Gilded Day

Still can't get over the beautiful weather we've been having lately, especially this past Memorial Day weekend. Sunday, I spent the better part of the day at my aunt's house for a family BBQ. Although I missed seeing my father, I still had a fabulous time. Monday, instead of hanging around my mother's house, we picked up my cousin and headed to Newport, Rhode Island to tour some of the historic summer homes of the Gilded Age. My cousins had given me the heads up on which houses to visit, which was great because up until then, I could only think of The Breakers as being the highlight of the area.

Given that we had a late start (if you know my mother you'd understand), there was only enough time to tour a few of the homes. We chose the "Breakers Plus" package which consisted of a tour of The Breakers and one other house. On my cousin H's advice, I had wanted to tour Marble House, but we decided to use our other ticket to visit the Green Animals Topiary Garden instead. To our surprise, we weren't asked for our tickets, so we could then go back to Marble House and take the tour.

The Breakers was, in a word, lavish. What I learned later was that the Vanderbilt family still visit the home, but stay on the third floor, away from the tour groups. The grounds of the home are gorgeous with an incredible ocean view. This structure is considered the epitome of the Gilded era and anyone visiting can see why. It's one of those places where you can't imagine anyone living there, even in the bedrooms (which tend to be plain in most of these types of homes).

Marble House came as a complete a shock because unbeknownst to me, it was the home of the infamous Alva Vanderbilt. Anyone with an deep interest in New York City history (like myself) knows about her and the cultural structures she brought to the city; namely the Metropolitan Opera House (created as an alternative and a snub to the stuffy, long gone Academy of Music). Marble House was sad due to the history of the family who dwelled there. What was also disappointing to learn was that unlike The Breakers, this home was only used for a short time and served the purpose of storage for many years. An ostentatious waste.

Our "free" visit consisted of a trip to the Green Animals Topiary Garden. We didn't enter the home on the grounds, but wandered the garden marvelling at the topiaries. There were an assortment of animals (tame and wild) and other goofy sculptures. My favorite probably had to be the elephant. I would have loved the giraffe but he/she was looking a little on the sickly side.

To top this wonderful day off, we had dinner at the Red Parrot. I'd like to go back again to do a proper tour of all the homes. However, this was a wonderful excursion and a fantastic way to spend such a beautiful day.

Photos of our day are here.

Unsettlement

Received some news this afternoon that left a feeling of disquiet over me for the rest of the day. Not in a bad way. More like an impending happiness that can't be confirmed until sometime next week. Until then, I won't know all of the details. This puts knots in my stomach. Knots that want to unravel, break free, and celebrate. But can't. Not until affirmation is granted.

If it's what I think it is, and comes to fruition, the prospect will be exciting while adding a level of stress to my life at the same time. It may even interfere with the other plan of action.

Yin and Yang.

Free To Be From the CPE

So, there's this exam my current college has and students are required to pass it in order to graduate. It's called the CPE, and after so many credits, the administration chases you down until you take it. Apparently, each time they send you a letter, if you don't register to take the exam, it's marked on your record as an absence. You're only allowed three absences until, who knows, they send you to the guillotine? Of course, I didn't know this until the third letter arrived, spaced years apart.

Under duress, I finally registered for both the workshop and the exam. During the workshop it's very important that you take lots of notes and ask lots of questions because there is a certain way you go about doing everything in order to pass. To top it off, the only day I could participate in the workshop was on a Sunday from 10-3. Gah!

The day of the exam, after being bossed around by officials on where to sit and what he could have on our desks, we sat down to begin. There were two tasks; an essay and a claim. The quiet of the room was interrupted frequently by the sounds of student officers, who walk around to make sure no one is cheating. There are no bathroom breaks during the four hours you are sequestered in this room. While the process is indeed stressful and at times intense, if you did well in English 101 and 102, you'll do fine.

I did fine and passed.

What a Hold-it-Together Kinda Gal!

Melissa Block of NPR was broadcasting from China when the 7.9 earthquake struck.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=90396578

(click on "Listen: The sound of the earthquake hitting, recorded by Melissa Block" )

I don't think I've ever heard someone SO under complete and utter control in a time of crisis than this!

Mother/Sister's Day

Yesterday was the day to come out of any winter coma I may have felt I was stuck in. You couldn't have asked for better weather. More importantly, my younger brother's college graduation ceremonies were also held yesterday, on Mother's Day. Admittedly, it was filled with the most bittersweet feelings because, forced to be a built-in-babysitter pretty much from the day of his arrival, sometimes I am more his mother than our own.

Putting those feelings aside, I managed to have a great time and turn the accolades into a joint effort. Meanwhile, the remainder of the day was spent with the other side of my family basking in the sun, expending zero energy, with the knowledge that the next day the weather would turn to crap.

Sew Focused

Yesterday, I participated in my first ever focus group. This was something that had been an interest of mine for years now, so anytime the opportunity presented itself, I would dutifully apply and hope to be accepted. Sometimes, it seemed like I was forever this close, but invariably one of my answers during the pre-interview would trigger that I wasn't in some way qualified for their study. However, as luck would have it in this particular case, being female and an intermediate sewer, I was finally a candidate!

I arrived early for the 5:30pm start, filled out the necessary paperwork, and took my place among seven other women. I don't recall if we were allowed to reveal the details of what transpired during the focus group. To be vague, it involved critiquing sewing product ideas for a well known person who happens to keep a tight rein on their empire. We were asked a ton of questions and for our personal opinions about product placement and celebrity endorsements.

We were also shown three television clips and asked to compare and contrast each of them. The comments and ideas flowed throughout us group of women and it was obvious that the moderator was pleased with our honest responses. That they provided cookies and refreshments only helped us settle in and relax a bit more. The entire discussion was filmed for them to review our responses later, but we were assured that it wouldn't end up on YouTube or anything like that, which was a relief!

The focus group lasted a little over an hour and a half. For our time, we were each handed $75 in cash at the end of the session. I think I'm liking this focus group stuff.