A Font of Nothing

Archive for October, 2009

Illuminate the Stories

October 17th, 2009

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I survived my week in New Jersey – and my whirlwind trip to Manhattan on Thursday night! After some anxious moments trying to navigate the NJ Transit system, I made it to Penn Station and, in the freezing wind and rain, caught a cab (and took some photos on the way, like the one above) to the theatre district.

I had a few minutes to spare before they let the crowd into the theatre, so I walked down to Times Square to grab a pretzel from a street vendor (dinner!) and snap a shot of the neon and chaos:

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In The Heights plays at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on 46th Street, directly across the street from two landmarks: the Church of Scientology, and… The Hotel Edison! That’s where we stayed during our high school trip to NYC, when SarahBeth Panaro first met her namesake. Whee! Okay, back to the present. Here’s a picture of the In The Heights marquee:

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The show was amazing. I was actually in the second row (apparently “CC” comes before “A”), but it was still incredible to be so close to the action. The cast was phenomenal. I wish I could have seen Lin-Manuel Miranda as Usnavi, but Javier Munoz was… hmmm, I’m running out of adjectives. He was, simply, a joy to watch. I love that these people so clearly love their jobs so much that they give one thousand percent every night on stage (and twice on Wednesdays and Sundays). My favorite performer was Kevin Santos, an ensemble performer who stepped up to play Sonny. Fantastic. I can’t wait for this show to tour so I can see it again!

It was a long and sometimes shady commute back to Basking Ridge, but I’m so glad I made the trip. There are a few more pictures from the Manhattan adventure in the Fall 2009 album.

The title of this post comes from the number “Finale” from ITH:

Yeah, I’m a streetlight chillin’ in the heat.
I illuminate the stories of the people in the street.
Some have happy endings, some are bittersweet,
but I know them all, and that’s what makes my life complete.

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Posted in Entertainment, Travel

Nature’s First Green Is Gold

October 12th, 2009

treespy

Off to New Jersey for a week for work, but before I go, here’s a little weekend recap. It was a cold but gorgeously sunny day yesterday, so I snapped a few photos on the walk Mom, Bussey, Jennie, and I took around PY. Above is a photo from the courthouse lawn; below is one from the Main Street bridge over the Outlet.

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Yesterday we also celebrated Jennie’s gold medal in Special Olympics bocce. Great job, Jen! Here’s the champion showing off her medal at Grandma and Grandpa’s:

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Thursday night I’m going to see In The Heights – from the front row! I can hardly stand the wait.

The title of this post is from a poem by Robert Frost:

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

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Posted in Entertainment, Family, Photography

Every Year I Wish It More

October 9th, 2009

To Matthew Charles:

I know I wished you this before, but every year I wish it more: Happy Birthday!

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Posted in Friends

Bachelors, Bachelors, Everywhere!

October 8th, 2009

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Last night was the Find the One at One bachelor auction to benefit Gilda’s Club. Linds, Leah, Sarah S, and I went, and met up with Iron Beth, as well as the gals from the club. Above is a self-portait we took at One.

A ton of money was raised for Gilda’s, and both Leah and I managed to snag a bachelor. Wahoo! Here’s a picture of me with Daryl:

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There are a bunch more photos in the (new) Fall 2009 album here (I have been having loads of trouble with Coppermine, so have installed Gallery – we’ll see how that goes), but here are a few more. First, Omar gives Linds a kiss to keep her still long enough for a photo:

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Next, here’s me and Kimberly from The Breakfast Buzz (swiped the photo from MetroMix; the rest of their pics are here):

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And, finally, proof that Sarah S and I have similar – and smashing – taste in footwear:

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Posted in Events, Friends

Oh, It Must Be October

October 5th, 2009

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“The harvest moon hangs round and high
It dodges clouds high in the sky,
The stars wink down their love and mirth
The Autumn season is giving birth.
Oh, it must be October
The leaves of red bright gold and brown,
To Mother Earth come tumbling down,
The breezy nights the ghostly sights,
The eerie spooky far off sounds
Are signs that it’s October.
The pumpkins yellow, big and round
Are carried by costumed clumsy clowns.
It’s Halloween – let’s celebrate.

– Pearl N. Sorrels, It Must be October

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Posted in Holidays, Photography

Wineglass: Now With Video

October 5th, 2009

Here’s the video I promised yesterday: Sarah and Lisa on the homestretch to the finish line of the Wineglass Marathon. Thanks for the video, Timmy!

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Posted in Friends, Training/Races

We Can’t All Be Heroes

October 4th, 2009

sarahlisa

But Lisa and Sarah can! Today, Lisa and Sarah ran the Wineglass Marathon from Bath to Corning, finishing in a blazing 3:42. Sarah beat her P.R. by 11 minutes (!), and they both qualified for Boston. Congratulations, girls! Guess those warm-up moves (shown above) really did the trick!

Today wasn’t just Lisa’s 12th (again: !) marathon, it was also her 35th 29th birthday. Happy birthday, Lis! Here’s a shot of the birthday girl with her proud parents:

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There are a bunch more photos in the Fall 2009 album here. Video footage to come, courtesy of Timmy, who you can see chasing the girls to the finish line with his camera here:

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It was almost impossible for me to just sit there and watch those runners go by – I so wanted to be out on the course with them (and I would have been, if there had been a half… but it was a point-to-point course, dang it)! Good thing I just this week signed up for half #6, the Mardi Gras Half Marathon, which I’ll be walking with Snoopy Huhn in February 2010!

The title of this post comes from a quote by Will Rogers:

We can’t all be heroes, because someone has to sit on the curb and clap* as they go by.

*Or ring a cowbell.

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Posted in Friends, Training/Races

Took Me Away

October 1st, 2009

The annual trip to Maine has come and gone. It was far too short of a trip this year. Lindsay came with me, as evidenced by the photo above! That’s a self-portait of us on the Marginal Way in Ogunquit. Below is my favorite photo from the trip, a crab leg and rocks on the beach in Kennebunkport.

We drove through wretched rain both to Maine and back again, but Monday was nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Thank you, Mother Nature! We got up early to watch the sunrise over Long Sands Beach. In fact, I took a little video of it! Here it is:

After that, we wandered up to the Nubble, then wound our way up the shore road to Ogunquit. Between the Marginal Way, Ogunquit Beach, Kennebunkport Beach, and Long Sands Beach, we figured we walked at least ten miles that day. Of course we managed to refuel with plenty of lobster and crab! And I loaded up on tasty treats at the Harbor Candy Shop, of course.

There are a ton of pictures from the trip here, but here’s one last shot from my favorite little nook in York, behind the Cape Neddick Lobster Pound.