Thanksgiving

Yet again, I have successfully avoided cooking my first Thanksgiving feast. This year we (The 4 Garcias and 2 Udalls) headed to a church to feed fellow New Yorkers. Unfortunately, too many good citizens live in this city: the place was packed with good-doers, so we cut a few pies and ditched to an Indian restaurant. David, of course obliged us to walk miles home.
That morning my parents, Elijah, and I ventured to the Macys parade. It was spectacular!
After checking out the parade, we walked alongside it in Central Park. We paralleled the Doughboy balloon and listened to the band.
Below is on the way back from the failed service project. I add it because it demonstrates a few typical Garcia-isms:
1) Elijah trying to hold the hand of a less-than-interested Claire.
2) Claire is focused on a man (Pops Udall).
3) David is winning the race (pushing the stroller). What race you ask? I know not, but there always seems to be a race when David is involved.
We walked along 5th Avenue. Bellow is a picture at Rockefeller. We also browsed the Christmas window displays. My favorite was what I have entitled "Christmas Taxidermy," featuring a unicycle-riding squirrel.
Friday night we saw the Radio City Christmas Show. It was quite good. Anything with a midget named Sprinkles flying across the stage in a toy airplane warms my heart.

David's Test of Testoterone

I’ve only known David for 18 years. Therefore, I can’t say the following incident is the most foolish thing he’s ever done, but I think I can pretty safely say it’s in the top 3.
Mistake #1: Entered a confined space (subway) with a big hostile man.
Mistake #2: Maintained eye contact with said man who was cursing and shoving.
Mistake #3: After being pushed, put aforementioned man in a head lock.
Mistake #4: After persuasion from man’s girlfriend, released man, who was raging mad, from a head lock.
Mistake #5 After being approached again, placed man under head lock #2.
Mistake #6: Released man who was raging mad, and whose girlfriend fainted, from head lock.
Mistake #7 After the man chose to ignore girlfriend’s state, placed man in head lock #3.
Mistake #8: Released man who was raging mad from a head lock and exited the train.
Mistake #9: Assumed man would remain on the train to attend to his ailing girlfriend.
Mistake #10 Turned his back on the man who also exited. David received a blow to the head. David karate kicked at the man. The man, hoping to avoid additional confrontation, ran backward into a pole as David verbally belittled him.
Smart move #1: David speedily departed amongst shouts of “Call the police.”

Scary: He later found out that a few days before a man had been stabbed on the train.
Smart move #2: Filed a police report and will use a different train for a while.

The School of Elijah

Curriculum:
1. Ever since I posted that video of Claire spitting, the Garcia household has experienced a resurgence of spraying. Elijah absolutely loves the video and squeals every time he sees it. During meals, Elijah counsels Claire to spit. After a glare from me, he says, “Claire I no like that.” And the cycle begins again.
2. Elijah is trying to foil my attempt to teach Claire body parts. Whenever we review, Elijah prefers to review only his most important body part: “Claire where you mocos?” And the fingers go into the little nostrils.
3. Potty talk training. A few days ago Claire said “kaka” several times amidst giggles all around. At least the vocabulary is expanding, although downward.

Odds and Ends:
This is Elijah’s first successful attempt at letters without prodding. I was very proud. There are 2 E's, a C, and an O.A day with the Stierwalts at Washington Square ParkChuckie Cheese: Breeding ground for delinquents. We went to a birthday at Chuckie Cheese. Elijah's wallet was stolen. Poor thief took $0.14 and left the doubloons and trains at the Lost and Found.
Showtime at the Apollo. I can't think of that place without singing the theme song and remembering late nights as a bored teenager without cable.
Some Fall pictures from last week. All of Elijah's smiles are bribe-induced...can't wait until Claire responds to bribery!

Statically Electric

Three times since moving to NYC I have gotten sick to the point of debilitation. All 3 times were on the weekend; all 3 were extremely busy working weekends for David. Such luck! Anyway, sickness plus little sleep last night equaled me semi-conscious on Elijah's bed today while the kids wreaked havoc. This is how I regained consciousness:

Last Thursday my old mission comp Liz Cala came in town for an artistic tribute to her brother. Friday a Cuban restaurant with friends. And Saturday was the Peter Pan marionette show at the Swedish Cottage in Central Park with Elijah’s class.
Sunday was the Primary Program. Elijah was of course giving his shout outs to the congregation. The showman spent the rest of the program making faces, chewing on his shoe, biting the chair in front of him, and weaving through the rows to lick other kids. Mr. Freud, is it possible for the oral phase to last this long? The worst part about it was that I was sitting a few rows in back of him and therefore couldn’t enjoy the show.


Contemplations:
Naked: This is the word I was thinking of this morning to describe how it’s been here in NYC. Emotions, moods, words, expressions: all are exposed; with so many people in such small space, it’s hard to hide anything. On the way to run in the park, I saw a car hitched to a tow truck. A little girl looked on perplexed as her mother pulled their valuables out of the car before it got towed away. I saw a car crash later on in the run. Sunday I went to a wake and heard an old man tumble down a huge set of marble stairs. I saw him strapped to a gurney, being pushed to the ambulance, on our way out. Homelessness is everywhere and always reminds me how real life is. A few weeks ago, on the way to church, a woman cursed me out several times in the subway; I’m a horrible mom because Elijah hit his head on a bar. The kid barely flinched. Little did she know, this is a daily occurrence. One of my biggest NYC pet peeves is how in the winter strangers become extremely concerned for my children's health because I don’t bundle them enough. They don’t understand the life of an exhibitionist. Cold and sickness are the downside, but there are so many more upsides. I swear, sometimes I just can’t keep clothes on my kids. My first instinct is to tell people to mind their own business. But I really don’t want people to mind their own business. This would be a horrible world if people minded their own business. I’ll take the naked uglies with the beautiful. It adds flavor to life.
Later~~~
After a prank call from my lovely brother-in-law, I realized this post might have sounded a tad depressing. I didn't mean it that way at all. In fact, I'd say that I get more positive than negative attention here. Unfortunately the bad stands sometimes stands out more.

How 'bout them apples

Halloween

Festivities began on Friday at Elijah’s school. The 2 afternoon classes paraded down to Riverside Park. The hunt for mini-pumpkins was held in a small field. My loot included a dead rat and a doggy surprise on my shoe.

Claire, the Flamenco dancer, was excited to join in the fun.
The Spanish Torrero and the dainty dame who absolutely loved her high heels...
She threw an all-out tantrum today because I wouldn't let her wear her heels to the park. She organized a one-girl strike and refused shoes for most of the rest of the day. This shoe fetish did not come from my side of the family. Garcias?

On the way back, there were trick-or-treating stations. This one is with the doorman.
Elijah displaying many of the Halloween tattoos he self-applied with his toothbrush. There's also one that's still very visible on his neck.
Saturday morning started with the Primary Halloween party. Strutting her heels:
The bishop made at least 5 kids cry with this costume. Claire was one of them and screamed every time she saw him. The Michigan Law student costume was scary too.
On the way back home with the Palomenques, we trick-or-treated along Broadway at a corner store, McDonalds, Tim Horton’s, and a clothing store. Then the Halloween parade, complete with bagpipers and a crowded park. We were going to do more trick-or-treating, but were a little tired. Instead we did a few reverse trick-or-treating visits in our building.
Nothing but Gremlins and junk food that night with the Hamiltons. I thought I'd be freaked out by the movie since I still think a man and a cohort of rats simultaneously live both in my closet and under my bed. But that movie is too ridiculous to merit fear. Gremlins 2 should be coming in the mail tomorrow. David can't wait.
A side note: Yesterday morning as I was running along the Hudson, twice I passed the U.S.S. New York, with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center as part of its bow. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.