What’s on the iPod: Nothing Like You by Frightened Rabbit
What a weekend! We walked Manhattan (just 40 blocks or so, not the entire thing), hung out with many kilted comrades, and enjoyed the Tartan Day Parade from the center of it looking at the crowds for a change. The MacBean clan was represented by four, but we were there in full spirit.
We then walked through Central Park, enjoying a glorious day that was warm, sunny, and full of promise. The boys elicited a few comments, a number of compliments, and people wanting to connect and learn about kilts and tradition. What will continue to amaze me is those few people who found it threatening to their personalities enough to comment “Nice skirt” or similar projected insecurities. One dude we passed in Times Square in particular, whose face I’m glad I didn’t see, felt it necessary to scream obscenities and shout “You’re wearing a f***ing skirt! What are you? A man or a girl?”
Husband turned and said, “I’m a man – what are you?” and then walked away laughing. The dude stood there flipping out, shouting obscenities, then said “I can’t f***ing take this! I’m outta here!”
What probably upset him – he made his first obscenity-littered statement when he saw just one of the boys walk by. When he saw two, he was suddenly outnumbered. That’s right – just because they’re not wearing pants doesn’t mean an ass-kicking isn’t in your future. (And believe me, I was ready to give it.)
What was very nice was immediately after that little moronic meltdown, three different groups of people stopped us to ask about the kilts, compliment them on how nice they looked, and give general thumbs up.
We had a great time at St. Andrew’s Restaurant on West 46th, and my husband proved once again his persistence pays off. We were told upon entering that the wait for a table was “hours.” This statement was coupled by a declaration that “the seating manager was upstairs, but I’m sure there aren’t tables.”
He smelled the loophole. “I’ll wait.” Minutes later, we’re sitting down at a nice booth upstairs. He does this with parking spaces, too. He just knows where they are, a gift that’s come in handy a lot in Manhattan.
Yesterday was recovery. I was feeling the effects of the gorgeous daffodils, hyacinths, forsythia, and the pear trees about to bloom. Allergies just inflame my throat and my shoulder muscles. Time to listen to the body and rest. I had plenty of time to plow through my book and make dinner. We got outside a bit, but the malaise and misery brought on by the pollen drove us both indoors faster than we would have liked. We spent that time planning my business trip to Vancouver in a few weeks. Nothing firmed up, but we’re definitely flying into Seattle and driving. It’s much cheaper.
Today, two small projects, then back to the article, which I may be able to complete today or tomorrow if nothing interrupts. I want to get off-the-record comments from corporations, which at the moment won’t say anything because of the clout of some of these people who will be profiled in the article. I can’t say anything more, but this is shaping up into one juicy story.
The rest of the week will be spent getting in touch with companies heading to the risk management conference. I’m making the most of the two days I’m spending there. Lining up meetings now ensures the best use of my time.
What are you up to this week?
7 responses to “Blooms and Sprouts”
I guarantee the moron was a tourist and not a New Yorker. It's always the tourists who behave like assholes.
I'm deep in edits and taxes this week. Hopefully, there will be enough sun to do some serious work in the garden. And teaching — this workshop is taking it out of me. That's all I can take on right now.
Have you ever driven from Seattle to Vancouver? It's awesome. If you get the chance to stop in Victoria for a bit, do so. It's well worth it — a lovely little city that doesn't get a lot of press.
He probably was, Devon. I was trying really hard not to turn around and shout what was in my head (it would have shocked mothers and children and more than a few men). It's best to let their protests die of exposure.
I'm excited about the drive. I'd heard wonderful things. We're staying at a B&B in north Vancouver – the home of a man we'd met in Inverness at the clan gathering. He's a wonderful soul. Sadly, he won't be there at the time.
Despite a couple of yahoos, it sounds like a great weekend, Lori. Here, Sunday was all about storm preparedness, once again proving my theory that every time I prepare for a predicted tornado outbreak the storms totally bypass my town – even when The Weather Channel is in town for live remotes. But Saturday was strange…
I got up, did my usual Saturday morning routine… I needed to buy groceries, but was stalling to see if an expected check arrived in the mail (it did) so I could deposit it. Around 12:30 or 1:00 I noticed one of my best friends and her husband pull up outside. She's terrified of dogs, so she always calls when she arrives so I can close my dog into my office. No call. As I went to open my door, I noticed she was talking to another friend – our "other brother" – who had pulled into the driveway. Two thoughts went through my mind: "If this is a surprise party, you're two weeks early," and fear that they were here to break really bad news. When I stepped onto the porch they all looked relieved, then another friend screeched to a halt, saying, "Everything's okay?!"
I didn't know that my phone and dsl were dead, and my sister had been trying to call me for several hours and I wasn't answering my cell phone, either. [It's pay-as-you go, so it's only on when I'm gone.] Weird things have been happening in my neighborhood, so instead of thinking I might be out doing yard work or at a movie or something, her mind went into panic mode. My brother and sister both live about 90 minutes away, so they called friends to come check on me.
Once the commotion died down, another friend drove up to show off her new car, wondering why she wasn't invited to the party. [No one had her number. They do now.] She said she'd tried to call but assumed I was out raking or something.
Unnecessary as the attention was, it felt good knowing that even without family in town, I have a network of people ready to come to my rescue should I ever need it.
The phone company had it repaired within about two hours. The repair guy said it looked like one of their guys accidentally cut part way through a wire at a box half a block away.
That' my long-winded way of saying I didn't get any work done this weekend, so I need to bust my butt for a couple days to get caught up!
Wow! Nice friends, Paula. I could fester for days here and no one would notice until the stench became unbearable. 🙂
Sounds like a great weekend, Lori. One of my few regrets from my time living in Europe was not making it to Ireland (ancestral homeland on my dad's side). I did get to spend a tremendous week in Edinburgh, where I seriously considered a kilt purchase, but decided to delay until (a) I had identified clan-appropriate tartan & (b) knew I'd have somewhere to wear the thing. One of these days, though 🙂
Sorry that your day was intruded upon by your loud-mouthed interloper. As you noted in your post, I continue to be amazed by the fear that some folks experience any time they're exposed to something "other" — what a small & scary world theirs must be.
Hope your week has gotten off to a great start!
Sounds like a neat weekend—aside from that rude outburst from Mr. Kilt Hater, of course. Don't worry, I'm sure he was just jealous of your hubby 🙂
This is actually an exciting week for me. I left "the day job" last Friday and launched into the freelance world full-time today. I'm scared to pieces, but I've been preparing for this moment for about a year and I think it's finally time to take the leap.
I've created a website(www.lisacgant.com), a business plan and I have a pretty strong portfolio, so we'll see what happens. Wish me luck! And I hope you have a wonderfully productive week as well!
Hugh, there's always an occasion to wear a kilt. Trust me. 🙂 I would have guessed the McBrides were from Ulster just by the name – dig. You never know what you'll find. There's also a great show on Smithsonian Channel right now – Born Fighting – all about the Scots-Irish and their history.
LC, that's fantastic! Congratulations and welcome to the best job you'll ever have. 🙂 I'm convinced you'll make it just fine!