A Day with Lupe

As anyone who knows me…I am not a “pet” person. I grew up with animals because of my sister, Kathy. Living on my own and raising Nikki, I never wanted a pet and Nikki never really asked for one. The closest we got to one was her turtle “Neon” which she won at a fair and surprisingly, lived much longer than they are known to.

Yesterday, I babysat Tom & Nikki’s dog, Lupe. I am used to little dogs…like Kathy’s Ginger… a cute, sweet and usually calm Shih-Tzu. She loves her "Aunt Esther".


Ginger

Lupe is a pitbull/jack terrier mix and he is excitable, curious and leggy but thinks he’s a lap dog.


Lupe

As soon as he saw me, he wanted to be all over me but we were in the car and he needed to stay put. But he tried. When he quieted down in the back seat, I drove to different stores to run my errands. He would look out the window either to the left or the right and you could see he was checking everything out. When I went into a store and took longer than 5 minutes, I came back to see him sitting regally in the driver’s seat as if he was ready to drive off.

At my home, he sniffed out everything he could but never knocked anything over which always amazes me. Oh wait...he did almost knock something over...me!


Lupe giving me some love

He knew his food was in the kitchen and he would wander in there and start moaning. Once or twice, he tried to jump up and grab the bag. Lupe is very expressive - you could just see he is always thinking and when he had been bad and I scolded him, he would look at me sideways, head and tail down, giving me a wide berth.

I got him some jerky treats which he apparently loved because he knew they were on the dinning table and his quest to get them was priority. But each time I caught him and he would have that guilty look in his eyes.

It was funny when he burrowed in a corner of my sofa and fell asleep between the cushions and pillows on his back with his legs straight up in the air. He loved being petted and scratched and massaged. He fell asleep again by my side as I rubbed his head and sides.


Zzzzzzzz

In essence, he was easy to care for if I was able to keep him occupied, like with a rawhide bone or the new toy I got him. But I still liked giving him back.
Tom said he asked for me in the morning...yeah...I knew he would miss me!


Lupe with his new Xmas toy

Gilda

Today , Dec 13th would have been my girlfriend, Gilda’s 52nd birthday but then, she didn’t even get to see her 40th birthday. My lovely friend died of breast cancer at the young age of 36.



I met Gilda the summer of 1975 when we were attending a summer program at NYU. It was a small class and my first foray into college life. I still remember clearly seeing her for the first time. There are people in your life that seem to always have been there…not really sure how they came into your life. And then there are the ones which the memory is stamped on your brain forever. Gilda was definitely the latter. I was the second person in the classroom. Mark Rayo, another life-time friend was already there. We always joked about that moment since we know exactly what we said to each other. To break the ice, I asked him for the time and he told me. As other students drifted in, murmuring greetings, it was fairly quiet and everyone was low-keyed not knowing what to expect. Then a girl sauntered in, worn jeans tucked in Frye boots, a gauzy peasant blouse and a kerchief wrapped around her head, slapped her large tapestry shoulder bag onto the desk and yelled out “Hi!”. It was jarring but exhilarating. Like that moment when everything is black and white and now we were in Technicolor. My first thought…”Wow…I will never be friends with her…out of my league”.

Gilda was the proverbial “one of a kind”. She exuded the kind of person I wished to be. Just comfortable in her own skin and not scared of “being”. She spoke up and out and laughed a huge laugh. When we broke for lunch, a group of us wandered out to Washington Square Park and stood around getting to know each other and of course, Gilda took up most of the air. I was at once, dismayed and enchanted. Part of me wanted to be “the one” but knew I didn’t really have the “chops” and certainly not in the face of this colorful stranger.

Cut to a year later. We had a year of NYU under our belts and that core group from that summer program was still a tight-knit group. We had classes together, lunched and studied together and sought each other out during breaks. Gilda, Mark, Cindy, Andy, Wayne & me.

During a dude ranch trip, Gilda hooked up with Adam and I became an integral part of their relationship. Adam was living in a NYU dorm on 10th Street whereas both Gilda and I commuted to classes from home, Forest Hills for her, Chinatown for me. I loved Adam for Gilda and I was there from the beginning and became a confidente for both of them. We became super close. I spent a lot of time at that dorm which came full circle when that became Nikki’s freshman residence.

Their blossoming relationship was an essential turning point in my relationship with Gilda. The truth of the matter was that the Gilda everyone saw and loved and admired was all a façade. In the light of her burgeoning love for Adam, her mask came off and she confided all her insecurities to me. She showed herself as “worldly” but she never had a boyfriend until Adam. This was, to say the least, a shock! This gorgeous dark haired, dark eyed beauty who always looked like an exotic Gypsy to me was actually shy and sheltered. Years later I would find out that she had even more secrets about her family life that broke my heart.

In any case, showing her true self to me bonded us forever. When she decided to become an actress, I saw every one of her community playhouse productions and every walk-on part she got on TV. She was one of only two people that was able to immediately elicit a response from Nikki who was shy in front of strangers. I really loved this girl.

The last time I saw her was in LA. She had decided to move there for her health and career. Unfortunately the move didn’t help either situation. Her cancer returned and when she contacted me to let me know, I am so glad I made plans to go see her. Nikki and Evelyn came along and it was a wonderful visit. I lost her 3 months later. It was to say the least, devastating. I miss her everyday.


Gilda & me, her brother Rennie and Nikki in Santa Monica

I think of her today because of her birthday but also because I have felt many angels around me during this last week since my car accident. She was beautiful when I last saw her even though she was completely bald and I have a stunning photo of her in that state but I can’t locate it. I will post it when I find it.

O' Christmas Tree

I am not sure whether I am getting in the Christmas spirit or whether I am going down a spiraling depression (due to my car accident) but I spent the whole day today making "magazine Xmas Trees" after seeing it done on an episode of Martha Stewart!
And I am not exaggerating...when I saw it on the show...I was immediately intrigued and went in seach of old magazines. Although it's a pretty simple process - it is very time consuming and I literally spent the whole day folding pages!! But I have to admit...I like the effect! But I still have to paint and sprinkle them with glitter! (Oh boy...maybe I am losing it!)

The Mighty Pen

In the past, I have teased my sister, Kathy on her complaint letters. If something didn’t taste right, if she received bad service or was slighted in any way…a letter went out. She usually received a response with a satisfactory solution…either a free item, a reimbursement or some sort of compensation. It made her happy.

On Nov 30th, Winnie advised me that JC Penney was having a Cyber Monday sale with free shipping and I discovered my pair of “Esther” boots were on sale for $29.99. I paid $45! Unfortunately I realized this at 10pm but I still had 2 hours until the deadline and ordering on-line is simple or so I thought.

For 2 hours, I tried to place the order. It took forever to load and when it finally did, the site would freeze. I finally gave up and called the toll free number to place the order that way but the line was busy, busy, busy! In frustration, I clicked on the “contact us” link and fired off an email complaining of the horrible shopping experience I just encountered.

The next day, JC Penney put out an “Urgent” message informing the public that due to an overwhelming response to their Cyber Monday sale, their site had problems (no kidding) and they were extending the free shipping for one more day. That was all fine and dandy but when I tried to place my order, the boots were back to $45! I was disgusted. I figured I would just keep an eye on the boots and see if they would come down in price later. I am allowed a return on the $45 boots until February.

Around 10pm on that same night, I received an email in response to my complaint letter. They were going to honor the Monday prices and free shipping promotion. Although I was now able to maneuvered through the site easily, the price of the boots still showed as $45. I had to call them. I was on hold for about 5 minutes and then Amanda assisted me. She placed my order…I wanted it shipped to the store for pickup since I didn’t want to be sitting at home waiting for them and she had to transferred me to billing for the price adjustment. After another few minutes of being on hold, Tiara was able to adjust the price to $29.99 and I will be able to pick up my order on Friday after 4pm. All this took about 20 minutes but was worth it to me.

I was very happy with the way that JC Penney handled my situation - restoring my faith in shopping with them. I am so glad I wrote that email! So I will write the words that Kathy loves so much….”Yes, Kathy - You were right..once again!”

The Girls in Vegas

My girlfriend, Winnie & I have never traveled together. Odd considering we have been friends since we were in grade school. We started talking about doing something and last April, convinced our sisters in joining us for a Vegas getaway - just us girls. Winnie found a great deal at the MGM…3 nights at $85 per night (includes tax) - 3 meals daily at their Grand Buffet, poolside cocktail and $20 slot play. I found a $250 roundtrip airfare on Jet Blue and Kathy, my sister made arrangements for the Donny & Marie show. Donny was Connie’s (Winnie’s sister) teenage idol. Kathy researched and booked us smacked up against the stage!! Donny & Marie shook our hands and they put on a great show. It was the highlight of our trip.

Six months passed and before we knew it, we were ready to board our flight. We each checked a bag and I insisted we sit near the back because I have a thing about room in the overhead. We also reserved the aisle and window seats in row 21 with the middle seat free in the hopes that no one would take it. It was, after all almost a 6 hour flight! And we lucked out…we each had the middle seat free.

When we landed, Kathy & Connie went to get our luggage while Winnie and I were able to check in at the MGM right at the airport…what a pleasure! From there, we took a shuttle to the car rental center where I reserved a car from Dollar Car Rental…and once again, it was a breeze. We even got to choose our own car - we opted for a gray 4-door Ford Focus. And we were on our way!



We stopped at a Walmart to pick up water and snacks. Found our way to the gigantic hotel and breezed our way to our rooms by-passing the lobby that had people lined up checking in. Our rooms were on the 25th floor opposite each other. Both had great views of the strip and were roomy and comfortable.

Suffice it to say, we ate our way through Vegas! Oh my! Prior to our trip, the thought of "all you can eat", 3 times daily was a dream but in reality, it’s hard to do! It is A LOT of food! Our first night dinner was great particularly because our server was attentive. Breakfast was my favorite - the waffles and bagels and lox were greatly appreciated. We had lunch once. We never did all 3 in one day!

We walked all along the strip much to Kathy's dismay. We did a lot of window shopping mostly for souvenirs and both Connie and I loved seeing our names on any items. “Connie” is not so difficult to find. “Esther“…well…let’s just say I was in “Esther” heaven!



There was quite a lot of laughter. We didn’t disappoint. We teased Winnie immediately as we drove from the airport to the hotel. Months ago, she suggested we could walk from the airport to the hotel! And yes, while it probably is walk-able…we kept pointing out to her how there was NO ONE walking! Then there was an incident at a hotel. We four walked in with an Asian family. It never seems to fail so we looked as we were part of the group. I mentioned this to Winnie and suddenly she was hiding in a corner. Kathy & Connie were ahead of us and I was befuddled. The sisters stopped to see what happened and we all thought Winnie was crying. It turned out that Winnie decided to try to keep our distance from the other Asians and well…let’s just say…you had to be there. Good times, good friends, good fun!

With all my “Esther” key chains happily in hand…an explosion of “Esther” items or sightings came to being. JC Penny had a pair of boots named Esther…I bought them in black.



The New York City Opera revived “Esther” the opera last Friday. But I also saw on a morning show some bimbo trainer calling a belly roll an “Esther”…harumph...what’s up with that??

Birthdays, Dinosaurs & Baseball

My girlfriend, Ronna who I have known since 1983 - meeting at Home Lines Cruises where we worked together - turned 50 in August. I went to her home in Virginia to celebrate and as it happened, her daughter Izzy (Isabel-my god-daughter) had her 9th birthday a couple of days before my arrival so it was a double whammy.

I flew from LaGuardia to Dulles airport on United on a 50 seater. I hadn’t flown in 2 years which that in itself was a wonder. I was a bit of a basket case prior to getting to the airport but not because of actually being in the air. No…I was freaking out over getting through security. I didn’t want anyone to single me out or have any of my things thrown away because it wasn’t allowed. While I was at home, I was manic with my one quart sized bag. Putting items in, taking it back out and then back in again. It was ridiculous. I finally put it to rest and am happy to report that it went through x-ray with nary a glance from the TSA’s.

The flight was quick and smooth. Although it was light rain, we didn’t have any turbulence….thank goodness. I had flown to Dulles many times and knew the lay of the land but having been absent for 2 years, didn’t know all the new construction that had taken place at the airport so actually got lost. I was to meet Ronna upstairs at “arrivals” since it’s less congested and we have done this dozens of times with no problem but this time, I couldn’t find my way to get to that level. I had to ask information which was quite amusing because the agent thought I was meeting someone who just arrived on a flight. I finally got outside and found Ronna and all was well.

Then I was up and running, so to speak. After taking me directly to Costco after the airport, we went to pick up the kids from school. I helped Izzy with her homework which was something I haven’t done in a very long time -if ever! (Sorry, Nikki) That evening was quiet. We were gearing up for the rest of the weekend!

Friday morning was somewhat leisurely. I was able to wake up late (9am) and relaxed while Ronna ran on the treadmill. After lunch, we went to Target where I picked up the cutest nightgown printed with puppies for Izzy and also a Webkins stuffed animal…the red fox. We picked up the kids, Izzy, Derek - her 10 year old brother and my god-son and also Zack who is Derek’s best bud since he was an invitee to Izzy’s birthday party that night along with 6 other of Izzy’s girlfriends. Oh…and these 9 kids were staying overnight. Whew!

Derek.Izzy & Zack

Mark, Ronna’s husband works for Turner construction (they built the new Yankee stadium among others) and they had just obtained a suite at the Verizon Center. Mark reserved the suite for Izzy’s party to see the show “Walking with Dinosaurs”. All I can say is WOW!! It was fabulous. The suite, (my first time in one) was something I almost wish I didn’t get to experience since now that’s all I want - was really a luxury. A private bathroom…a bar…comfortable seating and delicious food and snacks - plus a great view of the show. The show was incredible with very life like and life-size dinosaurs. The production was very well done resulting in one of Izzy’s friends to exclaimed “This is the best show ever!”



The McKennas

As you can imagine, the girls had trouble settling down in their sleeping bags in the basement. It was incredible what 9 year old girls talk about!! Everything from fashion, the latest songs, kissing and would you believe pole dancing! My bedroom happened to be there also but I was so tired that I didn’t even care about the noise. Ronna said they finally all fell asleep by 12:30am after numerous warnings.


The girls

I had to get up early the next morning. Derek’s first little league game was Saturday morning at 9am. I wanted to go with Derek and Mark to be able to catch the whole game. This year, Derek is a Yankees! And he chose to be number…2...!! It was a perfect morning for a game and they won 9-7. Derek walked at his first at bat and then had a hit at his second at bat. It was really fun and exciting and I enjoyed it tremendously. They have certainly improved from the last time I saw them play.


Derek at bat with a hit

We had an hour break before taking off for Mark’s company picnic. Hamburgers, hot dogs and pulled pork along with all the fixings was the menu. A dessert contest supplied the sweets. The picnic ended with bingo where Derek was one of the winners. We spent quite a few hours there and moved on just prior to dinner time.

Derek is a rocker at heart. Ronna discovered a place called “School of Rock” geared towards kids who want to form a band and perform. At the end of their semester, the kids get to perform at a local club and that night there was a performance which the family wanted to check out. I didn’t know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. The vocals may have been so-so but the instrumentals were…awesome. It was pretty great and Derek loved it. After the 2 hour show, we ordered Chinese take out to have at home. The kids crashed as soon as we got home.

Sunday was a day set aside for Ronna and myself. This was our spa day and I treated Ronna to a facial, massage and lunch afterwards. I myself had a 75 minute massage that was very welcomed. After lunch, we strolled at an outlet and once again we had simply wonderful weather. Dinner was at Kobe which is their favorite hibachi/sushi restaurant for celebrations. Each and every time I have visited, I have dined there. We had an early evening so that the kids could get to bed being a school night. Izzy read to me for 20 minutes before succumbing to sleep.

Ronna and I ended up chatting and reminiscing until 2am! But I did learn something new. Football. I never understood the game but they were watching the Giants/Cowboys game and Ronna walked me through it and I was lucky that it was a very exciting game for a first-timer like me. I think I will be a Giants fan.

I flew home the next afternoon. A very jam-packed few days that have left me a bit turned around so that it will be a few days before I settle back into my routine. But I am glad I got to celebrate my good friend’s big year and Izzy’s creeping closer to double digits.

Ice-Skating and Brunch...a Great Combo!

I have never really won anything big…the first time I felt I won something was a Halloween night that my parents allowed Kathy & me to go trick or treating. I received the typical candies but one place where a party was going on, I got a can of orange soda! Jackpot!

I had accepted an invitation to a benefit that my sister Evelyn was involved in. It was Oct 3, 1991. I brought Nikki along and although details are vague now, I believe it was held in SoHo somewhere. There were balloons that held prizes. The balloon that Nikki and I chose had a wonderful prize. Mark, my brother-in-law said it was the best one. It was brunch at Tribeca Grill and I think the value was up to $100. The restaurant had opened just a year earlier to much fanfare and rave reviews - one of the owners being Robert DeNiro.

I decided to make it a girls’ day out. It was March 22, 1992 and both Nikki’s and my birthday had just passed and Evelyn’s was coming up in April so it was also celebratory. I invited my sisters Kathy & Evelyn along with my niece Kristina and of course, Nikki. Nikki (age 7) had been ice-skating a lot and I had her fitted with skates that cost me at least an arm if not a leg! I had it all planned. I ordered a stretch limo - at the time, my company had been doing a lot of business with a limo company and Ed, the owner and chauffer had become a good friend. He picked up Kathy, Kris, Nikki and myself at my place in Queens. Then we drove into the city to get Evelyn who was living in Manhattan at the time. From there, Ed dropped us off at an ice-skating rink on 34th Street and the East side.


In the limo with their favorite Aunt Bicky

We skated around…I am always surprised how it just comes back to me…like riding a bike except I don’t know how to ride a bike! It was quite cold and I think this was a first for Kristina. Kathy wouldn’t skate so she was the photographer.








Nikki in her very expensive but very pretty skates

After our session ended, it was time for brunch. We were driven to Tribeca Grill where we had a great time. Since none of us drank, the 5 of us were able to have entrees and it came to about $100. So perfect!

It was such a luxury to have a car and driver just waiting for us wherever we went! The girls loved seeing the wide spacious inside along with bar and TV. We dropped off Evelyn and then was returned to Queens. It was simply a lovely date spent with some of my most favorite people in the world.