XLI: Marmosets and Baseball
While sitting with Annie this morning, watching a fellow named Diego rescue a pygmy marmoset who dined on tree sap, I pondered the few days we have left here in the Northeast, and how rewarding the time has been. And I wondered if there was a bird of prey that ate marmosets. We have just a few weeks left here and our schedule will be busy. I'm sure that you will all be anxiously awaiting the breathless details of those upcoming exploits. The preliminary agenda, which was dictated by the premise "what do you need to do before we move," involved a lot of things that would cause many to redefine the word "need." Nonetheless, we will be busy before heading west on June 28th. Details to follow, as they say on save-the-date wedding cards.
Normally, this is where I go into a 500-word rant on save-the-date wedding cards and how they are unnecessary because my social agenda is such that one invitation is sufficient and I don't require two. But I will not do that today. Instead I will give you a quick update on the doings and happenings here in our nation's 3rd state, New Sicily. We sold our house here in frenetic fashion (the penultimate evening of the showing process involved a Ukrainian couple leaving the property just as an Indian couple entered, and a Hispanic woman was on the lawn pleading with Regis not to sell the house to anyone but her. Did I mention Dag Hammarskjöld was our realtor? Anyway, the house sold, then (thanks to my Mom hustling out to Jersey) Regis and I headed to Chicago and bought a house there. It was a 7-day whirlwind that seems to be the norm for how we Watsons do things. We'll inhabit the new house on July 2nd.
In the meantime, the kids are wrapping up school and busy as always. Maggie and her class went to the zoo yesterday on a field trip. Mags rode a pony (it is not clear if the pony was at any time owned by a Lithuanian woman who once resided on the Upper East Side) and saw a bear. While she enjoyed the pony ride, the bear proved unimpressive to her, having seen a larger one once in her yard.
Jimmy is doing well in school and playing lacrosse this spring. He loves lacrosse and like the "lax" players with whom I went to college, he carries his stick around wherever he goes. Unlike the lax players with whom I went to college, Jimmy showers regularly and doesn't need to wear a dirty white hat in order to be seen in public. Jimmy also accompanied a friend (with parental supervision from the friend's mom) to Shea Stadium to see the Mets beat the Cubs. The Cubs, in classic fashion, lead 5-1 in the 9th and lost. He said he thought the stadium would fall apart because everyone was cheering so loudly as the Mets rallied and won. In the case of Shea, that's not hyperbole.
I had a similar experience the other night as I was the guest of a client to the Yankees-Red Sox game (in a suite nonetheless). I was "Switzerland" in the suite, since there were 6 Sox fans and 8 Yankees fans and then me. After being asked several times who I was rooting for, I finally settled on "I can be bought," a phrase that particularly resonates with both fan bases in question. The Yankees jumped out to a big lead in the bottom of the first, so the attendees became more interested in seeing if they could convert me to their side. One of the guys ended up buying me a Yankees hat as a first strike. Before the Red Sox guys could counter, another Yankees fan bought one for Jimmy (who was not in attendance but benefited nonetheless). I really don't care about either team, and I grow tired of hearing about them all the time. But here's the problem: the hat fits really well and I like the way it looks on my head. I think an intervention is in order.
Besides watching the exploits of the pygmy marmoset, and in the midst of repeated viewings of Lady and the Tramp, Annie is doing well. She is ready for school this coming fall (or Regis is at least). I think she kept Grandma entertained during her visit and keeps us well, tired. Yesterday amidst a 90-degree day, she watched Holly Hobbie's Christmas (Annie, not Grandma...well, Grandma might have watched it, too. I'm not sure whether or not she owns it).
I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We will be dining one last time at our favorite local place, Rosie's Trattoria, and watching the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday (and fighting off the dust when Jim Nabors sings, even if it is a recording). On Monday we'll be at a pool party with some friends as the New Jersey Farwell Tour continues. Let us know how you all are doing.
Normally, this is where I go into a 500-word rant on save-the-date wedding cards and how they are unnecessary because my social agenda is such that one invitation is sufficient and I don't require two. But I will not do that today. Instead I will give you a quick update on the doings and happenings here in our nation's 3rd state, New Sicily. We sold our house here in frenetic fashion (the penultimate evening of the showing process involved a Ukrainian couple leaving the property just as an Indian couple entered, and a Hispanic woman was on the lawn pleading with Regis not to sell the house to anyone but her. Did I mention Dag Hammarskjöld was our realtor? Anyway, the house sold, then (thanks to my Mom hustling out to Jersey) Regis and I headed to Chicago and bought a house there. It was a 7-day whirlwind that seems to be the norm for how we Watsons do things. We'll inhabit the new house on July 2nd.
In the meantime, the kids are wrapping up school and busy as always. Maggie and her class went to the zoo yesterday on a field trip. Mags rode a pony (it is not clear if the pony was at any time owned by a Lithuanian woman who once resided on the Upper East Side) and saw a bear. While she enjoyed the pony ride, the bear proved unimpressive to her, having seen a larger one once in her yard.
Jimmy is doing well in school and playing lacrosse this spring. He loves lacrosse and like the "lax" players with whom I went to college, he carries his stick around wherever he goes. Unlike the lax players with whom I went to college, Jimmy showers regularly and doesn't need to wear a dirty white hat in order to be seen in public. Jimmy also accompanied a friend (with parental supervision from the friend's mom) to Shea Stadium to see the Mets beat the Cubs. The Cubs, in classic fashion, lead 5-1 in the 9th and lost. He said he thought the stadium would fall apart because everyone was cheering so loudly as the Mets rallied and won. In the case of Shea, that's not hyperbole.
I had a similar experience the other night as I was the guest of a client to the Yankees-Red Sox game (in a suite nonetheless). I was "Switzerland" in the suite, since there were 6 Sox fans and 8 Yankees fans and then me. After being asked several times who I was rooting for, I finally settled on "I can be bought," a phrase that particularly resonates with both fan bases in question. The Yankees jumped out to a big lead in the bottom of the first, so the attendees became more interested in seeing if they could convert me to their side. One of the guys ended up buying me a Yankees hat as a first strike. Before the Red Sox guys could counter, another Yankees fan bought one for Jimmy (who was not in attendance but benefited nonetheless). I really don't care about either team, and I grow tired of hearing about them all the time. But here's the problem: the hat fits really well and I like the way it looks on my head. I think an intervention is in order.
Besides watching the exploits of the pygmy marmoset, and in the midst of repeated viewings of Lady and the Tramp, Annie is doing well. She is ready for school this coming fall (or Regis is at least). I think she kept Grandma entertained during her visit and keeps us well, tired. Yesterday amidst a 90-degree day, she watched Holly Hobbie's Christmas (Annie, not Grandma...well, Grandma might have watched it, too. I'm not sure whether or not she owns it).
I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We will be dining one last time at our favorite local place, Rosie's Trattoria, and watching the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday (and fighting off the dust when Jim Nabors sings, even if it is a recording). On Monday we'll be at a pool party with some friends as the New Jersey Farwell Tour continues. Let us know how you all are doing.
posted by Watts at 9:51 AM
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