Church in Harlem

What is church protocol if I really need to go to the bathroom, but the women’s bathroom is held captive by a shirtless man washing is undies in the sink? I waited patiently outside. Don’t worry; he finished the rinse cycle in the men’s bathroom.

The other great thing about church in Harlem is that people take literally the “Visitor’s Welcome” sign found on every LDS chapel. Tourists come en masse and leave en masse about 2 minutes into the meeting when they find out there are neither guitars nor boisterous Amens.

rough week for the kids

1) Saturday Claire acquires a huge bump on her forehead, a fat lip, and a bloody nose when her mother lets her stroller fall down a few stairs onto the sidewalk. By Monday, when the alleged mother drops Elijah off at school, Claire’s wound descends to become a black eye mask.
2) Wednesday morning, 2 hours before school, Elijah’s forehead is attacked by the edge of a cement ledge. An even bigger bump greets his teacher.
3) Today, the threesome is on the way to the park, minding their own business. A man spits on Claire and calls her the “B” word.
4) Later today she finds she loves to eat and smear hummus all over her face. With luck, the redness and swelling will go down before Elijah’s school drop off tomorrow. It is assumed the teacher will call child protective services.
Elijah was allergic too, for about a year.



PS. I enjoy living next door to an opera singer who practices at home. Somehow it makes me feel more cultured.

First day of school

Elijah had his first day of school at La Escuelita. It is held in the basement of a Greek Orthodox church (the building behind him in the picture). There are 10 kids in his class and 3 teachers who speak Spanish for 90% of the time. At the end, they re-explain concepts in English. It was also Claire’s first experience with daycare since I had to stay with Elijah during his first day (although he asked me to leave a few times). Claire was not a happy camper, especially since her favorite person dropped her off—it’s near David’s work. After we picked her up, we waited for David in the park. Elijah saw a homeless man eating chips and soda. So, he of course partook…several times. Nice man. Also, his new obsession is dogs. Every dog he sees, he chases, asks for permission to touch the dog, tells the owner to make the dog sit, takes the leash from the owner, and goes.

PS. We saw Casa de los Espiritus this past weekend with our good friend Roberto who was visiting from Ohio. Spanish theater might be my new thing!

Labor Day and David's Day

Friday we got the best friends (Elijah and Matthias) together and went to the High Line that just opened. It’s an old elevated railroad that’s been turned into a park/pathway.
We had 3 sets of friends in town last weekend, a crowded birthday celebration, and lots of fun.
The Funais came from Michigan
Mark came from Arizona to see Palmyra
The Wus came from Cali to see the US Open
The festivities included the Museum of Natural History. That night we went to Son Cubano, one of my favorite restaurants, walked on the High Line again, saw the view from David's building, and got a shaved ice at Chickalicious.
The birthday celebration was Sunday. At first, I thought it would be a quiet, sit-down dinner with a few people. Throughout the weekend, I learned more and more people were coming. I probably could have crowd surfed throughout the whole apartment: 41 people (that I was able to count) in a small space. I was really praying for the miracle of the fish and loaves of bread to feed the mass. I slow-cooked my first pig carcass (or part of one, but that pink skin and hip joint did me in). A socialite married to a self-conscious cooker hasn't always equated restful Sundays. This was truly a labor of love, but I enjoyed the mayhem too. Happy Birthday my man!
Activities included: Eating, dish washing, Monsters in the Dark, Hopscotch, bike riding, and arm wrestling:

Labor Day:
Statue of Liberty (she's the speck left of David) with the Funais and Mark
Tuesday:
One of the Central Park playgrounds
The Central Park Carousel (in operation since 1871)
We went to a birthday lunch with David at a great vegetarian Indian resteraunt.

Elijah had me write the following in David’s birthday card:

“You have lips. Give him chips. And him have gum too. Box you have a gum. Paper gum. Gum pap. And teeth too, and teeth, teeth, teeth. Him have mucho gums. Him have a big gum. I want a big one, more high to the world. A big gum the world. To put him have water. Put him gum to mouth to have eyes.”
When he saw what I wrote, he said, “That not a big gum to the world, you joking.”

Competition

Elijah and Claire often compete in the following areas:

1) Head shaking
2) Splashing (By the way, does anyone out there have any bath mat solutions? Elijah got a bloody lip the other day when he slipped in his bathroom lake. I bought a bathmat, but it usually drowns in the lake, leaving a mildewy delight.)
3) Jumping on the bed

and the most delightful:

4) Screaming...