North Side Fun
Monday (yesterday) I went with Marissa and Beata and Solomon to the North Side to the new Allegheny Library. Apparently, the one I used to frequent while working at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum was the original, first Carnegie library in the United States. The new one was quite modern, and the children and I had great fun playing in the children's room while Marissa selected reading-level-appropriate books for them.
We played with a heavy wooden (air) guitar---I made chord sounds out of it---and also pretended that it was a cello, as well, humming the Albinoni adagio in G.
The children played while we did a round-robin to check out the books.
We then went to Wendy's to pick up food, which we brought to eat in the cafe at the Carnegie Science Center. Beatrice certainly did not want to go to the second floor, nor to the Robot Man, the thought of which absolutely delighted Solomon. In fact, while Marissa and Beata waited in line patiently for the Stars above Pittsburgh planetarium show to start, Solomon and I visited various robots in Robo World. Beata and I stayed for the end of the show, and got star charts, as well. Marissa and Solomon departed soon before the show ended.
We took a short walk to the ducks and stairs just upriver from the submarine docked at the north shore of the head of the Ohio River. The sky quickly changed its mind to an angry gray and we piled into the car just in time to drive into the driving rain.
Labels: Carnegie, library, museum, music, read, stars
Halfway Finished Grading, Fall 2009, Parties
I finished ~>halfway grading all my exams tonight. Maureen and I met for smoothies and to see her photos from Lauren's graduation. Karina and I went to Jen and Bri's Christmas party, where we enjoyed the company of Lisa from Jen's church women's group and Svetlana and Igor, as well. I attempted to learn an additional Russian word, bringing my vocabulary to less than a handful of words.
Jen would not let us leave without the bulbs "white paper" that she handed to us, as well as some munchies for the cold weather days and long days of grading.
Karina and I went to Squirrel Hill to Ann's place, for her birthday party. We met her husband outside the apartment and Karina deftly played the game Chancho, both winning and losing a single round (imagine that!). Mlle. Chancho enjoyed her place on the top of the heap, Hannan awoke to our raucous laughter, and we all tiptoed out of the apartment to the cool night air and the clear night sky poured full with stars.
Labels: biology, Church, flowers, international culture, stars, work
Up Early
Here I be, up early. All quiet, as usual, outside.
When I hit the sack last night at ~ 9.00 all was pretty quiet, and the sky was pretty clear, with a couple of stars / planets visible from my urban outpost.
All is right in the world.
Labels: Pittsburgh, sleep, stars
First weekend of April 2009: PAMS
Mom and Dad's computer has been on the fritz all this week. I typed up Dad's speech for his induction/inauguration as the Philippine American Medical Society's president. (He and "Tita" Lydia N. have been going on PAMS medical/surgical missions since the inception, for ten years.) I printed out the speech Friday, Dad and I drove to Upper St. Clair to pick up my car from the shop, then went to Kinko's (now FedEx Office) to pick up the program booklets and a few packs of push pins/thumb tacks and a memory card for taking photos. Mom, Dad, and Auntie Chi attended the continuing medical education at the golf club near my last secondary school employment.
I was in charge of picking up Kelly at the airport Friday at (conceivably) 5:40pm. After multiple delays, she didn't arrive until about eight o'clock in the evening. We drove back to Mom and Dad's place (where she stayed), ate, and chatted to catch up with our latest do-ings.
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Saturday, I awoke at 5:00 and did four loads of laundry! Maureen, her sister, and her niece drove to the bakery in Millvale (I followed them, where I got a cream custard croissant, almond brioche, and also an Easter poppy seed roll for Auntie Chi. I then drove to the golf club to deliver the papers with two copies of Dad's speech (one stapled, the other loose leaf sheets) to Mom and Auntie Chi there. I also saw Rose V. there.
I went to Mom & Dad's home, where Kelly had left shortly before to meet with friends for lunch and opera short excerpts. I then took a nap, and Mom returned my call. I indicated that Sonia had called for Dad---and Mom said that I need to pick up the snacks for tonight for her.
There is poor parking hunting where Sonia has her business, so I enlisted the assistance of William before Kelly was to return at Mom & Dad's at approximately 16:00. So I picked up William, we stopped at Chia-Pih's favorite Asian Grocery Mart for him to pick up some snacks and supplies, and then we proceeded to Sonia's. We retrieved three trays of food from Sonia and her family. Kelly called, indicating that she was ~five blocks away. We waited for her and all drove to Mom and Dad's to pick up our clothing, dropped off William on the way to to Golf Club, then Kelly and I attended the anticipated Palm Sunday Mass with Fr. Utz from the Cardinal Dearden Center. He indicated that it was "an honor" for him to celebrate Mass with our group.
Kelly and I changed in the locker room into our formal attire...Tita Tina arranged my hair for me, and lent me some eye makeup.
Dinner followed; Auntie Chi emceed the event; William, Kelly, and I introduced Dad (with Mom doing a speech, too) before he delivered his speech; and Mr. Hingson from Brothers' Brother was the guest speaker. There was a band that provided music through dinner and during our snack time after...and a DJ for group dances, including the chicken dance, the "Hokey Pokey" (Beatrice turned to me, her face lit up, and stated the dance name to me!) and the Electric Slide. We all had fun dancing.
The night was cold (~35 Fahrenheit, and clear as the night sky).
The snack boxes and grape juice were a hit! Kelly and I returned slightly after midnight. Tired, we said our goodbyes after I handed off the schedule and then I handed off the bus coupons to her.
~~~~~
I called her on her phone at about 7:20 this morning to wish her a safe voyage.
~~~
First Sunday, April 2009
This was a day of rest. This evening William's family, Les & Chere, Mom,
Dad, Auntie Chi and I dined together at Mom & Dad's home. We had singing
and dancing after dinner, then it was time for the children to go home and
to get to bed.
Auntie Chi, Mom, and I told stories after we all cleared the table.
Labels: automobile, computer, dance, diocese of Pittsburgh, family, medical mission, meeting, Philippines, shopping, stars, transportation, travel
Up Early
So, I'm up early today---listened to the morning interview of Lois Lowry on the early Sunday radio show, headed to Mom & Dad's to do a few errands and to review my work for next week, and to check my email (nothing new since late last night)...I think about the friends and family I spoke with yesterday: Auntie Chi and Uncle Sonny, Luce (and her upcoming visit), Nancy (and our plans for Wednesday, Saturday, and then for Friday), Grace Y. (and our plans for Jenny to visit), Maureen (and our plans for after Mass); and the message not left for Anjali (including the thoughts of her---by many alti and soprani in choir---upon singing the conclusion of Bob Farrell's "Crucifixus")...and I write of these thoughts here.
I think of Mom and I watching "Dancing with the Stars" last night, our pleasant dinner with Dad after they returned from shopping...I think of the stars as I travel between Mom & Dad's home and mine early in the pre-dawn: The Big Dipper/ Big Bear/ Ursa Major visible from our urban outposts...and I heard little birdies in the trees twittering to each other as I travelled between our two locales early this morning.
I think of our friends, Rita, Elaine, and Mary Lou, to whom I delivered slices of homemade chocolate cake last night---and how Kevin and Rich in the garage turned down cake(!)
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After choir practice and singing in the choir during Mass Maureen and I drove to the Chinese buffet in Monroeville to meet my parents there. We enjoyed lunch there, and then I drove Maureen and I to the Monroeville Mall for some shopping. We went to Panera Bread near her home for a snack. Then I headed home and brought her to the Oratory for Eucharistic Adoration late in the afternoon.
Labels: biology, blogs, Choir, dance, dining, excited, laundry, music, seasons, singing, Songs, St. Paul Cathedral, stars, TV, writing
Wellesley Alumnae Event, Fall 2008
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
Technicolor Sky
This morning about an hour ago in William and Marissa's neighborhood there was a beautiful technicolor sky with high clouds and orange and pink against the dawn sky.
It was particularly beautiful and moving.
Labels: seasons, stars, weather
Channel Surfing: Clean House, Cyndi Lauper, Morning Mass
This morning, while channel surfing, I watched an episode of Clean House ("If you keep an item, you have to work the design around it"), Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series in Bryant Park, in which Cyndi Lauper sings various classic and new songs, of'times making her way into the audience ("I always thought Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is about entitlement...my mom was in the video"---CL), and the morning Mass in Oakland (Fr. Andrew Fisher said the Mass, Feast of St. Antony of Padua---intercessor for lost articles).
This morning's channel surf encapsulates issues important to me in my life.
Labels: California, cleaning, Mass, music, New York, organizing, Pittsburgh, singing, St. Paul Cathedral, stars, talent
FAAP Induction Ball 2007; Sound of Music Oktoberfest
FAAP Induction Ball 2007: After Jo-Anne and I attended the three-course surf-and-turf dinner at the PPG Aquarium, and after hearing Warren and a speech from Gawad Kalinga, and after some dancing; we headed to Lisa and Ken's Sound of Music Oktoberfest party. I quickly morphed from a Filipina Marie Clara outfit into a song, "My Favorite Things." Stacey was taking Polaroid photos, thereby making instantaneous gratification possible. Betty won a prize for having seen Mary Martin on stage. Karen, Gabe, and Kevin were marionettes. Mary Pat was a CD of the musical, and Judi brought a rockin' pumpkin dip. We appreciated Liz's 3-D plastic art (with a sense of humor!)
On our way out the door, Linda (an alpine mountain with foothills removed due to talus formation) spoke about some of the exhibits at her work. On the way to the car, I spotted a shouting star, and Jo-Anne spotted one, too.
WHAT a fun evening!
Labels: biology, celebration, Choir, cinema, family, friends, international culture, Marietta, music, Philippines, photography, photos, Pilipino culture, PNR, prayer, science, singing, stars, theater
Back in the (swim) again
Took a dip in the pool today, it was nice to be back in the water doing my exercises for stretching and strengthening.
~~~
Mom and Dad and I went out to a Chinese buffet for lunch, and, as I tell my friends and family, they are aware of all the good Chinese buffets within an hour drive of their home. This one had particularly good fruits and Hershey's ice cream.
~~~
I'll be going for ice cream with Jen and Brian later today. Right now, I'm waiting patiently for the student worker to file the computer printer papers so I can pick up my printed-out Ireland packing list....Good, one of the coworkers here is sorting through the papers. Whew.
ยงยงยง
After meeting for dinner, Jen, Brian, and I will view Open Season in Cinema in the Parks. We visited the computer lab at the library to check out the movie...
~~~
During the movie Open Season, we saw
a beautiful sunset (stunning!)
a rude latecomer seated in front of us!
the conjunction of Venus and Saturn (particularly striking!)
at least one bat flying around
fireworks toward the North Side of the city.
Jen and I enjoyed talking throughout the movie, and all three of us were bundled for warmth against the cool, clear night air and occasional breeze.
Labels: dining, ice cream, Ireland, organizing, pool, science, stars, theater, water exercise, work
