Elektra Opera 2009

We went to the opera last night to see Elektra. We sat in the balcony and I tried to think tall thoughts so I could peer over the ledge and watch Elektra fight with her sister over whether or not to kill their mother. Don't worry, I won't spoil ancient Greek mythology for you if you don't already know.

Kevin and I enjoyed singing along, "Agamemnon! Agamemnon!" I also enjoyed the beautiful chandeliers in the jewel room Met theater (those never get old), watching the man playing the triangle in the orchestra, and pushing the button on the translation box so I could see what Elektra was saying in Spanish, or um, German. This last thing made absolutely no sense to me since the opera Elektra is already in German. Is this translation only for deaf German people? Oh, I know it's probably always the third language, but are Germans who don't speak English the third most likely group to go to the opera in New York? I would guess it would be Chinese or Japanese speakers.

The Met at Christmastime

Nick and Emily Engagement 2009!

We had more happy news after Christmas, as our good friends and perfect couple, Emily and Nick, got engaged in Manhattan. We met them out at Jimmy's Corner for drinks to celebrate their engagement. Congratulations!

Nick and Emily at Jimmy's Corner

First Married Christmas in NJ 2009

We had a nice first-married Christmas Eve with my parents in New Jersey. Dinner was Cuban-style Noche Buena with pork, delicious black beans and rice, and yucca (by special request). Dessert was flan and toron. Really fantastic.

 

Me and Kevin on Christmas Eve

My cute parents

We also had a bit of a photo shoot. My mother just about lost it when Kevin was photographing and he requested that we act "ferocious" instead of the old Tyra Banks stand-by "fierce."

We are ferocious!

Christmas day itself we stayed home and had Chinese food for dinner in tribute to what Kevin's family was eating on the Cape. This time, I graciously let Kevin eat his fortune cookie, despite his accusations on Things My Wife Complains About.

Holiday Visits from Friends and Family 2009

Before the holidays, Kevin's friend Briggs and his brother Andrew came to visit us for a few days each. Kevin and Briggs went to the usual bars, and the next morning we introduced Briggs to the Brooklyn brunching lifestyle at our favorite brunch spot Abilene. Kevin walked Andrew all around the city and then we went with our friend Akua to see Avatar. By the way, Avatar is the best movie ever (if you ignore all of the general's lines that is).

And then Kevin's brother Andrew visits:

More on these in next post.

Baby Owen 2009!

Belated baby news. My friend Chrissy and her husband Jason had a super cute baby just before Christmas. I was waiting to have a proper picture to post. They opted not to find out the baby's gender early so: It's a boy! Ha ha. My post name gave it away I guess. His name is Owen and he is adorable. (His blog is http://babyvonderhaar.blogspot.com/.)

Owen!


Happy family in time for Christmas.

Things My Wife Complains About: #10 Eating Fortune Cookies

After purchasing a tree, dragging the stand out of the closet, putting the tree up, watering the tree, and stringing the lights, my wife complained that the lights were not distributed evenly enough around the tree. That might be post worthy, but something happened immediately after the conversation that was even more post worthy, which was my wife giving me a fortune cookie that I opened to discover the following message:

"It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness."

Flush with the thrill of serendipity, I triumphantly held the slip of white paper before my wife, who willfully ignored the ancient wisdom of mass-produced fortune, complaining instead that I had eaten the cookie, which she felt entitled to eat, even though she had just eaten her own fortune cookie, message unknown.

Possible Solutions!

1) Don't eat anything before offering it first to wife.
2) Convert to Judiasm and purchase electric menorah.
3) Cancel Christmas and/or Chinese food (hard).

Los Angeles 2009

This weekend, I went to go visit Brooke in Los Angeles. It rained the whole time I was there but I was so excited to see Brooke that I didn't care. She showed me LA, we went shopping and had drinks in the afternoon, and we went to a comedy show in which her boyfriend Marc performed. Good times!

It's raining so fancy martinis are the answer

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Outside the Pig n' Whistle from the movie Chinatown

Los Angeles 2009

I went to go visit Brooke in Los Angeles. It rained the whole time I was there but I was so excited to see Brooke that I didn't care. LA is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. One of the things I found unusual was how spread out LA is compared to New York. There's just vast land and highway with nothing on it.

It's raining so fancy martinis are the answer

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Outside the Pig n' Whistle from the movie Chinatown

Hollywood in the rain

Elephant statue in Hollywood

The beach outside Brooke's door

NYPL Christmas Party 2009

After our engagement on the steps of the New York Public Library, I have mentioned to Kevin on occasion that I have never actually been inside the NYPL. So Kevin became a member so that he could take me to their Christmas party so that the first time I went in would be special. Isn't he the sweetest husband?

Me outside the NYPL

The NYPL Christmas Party

Private Concert

Kevin's "author picture"

Before the tour of the stacks

Things My Wife Complains About: #9 Not Putting Her to Bed at the Exact Right Moment

My wife prefers being awake to being asleep. It's one of the reasons I married her. Although she loves being awake, it endlessly annoys her that I don't put her to bed at the exact moment she wants to go to bed. I italicize wants because one must differentiate what my wife believes she should do from what she wishes to do. It's my responsibility to recognize this dichotomy, make a unique nightly decision in her best interests, and enforce this decision in a way that respects her autonomy. When I fail to do this correctly, which happens six to seven times a week, it is her burden to complain.

Possible Solutions!

1) Remove all light bulbs, so as to give the apartment more of a sleep-inducing feel
2) Replace collapsing, spring-less mattress with mattress that massages muscles, doesn't cause one to wake in excruciating pain
3) Rock and roll all night and party every day (hard)