M.I.A.

 

My friends Leslie and Andrew got married in Miami on 11/11/11. I was afraid for Jean to come to the wedding with me at first since we had to RSVP back in September and our relationship was still really new at that point- but months later we spent the weekend in Miami doing wedding stuff and hanging out with family and friends and it was all good.

Jean even bought a new blue pinstripe suit to wear to the ceremony. I was surprised how good he looked in it- especially since he picked it out himself. I think sometimes I underestimate him. I’ll work on that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jean’s sister and her children live in Boca, so we drove up there to surprise them one night. I found it hilarious that his oldest sister calls him Junior- and refers to him as Uncle Junior.

All in all it was a full weekend, friends, family, cafe con leche, black cake and one of those new gunmetal color Nissan Ultimas that don’t need real keys. I kept asking Jean if he would ever be interested in moving down there- where it’s warm all year round and pastel-colored houses are affordable- but he was not as sold on the pleasantries of southern Florida as I was (except for the cars).

Fall folliage

One the first Sunday in November, we went to Cunningham Park in Queens.  This was peak time for all the beautiful colors that fall has to offer.

I think that when you catch everything at the right time, its all beautiful.  Rebekkah is so smart.  She has all the types of trees figured out by the types of leaves, which we collected as we walked along.

Cunningham Park has what is somewhat of a secluded forrest just of the road.  That is where all of the magic begins. I think I walked into some thorns, but I am ok.   I like the beauty that fall brings along with the mystery.  When you hear the leaves scraping the street as they blow in the wind, its almost music, or a creppy scene out of a movie. In just a few weeks, Winter will surface and all of the trees will look like bony hands except for snow days.

San Gennaro and Halloween

On an unseasonably warm September evening Jean and I decided to check out Little Italy’s San Gennaro festival. While this day commemorates the feast day of a saint whose miracle is blood liquefaction, not much of that was mentioned- just your standard Italian American stereotypes from   sausage and peppers to canollis and the fist pumping Staten Island contingent.

We walked a bit, marveled at the tourists, and eventually picked a restaurant for dinner- the highlight of which included a waiter cleaning an entire table with one arm. After dinner we decided to check out some of the carnival games. We passed a booze truck Jean got a “piña colada”  drink with “rum” in a blue lady cup (free refills!). It was a good dinner and a great night of people watching. Not sure why they need 9 days of that though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as people watching goes, Halloween is certainly the best occasion to do that. Add costumes to a random snowstorm and the fact that on even a regular Saturday the freaks come out at night- you have the perfect storm of weird. Jean and I went a club with some friends. Halloween is Jean’s favorite holiday- he plans his costumes like a year in advance. This year he was a genie, but everyone kept calling him Shazam (Kazaam).