Interesting concept

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Centennial Rededication of the New York Public Library. Barbara Walters opened the evening for us...Mayor Bloomberg did the rededication. There were hosts of people in the audience including four writers that shared some memories of the NYPL and the highlight for me was a reading by Toni Morrison.

We were serenaded by five different musical delights including the Abyssinian Baptist Church Gospel Choir, the NYC Gay Men's Choir and the PS22 Chorus.

After the dedication, we had a sit down dinner...picnic style. Small portions of various delicacies were passed from guest to guest, such as a medley of fresh mixed vegetables to chicken with a tarragon sauce to a lobster and apple salad.

I spent the better part of the evening chatting with Howard Dobson, Executive Director of the Schomberg Center and Carol Alexander, Executive Director of the Ritz Theater and Museum in Jacksonville, FL. And the kicker is that they have a mutual friend who threw herself a fabulous three part birthday bash...the last of which was in Palm Coast, FL at the Yacht Club! And Grandpa Billy is there because he was invited and knows their mutual friend, Jacqui Davis! What a small world!!!

Carol and I spoke about many different things, one of which was ethnic cultures...and how people identify with theirs. She mentioned that she thought I was Filipino (I get that a lot) and I told her that my dad wrote a book is about his family history. She said I should write one about the "new world". People today are often of mixed races...and she was encouraging me to tell my story just as my dad has told his.

Food for thought, huh?

New Friends...new faires...it's all good!

So I just finished up my 5 weekend run at CTRF - Robinhood Springtime Festival in Guilford, CT. While I was there, I had the pleasure of being placed next to a wonderful harpist, Kathleen Finnegan! As the weeks passed, I was able to get to know her, her husband Bret, and her children. They were a fantastic bunch that loved to come by, chat, get some henna, and just get to know one another. I have to say that I'm happy to have gotten to know them. We've been o the same circuit for a few years, but never "knew" one another.

It really was a pleasure to just sit back some days and listen to the lovely sounds of the harp. I've always appreciated live music and am just enthralled by people talented enough to play musical instruments.

Being that this faire this year, also exposed me to the possibility of working at another faire - Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Fair in Ansonia, CT. It's three weekends long, but I'm only doing the middle one (June 25-26) as a trial. Depending on how it goes, I may pick it up next year for the full run.

Also, I gave a few pieces of my jewelry to Pacita and Dan to try and sell for me at the The Steam Punk World's Fair. I haven't heard from them yet (it was this past weekend) and I'm curious if they sold anything.

Anyway...that's a quick update on what's been going on with me the past few months. I hope all is well with everyone.

God bless America!

With all the excitement going on in the Middle East, it is never easy to see people you know and love going there. I have a friend in the Marines that is being shipped to Afghanistan. Here is a clip from a news broadcast about it. My friend Matt is featured around 1:18 in the video.

I thank God everyday that there are men and women in our armed forces that are willing to put their lives on the line to ensure our country's safety. Thank you to all of you...the American people do appreciate it...even if we don't always so say.

Thank you,
GTC

For my foodie friends...

You have to visit my Yelp page!! I just put up some reviews from the spots I dined at over the weekend in New England...yum!!! I love eating! And I love talking about the awesome food that I ate and it's especially good to eat with great friends. It's a fantastic combination!!!

yoga...I need to embrace you...

I have been remiss in my yoga practice and I feel quite guilty. I know I need to make time to do it, I just have been so stressed out with work recently that my head is just not in it. I need to make a promise to myself to try and incorporate it back into my life. I felt so much better when I was regularly practicing.

To hopefully help me get back into the swing of things, I've signed up for Wanderlust - Yoga in the City on June 7th at 6pm. If you're available, you should try and come on out. I know I'm looking forward to it.

Namaste!