GimletBlog

And yet, surprisingly, it has not only snowed in November, but the snow has refused to go away. The storm began Sunday afternoon, has continued through today, and we may receive a little more before the week is out. The roads are too icy for travel, so school was cancelled. Thing Two (not surprisingly) doesn’t like the snow; Thing One has filled our yard with snowmen; The Gimlet has been busily remodeling the basement; and instead of baking cookies, I’m updating the blog.

Thanksgiving weekend meant I could move forward with the basement remodel. On Thursday morning I pulled down all the ceiling tiles and began to pull down the furring strips. This went rather quickly. On Friday morning, after hitting the big box home improvement sales for supplies to be delivered Saturday, I finished pulling down the furring strips and began to pull down the paneling. Saturday involved renting a large truck and filling it with the refuse that had been pulled down. Uncle B came to help, mainly to move the concrete sink into the truck. Uncle B, Thing One and the Gimlet then finished pulling down the paneling and removed the bar that was anchored to the floor in the rec room. Uncle B and I then took the refuse to the dump. We cleared out 60 lbs short of a ton — 1940 lbs. Now it’s time to rest up for the framing.

(Editor’s note: Since this post was written, the Gimlet has nearly finished remodeling the staircase and has begun framing! More details to follow as time permits.)

Related posts:

“Very true,” said Henry, “and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies.”

Kelley and I both had most of the day to sightsee before returning home, so on this brisk, clear Sunday morning we walked north along the Museum Mile. Sadly, the Guggenheim is covered in scaffolding so it was not as impressive as it could have been. We stopped in at the Museum of the City of New York, an uncrowded and interesting little museum (and free on Sunday mornings!) which gave us an overview of some aspects of the city’s history. The maritime and theater exhibits were especially detailed and fascinating.

After touring the museum, we decided we needed our own Beechen Cliff and corresponding study of the picturesque, so we walked about a block to Central Park’s Conservatory Garden, bordered by the Vanderbilt Gate. We could tell that the garden must be stunning at the proper time of year, but mid-November only a few roses tenaciously clung to their bloom. Nevertheless the gardens were lovely and peaceful. We found a pair of crabapple alleés which would have pleased Eleanor Tilney — in a melancholy way, of course. We continued south through the park past the reservoir, back towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

There wasn’t enough time to attempt more sightseeing, so we walked back to our hotel, bidding a final, fangirly farewell to Theater Ten Ten on the way. After a short wait in the lobby, Valancourt the Super Shuttle driver made his much-anticipated entrance and I was spirited off to Udolpho Newark. Luckily, I was the first passenger and rode shotgun on an informal tour through Manhattan. While gawking at the shops, skyscrapers, Grand Central Station, Times Square, and Broadway, it became apparent that we had confined ourselves to the sedate, tranquil part of town. The airport wasn’t too crowded, and joy of joys, there was an empty seat next to mine on the plane. As a certain airline has, shall we say, a rather relaxed attitude towards returning baggage to its passengers, I arrived home around midnight.

This little getaway was so much fun. Short, but we made the most of our time, thanks to the advice of the local Pemberlians. Always wonderful to bask in the radiance that is the Virtue Queen, if only for a brief, shining moment. Kelley and I enjoyed the best company with fine conversation, and while we frequently chose to run mad, neither of us fainted.

Related posts:

Oh! Mr. Tilney, how frightful! — This is just like a book!

Saturday morning we followed excellent directions given to us by a native New Yorker and fellow Pemberlian, and set out for the morning. On the way, we located the restaurant and the Park Avenue Christian Church, home of Theater Ten Ten. To our delight, the church was a Gothic edifice! Perhaps more Blaize Castle than Otranto, but still, very exciting.

We arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before the crowds and spent most of the day exploring its long passages and galleries, as our passion for ancient edifices and artifacts was next in degree to our passion for — well, you know. While we weren’t able to see all the exhibits, we chose favorites to linger over and briskly worked our way through several others. I was thrilled to find a collection of red figure vases by the Berlin and Achilles painters in the Greek and Roman galleries; Kelley’s must-see was George Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. We especially enjoyed the special exhibit titled Americans in Paris, 1860-1900.

By mid-afternoon the museum was getting crowded, so we left, walking several blocks south along Fifth Avenue, then turning around to walk back to 86^th Street through Central Park. We saw the viewing station for Pale Male, the Model Boat Pond, and took in the vast array of families, dog walkers, pedestrians, and cyclists. We took another loving look at the church — it was on the way, I promise — and hurried back to the hotel to meet the other Pemberlians and (hopefully) the Virtue Queen, who was making her way north from Times Square. (more…)

Related posts:

Catherine was all eager delight; — her eyes were here, there, every where, as they approached its fine and striking environs, and afterwards drove through the streets which conducted them to the hotel. She was come to be happy, and she felt happy already.

Last August I found out that an award-winning stage adaptation of Northanger Abbey would be running again in New York City in the fall. For all my interest in NA adaptations, I’d never been able to see one of the stage plays performed, and I had it on good authority that this was a very good one. I’d never visited New York City either and hadn’t taken a solo trip in several years. Clearly, the time was right for an adventure.

Adventures are not necessarily cheap, so I would have to confine the trip to one weekend, with the play being the event around which all other activities would be planned. I’ve always dreamed of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so that was another must-see. Fortunately the Museum Mile was only a few blocks from Theater Ten Ten. I also made plans to meet up with a former college roommate (best known as the Virtue Queen, or VQ). Members of the on-line Republic of Pemberley are always up for an Austen-related get-together, so prior to the trip we worked out a pre-theater dinner.

I chose to stay at a brand-new Marriott on the Upper East Side, not far from the theater and also close to the Museum Mile. It was one of the more affordable hotels in the area, but even so to manage costs I shared a room with Kelley, a fellow Pemberlian and willing partner in all escapades Northangerian. The room was clean, quiet, and comfortable, and the hotel provided a complimentary continental breakfast.

My flight arrived in the midst of rush hour. As the shuttle slowly made its way uptown through Manhattan, it was encouraging to spot our pre-theater restaurant, even if it was unlikely I’d remember how to get there. By the time I made it to the hotel, I was a little travel-shocked and didn’t feel much like exploring an unfamiliar place at night. The front desk recommended Pinocchio’s Ristorante, a very nice little Italian restaurant only a block or two away. Even though it was a Friday night and we didn’t have a reservation, we were seated immediately, the service was pleasant, and the food was delicious. The dining area couldn’t have been much larger than my kitchen but they made the most of their space.

Upon returning to the hotel, Kelley and I discovered we had both brought copies of the play to look over, and as (1) neither of us turned out to be axe murderers, and (2) neither of us tire of discussing Northanger Abbey, the weekend was off to a great start.

Next: NA fangirls geek out in GOTHam

Related posts:

Today was a holiday from school, so I went to the office with my dad for lunch. We had was fish fillets and onion rings. The fish was good but I didn’t like the onion rings. Then, we walked to the movies and watched Flushed Away. It is about a pet mouse named Roddy with dolls he’s living with. A sewer rat comes up the sink and flushes him down the toilet. While he’s falling down the drain, he sees Nemo. Then, he falls and finds another rat named Rita. Some other rats are looking for her ruby, which Roddy proves that it is a fake by hitting it on the boat. The Toad tries to freeze Roddy and Rita, but they escape and the other rats are frozen. Everywhere, there are singing slugs, and the little ones sing bass. The frog tries to repopulate the sewer with his children because he hates rodents. He will flood the sewer at halftime in the world cup. Roddy and Rita stop them and the sewer rat that flushed him stays at Roddy’s house watching the world cup.

I liked the movie, but I think it is a bit scary for little children. There were some funny things in it, and it is adventurous. Some parts of it were scary.

Editor’s note: Ten middle school orchestras from around the region and three adjudicators met at Thing One’s school Saturday morning to perform and attend a workshop.

At the orchestra symposium, we played pieces by Antonio Vivaldi. He lived in the baroque period (around the 1700s). There were three movements but we only performed I and III. The orchestra teacher has two violin baroque bows and is going to buy some baroque cello bows. I play the cello and including me, there are five cellists in the junior orchestra. The junior orchestra also has two violas, two basses, and lots of violinists. At the summer music program, we played down in front of the stage, so this was my first time on the stage and it felt different. Also, there were orchestras from lots of other middle schools. The movements were fun to play and I enjoyed doing them.

Related posts: