Man it’s Hilly Uptown

Back from my yearly WTC check-up, everything is great except for my lungs which aren’t bad. They tried to cheer me up with, “Most people we see have the lungs of 100 year olds.” You’d think all the exercise and years of living in a walk-up would help. Actually it has in terms of my heart, but not my lungs. Oh well. Could be worse. I guess it is for all the poor people with the lungs of 100 year olds. In any case, something is going to get us in the end.

I took this walking back to the subway. I’m not used to seeing hills. We don’t have them downtown.

hilly

Scans From the Past

That’s me on the left in high school, and I’m about to get certified. I remember I found a lobster and got very excited. We were diving in the Long Island Sound, and you couldn’t see much. A lobster was a big deal.

Poor, sad, diving us.

scuba

Who is more oblivious?

No one. How have I missed the GIANT hand above Madame Tussauds wax museum all these years?? It’s a big freaking hand. It reminds me of the time I went to Staten Island to see one of the detectives I was writing about. It came out that I hadn’t noticed something about the barber shop we were in. So he started asking me questions about the other people inside, and the decor, etc. I couldn’t remember anything about the inside of the place. Not a thing. It was like I was never even in there. Elvis could have been getting his haircut and I wouldn’t have noticed.

I would make a terrible witness. Whatever or whoever has my attention is the only thing that exists for me, apparently. I was interviewing him and I was oblivious to everything else. But come on, how did I miss this giant hand??

madame

The New Rev.

Walking up to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. You can’t really tell from this shot but this is really a big, freaking cathedral.

divine

The brand new Rev. Diane Reiners (with Paula, Dennis and Carter). There was a lot of singing during the ordination—two hymns were arranged by none other than Ralph Vaughan Williams! I tried singing the harmony he’d written for those two, and had trouble at first. After a lifetime of singing soprano, I have a hard time finding notes “underneath.” But I managed it in the end. Very satisfying.

ordained

Heading WAY Uptown

One nice thing about 9/11 was how it threw me into the company of all these wonderful people I never would have met otherwise.  I’m leaving in a few minutes to see my friend Diane Rieners ordained.  I’ve never been to an ordination ceremony before, I’m not even sure if that’s the proper way to refer to it.  It’s WAY uptown at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.  (Don’t forget camera, don’t forget camera, don’t forget camera.  I hope I can take pictures.)

Finney and Buddy giving me the looks that begin at 4:15 (I feed them dinner at 4:30).

cute2

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