Friday, July 13, 2012

Lesson 162: The Big Apple



All right, already!  Pipe dawn, will ya'?  Here is the answer to your mystery:  Where did Eloise go on her Big Adventure?  New York City!  Now that I've been there for a whole 72 hours, I can talk like a New Yawker:: Stapp pesterin' me for the ansah!  (Brooklynese doesn't come through too well in type face.  I sound much better if you could hear me now).

Judging from my first two sentences, I quickly picked up the tone from the locals.  A kind of sass that they like to claim as feisty and brash.  I actually have always found it annoying...until now.  I fell in love with New York and its people in just three days time.  It is truly a city that lives up to its reputation.  It never sleeps and my trio got as little as possible so that we could squeeze every last drop of experience into our journey.

I've received several emails and inquiries as to where I went and if the Lamp Post light would ever turn on again.  I'm flattered that you were worried.  There was a slight delay in this posting because I've been on the couch sick.  Did you ever read the children's story, City Mouse Country Mouse?  I'm the country mouse.  I'd be eaten alive by the rats in the city if I had to be there for more than a few days.  I was out of my element and  I think the exposure to 8 million people did me in.  Eloise picked up a bug, most likely from the subway.  I hated touching the poles.  I told my friends it would eventually end bad---and see--it did.  Sick Eloise.

While I was recuperating on my porch swing, breathing in the clean, fresh air (I think that was all this body really needed), I made the above video with some of my photos.  It was hard to determine ones to use.  I had to narrow 315 pictures down to just 30 that photographically displayed the journey of myself and two life long friends.  It was the trip of a lifetime.

I'll comment more specifically when I'm feeling a little better.  This bug seems to have sapped my creative energy.  I'll be couching it with my kids who haven't left my side since my return.  I've never left them before and by the third day my heart began to ache.  I could never be away from them longer than that.  I also have to rest up because I have to make a long jaunt in my size 91/2's on Sunday morning.  You'll be reading all about it in my next post---if I live that is.

I love numbers and I had no idea how many pictures I had actually taken.  On the way home, as I was scrolling through my camera, trying to keep my friend awake who made the drive home from Buffalo, I found that I had taken 315 pictures.  3's and 5's and 1's are what  I call my lucky numbers, all well knowing there is no such thing as luck.  They popped up all over New York.  You'll even see a couple on the video.  Cool, I thought.

It was even cooler when we pulled into my driveway and found this:

My Lamp Post
Happy 40 Years and 16 Months to Eloise!

This was my 40th birthday gift from my children almost a year and a half ago.  Apparently hubby thought it was just another of my high maintenance gifts and it as sat in the box collecting dust.  Eloise is a bit of a Jack of All Trades, but running electric isn't one of them.  I even left books like this lying around the house, hoping someone would catch the drift, but the Big Fish didn't bite:


I guess they really missed me to take on a project of this magnitude.  Delighted at my surprise, I snapped one more of my new lamp post, making it the 316th photo on my camera.  316 is a good number, too, if you're a Christian.  If you're not sure what I mean, read John 3:16 for yourself and you'll see the real light.  Now with my new lamp post, you can always see my light.  It's even got a light sensor so I don't even have to remember to turn it on at night.   I bet you can see it, even in Slovenia.


I have much more to say about this tremendous, mind-tripping city and my gal pals that tromped it with me.  I'll save it for a little later when I am feeling more myself.  Until then, you can watch the video, and try to find Eloise.  It's like playing Where's Waldo, but it is much easier because you have a one in three chance of being correct.  If you are a good reader, like all good students are, then you should have no problem.  Eloise has given you lots of clues to my identity throughout the context of my posts.  

Eloise found another great video that captures the city very well.  It is from a very talented musician, Ryan Adams.  The song is titled New York, New York, but is original from the above track.  Interestingly, this video with the New York skyline in the background was shot on September 7, 2001, just four days prior to the terrorist attacks.  The twin towers still stand in his video.  In mine, they are now Memorial Pools filling with a stream of continuous tears.

Scroll down to the next post to check out this really great song and video, which is now one of my favorites.

Until I feel better,
Eloise


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