Cash and Vaudeville

Seems like a good name for this visit! Cash: because it's costing me a small fortune. Vaudeville: because family stuff is always like vaudeville.

Thanks for the recent comments, guys-- and Phinney, so sorry you couldn't meet up yesterday, but hopefully another time.

So the activities of yesterday: Midday, I met Aunt Nub at Grand Central Station, at the world-famous clock in the middle of the Concourse. Aunt Nub is an old pal from AOL Journals and we've stayed in touch through snail-mail, deco-books and care packages of Glinka confetti and stickers that she has so generously sent me over the years.

I dragged her all through the East Village, showed her the apartment I used to live in on East 12th Street, visited my alma mater Cooper Union and haunted the halls and studios on the painting floor, feeling hugely envious of the beautiful, light-drenched workspaces of the painting students. Aunt Nub was a patient companion for all this. We also had some pizza on St. Mark's Place and made an appearance at Trash and Vaudeville, this store that's been around forever, where you can now buy any item of clothing or accessories with a skull on it, which I think is incredibly corny, but whatever. We were the two oldest and squarest people in the store. Aunt Nub bought matching pairs of striped fingerless gloves for her and her hubby. How sweet! The salespeople at the counter were a trip-- a forty-something Keith Richards clone who was pickled from too much sex/ drugs/ rock & roll, emaciated, tattooed and scary, and a little punky girl who I thought was rather cute.

Then I rushed off to meet my old friend Val and her daughter Ivy, adopted from Cambodia around 5 years ago: I'd never met her. We had a fun but rushed visit in Central Park. Ivy and I rode the world-famous carousel! Ivy ate these lime-green pop-rock ices with artificial coloring which made health-concious Mom Val upset. Val's husband John met up with us briefly, and watched as Ivy ran around a big playground, trying to get lost but not succeeding.

I hadn't squeezed enough socializing in, so the last event of the day was having dinner with my Uncle and Aunt and my Aunt's brother and his partner... it was an amazing catch-up, very civilized with a lot of new information about my father and grandfather shared by my Uncle that I am just now beginning to process.

I was friggin' fried by the end of the day! I did too much. I wish I knew how to pace myself better, but I have limited time and a lot I want to do, people to visit...