In Memory of a Blizzard

Last week we received word that Dr. Bill Logan, a former Norfolk dentist and a good friend of my parents', had passed away in Florida. We lived just down the street from the Logans in my first chilhood home (we moved across town when I was 14), and I have such fond memories of Bill, who loved to tinker with vintage automobiles (1937 Packards) and make everyone laugh.

I also remember Bill rescuing me during one fateful Nebraska blizzard, with an artic wind chill and terrifying drifts, that left me stranded at the grade school when I was 7 years old. My mom was home with my three younger siblings, and Bill offered to pick me up at school after classes were dismissed early. He had a son who was several years older than me, so after dropping him off at their house, he literally carried me down the street--through waist-deep drifts--to deposit me at my mother's feet.

I don't remember many details from that time, but I have a vivid memory of clinging to Bill, my face buried in his cool winter coat as he trudged through the blinding snow. People come into contact with us at many different times and for many different reasons throughout our lives; there are so many microscopic instants that are fleeting but meaningful. I will always be thankful that--for that moment, at least--there was someone there to carry me safely home again.

Sunday in the Park

I spent the long holiday weekend in Columbus, Ohio, where I attended the wedding of my friends Ilana (a long-time friend, co-theater-creator, and conspirator from Rice) and Mike (her lovely new husband and a brilliant lawyer). Ilana and I have always been crazy about Sondheim musicals, and appropriately, I made a pre-ceremony visit to see Columbus' extraordinary Topiary Garden with a small group of friends.

And what, you may wonder, could be so extraordinary about a topiary garden? (And where does Sondheim come in?)

Well, the shrubbery in this particular garden has been sculpted and coaxed to resemble Georges Seurat's famous painting, "A Sunday On The Island Of La Grande Jatte," and it is, to quote the website, "a landscape of a painting of a landscape." The results are both beautiful and a bit strange. It's not a place I'd want to wander around in alone at night, lest the figures start moving. But it's certainly a novelty, and something to see (for free) if you should ever find yourself wandering around Columbus. And for musical theater aficionados, it will instantly strike up the gorgeous chords of Sondheim's masterful musical, Sunday in the Park with George, which tells the persuasive fictional tale of the painting's creation.

Meet Me at the Chocolate Fountain

Tonight was Volunteer Recognition Night at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center--the hospital where I volunteer on Tuesday nights.

The evening began with an inspiring program, in which three volunteers talked about their unique experiences at the hospital. The first woman started volunteering in 1978; she planned to stay "just for the summer" but couldn't bear to leave when the summer was over. The second speaker was a man who moved to New York to be an actor (familiar ...), but after gigs as, variously, a "singing hippopotamus" and a "dancing rhinosaurus," he decided to go back to med school. He completed his pre-med volunteer requirement, but he decided to stay on because he loves the patient interaction. He was followed by a young girl who talked about growing up (and attending school) a few blocks away from the hospital--she decided to be a nurse, and she hopes to work at MSKCC someday.

Then we headed out to a delicious dinner buffet, and the dessert was especially tantalizing: piles of cheesecake and pastries, which surrounded a Willy Wonka-esque chocolate fountain! We dipped fresh strawberries into the delicious brown stream. Had I known about that, I would have skipped dinner and headed straight to the dessert room.

Pictured is my wonderful friend Mariola (center), who trained me when I started volunteering almost a year ago. She was recognized for completing 150 hours of service, and she also recently trained Christina (right). Everyone I've met who is affiliated with the hospital radiates goodness and good cheer--it's an extraordinary place.

Simi in the City

Andie hoping for her big break!

Khun, Rick, Simi, and Amy (Andie underneath table)

My fabulous friends Simi and Rick were in town today from Austin with their daughter Andie and their foreign exchange student Khun. He's here from Thailand, and they're in the midst of a Northeastern tour, traveling through Philadelphia, Virginia, DC, New Jersey, and NYC, of course. We had brunch at VYNL in Hell's Kitchen before they headed off to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Don and I caught a matinee of the outstanding, electrifying play Frost/Nixon--more to come on that.