The after I had to skip blogging because I didn’t have enough time I had sleep issues and couldn’t start blogging until 3:18. Sometimes things aren’t fair. Even now I’m fighting to stay alert enough to write. Am I starting with to excuse any problems with this entry? Not consciously. I always feel the need to justify not blogging or being late. But unconsciously it could be affecting me. I try to be self-aware which means doubting myself.
Now comes the tough part, trying to reconstruct the last two days. Turns out I could just repost what I wrote last year when I did exactly the same things on New Year’s Eve and the first part of New Year’s Day. I didn’t change things up until last night. I won’t do that, but I could.
Part one of New Year’s Eve was going to the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden with Allison and Joe. I live right nearby, they picked me up and it’s just a short drive to the Garden entrance. The Train Show is exactly the kind of thing I love but I never went until last year. It is about a lot more than model trains. The best part is the models of landmarks, mainly in NYC but some in the rest of the State. The largest are bridges, George Washington, Brooklyn, 59th Street aka Queensboro, and the Hellgate. The Hellgate is a railway trestle so very appropriate. It has streetcars crossing the Brooklyn. I loved walking around and spotting all the places I know, especially the lesser known ones in Queens like the Bowne House. Everything is made from found organic materials, leaves, bark, twigs, pinecones, and my favorite, the fungi that make up the Guggenheim. The exhibit is like an artistic rendition of the panorama of New York in Flushing Meadow Park. Hey why aren’t any of the classic structures of that park included? There are many from Central Park. This year I discovered that the exhibit changes every year. They work on it all year long. This year’s new pieces were in Central Park. Some of the buildings, like the old Penn Station are no longer in existence. The large-scale model trains run throughout the artificial landscape. This was my childhood idea of fun, and it is my sexagenarian view of fun. I’m a man of consistent taste. My conversations with Allison and Joe are always interesting and wide ranging. Both Attack of the 50-Foot Women and Perfect Pitch came up. They both have to do with trains, right?
After the show Allison and Joe drove me to where I could catch the BX 44 bus to Queens. The timing is weird, If I took the fastest route I would have arrived too early and had nowhere to eat. So instead I took a longer route via downtown Flushing but thanks to bus schedules that got me there quite a bit later. As we don’t eat at the party until midnight the dinner stop was necessary. The party was at Warren and Tina’s house. It’s an annual event that goes back to Tina’s childhood, where her friends were invited to her parents’ party. Now their kids invite their friends. I know Warren though bridge. He and many of the friends are gamers. I either play games with them or hang out with Tina. Last night I did both; games before midnight and Tina, her sister Catherine, and Catherine’s husband Paul after. We drop everything to watch the ball drop. Usually we stay until about, but we got very involved in conversations and Catherine, Paul, and I didn’t leave to around 3 AM. They live in the Bronx too and gave me a ride home, that helps a lot. Let’s see how I do remembering the gamers. J.J., Bruce & Ally and Dave are there every year so it’s simple. Then there was Peter, I can remember that the way I always remember Peters, the duo, Peter and Gordon. Met J.J. The say time I met Warren; they were bridge partners. I’ve known them for over 25 years. Part of me still classifies them as New Friends, yet I’ve known them longer than anyone else I’ve seen other than Alan. We’ll get to Alan soon.
I got into bed at around 3:45. My next party was at 2 PM and in Brooklyn. I slept until 11, that’s why I didn’t have enough time to write. My second party started less than 12 hours after the previous party ended. Does that make me a party animal? The New Year’s Day party is an annual event at Coco and Bruce’s. That’s a gathering place for my musician friends and Coco and Bruce run First Acoustics. I don’t see my Brooklyn friends as often as I’d like. Scott, Mark & Carolann, and Felix, Bev, and Robin, were the musician’s contingent while Jeff & Carol repped the music supporters. We ended off the evening with a jam. I don’t play but I sing along and played percussion. Felix and Mark had new instruments, a melodica, and electric bass respectively. I played an iPhone speaker and recorder, which I used to hit the iPhone speaker. It’s an effective percussion instrument. They always have a great spread; Bruce is a first rate cook and people bring sweets. Loaded up for the day. I was talking to Scott when I first arrived then remembered there was food. I told him that somebody must have replaced me with a double as the real me would always prioritize food.
I stayed until the party broke up which was excellent timing for the Knick game. I missed about half the first quarter but I’m fine with that. The Knicks are terrible but do great when I go, they are now 3 – 0 when I’m there. This was their best game; they beat the Trail Blazers by 24 points. They really should pay me to go to games.
Now I should go food shopping. I don’t feel like going out but having food in the house is a good thing. After very social New Year’s I will go back to my usual life, going out frequently but usually by myself. Deni Bonet is on tomorrow’s agenda. It looks like Gidge will be there, so I lied and won’t be there on my own.
Wise Madness 