2001-08-28

saturday:

i am feeling unsure and worried all day. the space is opening up to have a big party/ art 'event' in the night. the plan is to go to the contemporary museum down the street and get all of the cool hipsters to come to our space afterwards. Mr. Clown, King Famous, Lev, Myles, and all the others came through. They got about 80 people to come in off the street. This took an enormous amount of energy, I'm sure. after all, New Yorkers are hard to motivate these days. This whole damn American country is hard to motivate, i think, sometimes. but then again, that lethargy is within you without you. who can point fingers? any little thing could cause an uprising. Like we all feel for Allyah, who died in the Bahamas...

i mean, i went home this weekend, and my family was talking about allyah in a plane crash. No one even knew who she was, or any of her songs. just the simple fact that she was in the music industry that entertains us all was tragedy enough.

back to saturday, it was fantastic. i felt like we were at the epicenter of something huge. of course, it took a while to find someone who knew how to tap the keg, but that's a good thing, don't you think? it was a rawkus time. people were making huge paintings, people were doing improv shows, djs tadpole and tyson were mixing up the huge dance floor (lavishly decorated by paintings all over the place...) People were mixing and chatting, reading, playing chess, whatever. Kelli and I danced out on the sidewalk, to show people where it was that this thing was going on (it really is in the middle of industrial no-mans-land and topless bars.)

Sunday:

Got on a bus and went to Pennsylvania. found neat ways to sleep with kelli in a small seating area. From The Charcoal Diner pickup, we went straight to the Nursing Home where my Grandmother, Mom-mom, resides, with my mom, dad, sister, step brother and his family.

Mom-mom is in the Alzeihmer's wing, surrounded by people who are at different levels of forgetfulness - none able to live on their own any more. The last time i saw her, she was still pretty mobile and talkative. Now she can't stand, she had a stroke earlier this spring (that somehow noone told me about), and she is confined to a wheelchair, and for the most part, silence. It's been a year since her husband, my Pop-Pop, passed away. I think i heard her whisper his name once in the car ride to Houlihan's, "the family restauraunt". It was so bizarre to see her sitting there, surrounded but completely ignored by popular culture. my parents considered little about whether or not she minded listening to the top music radio station, with its Ludacris and Eminem blaring in the mini-van stereo. my mom in particular just listens to music to enforce mindlessness. she enjoys relaxing to bad, bland music. it drives me absolutely crazy.

anyway, off course a little. oh but then my 3 little nieces are so completely adorable that you can't be in a bad mood. Alexandra is running around the table in the restaurant, lifting up her dress (she's 3 or so) and making crazy faces. Nicolette is being sweet to Mom-mom, talking with her and being paitent, saying, " don't you remember all the times we had birthday parties?" she's 5, and completely hilarious. Mom-mom doesn't really recognize much of anything, until later when we return her to the nursing home. Then she starts to smile and say, " Of course i do, of course i remember..."

Then we visit my step sister, back in Allentown. She's also married, and has a baby. Her and her husband are sitting in the back porch, having some drinks with friends. All is tranquil and domestic. Kelli is doing fine. This is the first time she meets everybody, and they all seem to like her a lot.

Connie leans over to me while Kelli is off to the bathroom, "Do we hear Wedding Bells?"

then she of course says she's just joking,,, but in a way, it is the thing that everybody likes to think about at times like these. Who will get married next?

Monday:

We are on a collision course with Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom. There's no way around it. I keep trying to think of other things to do, but it just seems like the best and only option. I haven't been there in like 10 years, and now there's tons more roller coasters and stuff. Kelli and I have a blast. we get there early, and get totally soaked in the Water park. oh there's this one thing called the "water works", and it really like this crazy war zone, where everybody is trying to soak the other person. There are water guns, buckets of water above doorways, and all kinds of devices to surprize people with water. Stupid as it sounds, i had tons of fun, running around, surrounded by kids.

Then it rained later, but not too long. and we rode roller coasters and rides till we almost puked. The "Sea Dragon" was too much for both of us. Kelli and i both tried to act like we could handle the ferris wheel, but just looking at those swaying gondolas, filling up one by one, slow and rocking, made us want to hurl. So we got out of line and laid in the grass. Finally we went to see my little sister Rachel practice her cycling. Its on a track. She's just become a national Champion in her age group. For the second time, i think. She's 15.

Then back to Charcoal diner for a little snack of mashed potatoes and stuffed peppers. Kelli had a salad and more mashed potatoes. Then it was back to the bus for another round of 'try to sit comfortably in the seat'. Till we were finally home in grand old Queens, NewYork.