I just adore a penthouse view...

We spent a glorious 4 days in New York City last week with our dear friend Francis. Francis gave us a tour of the Bloomberg HQ, and showed us some fantastic places to eat... Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, Thai, Indian, Mexican. So yes, we basically just ate, walked, ate, walked... and sometimes we rode the subway--Koby's favorite part of the trip.



Dennis enjoyed being able to get some good Filipino food at a place called Pistahan in the East Village. We even got them to make a vegetarian version of Bicol Express. We had to do something to get Francis up from his 28-inch waist.



We got to see Dennis's brother Ojie as well, which was an extra treat. I don't think I'd seen him in about 6 years! We wrestled him into a cheap Ukrainian barber shop after this photo was taken--for a mercy haircut.



Koby and Dennis went up the Empire State Building while I was busy at work, attending meetings at a publisher.



After my meetings, however, we bumped into Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci, Taxi's Marilu Henner, and Omarosa of The Apprentice, who were selling hot dogs for charity outside Penn Station. Ah, the D list, how it does bite! They were perfectly lovely.

A pirate's life for him

My friend Meredith came over to visit, and we spent a couple of days (and late nights) painting a pirate mural on Koby's bedroom wall.



The far wall over his bed now features a HUGE treasure map, including Meredith making a cameo appearance as Meredith the Mermaid.



And on the other wall over the dresser, a pirate ship complete with Koby at the helm, supported by hairy-chested pirates Papa and Tatay.



Let's hope it stays interesting enough for us NOT to need to paint it again for several years! It'll be harder to execute the next mural as we get older and arthritic.

Ain't life Grand?

I just escaped being empaneled in a grand jury of Suffolk County Superior Court. The commitment would have lasted 4 days a week for the next 3 months. Don't get me wrong--I'm probably one of the few people who thinks jury duty is interesting and am even willing to endure the sacrifices this "civic responsibility" brings forth. But not making enough to pay for my mortgage, car, etc., for the next 3 months sounds about as unappealing as the government cheese I received in 1985--the taste of which still lingers in my memory.

So after months of worry about how I may have to completely abandon any sense of scheduling flexibility, I am once again FREE to enjoy myself without the thought of sitting in a room of my peers, eating donuts and drinking bad coffee, doodling caricatures of the DA in my notebook. What a relief.