Julia and I have birthdays a week apart. We have celebrated separately and together, had parties, and just stayed home.  It is January and cold. This year we’ve been out and about for both weekends.

We, our trio, spent Julia’s weekend in New York City. Friday evening to Monday morning.  We saw two plays.  “And Juliet,” a musical, is a wild romp. Lots of fun, old pop music that most of the audience knew by heart. Everyone sang, including Julia, who followed some of the audience and got up to dance a few of the tunes. The cast is splendid, and the script is very clever. Fireworks and confetti were the icing on the cake.

On Sunday, we saw “Liberation.” A memory play about a young woman of today confronting her deceased mother’s 70’s conscience-raising group. A seven-woman cast with a strong script. The nude scene at the beginning of Act 2 was only slightly shocking. Five minutes into the scene, having no clothes on was simply the costume that the characters wore. It was a pleasure to be in the theater that night. Unfortunately, the play is set to close on February 1.

On Saturday, we saw “All that’s left of you,” a new film set in the Occupied West Bank, tracing the life of one family from 1948 to the present. It is a small, quiet movie, emotional, and heartbreaking. With only a limited release, it will be hard to find but totally worth pursuing.  

Also, on Saturday, we did one of the tours at the Tenement Museum.  Julia and Ed had never been there. I was there a long time ago. We did the 1902 Women’s Tour that featured a story about the Kosher Meat Boycott of 1902, organized and led by the neighborhood’s women. It was as good as I expected it to be. We all would like to return for another tour. Julia wants to see a Chinese immigrant story from the 1980’s next time. The 80’s just doesn’t sound like history to this old lady! To Julia, ancient history.

Besides all that, we saw friends for Friday evening dinner and ate Korean and Mexican food, but missed the street of Indian food in Jersey City that our hotel was close to. I guess we will have to go back. We stayed in Jersey City and used the Path Train. The rain/snow mix was icky to walk around in, and so, we didn’t do much strolling around. However, the mix was so much better than just plain cold rain, about which I reminded everyone every few hours.

Julia was 25 on that Friday. As a special treat, she asked to go shopping at a Korean cosmetics store and emerged with many face masks, lipstick, and hair clips. Only the hair clips have gotten some use since we’ve been home.

I came home with whispers of a cold that bloomed on Wednesday evening.  It was all congestion in my head, a runny nose, some vocal changes, and exhaustion. I stayed very low on Thursday and some of Friday, napping and drinking a lot of water. I was grateful to wake up on Saturday feeling back to some normal. I am more guarded than I’ve ever been about illness.  Last year’s RSV put the fear of god in me. This week, I immediately attended to how I was feeling instead of waiting a few days or a week before deciding I was really sick. I delayed last year and wound up in bed for a month.

My birthday celebration started on Thursday, spending part of the day with Cheshire and the boys. We went to a very crowded Newton Public Library—every kid under 4 in Newton must have been there!  It was a bit intimidating for the little ones, although they played. Alfie spent his time at the very large wood kitchen. He practiced cutting wooden vegetables with a wooden knife and also putting a pot with a spoon into the wooden fridge and taking it out to stir over and over. Fascinating to watch him figure that out, whatever he was figuring out. 

Friday afternoon, I talked to someone from a dance studio that teaches K-pop dance.  Julia will try a class next week.  I am hoping it will work out for her.  No one that I’ve spoken with has taught anyone like her, but this group is willing to give it a try.

In the evening, I dropped Julia at a PYD party downtown, and Ed and I went to a pub for beer and food.  And incredible churros filled with cream and a caramel dipping sauce for dessert. Who needs candles!?

Robin sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and I felt so very cared for. Many people texted or emailed or sent Facebook wishes. I had a wonderful handmade card from Wilbur and Alfie. Ed gave me some very fine watercolor paper and the cashmere socks I have on tonight.

Cheshire gave me tickets to see Sutton Foster in concert on Saturday. She couldn’t come with me, and so I took a friend who enjoyed it as much as I did. It was frigid cold—even a parking space a five-minute walk from the theater was too far. But a theater full of dedicated fans was so much fun to be a part of.

And sick and kinda lazy, I did not thank anyone for wishes and gifts on Facebook, email, and other places.  Thank you!  So many wishes made my day and weekend sweet.