This afternoon, I posted my record book entry for my class reunion this summer. The official deadline is in a couple of weeks. I'm glad and relieved to have completed that. I wrote 500-word essay, and included two current photos in addition to my profile.
Labels: Choir, Church, Faith, family, reunion, Wellesley
posted by Grace @ 3/05/2012 05:35:00 PM
0 comments
Wednesday late afternoon (after our Jeopardy! class for Introduction to Arts and Sciences) Jenny CD and Linda I arrived from the airport and from Cleveland, respectively. After dropping off Jenny's luggage, we headed to Victor's new restaurant, where we enjoyed 2 lamb dishes, a shrimp dish, a salmon dish, and a vegetarian dish with Amanda MS and Charles. It was great to see everyone again, and to have a photo....
We all stood outside, Jenny and I in thin sweaters as the temperatures had dipped from the 60s Fahrenheit to the 40s to 50s as the sun went down. Jenny drove Linda and I back to my parking lot, where we bid Linda a fond goodbye and safe trip. Jenny and I tucked into our respective beds by 23.30, and I awoke about 6.30 Thursday.
Thursday Jenny and I visited St. Paul Cathedral and my workplace. We walked to get eggs over easy, Lyonnaise potatoes, bacon, and wheat toast as well as croissant French toast (and coffee for Jenny). We then headed to the Cathedral of Learning, touring the higher floors before the lower floors of Nationality Rooms first. We then toured the Frick Arts Building (the library, the Jello courtyard exhibit, and the U Pitt Museum Studies Class's exhibit SLAG: What's left after industry?), and the Carnegie Library and Institute. As we left the Carnegie, we opened the door for Marissa and Solomon, and Beatrice and Les.
After loading Jenny's bag into the car, we departed; I for work and she for lunch with her husband's former intern.
Labels: art, Beatrice, biology, Carnegie, dining, international culture, library, Marietta, mountains, organ, organizing, painting, photos, Pittsburgh, reunion, school, sleep, St. Paul Cathedral, work
posted by Grace @ 11/13/2010 10:35:00 AM
0 comments
This noon Mass was the send-off for hometown boy Bishop Hebda to the diocese of Gaylord, Michigan. The choir sang, among other pieces, Schalk's "Where Shepards Lately Knelt" and "Gaudete."
Jennifer H., Diane and Craig met downstairs for the reception. We then all joined up for a late lunch at Mexican food on Centre Avenue.
I responded to an email from a friend from "way back"--from elementary school days. We have decided to get together again after all these years.
Labels: Choir, dining, farewell, friends, Mass, music, reunion, school
posted by Grace @ 1/03/2010 04:50:00 PM
0 comments
Tonight I have a riverside (Allegheny River) reunion with the Riverside (California) clan. I'm really looking forward to it...haven't seen the Riverside folks (save Grace, Jason, and their little family) since graduation!
The annual Soil Science society of America national meetings are in Pittsburgh this year, with the theme being sustainability. Pittsburgh was chosen as the site specifically for that reason.
Labels: California, Pittsburgh, Point, research, reunion, soils
posted by Grace @ 11/02/2009 05:39:00 AM
0 comments
Mom,Dad, and I travelled to the American side of Niagara Falls (which is a New York State Park and the oldest state park in the United States), visited the visitor center, went to the observation deck (outstanding) and to the Maid of the Mist, 
where we saw the American Falls,
other Maids of the Mist, and a view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. We enjoyed our picnic lunch from the disabled parking spot, where a cool breeze blew and there were multicolored hydrangea in full bloom.
We continued on to Toronto, where Uncle Alex and Auntie Baby live. Colleen, their apo, was visiting and we had our merienda. I took a nap, and Allan, Sonia, and their family had arrived as well as Christie and her family. We all dined together on Pinoy food.
After dinner, we took group photos, and Allan shared his thoughts on what to see. I decided I wanted to see many things that are part of their life in Toronto, and some touristy sites, too.
Labels: automobile, Canada, citizenship, family, flowers, ice cream, international culture, New York, photos, Pilipino culture, reunion, travel, visitor, walking, water
posted by Grace @ 8/20/2009 04:37:00 AM
0 comments
I got back in touch with Doug, whom I had first met at a talk in college. Among things that he and I wrote about: He updated a piece of artwork he had done back in the mid-1980's for me, and sent me a copy. It was charming, neat, and symmetrical. I was pleased.
Labels: art, friends, reunion, Wellesley
posted by Grace @ 8/18/2009 07:53:00 PM
0 comments
Went with Karina to her yoga class last night. Barbara led the class, and I used a chair and the wall to follow along. I got a book, Ignorance, by Kundera, too.
Went to the Oratory for Eucharistic Adoration and Latin class with Kathryn, for Karina and I (respectively). Actually got to decline an adjective/noun pair on the board (surprise!)
~~~
I got a reply this morning from my friend Judy, whom I haven't been in touch with for fifteen years! We will talk to each other soon enough this week. It was good to hear her "voice" come across the email.
Labels: dog, email, excited, exercise, friends, international culture, languages, read, reunion
posted by Grace @ 7/22/2009 09:06:00 AM
0 comments
Just finished watching the Michael Jackson memorial service in Los Angeles. I watched on CNN because the sound was actually better than that of MTV.
A notable speaker was the Reverend Al Sharpton. While he spoke, there was a backdrop of MJ and the quote
"There's nothing that can't be
done if we raise our voice as one."
Brooke Sheilds spoke as his friend, not as a colleague from the music business. She noted that his favorite song was a Charlie Chaplin one (from the movie Modern Times), "Smile," which his brother then sang.
Texan Congresswoman spoke, mentioning H.R. 600, honoring Michael Joseph Jackson. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King spoke, as well.
The London tour company sang "We are the World", and "Heal the World." His brothers Germaine and Marlon, as well as his daughter Paris, spoke.
Thus ended the memorial service for Michael Joseph Jackson.
Labels: American history, Bible, celebration, citizenship, Faith, farewell, international culture, light, moving, music, reunion, voice
posted by Grace @ 7/07/2009 03:52:00 PM
0 comments
Mom, Dad, and I returned to Pittsburgh late yesterday afternoon. It was good to:
See Donough again,
See Gaby, Chrissy, Uncle Dodong, Maria, and Anna,
See (and stay with) Kelly in her neighborhood
Shop at China Town, Manhattan
See Angela Lansbury in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit
Go to the Met (Museum)
Enjoy Mother's Day in New York
Shop around NYU (including at Strand Books and the street fair)
Listen to an organ meditation at Grace Church
See (and stay with) Ben & Benita, Linda, Bill, and Alex at their home
Be treated to amazing food by Foodie relatives
Drive back with minimal precipitation/rain
Be back in time for choir practice yesterday evening
Nap practically every day
Labels: art, Choir, dining, family, friends, jewelry, museum, music, New York, photography, photos, reunion, seasons, shoes, shopping, sleep, St. Paul Cathedral, theater, weather
posted by Grace @ 5/15/2009 02:51:00 PM
0 comments
I awoke at six o'clock to get ready to go to the City. I threw out the trash and lowered the windows. Arriving at Mom & Dad's with my luggage, I was surprised to hear that Mom had slept an hour prior (preparing for the trip). I loaded most of my luggage into the car. I stopped by the computer lab at work to print out the directions (from here to Donough's, ...to Uncle Dodong's, and ...to LSC; from Kelly's to Donough's homes) for our trip, which I had prepared last night. Stopped by to get hand cream at the drugstore...it was still closed, with newspapers strewn in front of the door.
I need to call to reschedule a medical appointment on Monday the 18th...must wait for their office to open this morning.
As Donough said, it will be nice to get together and to see each other after all these years: To meet his family, to see Aine and Eamon (and their spouses), again, too.
Labels: computer, email, family, friends, health, home, international culture, Ireland, New York, reunion, sleep, transportation, work
posted by Grace @ 5/04/2009 07:39:00 AM
0 comments
Yes, this year is a season of reunions. Linda, whom I hadn't seen since high school graduation, visited me last fall. S., whom I haven't seen since just before the Berlin Wall was torn down, is arriving today. And L.S., whom I've known since about as long as S., will be arriving around Memorial Day. Jenny, GY and JC's niece, will visit soon after.
I'm excited about S.'s visit, as it has been a while and much (much? Too much?) has happened for both of us in the meantime. After physical therapy and lunch today I'll be driving to the airport.
~~~
William was in Memphis for a talk last week until yesterday. He missed Carnival at Carnegie Mellon with the children. Marissa and I took lots of photos, so he'll be able to catch up. Beatrice was particularly charming as she sat in her little green car and gently bounced to her left and to her right while driving. Solomon utilized the warm, sunny day to catch up on sleep action.
Labels: Carnegie, celebration, exercise, family, music, Pittsburgh, reunion, school, sleep
posted by Grace @ 4/20/2009 06:37:00 AM
0 comments
Two summers ago, Kirsten D. came by to visit me while she was presenting a conference at Chatham University. This fall, Linda I., Charles, William, and I had a mini-Marietta reunion (it was great fun, by the way). This spring Jenny (Grace and Jason's niece from the West Coast) will visit, followed by Stephan, whom I haven't seen from a month before the Berlin Wall was taken down. There has been a run of reunions. And I hope for many more, with many more friends.
Charles and I have noted that as our world gets bigger, it really gets smaller (because you meet new people who know others whom you already know). "My world is imploding on itself!" I caught myself exclaiming to a friend. "And Pittsburgh---it's the ultimate vortex: It sucks you in." I know of people who have tried to leave, but keep coming back!
Labels: California, celebration, Chatham College, dreams, excited, family, friends, international culture, Marietta, Pittsburgh, reunion
posted by Grace @ 1/29/2009 05:41:00 PM
0 comments
This weekend, Miranda & Benny spoke with Lolo and Lola and I about their Thanksgiving trip to Disneyland. It was really fun and they had a chance to meet, greet, and get autographs from many of their favorite characters. Miranda especially liked the ride "Soaring over California." One of the days there they spent fifteen hours at the park.
They had a chance to visit the LA clan. I spoke with Uncle Sonny, and after they left he was doing the exact same chores that they were when they landed at home: Laundry.
Labels: California, children, excited, family, laundry, niece and nephew, reunion, thankfulness, transportation
posted by Grace @ 12/01/2008 08:43:00 PM
0 comments
After work Nancy C. and I went to Vic's restaurant for dinner. I had the chicken biriyani, Nancy had the vegetable chick pea balls in yogurt sauce. Afterwards, I went to Mom and Dad's to change out of my photosynthesis week work clothes and to pick up my copy of Kim Dozier's book and a camera.
Kim Dozier was back in Pittsburgh to deliver a lecture entitled "Breathing the Fire: Fighting to Report---and Survive---the War in Iraq." The talk was sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Honors College and I received my invitation through the Pittsburgh Wellesley Club. Nancy and I sat a row in front of Michelle L, with whom we chatted before the talk. Kim was introduced by Cindy Skrzycki of the University of Pittsburgh and of Bloomberg News. Kim's talk was more lively and less formal in tone and delivery than her acceptance speech and talk just a year ago at Carlow University. Tonight she read rarely from a reporter's stenographer-type spiral notebook during her talk, delivering it largely from memory. She spoke about how she was fortunate not to have suffered post traumatic stress disorder. Kim claimed to find her interview by Katie Couric to be difficult [from the other side of the microphone], but showed aplomb during the question-and-answer session after her lecture. During the question-and-answer session, Nancy asked her if the book's title had any more meaning for her beyond the war in Iraq.
It was a joy to meet Kim after the lecture, when I chided her for not attending reunion, and Nancy took a couple photos of us before she signed my copy of her book. Nancy and I enjoyed cookies, punch, and decaf afterwards, I brought Kim a drink of punch, and I had a chance to meet with Abby Mc from the University Honors College, another alumna. Nancy and I enjoyed the artwork reproductions in this Italian villa-style campus building.
Nancy and I walked back to our parking spot at Carnegie Mellon University, and enjoyed the walk with the steam rising from the fountain in front of the Frick Fine Arts building, as well as the steam from the steam plant behind the Carnegie Library complex. The frosty/icy bridge caused us to shuffle in small steps, and we enjoyed the cold night air on the way to her car.
Labels: art, career, Choir, dining, Faith, friends, photos, Pittsburgh, research, reunion, stars, TV, walking, water, Wellesley, work
posted by Grace @ 11/17/2008 10:02:00 PM
0 comments
Days in the life of me.
