funny-makingTonight we went on a long walk to dinner. We were headed for a Brazilian place on 36th Ave that we hadn’t tried yet. On the way we talked about books, specifically, what Stuart finished reading today – Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies. Then, we passed this sign. Right as we were talking about The Smoke. This is hilarious to you if you’ve read the books and nigh-incomprehensible if you haven’t. I’ve weighed the pros and cons of sharing it with you regardless and decided to take that chance.
We laughed a lot and on the way back from dinner, I took a picture. It is quite possibly the dullest photograph I’ve ever taken but there you have it. I like to start off with small things, nothing too exciting or earth-shaking, just a funny literary joke.
omg so cuteThe adorable dog brigade of Astoria was out in full force tonight. Every wide-eyed tail-wagging pup that could possibly tug on my puppy ovaries was out there doing its bit for the powerful Dog PR Machine. Also out in full force was the Old People Charm Me brigade, since on our way back to the apartment – laden with popcorn and soda for our movie night – the Italian-American Community of Queens was serenading the neighborhood in Athens Plaza with a snappy litle waltz, and boy, did the snappy OAPs come out to dance.
It was like watching one of those music box figurines, the way the whole crowd slowly but precisely waltzed around each other, not a dame or gent under 60 on that plaza. I must have looked crazy, grinning my face off at the shuffling dancers. Stuart could not be enticed to take me for a whirl but promises it was only a momentary lapse; at many other times in our life, he assures me, he will be able to lead onto a plaza and pretend we know how to waltz. Heck, maybe we’ll even learn to waltz.
sea of peopleThis next anecdote serves the purpose of making you feel better, you New Yorkers, who don’t always take advantage of every single bitty free thing the city has to offer. On Monday night, I got to Bryant Park 45 minutes after the lawn opened for seating for their showing of Charade, and this is what faced me. By the time Stuart arrived at 7:45, I was getting sick of hearing the power-drunk security guard yell at people to STAY OUT OF EMERGENCY LANE as they bodily blocked people and thrust the sign in their faces. But I’d worked so hard to get us a halfway decent spot and Stuart had brought Chipotle!
So we sat down and ate. And then stared around. And then the conversation basically went:
“So, I just spent two hours here.”
“Want to go home?”
“Totally.”
So we did. We went home and played Book Lovers Trivial Pursuit and drank our Cabernet out of real wine glasses and not plastic cups, sitting in comfy chairs, and if we are old, then so be it, but I for one am willing to stand up and declare that Monday nights at my otherwise adored Bryant Park? Not worth it, peeps.
happiness
And this last picture, well, this was us tonight. As if Stuart’s stellar professional review on Monday wasn’t good news enough for the Brigouras household, today I got offered a job that I want, a part-time job that starts in September and is basically perfect for me – the right mixture of challenging and engaging and worthwhile, clocking in at 17 hours a week and netting me slightly above the minimum I decided I needed to earn from part-time work to contribute fairly to our household. Oh, yes, there was a good reason for dinner and a movie tonight, kids.
Details, as they say, to follow.

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