The Art Institute of Chicago(AIC) was art heaven to me! We did
not go until the second day of the trip and I have
to admit that I was thinking about going
the entire first day. I have been to the
Metropolitan in New York but the AIC is the
second largest art museum in the U.S , known for its impressionist, and post-impressionist
art, with a collection second only to the Louve in Paris! I could not wait to see my favorite artist’s works
up close but as Little Golden Books recommends I had to “be discriminating” so I
could see the most art in the time that I
had. That morning I went on line and had
a plan of attack!
A way to survive the empty nest and a "cracked "relationship with a fun daily challenge of new experiences, reflections, sources, and some biblical guidance. I hope this blog which offers a fun journey to survive by trying something new, either vicariously or by doing, will result in a survival tool kit to replace the past familiar doing, giving, and/or incorporating the interest of your child or your long gone love interest, with some new self interest(s).
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Day 85 Happy Thanksgiving/Chicago finest food
I wanted to try everything Chicago and this girl loves to eat so I was ready to indulge in Chicago's finest foods. My first stop- Deep Dish Pizza at Bella Bacino. Chicago invented the stuff and it sure was not like the pizza from the
chain restaurant UNO. It was over an
inch thick and stuffed with spinach and cheese-yum. One slice filled me up but I had two anyway
and one more for breakfast the next day!
Day 84 Visit Chicago( getting there)
Most people go south in the
winter so it seemed a little backwards
to go to the “windy city” were it is even
colder than Pittsburgh. Maslow says that a self actualized
person does not always follow the norms and so I packed a good warm coat and some cute
hats (see Try A Hat, Day 51) and headed to
Chicago, where deep dish pizza was invented, cracker jacks were introduced,
and Batman’s Gotham City was based. I had never visited this 3rd largest city behind NYC and LA (both of which I
visited several times). Therefore it seemed like a perfect place to
explore in this journey of trying new things
and I had a bonus feature –a tour guide that used to live there!
Reflection
Flying into Chicago you realize the enormous size of the
city because the lights seem to go on forever. I usually drive to NYC so this
was a beautiful sight. Ironically, I had a touch of the beach when I entered the W Hotel. The lobby had flashing lights, an art deco style and Miami sounding music playing. I felt like I was in South Beach and ready to go dancing. This place screamed "have fun", which was I intended to do!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Day 83 Royal Ballet of Cambodia
Little Golden Book "Daddies" 1953 |
I love to watch dance and I have a passion for the ballet so it easy for me to “take in some culture” as Little Golden Books recommends. My running joke is that, “ I will marry the first guy who willingly goes to the ballet with me.” I have not found that one guy yet but luckily some go and pretend to find it interesting. I had no idea what to expect when I decided to try the Cambodian Ballet but to obtain self -actualization I thought I should behave as Maslow suggested and “try new things instead of sticking to safe paths” (Maslow Theory) .
Reflection
This was truly an immersion in Cambodian culture. The dance was so very different from how we dance in the United States. The
costumes were uniquely beautiful as were the dancers. The movement was like watching a movie in slow
motion with every move being precise and isolated. The women had memorizing eyes and just a slight
turn of there face or head changed the feel of the dance. It reminded me of a
cobra in a snake charmers basket, relaxing and hypnotic. The music was nothing
like our music and after a few songs, I must admit, the music was a bit too
Monday, November 17, 2014
Day 82 Visit a Memoral 2 (West Park)
USS Mane-Spanish American War Memorial |
A few days before Labor Day I
enjoyed what may have been the last of the warm Pittsburgh weather
and found myself in West Park, the park on the North side of Pittsburgh near the Aviary. I discovered that there were quite a few monuments in this park. In this new journey, I vowed that I would no longer just walk past them (
Day 5) . I found an interesting looking
cannon which was a tribute to the lives
lost during the Spanish American War and a Civil War Monument in the distance. I decided
to “be patriotic” as Little Golden Books
suggested and explored these monuments, learning about the USS Maine.
Civil War Monument - West Park |
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Day 81 Give in to a Good Cry
Little Golden Book "About God" 1956 |
My son is sick and he is seven ( 7) hours away. I am looking at the mess in
the spare room, boxes in the game room, the papers stacked on the table and I
am asking “ how am I going to clean this house,
get the decorations and lights up, and cook the perfect dinner in two weeks.
How am I going to have the perfect holiday. It's hopeless!” On top of that I am starting to feel a scratch in my throat, a drip in my nose and a cough starting. But - MY SON IS REALLY SICK AND HE IS SEVEN HOURS AWAY. It is now time to cry!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Day 80 Overcame the Steps-Fineview Step-a-thon
19th annual Step-a-thon Oct 18, 2014 |
Life is one
step at a time and boy, what a good view you have when you reach the top!
The thought of trying the Finview Step-a-Thon which is a
5mile run/walk careening up and down 14 different city steps and hills started in September (see Day 52 ) . At first I thought that this race would be as much fun as sticking
a needing in my eye because I am not in
that great of shape but after a month of
exploring Fineview and making it a personal challenge, I was excited when the race
day finally arrived.
Reflection
This race gave me a reason to explore an area of Pittsburgh
that I knew nothing about. Since I did not want
to have a coronary, my cousin and I walked the steps weekly the month before the race, passing
familiar streets, making friends, and realizing that this place was a little “gem
in the rough” with a fantastic view (See Day 53). (I must admit that my cousin
who is in great shape, joined me as my supporter since he could have easily tackled this race without any preparation.
Thus we laughed our way though most of our “training” walks). A resident that we met talked about Fineview this way, “people come
up here for only three reasons: 1) they live
here, 2) they are visiting someone that lives here or 3) they are lost.”
Monday, November 3, 2014
Day 79- Elmo and Cookie Monster Pumpkins
Who doesn't love cookies! |
(Got to smile back at that) |
I was going to a
pumpkin carving party and since I am no Martha Stewart and since in the past I left the carving to
others, I solicited ideas that would
involve minimal carving from my co-workers. I am
not one for scary things even though the day before(Day 78) I went to the Scare House. Therefore as Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from A Little Golden Book instructs,
I “expressed myself " by creating my Elmo
and Cookie Monster pumpkins.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Day 78 Scare House
I am one of those “chickens” that do not watch scary
movies. The few times that I have watched a scary
movie was with my teenage son because I was desperate to have some time with
him. (I am not sure why all teenagers seem to love horror flicks). However, I had to sleep with the hall light on
for a week after each movie and so going
to a haunted house was a huge challenge for me. I am not sure how my friend
talked me into going but I was told that it was “good
creepy” fun so I pretended to be brave and went to Scare House on Halloween night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)