lovely day.

Mark.

Please ignore the photobombing goober to the left there.

Have you ever waited in line just to give someone a hug?  I mean, sure, maybe Santa Claus when you were a kid, but other than that?  It's not uncommon whenever we kids are all together to see my sisters and me line up for the opportunity to embrace my dad.  It usually starts with one of us going over to hug him, at which point we all catch on and sort of swarm and dance around impatiently until it's our turn.  I think the high demand says it all--we know where to go to feel safe and loved, and we know that he'll let us be silly weirdos in the process.

Happy Father's Day, Pappy.  I wish I could hug you in person today, but you can bet that when I'm home next I'll be making up for lost time.

All the world's a stage.

One of my favorite things about summer in New York is the wealth of awesome (free!) outdoor activities around the city, including Shakespeare in the Park.  This year they're doing a month of As You Like It followed by Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods (which will star Amy Adams).

 

Since tickets are free, you can wait in one of a couple different standby lines, or try the "virtual line" on their website.  In three summers of attempting the virtual line dozens of times, I had never once gotten tickets that way and ended up having to do standby.  UNTIL!  On my first attempt this summer, I got an email telling me I had two tickets waiting for me that very night.  Victory!  

 

I was joined by the lovely Karrie, and it couldn't have been a more beautiful night: 

See?

I'd never seen or read As You Like It before, so I did a quick skim of the plot on Wikipedia to be able to follow along a little easier.  The sets were awesome, sort of a mid-19th century frontier setting with log cabins and banjo music.  Apparently it's known as Shakespeare's musical comedy because there are several songs included in the play.  For this production the music was folk/bluegrass played onstage with banjos, guitars, and fiddles, and was composed by none other than Steve Martin.  It was fantastic.  Karrie and I couldn't get over how much we loved the music--definitely one of the highlights of a very funny and enjoyable show.

Next week there will be a gala celebrating 50 years of Shakespeare in the Park that includes a one-night-only staging of Romeo and Juliet starring... Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep.  Anyone wanna spot me $1500 so I can go?

Thinking about...

Stealing blogging ideas from other sources.

Last tutoring session of the schoolyear was this week, so my subpar chemistry knowledge will be put on hold for the summer (but isn't my student the cutest thing you've ever seen?).
Sometimes I voluntarily practice the piano for an hour and then I want to call my mom because when did that ever happen?
Have you been watching Sherlock? If not, do yourself a favor and watch the first season (three episodes) on Netflix streaming. Then watch the second season on PBS.org. Or just buy the DVDs. You won't be sorry. Remember how I told you to watch Downton Abbey? I didn't lead you astray with that one, did I?
Humidity levels less than 90% would be a welcome change right now.  New life plan: write a wildly successful young adult novel and use the profits to open a bakery.

Wanda.

I think we can all agree that this is one bodacious woman, right?
Several weeks ago I was having trouble making a decision. (To be honest, I have trouble making decisions on a daily basis, which is why I can frequently be found in the aisles of Duane Reade staring at a different face wash in each hand for the better part of 10 minutes. But this one was a little more significant.) I'd talked to my sister and a few friends about it and they all gave the same excited input, but for whatever reason I was still unsure. I wanted another perspective and I knew who I needed to talk to to get it. When I called my mom and explained the situation, she laughed, "So you called me because I'm a stick-in-the-mud?"

She proceeded to do what she does best; her advice was rational, supportive, measured and loving. As much as I had appreciated the enthusiasm I'd gotten from others, the discussion with my mom gave me the courage to make a decision. And even though the situation didn't turn out as I'd hoped, it did turn out for the best, and I know I did the right thing.

Mom, thanks for being the person I know I can count on to keep me on track. Thanks for setting an example that challenges me to be better with your tireless love of learning, your compassion and service, and your energy to travel and exercise and throw dinner parties, all while aging like a fox.  You may think you're a stick-in-the-mud, but I just consider you my anchor.

I like Colorado.

Here are some reasons why:



Cash incentives (and ego boosts).



Birthday brunches, complete with Sarah blowing out the candle on the traditional birthday pancake (and then devouring the traditional birthday breakfast burrito).



Walks in the sunshine with mini-me.



Spectating in the shade with the puppy.



Being the best babysitter of all time (I messaged this picture to Sarah while they were out to dinner).



Dress-ups.



Roastin' peeps.

Some honorable mentions (not pictured): going running at Red Rocks and not suffering a pulmonary embolism, a James McAvoy appreciation session with a good friend, dear sweet cousins forgiving me for not visiting (right?), and the long-awaited return of Sherlock. It was a fantastic weekend! And really, anytime you can say, "I feel outstanding about everything I've eaten today," you've pretty much won at life.

A visit from Twinsie.

Last week Christy (whose birthday is today!) came to town for a visit.  I was already excited for her to come, but I'd had a sort of rough few days leading up to her visit so it was especially nice to get to see her and do some fun things.  Christy is one of the nicest, happiest people I know and is generally a delight to be around.  We've been friends since we were probably 7 or 8 years old and have shared many things over the years, including a love of Lipsmackers sparkly chapstick and The Simpsons, driving lessons in the church parking lot, and sandwich bags full of Marshmallow Mateys during early-morning seminary.  The day before coming to NYC, Christy ran the Boston Marathon in record-breaking heat and lived to tell the tale.  She is a champ.

During the week, Christy explored the city on her own while I was at work and then we spent the evenings eating delicious food, reminiscing, and somehow never taking a picture of us together.  On Saturday we went for a run (which was a liiiiittle tough on both of us) and then hit the ticket lottery for Newsies on Broadway.  It's a pretty popular show right now so I knew our chances weren't great, but Christy's name got called for the last pair of tickets!  We visited the Waffle Truck in celebration.

The waffles are so delicious, you guys, I can't even talk about it. 

The show was awesome. So fun, and it made me want to watch the movie again. Basically the entire cast was wearing vests and leaping and punching the air. There was so much air-punching! It was awesome. The dancing was fantastic and there were at least four former So You Think You Can Dance boys in the show.

So that was fun. Come visit me and we will eat many delicious things and see fun shows and I will only maybe make you go running. Deal?