Social Butterfly

This has been such a busy month I have been a bit remiss in my blogging.
So here is my attempt to catch up a bit.

If you enjoy fiction, run don't walk to get Water for Elephants. It's a gripping novel that had me sitting in my car after I got on the train so I could read the last 20 pages before I got home.

On the movie front, I've seen a great French film at the MFA French Film Festival, Family Hero. It was a fun, complex film that showed a whole new side of Catherine Deneuve to me.

The next great movie I saw was Ratatouille. What a great movie! I had seen the movie trailer for this ages ago and have been waiting and waiting until it finally came out. I can't say enough about it. The animation was so amazing that at times you forgot that you were watching a movie about a rat. Plus it was a fun contrast seeing a French film and then one by Disney!

Add to that a Caribbean themed party (ok, so the espresso mini cupcakes I brought weren't technically on theme - they still went over well) and it's been quite a full week.

Kiehl's

I have loved Kiehl's since I first wandered into their store on Third Avenue. The simple black and white packaging and their great products have kept me a customer since then. Conveniently there is a Kiehl's right next to the hair salon I go to. I went in last week after my hair appointment to get some more Coriander shower gel (normally I would question trying to smell like an herb but in this case it works). The great part about Kiehl's, other than the products, are the samples you get at checkout. I had a cute Kiehl's boy helping me out and he very emphatically told me he was putting samples of his absolute favorite product into my bag. He put in a few others as well.

When I got home I unloaded my Kiehl's booty. I got some moisturizer, some great hair product and not one, not two but seven packets of Massage Cream! I was not quite sure what to make of this. Apparently the Kiehl's boy thinks I lead a more exciting life that I do. Or his life is quite fun!

Summertime

This time since my birthday has been very interesting to say the least. It's one of those periods of time where you meet someone and a week later you can't imagine not knowing them. I've clicked with people in a whole new way - both old and new friends. It's been fun and only slightly dampened by a nasty summer cold. Now that I am finally feeling better, I can reflect with a clearer head on the events.

Sitting with a friend overlooking the Boston skyline after one odd evening last week helped to put some further perspective on things. That evening was a meal with a new friend we had met at a birthday party. It was an evening that really required other people since the dynamic made it seem like we were all on a date! Add to it one surprisingly loud restaurant that did not help things and well, you have a pretty different evening.

I feel like this birthday has given me clarity that I've been working without for the last few months with all the nasty drama at work. For the last few days I have been accomplishing things that eluded me for many weeks. It feels good and I'm back to feeling like I am on the cusp of new things and positive changes finally.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well yes, it is my birthday. I am not one of those bashful birthday girls. I will tell anyone! It's hard having a birthday right around the 4th of July since most people travel. So sometimes it seems like I am celebrating my birthday for two weeks. That's fine with me!

I went out the night before my birthday for dinner and drinks with my best friend. We had a great time, as we always do. We went to our usual bar and met an very nice Southern gentleman in town for a conference. My friend met him first but he and I quickly hit it off. She is such a good friend that she headed to the ladies room so often that I was beginning to wonder if she had a UTI! She thankfully does not but the sparks he and I had were clear to her before they were to me. Once he found out it was my actual birthday the next day, he insisted I had to let him buy me lunch. Not one to turn up a meal or good company, I readily agreed.

After coming home far, far later than I had intended (I did not really mind seeing the sun rise on the morning of my birthday) I caught a little sleep, did some errands, gave the pets some attention and headed back to the city for my lunch. He even got me a card! It was very sweet. We sat outside on Newbury Street and just watched the crowd strolling by. He is just such a great conversationalist and a lot of fun. We found plenty to occupy our time and even went for ice cream. I can honestly say I had the best birthday ever :-)

Fourth of July

I happen to love this particular holiday. Though it was unseasonable chilly for this one, it's usually a day of BBQ, fireworks and swimming. A friend of mine from London recently asked me if the 4th of July is a big deal here or not. I had to answer that it was. It's not all about the food and fireworks (which, granted, are a part of my holiday celebration). I told him it was about more than that. For me, it meant a reminder that I am actually proud to be an American. Mind you the current administration does not make this easy. But I am not going to focus on the mind-numbing badness of the current political quagmire for this holiday.

My best memories of the 4th of July are getting up early and heading to get a good seat for the parade with my grandfather and grandmother. It seemed like hours of waiting before the parade would start. But then, there it was. This started my lifelong appreciation of parades. You can imagine my delight when I moved to New York and realized that it's a very pro parade city!

Fireworks are also a big part of my 4th celebration. There is something awe inspiring of seeing them burst against the dark sky. As kids, we were given Sparklers of our own to run around the yard with. I guess that wouldn't happen now since Sparklers can burn at 1800 degrees F. Guess they are not so child friendly. Once again this proves my point that any of us who grew up during the 70's are lucky to be in one piece!

A Matter of Faith

I grew up as a Catholic. Irish Catholic to be exact. I am not a part of the church anymore for a variety of reasons ranging from the sex abuse scandal to the exclusionary aspects of the religion. I'm pretty sure I lost my faith somewhere along the way. My only recent visits to church have been either weddings or for funerals. While I don't consider myself Catholic it's amazing how the rituals and routines of the service have wormed their way into my memory (sit, stand, kneel, pray, shake hands, sit, stand).

This weekend I was able to attend a Hindu temple with my friend. It was amazing. The first thing I noticed, after I took my shoes off, was the incense. It was so fragrant. The incense in the Catholic church reminds me of death and seems to smell like dust, dirt and old men which is actually the way I think of the church.

The colors were eye popping. The women in their saris, the glittering deities, and the priest in his saffron colored robes. My friend was a fabulous guide and explained everything to me. I felt that I needed to pray while my friend prayed. Granted my prayers were more along the lines of "you have a lovely temple" or "thanks for having me". When my friend finished his prayers we sat for a bit on the cool marble floor. I wasn't sure exactly how to sit or if there was a certain way so I just sat cross legged. Our conversation was surprisingly about pedicures. (Or not surprisingly since we were barefoot). At one point the priest came over to my friend to tell him he couldn't sit the way he was sitting. Turns out he had the soles of his feet facing the deity. That's a big no-no. My friend left to run to the men's room and I just sat alone. It was so serene and spiritual. It was oddly quiet and loud at the same time. I felt really peaceful there.