Marching On

Another Saturday, another march for a cause I believe in. In the past 18 months, I feel like I've become a pro at marching and banding together with my tribe of like-minded moms and this week's march for gun control was no different. We pooled together our time and banner waving talents and took to the streets in Manhattan for an afternoon in the chilly spring sunshine. It felt much less crowded than the women's march in January of this year in NYC and we were able to join in the procession with almost no setbacks after crossing through Central Park from the subway. Walking with Jenny, a march novice, was also a real treat. We needed a catch up session and that was the perfect excuse. It didn't take long for friends to drift off and we whittled ourselves down to just the two of us before ducking out for lunch at Indikitch. Protesting and good Indian food made the day feel all the more worthwhile. Which is not to trivialize the situation our kids face in this country especially when it comes to gun violence in schools. America's obsession with the Second Amendment to the exclusion of all common sense is the biggest threat I will face in my lifetime. More kids have been killed so far this year in schools than in actual combat. Let that sink in for a minute. 

After the march, I made it home with plenty of time to rest up before my second big outing of the day: Marija's birthday dinner out with couples in Brooklyn. This capped off a very celebratory week for her 40th and I think the group was ready to let rip. I enjoyed all the good conversation and food making the rounds and I loved playing musical chairs after our meal was winding down. It's true that we are a unique group of parents and probably never more so than when we celebrate one another's birthdays. I feel that's such a great reward for all the hours at kids' birthday parties we have had to endure. Being able to toast one another and really cheer each other through these years is such a blessing and I know it. 

Sunday afternoon was the low-key ending the weekend needed and I had to laugh when my free T-shirt from an IG artist I follow made its way to me just a few days after the march. Good timing! Gun control will be a struggle for a while to come with the way things look. So of course I turned to comfort eating and a run to Maharaja Sweets in Jackson Heights hit the sweet spot. The galub jamon and jalebi are some of the best I've ever tasted. 

Dad's 70th birthday falling mid-week was the perfect reminder that Spring Break and our trip to Texas was coming up fast. I sent my photographic tribute around the internets and let Dad know I was thinking of him. He's now outlived his own father and that's something I'm sure he's thought of before. Beating colon cancer a few years back and having his share of melanomas, my dad is a man who knows what to value in this world. I'm very glad he's still here with us and I am looking forward to our trip to Austin and to Leroy's ranch to spend some quality birthday time with him and the rest of the fam. Birthdays at any age are good time to take stock of life, but I think that's especially true after a certain age. I'm grateful for each day. Now let's get on with the party and good food. 

Another year, another march

Another year, another women's march and this time around we didn't have to leave Sunnyside under the cover of darkness to meet in a spooky parking lot in Astoria for a 5 hour bus ride to DC. SO. MUCH. EASIER. And yes, some of the spirit that united us in that effort was lost, but really it was still fun to get a few of the local lady activists to come out for a power walk through the streets of Manhattan. Even this guy that photo bombed us looked happy. Of course, we aren't protesting nice things...Trump's assault on our Constitution and public institutions is no joke as much as I wanted to dismiss him initially. He's still president and he's still fucking things up on a daily basis. It's almost unbelievable how much damage he's done in one year, including this latest government shutdown which he's in jeopardy of having to own. Watching the Democrats fawn all over themselves trying to weakly stand up to it all is just as bad unfortunately. But what can I do? The midterms are still months away and most weeks I'm still not convinced we'll be victorious in them. So for now we stay focused. We keep taking to the streets. We keep sharing and spreading the truth in an era of so much misinformation and outright lies. And thanks to Samarra on graphics and Julie on posters, we had some pretty kickass signage to take with us.

Since Nacho ended up with a trip the day before, Amanda offered to have Max watch all four kids. And I was more than happy to take her up on it. The girls got a play date and we got to march and chant kid-free while navigating the chaos of a large gathering in the city. Getting off the train at Times Square was a bit hectic since we couldn't get on any of the uptown trains on the 1/2/3 line. The platform was a mess and trains were leaving without us so we jumped ship and took to 8th Ave to see if we could walk up.  Ellery suggested we hop on an uptown bus which worked for a few blocks until we had to abandon that too because of the march diversion. After a bit of confusion, we got to enter the route on 64th as it fed into Central Park West.  That one block took us about an hour to make it down, but we eventually got to turn onto the main route and into the glorious sunshine. The temps were almost 50F but in the shade it definitely still had a winter chill.  After that, we didn't waste much time making our way down the path towards Central Park South. Passing by Trump Tower at Columbus Circle prompted lots of boos and flipped fingers and I was happy to partake. The march this year felt less...well, everything. I wasn't as emotional or angry or fired up. I just wanted to be there. To be seen again and to be part of this huge crowd. So I went and I felt like it was important but maybe just for me. Afterwards, most of our group was up for grabbing lunch back in the hood so I texted Anne at the Lowery and we made our way over to be greeted with her warm hospitality. Love that place and love that it has been such a great spot for some of our best meet ups. After such a big day, I really just wanted to chill out at home and that's what I did. The girls were back from their playdate at the Lefers and so we made an evening in more fun with a little relax time on my bed. I love these girls. Even when they annoy each other and me. I hope that some of the things I care about will become their passions. And I pray they have better leadership as they grow. We need to do better for them. 

Women's March on Washington

Back in mid-November I jumped on a chance to buy a ticket to ride a bus down to DC for the Women's March on Washington that was taking shape. In truth there was no actual march yet, just a lot of sentiment that this election had been one of the worst outcomes for women. And we weren't going to take it lying down. It was November 18th when I spent $65 for a roundtrip seat and I wasn't really convinced any of it was going to happen. But I knew if it was, I wanted to be there.  Fast forward a month and we were in the midst of the holidays and protesting the incoming President was not really on my radar. It seemed like a distant future and one I wasn't really eager to rush into. I was living in denial for sure, but then the New Year came and it all started to sink in. We were really going to have Donald Trump as President. I don't think I'll ever forgive the American electorate for voting for this dumpster fire of a person. And yes, I know he didn't win the popular vote. In fact, he lost to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes, but it doesn't matter. This is where we are at now and there is no magical Hollywood plot twist to sort it all out. It's time to step up and start being heard and taking back our country from the powers that will no doubt be out to force their terrible agenda down our throats.

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