Photos of the Day: Going to the Chapel

Once upon a time, a rich man built a castle to live in, and had his own chapel built for private worship. 

Then eventually, things happened and a convent of nuns took over the estate to run a college. 

And it came to pass that they built their own chapel to worship in. 

Times changed, economics changed, and the world changed ... and the old chapel fell to ruins.

Generations of those college students, the neighborhood kids, and other school kids did use the ruins as a place of curiosity, exploration, and sometimes, nefarious partying.

More time passed and the world continued to change.

Lo - it came to pass that new administrators decided to shore up the old chapel, preserving - but not restoring - it for history and wonderment.

Many generations still come to wonder, remember, and appreciate - what we called the Haunted Chapel.

HAUNTED?!

I don't think it's haunted any more.

What a wonderful preservation job.

You can almost hear the hymns.

 

We never got to go in and look up into the turret.

 

 Taken Saturday, June 7, 2014 during Manhattanville College Reunion Ramblings


Photos via iTouch

And I'm off to an actual wedding, at another Castle-type building.

Photos of the Day: Pull up a Chair or 2

Given how busy things are "write" now, it might  be best if you pull up a chair 

Or desk at one of my events in order to get my attention (I can't promise uninterrupted) for a bit.

Photos from Sunday: top at a donor event at Caramoor and bottom, an old desk at ye old alma mater, Manhattanville as part of my 20th college reunion.

How has it been 20 years and how did I lever my butt in and out of those contraptions?

- iTouch photos and via iTouch

May-be I need to clone myself?

I  know I've been so busy this month, that it's almost hard to remember what all I've done. So, I've had to drag out my now-bulging scheduler with its receipts, ticket stubs, programs, and notes to just document it all. (And take this all in mind after this week's posts, and you see that I will be resting/scheduling better for the rest of the summer.)

May was abnormally busy, which is saying something for this year.

~ It started out one Friday night early in May with two vocal recitals, back to back, by two of the graduating  sopranos who have been my work study students, one for almost four years. If you know me at all, you know how I feel about opera, so this was an evening of love for those young women. It was a LOT of singing ... in many languages.

~ The next day it was off to the City for dinner and a show with Poopeh. The show always ends up secondary for us, even though it is the purpose for the gathering, and we try to find a quiet restaurant to sit and catch up. We happened upon an out-of-the-way Irish pub in mid-town that was blessedly quiet around 5:00 p.m. on Derby Day and we got a very quiet table in the back. Thanks Maggie's Place, for being quiet and not touristy. We needed the time to catch up before the critically acclaimed, yet very dark, tour-de-force production of Macbeth featuring Alan Cumming in about 90% of the roles. The Scottish Play is a heavy production in general, but with one person playing all the roles, set in an asylum ... whoa. It was heavy. Thanks to Poopeh for the tickets. I never would have gone on my own if she hadn't insisted. (I have good friends. Seats in 1st row, center mezz. at the show where you do not dare speak its name in the theatre.)

 ~ The next Monday after work, there was an open dress rehearsal of the Drama Division's Third Year Class presenting Twelfth Night up in the Stephanie P. McClelland Drama Theater. After the intensity of Macbeth on Saturday, a comedy was a good palate cleanser. There were some lovely moments in the production, and some stronger performances than other. It was set during Mardi Gras in New Orleans during the 1800s and actually worked better than you might think.

~ The next day after work, completing my slew of three plays in four days, was the Drama Division's Third Year Class doing Hamlet in the Drama Theater. I'm glad there was a comedy between the two tragedies. In these Shakespeare productions, the actors that had main roles in one play perform minor roles in the other play, so I got to see a different side of the actors and their range. The student playing Hamlet was quite good. I happened to be on a subway one night that he was on, and I overrode my usual reticence to just tell him how much I enjoyed his Hamlet. By their third year in the program, even the staff can start to tell who of the 20 or so in the class is going to "make a name" for themselves. I bet he's one of them. Sadly though, something was still rotten in the state of Denmark and everyone died.

~ Left abnormally early for me at least once ... at 5:30 ... due to the need to do copious amount of laundry. That was the night I got reacquainted with Grace. But I did manage to get my five loads of laundry done despite all the college kids in the building avoiding studying for finals and trying to do theirs! (These many weeks later, Grace has left .. but I am sure is lurking around to trip me up late and leave her mark.)

~ Rented a Zipcar to meander back to Manhattanville to see Marion. To combat the slightly musty/smokey smell I got in my ZipCar, I left behind the smell of MickeyDee's fries. You are welcome next Zipper. (read: when you have a car, you go to a drive thru for fries. Though they were meh...);

~ Spent time with Casey and her Ms. Addie, showing her the sights of the Big J and some of the Upper West Side. (More on that later - maybe on Casey's blog - as it's Addie's tale to tell, not mine);

~ Attended the Senior Dance Showcase at the Big J, featuring the graduating seniors of the Dance Division in solo pieces, duets, and a rousing final number ala Bob Fosse's Chicago. I'm getting jaded and/or I don't know dance as well as I know music and drama, but only about three of those student solos really stood out to me.

~ Worked at the Big J's 2013 Commencement seeing the next generation 'leave the nest.' For me that meant, caffeine, carbs, constricting clothes and allergy medication. But I also, truthfully can now say, I was "this close" to a famous Oscar winner, though again, I'm getting to be a jaded New Yorker. You do your thing and don't make a fuss. It's not the time or place ... but ... "no matter what occurs .... I will find you....*"  DEEP DREAMY SIGH ... it was pretty cool to be there.

~ Spent the rainy holiday weekend lazying about, getting sleep, and hanging with friends. No schedule. No plans. No agenda. No deadlines. At some points, no makeup.

~ and THEN, finally, to complete our quartet of Shakespeare for the month, attended a screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center of the new movie version of Much Ado about Nothing directed by Joss Whedon .. and attended by JOSS WHEDON. (I've been a Whedon fan since I skipped out of a film class I was auditing post my B.A./pre-grad school to go home and watch the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So take that, Avengers Johnny-come-lately-band-wagonners!)

Oh boy howdy ... was that fun! The people next to me were friends with the moderator and I got to hear how nervous he was about it. The audience was strangely subdued (I thought) for a Whedon crowd, but comported themselves well during the Q&A. Not surprisingly there were many, many, many questions about his other work (Buffy, Firefly, the Avengers films), and then FINALLY a question about actual film techniques and camera work. I say FINALLY, because it was the Film Society after all, not a con. Anyway ... can you tell I'm trying to be all cool and collected about this? I'm not... it was Joss FREAKIN' Whedon!

And, the movie ... I'm going again. A few times. Aside from the fun of seeing my Whedonverse actors, and maybe Nathan's name originator, the acting, directing, and some of the camera work was really excellent. Given I took about 3 semesters of Shakespeare on Film, I need to watch again. I can tell you, if you ever saw the version with Keanu Reeves, it will totally get rid of that memory - no offense to Sir Kenneth Branagh and Ms. Emma Thompson.

~ Had way to many work meetings, interviews, and end of the year parties, including:

- the end of the year/meet the new VP margarita meet-up at a bar (skipped);

- a potluck in honor of the graduating work study students. (organized) Why is it that everyone wants to eat at the potluck, but no one wants to tell you what, if anything, they are bringing to the potluck? Or help clean up from the potluck? Just wondering.;

- the year-end staff meeting, and then the year-end staff party. (attended) There is a joke at School about the state of things being reflected in the appearance of, and quality of, shrimp at the twice-yearly parties. Given the shrimp bar, and ginormous offering of guacamole and salsa, things were okay this year.

Which indirectly brings us back to Hamlet. After the staff meeting, I went upstairs to grab my stuff. Behind the closed office doors, I thought I heard something weird for that hour of the night. I thought there was an intruder, or crazy person, until I started to realize there was a pattern to the ramblings, especially when I heard "neither a borrower or lender be" and "to thine own self be true." Turns out, the actor playing Polonius was pacing up and down the halls reciting his big speech to Laertes. 

~ Farewell lunches for colleagues like Ms. R--- who is leaving the Big J after a few years to pursue other opportunities. (attended, sadly).

Leading to the necessity of days off for:
~ food poisoning;
~ grocery restocking and retail therapy;
~ travel;
~ recuperating from sending an email to VP that had my stomach in knots, but one that had to be sent, because I needed stand up for myself and articulate my work needs. Since the new VP is starting to assess our working conditions, so I thought I better speak up for myself/my space. THUS ...

~ regrouping.

Also good for stress relief? Go to your work Mailroom. Get sheet of bubble wrap. Walk around popping it. It's good for you. But not good for coworkers. (EVIL LAUGHTER!)

Good grief.

When do Summer Fridays start?  Because I need a break! Really Really Really need a Long QUIET BREAK!

I am not a social butterfly. I'm NOT. Really. Actually, I'm the complete opposite of one.

So if anyone wants to send me lilacs or  lavender roses so I can alight upon them and rest a bit, I won't mind.

 See the smiley face? Do you?

*“Stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you. I will find you!”

― James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

Back to School, Returning for a Retirement Party

As if this time of year isn't busy enough as it is, about a month ago I got an e-mail from the alma mater that they were have a celebration in honor of 15 retiring professors, including my beloved English professor Dr. Marion Perret.

The list also included a few other familiar names, so I reached out to some of the girls to see who could quickly come to town to join me at the 'Ville. It seemed especially important to try and get up to the school, since we all missed the party solely in honor of Dr. Perret that was held last year. Even though it would have been a blast to have a mini reunion, it was just impossible to get travel, teaching, soccer, softball, orchestra rehearsal, and, in some cases, real estate showings, schedules to coordinate, so I had to go up and "represent" the classes of 1993 and 1994 by myself. (Ouch, the math hurts.)

I took a personal day so I didn't have to rush around quite so much (ha! though I did), and figured out the whole ZipCar rental thing (which I now LOVE!) and did some much needed grocery and retail stocking up. (Grocery shopping is SO much easier when you have a vehicle.) Somehow I forgot the one important detail of my timeline - leaving enough time to back, find a parking space, change, and then get on the highway on a Friday night, during rush hour, but I still managed to get to the College on time to see it at dusk.

What you can't see from my iTouch photos (the regular camera wouldn't fit in my clutch with everything else), is the true beauty of the place at dusk. You can't see the red-tailed hawk perched up on the cross on the chapel, or see the glow off all the maple trees, or the glimmer on the quad in front of Reid Hall aka The Castle.

You would think I wouldn't have forgotten the impressiveness of the East Room, but I had. It was crowded with friends, alumni, professors, family, and tables with photos and remembrance books. Thank goodness for name tags, but I was still easily identified by some good professors regardless of the passage of time. Aside from some slight physical differences (grey hair, stooping, stockiness, "laughlines") we all pretty much look the same. (Though some aging English professors should probably have gotten rid of the pony tails BEFORE the 1990s, I'm just saying, and now it's 2013? Yikes.)

After the brief cocktail party, I wandered a bit through the building before Security shooed us out. I ran up to the second floor to look out the balcony over the East Room, walked down the hall to where the Castle and the additions came together,

and realized, as I ran my hand down this bannister on the left, that this was the sensation, and these were some of the stairs and halls, that feature in some of my dreams. 20 years later, I can still feel those polished wooden bannisters under my palms. That's so strange, right?

I took some other photos to send to the girls. Like the one above on the right, of the pathway back to the dorms from near the cafeteria. Some of those trees were saplings, or not there, when we were there. This building below didn't exist when we were there.

Once upon a time, when I was a work-study student in Development, I had the privilege of exploring the offices at the top of this Castle. And not offices that looked out the three windows at the top you can see, but also the secret office tucked until the ramparts. If you look closely, you can see the two windows that were in the locked, almost forgotten office of one of the prior owners of the Castle. Those were fun years. I'm trying to pay it forward, even now.

 Good night alma mater. 

Thank you and farewell to the 15 faculty members with over 500+ years of service who have retired.

 Wishing for wisteria

And finally, the most important reason for the trip back in time ... to find, hug, and get the updated contacts for Dr. Marion Perret. What a lady.

l: Part of the slide show at the reception. r: Kari and Dr. P with the knight in shining armor, St. George that we found for Dr. P and polished up as a gift for her when we graduated in 1994.

Hey Kari, Dr. P still has St. George with her. Isn't that sweet? But please, no comments about the quality of this photo. You are lucky there is one at all. The things I do for friends.

Thanks for everything Dr. P. There are almost no words.

40 Diamonds for 40: Honorary Aunt Diana

Even little notes from people claiming to have nothing new or special to add to the 40 Diamonds at 40 project often reveal little fun and interesting connections.

"Aunt" Diana was one of my mother's college roommates, and one of my first role models for aunt-hood. Mom was an only child, and I can't remember there ever being a time when we didn't call Aunt Diana "aunt." Strangely, none of Mom's other college roommates were ever given this honorific. I remember visits to Ohio to stay with Aunt Diana and Uncle Ralph when we were much younger, and then occasional visitations to CT over the years. Once I got to a certain age, I started to stay in touch with Aunt Diana independent of Mom's communication. Turns out there are shared links -- for many years Aunt Diana was a librarian. In her retirements, she now enjoys crafting and I often get some gorgeous hand-made cards (like the one below).

Most importantly, turns out that my brothers, father and I weren't the only ones to benefit from mom's tendency to wield a mean red pen, to cast a well-honed eye over documents for a stray comma or dangling participle, or to type faster than the speed of light.

Happy Birthday!

- and an apology. I think your 40 diamonds is a wonderful idea. But, I thought and thought and came up BLANK. .... No special memories, certainly no words of wisdom. Fortunately, others have filled in with wonderful contributions. I enjoyed a peek at your blog to see how the project was progressing.

There was a feeling of continuity when I read your friends messages. I was reminded of your mom's and my group of friends of college days. We've been so lucky to stay close after all these years.

Sorry, seems less personal to type, But I've lousy handwriting and cannot spell. I survived college because your Mom typed (and corrected!) my papers.

~ Diana

40 Diamonds for 40: Triumphant Tammy

Whenever I'm having a bad day I am now fortunate enough to have many love letters from my family and friends to refer to, to lift my spirits, including this one from my long-time friend, Tammy.

If I am ever whiny, cranky, or complaining about my lot in life, I should remember Tammy and how, despite everything that she has faced, she has come through--tired and a bit bruised, but with two lovely and loving children; higher college degrees, a position of respect, responsibility, and authority; humor and dignity; and hopefully, a better sense of her self-worth.

Her photo should appear in the dictionary next to the words:

triumphant /tri-um-phant/
adjective:
1. Having won a battle or contest; victorious.
2. Feeling or expressing jubilation after having won a victory or mastered a difficulty.

heroic /he-ro-ik/
adjective:
1. having the characteristics of a hero or heroine; very brave.

Fanatic /fuh-nat-ik/
noun:
1. a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics or a particular popular hair band from New Jersey.

Tammy is such a super fan of Bon Jovi that a) she originally requested that this be posted on Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday (sorry Tammy -- you were too late!) and b) she usually drops some quote, lyric, or reference into just about anything.

I'd think this was weird, except I have my own fanaticism (see any and all a-ha posts) and I've known her a very long time.

Tammy honey, I am so proud of you, for so many things. Keep breathing. Remember to take some time for yourself once in a while. Remember, so many people are here for you and have your back. You just have to stop and let us be there for YOU every so often.

This is how the dictionary defines FRIEND:

Friend (noun)
(1) Somebody emotionally close – somebody who trusts and is fond of another, (2) Acquaintance – somebody who thinks well of or is on good terms with somebody else, (3) Ally – an ally, or somebody who is not an enemy, (4) Advocate of cause – a defender or supporter of a cause, group, or principle, (5) Patron – a patron of a charity or institutions, (6) A contact on a social marketing website.

And beside the definition is where a picture of Auntie Nettie should appear!

Auntie Nettie and I met my freshman year of college – in choir practice – where she routinely beat on me. As a junior, it was kind of her responsibility. Then she became a senior, graduated, and went on to the ‘real world,’ never to be heard from again, or so I thought. At the end of the summer just before my senior year started, I received a voice message from her. She said she knew of an entry level position at a music organization she worked for, would I be interested, and oh, by the way, you’d be working for the “devil*.” I applied, was offered the position, and accepted. We worked there together for 10 years.

During those years, she taught me how to use a fax machine, was the first person I called when I needed a word for whatever document I was working on, took me shopping for my wedding dress, crafted the most lovely party favors, was there for the birth of my two children (made them the most beautiful baby blankets and Christmas stockings), and stood beside me, hugged me, and let me cry when my marriage fell apart – and gave me chocolate chip oatmeal cookies!

We don’t talk every day, in fact sometimes we don’t talk for months. She knows I’m the worst at keeping in touch, but she goes out of her way to make sure we schedule a date together and plan something that is fun for the kids (a trip to the Botanical Gardens, skating at Bryant Park). And that is what makes Auntie Nettie the definition of a friend. Days or months can pass and when we do connect, it’s as if no time has elapsed. The conversation picks up right where it left off. She’s someone you can trust with your secrets, she always has your back, stands by her principles, and she has given her life to every charity she’s touched. On top of all that, she is a witty, crafty, intelligent, beautiful person that knows it’s the tiniest details that make the biggest impact.

Thank you for asking me to write this, even though you know I hate to write (and have procrastinated all but the last few hours of the 188 days notice you gave me). I’ve enjoyed the trip down memory lane and it’s made me realize more than ever that the best is still to come. So, my FRIEND, as you move on to your next chapter give some thought to my favorite equation:

PASSION + PERSEVERANCE = POSSIBILITIES (JBJ)

Happy Birthday and Hugs,
Tammy


*The "devil" is a very nice man who had anger-management issues at the time that Tammy was looking for work. He has since "mellowed," and/or my threshold for "devilry" has changed, and/or I have my own anger-management and "issues" so his don't seem so bad in retrospect. (And yes, I know I'm using the quotes "ironically.")

40 Diamonds for 40: Journeys with Jane

There are moments of serendipity in life. There's the day you turn a corner in a hallway of your college dorm and come across a sight that makes you laugh and laugh at the incongruity of the scene in front of your eyes. Fast forward, more than twenty years later, and wonderfully two of the submissions for your 40 Diamonds for 40 project come in back to back, perfectly echoing the interweavings of harmony that come from chamber music partners. Those forged bonds of friendships, in and out of practice and classrooms, behind instruments, on stage and off, with verbal and physical shorthands that are only keyed to your core group, echo through the musical cosmos. Even though you don't talk all the time, and only see each other sporadically, you can pick up the threads that make up your relationship-- almost seamlessly.

Jane tells the story best. What she has left out is how wonderful she was to let me try my hand at her harp, not wincing at my tone and technique; how she would let me escape to her houses on Flax Hill Road for visits to The Dutchess for fast food, Trader Joe's for supplies, the thrift shop for deposits and withdrawals, to the yarn stores for supplies, and to Book Aid to "volunteer" -- and take home more books; how she so thankfully warned me about my 19th birthday "surprise" as planned by the girls, to take me to "a show" aka Chippendale's (seriously, THANK YOU for the warning); how she and her parents had/have adopted me and let me accompany them on trips to concerts, fancy restaurants where I got to try mako for the first time, fixed my clothes, given me advice, generally put up with me; how she allowed me to work out my aggressions by basically single-handedly demolishing a room in her house, with a mallet and crowbar, brick-by-brick; and so much more. Jane's been my arty travel buddy, who really knows that it's quality, not quantity, of time spent together.

Not only is Jane a talented string teacher, harpist, friend, but she's also responsible for many of my charming letters and postcards from college.

Brava and Milli Grazie, my friend. Brava!

Dear Auntie Nettie,

When we first met, I was sitting on the dorm hallway floor with an entire door lock in my hand. That moment was the unlocking of our friendship over the last twenty-two years.

After our initial introductions, we found our love of music as a common bond. We played together all four years of college. You could play anything and were the best accompanist a violinist could hope for! As members of Trio Non Sacre (Unholy Trio—named not by us, but the department chair), we enjoyed playing such favorites as “F- You, Martinu!” We must have been pretty good since we found ourselves to be the on-call musicians for various college functions. Not bad considering each rehearsal seemed to start with me playing a strip tease tune while you and Kristen removed coats, scarves, hat and gloves!

After college, you continued to support my musical pursuits, now as a string teacher. My young string students loved the opportunity to visit Caramoor and attend concerts or workshops. We felt that Caramoor was an extension of our classroom.

Because we have very full schedules in the “Ed Biz,” we find it hard to schedule time to do things together. But I’m glad we’ve been able to enjoy lots of things that NYC has to offer---walking the newly-opened Highline, concerts at Carnegie Hall, lunch at Peanut Butter & Co. or A Salt & Battery, and the annual Makers’ Fair.

May you have a wonderful birthday! I look forward to celebrating many more milestone birthdays with you!

Lots of love,
Jane

Postcard Art by Jane, c. the College Years

Sometimes you just feel like screaming!