"I will capture nights all over the world and bring them to you" H.R.

This weekend Greg and I drove to Albany New York for a performance by Henry Rollins. 

Albany is the capital of New York and is rich in history. What that history is.. I have yet to learn. I do know we drove over the Eerie Canal in route.  We also took a walk near the hotel and absorbed some of the scenery: the capital building, old world architecture, gilded reliefs, detailing, the sound of angels greeting us (It was Sunday morning and New York is still strongly Catholic and mass spilled out onto the sidewalk as we walked by the cathedral), SUNY and even had a look at the Hudson River. (For more cityscape pics click here.)

So that was Albany but that's not what we went to see. We were there to see Henry Rollins. This was my Christmas present and we had VIP passes. The show was at the Egg. Big open Egg shells have some historical relevance to Albany. I would guess prehistoric but until I go research it is anyone's guess. 

Anyway, Rollins!! So this was a big bucket list sort of thing for me. I have adored him from afar since college when Denise, my skateboarding girlfriend, exposed me to a whole different genre of music.

So, we sit in the pit of this theater which is tucked up in the egg monument. Henry enters stage left and hovers there. Moving slow with a limp, I realize he's old. Not quite the hottie I had once idolized but his voice was as commanding and resonant as ever. And so when we began, it didn't matter that he wasn't as vigorous and viral as I wanted/expected him to be.  The performance turned out to be a "Travel the World with Henry" slideshow. I saw places I will never see through the eyes of an intellectual poet, photographer, historian minded, rockstar.

By the way, Penguin poop is red and they are foul smelling and ill tempered creatures.

So after the show,  the 50 or so of us, were lined up to take photos with Henry. And pretty much we were told we had free reign as to what was permissible. He would accommodate group and single shots. So we could take some liberties. (Do you hear my wheels turning?)

Since Christmas I had been playing out scenarios in my head of what I was going to say and stuff. But I didn't really know what to expect so I didn't really have my plan of attack mapped out until we were moving forward inline.

It was my turn. I walked up to Henry and stop when I am at handshake distance. I say "Henry...  " my arm wants so bad to jut out and have me leap into introductions. But who I am isn't important. I fight the impulse. After a pause that hangs there just almost to long, I cocked my head slightly and finished with  "Thank you for your voice". We smiled sincerely at each other and he turned toward the camera arm stretching out for what I expect to be a standard congenial photo embrace. But before the arm closes around me, I step close, raise up on my tippy toes (Not an easy thing in hiking boots) and give him a sweet kiss on the cheek. He gave a quiet surprised chuckle and then  his arm settled around me (Tightly, warmly, securely.. my mind on the lack of space between. I have completely forgotten about the picture taking). Click Click Click.

So now Greg is up and so I turn and say Henry this is my husband. Greg steps up and they shake hands. After which, Greg goes to line up on Henry's other side for the standard group shot sort of thing. Without warning, I jump between them, grab each of their hands in mine. Henry says "What are we doing?" I look back over my shoulder and say "I'm running away with you!!"  and I turn back at the camera and click click click.

I didn't tell Greg because I wanted him to be surprised.. but maybe I should have so he could have played along more. I think he has come to expect the unexpected from me. Anyway, that was our moment with Henry.

After all the pictures were taken, Henry answered some questions and told an extra story or two. It was a wonderful evening that wont soon be forgotten.

If you would like to hear me tell this tale you can listen here:

Carving, grinding and falling down

January is in full gear. This weekend Willow took a dance class and quite enjoyed it. And despite the day of much needed recovery she wants to go back. I will be happily signing her up for more.

Connor celebrated his 15th birthday with a great little group of friends.

First they went ice skating.  

I got on the ice and made it around a few times myself. Thank goodness no video clips exists of me wildly flaying around.

Greg fell on his knee and ended up keeping me company in the players box.

After that, there were movies, nachos and cake at home. 

I have been busily bustling around in the background. As part of my development as a writer and generally putting myself out there, I have made myself an official website:

www.viccivoight.com 

The blog part doesn't have a link to email like this blog does so I will post here when it gets updated. Take a look and feel free to offer constructive criticism.

Tonight starts the Moth Storytelling. I will have more to say about that later.

I am going to end this here for now. It is finals week and so the kids schedules are not normal and already I have to think about getting on the road to pick them up.

This one is for you!

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

I hope this letter reaches you on a bright sunny and warm winter day. We are not getting many of those here but the temperatures are on the rise. Our run of - degree days has passed (for now) and we are hovering at about 36 degrees. There is speculation that tomorrow or Thursday we may even hit 50 degrees. I may need to break out the sundress .. if it is sunny that is. However, I suspect we will be hit with rain. And then the temperatures drop and we will have an ice storm or two. While I do enjoy the crisp white beauty and being nicely bundled up, I think the winters here will help me appreciate the spring even more than I typically have. Well… After we make it through the mud season. I have given up on trying to keep the floors spic and span for the time being.

We have loved getting your letters. They put a smile on all our faces. I am sorry that I have been so terrible at writing back. Now that our first year here is over, I do plan to be better about it. It takes a lot to move and settle in and I am glad we are through all of that!

The Holiday break was relatively uneventful. We curled up in the house and rested and played. Enjoyed our White Christmas. Thank heavens we have a snowblower for managing the driveway. I started with a shovel and quickly felt it in my rotator cuff.

After I write this, finish up some desk work, and spend some time working on building my “Professional” website I will be off to wrap up a few loose ends on this weekends birthday party for Connor. He and four friends will be going ice skating then they will have nachos and watch movies. I will be giving him your card then. (Speaking of gifts, The kids say thank you for the beautiful crosses. I will send a picture of them soon!)

Connor is back to his play rehearsals for an end of March performance. He will be adding some comic relief to “Death.”  

Skating and theater are his biggest passions. I could see him having a career doing theater on ice. It does exist and it would be a pretty perfect fit for him. He just doesn’t know it yet. Grooving to music is also something he enjoys so I am working on setting him up with figure skating lessons. Fingers crossed.

Willow is doing well. This weekend she will be trying a dance class out. And then next week she and I are taking a Moth Style storytelling class. I don’t really know what moth style is. We will find out. I must admit that I am a bit nervous.  Here is the description of the class:

What’s your story? In this six-week class, learn and practice the art of live, first-person, Moth-style storytelling. Learn how to structure, edit, and perform your own story with a master storyteller and Moth producer and share your work at a live Story Slam on a date to be determined. A class field trip to the Moth Story Slam in Burlington takes place on Tuesday, February 13.

We will see how that goes.

I am going to cut this off here and redirect my attention to the chores. I will post again soon!  Love you!

Cold Snaps break eventually..

Holy Cow! Here we are on the precipice of a New Year?!

We made it through 2017, Mother Truckers!

(I originally wrote a word other than "truckers" but seeing as even my grandparents read this I am subject to temper some of my wording... Keep it respectful and all...)

2017 made a valent attempt of kicking our aa... ahem. But we faced it all in strong fashion.

Anyway, 2018 is starting out with a deep sigh of relief. We are planted, settled and have taken root. Finally.  And now we will flourish.

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I started lifting again. Just the other day. I had forgotten how energizing it is and while I knew I enjoyed it, I had also forgotten how much. Ima get swole this year! (translation: Im beefing up this year for the sheer love and joy of it.)

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The temps have been chilly. The sort of cold that you can get frostbite in 15 minutes. Gotta love layers! We are keeping warm (And frostbite free)
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Taking it at a slow pace

Hello faithful reader,

Have you been thinking about me? Isn't there an old wives tale about itchy eyes meaning someone is thinking about You? I'm not sure but my eye  twitched spastically for 4 days straight last week. Either someone is thinking of me really hard or it could be medication induced ms. Lets hope not. I'm sure there may be a little less dramatic reason and i am monitoring the situation.

One early Saturday morning I was up with the sun and intent on doing some yard work in preparation for winter. I got a lot done but it came at a price. Namely a painfully itchy blistry weepy rash covering half my arm and eventually spread aroung my waist and thighs. The dr. took a culture and told me it was shingles. It was not. She had read the results wrong. It's has since been determined that it was likely caused by poison parsnip (yes there is such a thing). It's been a little over a month now and the areas are mending but still occasionally uncomfortable.

Having this skin stuff has kept me from swimming. Which sucks. The scale was finally moving in the right direction. Not now.. but I will get back to it in due course.

Connor had a great fall theater run. Production week was long but rewarding. He did great and is adapting to high school perfectly. Auditions for springs small student run  plays are near the beginning of Dec. Also with a little medication .. He no longer has migraines, no longer complains of lights (although sounds still get to him).

Willow .. well.. she plugging along. She tired of the drama of her "peers". They suck and it wears her thin. Senioritis had already kicked in as well. We take it day by day.

Greg has been mostly home since my last post. He started to take a cholesterol meds. They did something to his mood. He switched to a new one and it's not doing anything weird (As I proof-read through this I realize that so much of it is about health stuff. Gosh I'm turning into a little old lady!)

In other news the holidays are upon us! Thanksgiving.. We have not had been to a family style thanksgiving in what feels like many many years. This year Willows boyfriends grandparents have invited us to the family gathering. I'm making my butternut squash soup.

Our Yuletide celebration  is going to be geared toward health and well being. We are adding a few keypeices the home gym and scheduling a few fun (although relativly local) family trips in the spring.

Speaking of Spring.. Willow is graduating. Holy Cow! I mean I knew it but the fact of ceremony etc just dawned on me. Anyway..

On it goes..

One foot in front of the other.

Isn't that right mom?
(She had both knees replaced Monday. God bless her!)

Whats in a number?

I am sitting here on the eve of my 44th.

44. 

Its interesting. It doesn't feel old. Especially now that I am properly medicated. I touched my toes yesterday! That seems like an odd statement but I had gotten so stiff over the last few years that even 2 months ago my finger tips hung inches from the ground. The new meds have made quite an improvement. Im not saying I am completely ache free but my feet are not curled into immobile claws in the morning when I wake up and I can manage the stairs normally when I traverse them. It is fantastic and I feel like I have a new lease on life.

44 is shaping up to be a great year and it is arriving in grand style. Thursday, under the light of a full moon, Greg and I will take in the first Blackhawks game of the season. And then my old high school friend Aimee and her family will be by for the weekend. Auspicious beginning to be sure. 

In other news? The kids are recovering from some bug. Tobi has turned into a big game hunter. Greg and I have been visiting some trails with Rosie. Life is beautiful and good. (Except I dropped my phone and I had some allergic reaction but those are the breaks.) Photos are here

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oAj9eyTXkTFZYFBz

 

Through the Darkness

I am burning some midnight oil tonight!

Well maybe not really.  Its only 9 pm. But it feels much later seeing as I am up at 4:30 to get Greg off to the airport.

I might just have to rethink the whole merlot/arting thing. Last Tuesday, the family went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Greg and I shared a nice bottle of Merlot. Upon getting home, I went directly to bed. I don't think it will serve up the conditions I need to paint deep into the night. Looks like I am going to have to find my inspiration elsewhere!

So anyway, our anniversary.. we had dinner. Sitting next to us was this cute gay couple who you could tell were on a first date. Anyway, the conversation at our table wandered from topic to topic, as any leisurely discourse should, and Greg began telling about a time he was out to eat and ended up with Bone Marrow as his meal. Connor asked how you eat that. Greg begins to discuss it in gross detail. Shudder. So to wrap things up and not linger much longer on the subject, I pipe in, rather loud and direct, "Son, You take the bone and you suck on it!" and then I made a sucky sound. The gay guys struggled to keep their composure. But did ok.

Greg also brought home a delightful bouquet of flowers. It featured Irisis that where just on the verge of blooming.

Speaking of flowers... Here is a funny story. I generally do my shopping at a particular store. One of the cashiers, Antonio, has taken a shine to me.  He is from Cuba. He is an older gentleman. His English isn't perfect. But he runs a public access show about Cuban music and local music scene and he also teaches a Spanish language emersion course. Anyway, he is a sweet old character and I tend to choose his line if he is working and I am not in a great hurry. A few weeks ago, after a congenial exchange, I left the store........ with flowers in my hand.

Bwahahaha!

So the rest of the week played out as per the usual. On Saturday, Connor went off to play practice in the morning and then went to a cast party that night. This is part of the school campus:

Willow spent the whole of the day with Matt and his family. When they didn't know what to have for dinner she riffled through the cupboards and whipped them up a nice fried rice.

It is  historically odd, but becoming rather commonplace, that both of the kids are gone more often and, more over, at the some time. Both beginning to live truly independent and external lives.

With both of the kids out for the night, Greg and I enjoyed some sushi and he was asleep by 8:00. All of the travelling (And he has barely begun his journeys) had left him wiped out and he really needed to fully recharge his batteries before he begins the next stretch.

Here is fun news. An old friend, Aimee, and her family are coming out to enjoy a weekend this fall. I think it will be my birthday weekend!

P.S. Karen! Yes. That was a picture of the free tea drop sample you shared with me. I received 2 teas in a cute little wood box and the tea was extremely flavorful. Thank you!