My NYC trip 9-5 to 9-13

(Jesus in Brooklyn, that's how I know I'm really in Brooklyn!)

It was so good to be home!!!!!!!

Took the red-eye to JFK, airtrain to Howard Beach, and then the A train to Hoyt-Schmermerhorn, G to Bergen. Schlepped up the subway steps then 4 flights to Kate's abode--yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm home!!!!!!!!!!!!

New cats: Lily Gorilla and Tox. Tox looks like a cow, so I renamed him Moo. Lily is a combination of Molly's physique and Lucy's coloring--more tabby-like though. She's a dream, always smiling with her sweet pink lips.

Kate, best friend ever

Hung with Tommy for a little bit and he is still awesome. I forget how much I really like him until I see him again. Usually I bitch about him a lot when I don't see him, but he's still little tommy krader.

Killer heat--so not used to it. Hot and humid. Didn't even use moisturizer, so humid.

Suzette rocks as well, and now has me completely obsessed with spiders.

Thursday took it kinda easy, read at the house a lot, then met Daralee at her house for dinner. She looks terrific--got her cateracts removed and she's without her coke-bottle glasses and she looks hot!!! We ate at Cafe Loup on 13th and 6th. Good food, and again, great to be home.

Got home later than I planned to so Kate and I didn't go out.

Friday--got the car and went out to the island to see Terry and Larry before going to the North Fork. This is the last time I'm seeing the house since she sold it and they're moving to the retirement community in Connecticut for forever. Lots of memories there, mostly good. Ate lunch at a diner, then saw Aunt Lillian. She looked wonderful--she's packing to make the move with T&L. Terry's still herself and Larry's still the know-it-all, but she's happy and loves him and that's only what matters.

(favorite view from Daralee's rooftop--awesome, huh? this is where me, kate, and suzy grew up)

Got on one of those blasted roads to try and get to the LIE and guess what! I remembered I may not have packed my skirt for the wedding. Not good. Pulled off the road and called Terry's. Larry answered and I wanted to know where Terry was. At Lillian's. Okay, where is the nearest Target. Carle Place. Where is that? Near the Coliseum. That doesn't help me. Can you get back here? I can try...and I got there and fortunately Terry was back from Lillian's. Thus begins a crazy ride to some target, somewhere in the Island. I had told terry how bad the traffic was on the road I was on, so she got me on a more direct route to the LIE. Got the skirt, too big, but better than nothing, literally.

On the Northern Parkway, all's well. Some traffic, but working. Throughout all this I need to pick Kate up at 6:21 in Mattituck--it's already nearly 5. Mattituck is way out on the North Fork, in a land far, far away. The rehearsal dinner is at 7 in Greenport--farther, farther away. I have sattelite radio and a station called "lucy", how could I not? (fyi: didn't see the giant bowling pin but DID see my famous duck! (so many thanks to Luke Cole for being such an awesome photographer and knowing, just knowing, how much I'll like his stuff!!!!!)

DUCK!!!! my favorite large object in the world.

So, ms krader calls when her train is pulling out of ronkonkoma and i am just seeing the sign for it. At least I'm kinda on target. She, thinking she's the cutest, says, let's race, see who gets to the station first. I'm still in traffic, so it's kind of out of my control, but, a race! against the LIRR! wow! Later, as she retells the story, she's sure I'm going to be late and she doesn't want to be standing at the station all by herself, while i'm out having a merry time. So, she hatches this ingenious plan to make it more fun. Aha! She's so smart!!!

For the record, I won the race. Got to the train station at 6:15, she pulls in at 6:21. Thus the beginning of our trip to Mary's Wedding!!!!