Wow, that is really a long blog title, but it is really to the point. I guess this blog is horribly overdue.
I guess in a nutshell, there is always something to be learned from stories that just don't hit the age of maturity known as completion. And, usually, if you set aside the story for a while (a long while), and then reread it, the lesson usually jumps out at you like an alien chest burster.
So, obviously this last nanowrimo attempt was an abject failure, and as these things tend to be, was indeed chock full of lessons. Yeah. Giant chest burster lessons. Mmmhmm.
Lesson one: actually figure out what you want your story to say. Not that it needs to have a moral, but it really needs to have a path, and goals. How do we do this? I hear you ask. I think the answer is outline outline outline. Unfortunately I hate outlining, but it's something I need to get into to improve my writings. I think I'm always afraid that setting a stiffer set of story goals will limit my creativity, but I'm starting to come to the conclusion that it'll help focus my energy instead of having it fly over all willy nilly.
So. That's where I think I am at for now. I may elaborate on it later. Bedtime now :) back later
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod Touch.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Words with friends
You know... I swear I really am a decent scrabble player... But man oh man...
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Chapter 13
Chapter 13
The next day started with a trio of phone calls at five o'clock in the morning. They each picked up their wake up calls and sleepily greeted the operator. After a few minutes, the showers of the suites two bathrooms could be heard, along with show tunes being sung loudly but beautifully from the smaller bathroom. The old man enjoyed the shower and the serenade, feeling fully refreshed and ready to start the day. He carefully dressed, aiming to go for sporty but comfortable, knowing they had a long day ahead of them.
He emerged from his room of the suite, to see mike sitting at the table enjoying a cup of orange juice and reading the morning paper. The old man stretched and made his way to the table, pouring a glass of juice and sitting down.
"What's for breakfast?" asked the old man.
"Number fifty one." said Sukie coming out from the room behind them.
"Fifty one?" asked mike.
"You don't mean..." started the old man who trailed off as Sukie nodded.
"Yep!" she answered excitedly.
"Oh, awesome! We'll take a cab too?" asked the old man, the excitement palpable in his voice. Sukie nodded as the old man beamed. "that's two down early today. Excellent."
Mike sat there for about half a minute in silence as he contemplated his juice, before the light bulb went on over his head. "Are we going to Tiffany and Company?" he asked.
"Yes, you got it in one." answered Sukie. "figure, today, we'll be doing a lot of literary things in the morning."
"Literary?" asked Mike.
"Yeah," said the old man, "If I'm not mistaken, we will be headed out to visit some of the places in some of my favorite books."
"Which books?" asked mike, sounding very interested in what the answer would be.
"For starters, Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman capote." said the old man as Sukie and mike nodded. Mike glanced out the open window and saw the exterior of the museum of natural history framed by the trees of central park.
"Let me guess," started Mike, as he glanced out the window again. "You still wonder about the ducks in the pond." said mike. The old man laughed and nodded. Sukie nodded her head as she said, "Yep, we're following the catcher in the rye today too."
"I've always loved that book," missed the old man. "It's a sort of escapist fiction, I guess," he said as he shrugged. "It's always been my favorite genre. I guess, that's partly why I was inspired to make the list."
A knock was heard at the door. The old man looked Down At his watch and said. "At least our man is pretty close to punctual. It's just about six now." Mike nodded in agreement ad he went to the door. He glanced out the peep hole, and took a step back and stood up straight as he opened the door.
From the table, all Sukie and the old man could see was mike standing straight as a pillar peering through the open door. They heard a gruff voice say, "Permission to come aboard?"
Mike smiled, and saluted as he stepped aside while saying "Permission granted, you old bugger! Get on in here!"
The man who entered stood about six feet six inches, with an impressive beard and mustache on his smiling face. He was carrying a paper bag and a carrying tray with four coffees on it.
"Mike, take this stuff, I gotta fix my gear." he said as he handed mike the tray of coffee. Mike walked inside and set the coffees Down onto the table, as the large man adjusted an impossibly large backpack. He carefully set it down, and made his way to the table.
"Hey, I'm Don, I'll be your silent partner today" said the large man as he reached across the table and shook Sukie's hand first, and then the old mans next. "I got the call from Mr. Wong last night, and I happened to be in town, with plenty of free time, and so, here I am."
The four chatted for a few moments, discussing the days plans. Don glanced at his watch, and said, "No time better than the present to get going, we can get a great view of manhattan henge, and the streets around Tiffany's won't be so clogged." They agreed, and put themselves together to go out.
Ten minutes later, they were in front of the building, mike and don with cameras in tow, Sukie and the old man carrying breakfast, waiting for a cab. "You three in the first cab. I'll meet you there in a few minutes." said don, as he moved around filming.
"you sure?" asked the old man.
Don laughed. "Ronin picked me because I'm practically like a ghost if I need to be. You'll barely notice me, but I will be around." Mike nodded, "He's the best of the best. With him, there's nit a shot that will be missed."
Don laughed, "Now, I'm going to end up with a swelled head. Okay. Enough chat. We'll meet up for lunch later. Have fun!"
The hotel doorman waved down the next cab that passed, and opened the door for the three. Sukie climbed in first, followed by the old man and then Mike.
"Where to?" asked the driver in a heavy Brooklyn accent.
"Tiffany's, please." said the old man, beaming.
"Okay." said the driver as he pulled off into traffic. The old man looked out the windows.
"The city is so calm this time of day," remarked the old man as they easily navigated the streets. "Sukie, you gotta take a picture of is in the cab, you know, this is my first cab ride ever." The cab driver laughed as he heard the old man speak. Sukie held the camera at arms length and snapped a photo of the trio in the cab. They looked out the windows, pointing out landmarks.
They were driving through central park, and the old man leaned forward and asked the driver "Hey, sir, you ever wonder what happens to the ducks in the pond in the winter?"
The cab driver laughed heartily then replied, "You know, I usually get that question driving through here. I ended up looking it up. Turns out the ducks never leave, they stay here year round, but if the weathers especially nasty out, they go and shelter themselves in the park."
"Hey, thanks." said the old man. "I have always wondered about that as a kid."
"You're nit the only one," said the driver. "They don't go into it in the book, so I looked it up in the computer. I think if google had existed when Salinger wrote that book, it would be an entirely different thing." the old man nodded in agreement. The cab pulled over in front of the granite facade of the famous jewelry store. They paid the cab driver before stepping out of the cab and stretching.
Together, the trio walked to the first display window. Mike was careful to film the old man opening and taking the first sip of his coffee while he looked into the window in awe of the display. The diamonds glittered like prisms,and little rainbows showered the entire window. Sukie and the old man pointed at particularly spectacular pieces in the window as they oohed and ahed.
Eventually, they made their way around the entire building after carefully examining all the windows. An older man came out from the front door of the store, and approached the trio.
"Hello, we were expecting you!" said the man. The three looked at him, surprised.
"Expecting us?" asked the old man.
"Yes, we have arranged a special private tour for you, Mr. Wong arranged it earlier, I take it that he left it as a surprise?"
Sukie nodded her head. "Mr. Wong seems to be chock full of surprises on this trip."
"Yes, I know him for many years," said the older man as he guided them inside the store. "He's pretty well known to us for spur of the minute things. We here at Tiffany's aim to please, as he always shows us in the best light. By the way, My name is Joseph, and I am one of the general managers here, and I will be leading your tour."
They began the tour, looking through the multitude of cases on the first floor. As they finished, the old man thought that he has seen it all, until the older man guided them to the elevator in the back of the showroom. They visited all the floors, marveling at all of the amazing pieces. On the diamond floor, Joseph showed the trio a nearly flawless diamond the size of a marble. The sight of it nearly took their breath away, but the mention of the cost succeeded where the stone's beauty did not. As they finished up their tour, Joseph smiled and lead them back down to the main floor.
"As a token of our appreciation of you choosing to include us in your adventures, we'd like to give you a little token." Joseph smiled and reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket, and pulled out a small blue box. He handed it to the old man. "Please open it, I insist!" he said, smiling.
The old man opened the box, and saw a little blue leatherette bag inside. He finally understood why people loved getting gifts from Tiffany and Company- the presentation was impeccable. Opening the little bag, he pulled out a small rectangular key chain, with the Tiffany and Company logo on one side, and the reverse was engraved, "Best of luck in all of your adventures, T & Co." The old man's smile was huge as he marveled at the key chain.
"Thank you so much! I've been collecting these, and it's a perfect reminder of this day!" The old man insisted to Sukie that she should take a picture of him and Joseph in front of the famous windows. She snapped the photo, and after they had said their farewells, they stood outside in the crisp air. They finished their breakfasts as they started walking up town towards Rockefeller center.
"What did Don mean when he mentioned Manhattan henge?" asked the old man. Mike smiled As he replied. "Manhattans buildings are on such a precise grid, aligned north, south, east and west, that if you stand in the right place on the right time of year, at the right time of day, the setting sun aligns with the buildings on the east west streets, and is really cool."
"Is today the right time?" the old man asked.
"Kinda. It might be a little early, but I could be wrong, we can check it out tonight to see." the old man was fully satisfied with Mikes answer, and they continued their way north.
The next day started with a trio of phone calls at five o'clock in the morning. They each picked up their wake up calls and sleepily greeted the operator. After a few minutes, the showers of the suites two bathrooms could be heard, along with show tunes being sung loudly but beautifully from the smaller bathroom. The old man enjoyed the shower and the serenade, feeling fully refreshed and ready to start the day. He carefully dressed, aiming to go for sporty but comfortable, knowing they had a long day ahead of them.
He emerged from his room of the suite, to see mike sitting at the table enjoying a cup of orange juice and reading the morning paper. The old man stretched and made his way to the table, pouring a glass of juice and sitting down.
"What's for breakfast?" asked the old man.
"Number fifty one." said Sukie coming out from the room behind them.
"Fifty one?" asked mike.
"You don't mean..." started the old man who trailed off as Sukie nodded.
"Yep!" she answered excitedly.
"Oh, awesome! We'll take a cab too?" asked the old man, the excitement palpable in his voice. Sukie nodded as the old man beamed. "that's two down early today. Excellent."
Mike sat there for about half a minute in silence as he contemplated his juice, before the light bulb went on over his head. "Are we going to Tiffany and Company?" he asked.
"Yes, you got it in one." answered Sukie. "figure, today, we'll be doing a lot of literary things in the morning."
"Literary?" asked Mike.
"Yeah," said the old man, "If I'm not mistaken, we will be headed out to visit some of the places in some of my favorite books."
"Which books?" asked mike, sounding very interested in what the answer would be.
"For starters, Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman capote." said the old man as Sukie and mike nodded. Mike glanced out the open window and saw the exterior of the museum of natural history framed by the trees of central park.
"Let me guess," started Mike, as he glanced out the window again. "You still wonder about the ducks in the pond." said mike. The old man laughed and nodded. Sukie nodded her head as she said, "Yep, we're following the catcher in the rye today too."
"I've always loved that book," missed the old man. "It's a sort of escapist fiction, I guess," he said as he shrugged. "It's always been my favorite genre. I guess, that's partly why I was inspired to make the list."
A knock was heard at the door. The old man looked Down At his watch and said. "At least our man is pretty close to punctual. It's just about six now." Mike nodded in agreement ad he went to the door. He glanced out the peep hole, and took a step back and stood up straight as he opened the door.
From the table, all Sukie and the old man could see was mike standing straight as a pillar peering through the open door. They heard a gruff voice say, "Permission to come aboard?"
Mike smiled, and saluted as he stepped aside while saying "Permission granted, you old bugger! Get on in here!"
The man who entered stood about six feet six inches, with an impressive beard and mustache on his smiling face. He was carrying a paper bag and a carrying tray with four coffees on it.
"Mike, take this stuff, I gotta fix my gear." he said as he handed mike the tray of coffee. Mike walked inside and set the coffees Down onto the table, as the large man adjusted an impossibly large backpack. He carefully set it down, and made his way to the table.
"Hey, I'm Don, I'll be your silent partner today" said the large man as he reached across the table and shook Sukie's hand first, and then the old mans next. "I got the call from Mr. Wong last night, and I happened to be in town, with plenty of free time, and so, here I am."
The four chatted for a few moments, discussing the days plans. Don glanced at his watch, and said, "No time better than the present to get going, we can get a great view of manhattan henge, and the streets around Tiffany's won't be so clogged." They agreed, and put themselves together to go out.
Ten minutes later, they were in front of the building, mike and don with cameras in tow, Sukie and the old man carrying breakfast, waiting for a cab. "You three in the first cab. I'll meet you there in a few minutes." said don, as he moved around filming.
"you sure?" asked the old man.
Don laughed. "Ronin picked me because I'm practically like a ghost if I need to be. You'll barely notice me, but I will be around." Mike nodded, "He's the best of the best. With him, there's nit a shot that will be missed."
Don laughed, "Now, I'm going to end up with a swelled head. Okay. Enough chat. We'll meet up for lunch later. Have fun!"
The hotel doorman waved down the next cab that passed, and opened the door for the three. Sukie climbed in first, followed by the old man and then Mike.
"Where to?" asked the driver in a heavy Brooklyn accent.
"Tiffany's, please." said the old man, beaming.
"Okay." said the driver as he pulled off into traffic. The old man looked out the windows.
"The city is so calm this time of day," remarked the old man as they easily navigated the streets. "Sukie, you gotta take a picture of is in the cab, you know, this is my first cab ride ever." The cab driver laughed as he heard the old man speak. Sukie held the camera at arms length and snapped a photo of the trio in the cab. They looked out the windows, pointing out landmarks.
They were driving through central park, and the old man leaned forward and asked the driver "Hey, sir, you ever wonder what happens to the ducks in the pond in the winter?"
The cab driver laughed heartily then replied, "You know, I usually get that question driving through here. I ended up looking it up. Turns out the ducks never leave, they stay here year round, but if the weathers especially nasty out, they go and shelter themselves in the park."
"Hey, thanks." said the old man. "I have always wondered about that as a kid."
"You're nit the only one," said the driver. "They don't go into it in the book, so I looked it up in the computer. I think if google had existed when Salinger wrote that book, it would be an entirely different thing." the old man nodded in agreement. The cab pulled over in front of the granite facade of the famous jewelry store. They paid the cab driver before stepping out of the cab and stretching.
Together, the trio walked to the first display window. Mike was careful to film the old man opening and taking the first sip of his coffee while he looked into the window in awe of the display. The diamonds glittered like prisms,and little rainbows showered the entire window. Sukie and the old man pointed at particularly spectacular pieces in the window as they oohed and ahed.
Eventually, they made their way around the entire building after carefully examining all the windows. An older man came out from the front door of the store, and approached the trio.
"Hello, we were expecting you!" said the man. The three looked at him, surprised.
"Expecting us?" asked the old man.
"Yes, we have arranged a special private tour for you, Mr. Wong arranged it earlier, I take it that he left it as a surprise?"
Sukie nodded her head. "Mr. Wong seems to be chock full of surprises on this trip."
"Yes, I know him for many years," said the older man as he guided them inside the store. "He's pretty well known to us for spur of the minute things. We here at Tiffany's aim to please, as he always shows us in the best light. By the way, My name is Joseph, and I am one of the general managers here, and I will be leading your tour."
They began the tour, looking through the multitude of cases on the first floor. As they finished, the old man thought that he has seen it all, until the older man guided them to the elevator in the back of the showroom. They visited all the floors, marveling at all of the amazing pieces. On the diamond floor, Joseph showed the trio a nearly flawless diamond the size of a marble. The sight of it nearly took their breath away, but the mention of the cost succeeded where the stone's beauty did not. As they finished up their tour, Joseph smiled and lead them back down to the main floor.
"As a token of our appreciation of you choosing to include us in your adventures, we'd like to give you a little token." Joseph smiled and reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket, and pulled out a small blue box. He handed it to the old man. "Please open it, I insist!" he said, smiling.
The old man opened the box, and saw a little blue leatherette bag inside. He finally understood why people loved getting gifts from Tiffany and Company- the presentation was impeccable. Opening the little bag, he pulled out a small rectangular key chain, with the Tiffany and Company logo on one side, and the reverse was engraved, "Best of luck in all of your adventures, T & Co." The old man's smile was huge as he marveled at the key chain.
"Thank you so much! I've been collecting these, and it's a perfect reminder of this day!" The old man insisted to Sukie that she should take a picture of him and Joseph in front of the famous windows. She snapped the photo, and after they had said their farewells, they stood outside in the crisp air. They finished their breakfasts as they started walking up town towards Rockefeller center.
"What did Don mean when he mentioned Manhattan henge?" asked the old man. Mike smiled As he replied. "Manhattans buildings are on such a precise grid, aligned north, south, east and west, that if you stand in the right place on the right time of year, at the right time of day, the setting sun aligns with the buildings on the east west streets, and is really cool."
"Is today the right time?" the old man asked.
"Kinda. It might be a little early, but I could be wrong, we can check it out tonight to see." the old man was fully satisfied with Mikes answer, and they continued their way north.
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Together, they walked back to the hotel room. They chatted discussing how fast they were going to zip around.
"Why don't we start tonight, no time like the present," said the old man. "We can make our way downtown, and get some amazing views of the statue of liberty."
"Ghats not a bad idea, and we can head down through times square tonight, it really only photographs well at night, at least in my opinion." Mike shrugged as he continued. "And we can check out the lights on broadway, which will at least make for some amazing backgrounds."
"It's fine by me," started Sukie, "But, not too late tonight, we have a day ahead of us tomorrow that's looking to be really long."
"Agreed,"said the old man. "I don't want us to burn out on out first night here. Plus, whatever we don't get to, we can get to when we come back in the winter."
Mike nodded in agreement. "we'll be able to get some better camera shots too with a second camera operator as well. EspeciLly in some of those tight spaces."
After a few more minutes of enjoying the cool spring air, they made it to the hotel. Upon entering the room, they saw that the phone was blinking, indicating a message. Sukie walked to the phone and picked it up, dialing the operator as the two men picked ip their ukulele cases and brought them into the sitting room. They had planned to jam a little in the evening before bed the next day.
Sukie set. Down the receiver, then walked to the two chatting men in the far end of the room. The look on her face was more perplexed than anything else. "The message was from Ronin." she started, "Our new camera man will be meeting us here at six tomorrow morning. He's also to have been given instruction to be a real silent partner, not allowed to be in any of the shots intentionally, and Mike, you are our in front and behind the camera voice." after this statement, the three shared glances.
"ronin probably wasn't one hundred percent sure of the roll I sent him earlier." said Mike, shrugging. "Ronin, he's a big perfectionist, so everything he gets always has to be up to his standard, which really is a good thing, bit he's never willing to sacrifice anything to get exactly what he wants."
Sukie nodded, "He'll tweak things till they're just right, and I think this actually will work. A second camera man, in this case will be much more fluid than A tripod, and will help promote the reality if the moment."
"But wait," started the old man looking as perplexed as ever. "How on earth did ronin get the footage from before already?"
Mike laughed for a moment. "I dck the cameras memory every night into the computer. Ronin reviews it every day and cuts out the most interesting bits and pieces. It's those pieces that get put into the final product, or at least it's those pieces that are featured the most in the program."
"so you mean they're mKing the show as we do this?" he asked, sounding very amazed.
"Yep," Sukie replied. "He will end up having one show for each major city we are in, and it will most likely be broken up into segments, which is why I think Ronin really got into the whole idea of speeding this project up."
"I'm sure our sense of speed will really show through in the finished program." said the old man. "At least I hope that it keeps as exciting for the viewer as it is to us." he mused.
"Well, I guess this puts a damper k our late night foray into the city tonight." said Mike. "Wanna go and jam tonight for a little bit before bed?" he asked while pointing at the ukulele cases in the sitting area.
"No better time than the present," said the old man as he walked to his ukulele case. Mike and Sukie followed him, and the trio sat on the couches and chairs around the coffee table. They tuned their instruments and strummed a few chords. While mike and the old man rummaged through their bags for their songbooks, Sukie called Dow stairs to have some coffee went to the room.
Together they played and sang some simple songs together. The trio heard a knock on the door midway through the next song. Mike walked to the door, still strumming, and opened the door during a long rest in the music. He wheeled in the cart, then reached in his pocket for a few bills to tip the young man at the door.
He finally actually looked at the young man who happened to have a huge smile in his face for the first time.
"Pete!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping his ukulele on the floor as he excitedly stepped closer to the young man. Sukie and the old man stopped playing and stood, looking at Mike who finally released the young man.
"Man! I knew you lived here, but i never thought I'd run I to you like this!" exclaimed Mike as he nearly pulled Pete into the room.
"Same here!" said Pete, who looked around the suite, and whistled. "Nice digs, so, I have to ask, what's going on, that you get the nicest suite in the building?"
Mike quickly and very animatedly explained the while story. The old man shook his head disbelievingly at mike who to him resembled an overactive puppy during his recounting of the story. Mike did a short round of introductions then, Pete laughed and applauded at the end of mikes performance.
"Wow! Good luck to you all!" said Pete as he made his way to the door. "I got to run before they start looking for me being on the job and all. Mike, I hope to see you on the jams soon!"
"You mean, at the jam?" asked the old man. Mike and Pete laughed.
"No, he means at." started mike, "My international uke group meets online at night, and we chat and play music to each other. It's how I know Pete."
"Yep! You guys should join in if you have the time, the whole crew would get a kick out of meeting you guys." Mike and Pete chatted for a few more seconds at the door. Sukie and the old man returned to their coffee and ukuleles. Mike closed the door and made his way back to them at the couch. They each had a cup of coffee, and played a few more songs.
Sukie yawned the. Looked at the clock. "Alright then, men, it's about midnight, and I think it's my bedtime."
"midnight?" asked the old man, sounding shocked. "I don't think I have stayed up this late in nearly forever. Wow, I think I probably should cAll it a night too."
"Well, I guess I should go to bed too, before I turn into a pumpkin," said mike. The three carefully packed away their ukuleles and songbooks, then plodded off to bed.
Together, they walked back to the hotel room. They chatted discussing how fast they were going to zip around.
"Why don't we start tonight, no time like the present," said the old man. "We can make our way downtown, and get some amazing views of the statue of liberty."
"Ghats not a bad idea, and we can head down through times square tonight, it really only photographs well at night, at least in my opinion." Mike shrugged as he continued. "And we can check out the lights on broadway, which will at least make for some amazing backgrounds."
"It's fine by me," started Sukie, "But, not too late tonight, we have a day ahead of us tomorrow that's looking to be really long."
"Agreed,"said the old man. "I don't want us to burn out on out first night here. Plus, whatever we don't get to, we can get to when we come back in the winter."
Mike nodded in agreement. "we'll be able to get some better camera shots too with a second camera operator as well. EspeciLly in some of those tight spaces."
After a few more minutes of enjoying the cool spring air, they made it to the hotel. Upon entering the room, they saw that the phone was blinking, indicating a message. Sukie walked to the phone and picked it up, dialing the operator as the two men picked ip their ukulele cases and brought them into the sitting room. They had planned to jam a little in the evening before bed the next day.
Sukie set. Down the receiver, then walked to the two chatting men in the far end of the room. The look on her face was more perplexed than anything else. "The message was from Ronin." she started, "Our new camera man will be meeting us here at six tomorrow morning. He's also to have been given instruction to be a real silent partner, not allowed to be in any of the shots intentionally, and Mike, you are our in front and behind the camera voice." after this statement, the three shared glances.
"ronin probably wasn't one hundred percent sure of the roll I sent him earlier." said Mike, shrugging. "Ronin, he's a big perfectionist, so everything he gets always has to be up to his standard, which really is a good thing, bit he's never willing to sacrifice anything to get exactly what he wants."
Sukie nodded, "He'll tweak things till they're just right, and I think this actually will work. A second camera man, in this case will be much more fluid than A tripod, and will help promote the reality if the moment."
"But wait," started the old man looking as perplexed as ever. "How on earth did ronin get the footage from before already?"
Mike laughed for a moment. "I dck the cameras memory every night into the computer. Ronin reviews it every day and cuts out the most interesting bits and pieces. It's those pieces that get put into the final product, or at least it's those pieces that are featured the most in the program."
"so you mean they're mKing the show as we do this?" he asked, sounding very amazed.
"Yep," Sukie replied. "He will end up having one show for each major city we are in, and it will most likely be broken up into segments, which is why I think Ronin really got into the whole idea of speeding this project up."
"I'm sure our sense of speed will really show through in the finished program." said the old man. "At least I hope that it keeps as exciting for the viewer as it is to us." he mused.
"Well, I guess this puts a damper k our late night foray into the city tonight." said Mike. "Wanna go and jam tonight for a little bit before bed?" he asked while pointing at the ukulele cases in the sitting area.
"No better time than the present," said the old man as he walked to his ukulele case. Mike and Sukie followed him, and the trio sat on the couches and chairs around the coffee table. They tuned their instruments and strummed a few chords. While mike and the old man rummaged through their bags for their songbooks, Sukie called Dow stairs to have some coffee went to the room.
Together they played and sang some simple songs together. The trio heard a knock on the door midway through the next song. Mike walked to the door, still strumming, and opened the door during a long rest in the music. He wheeled in the cart, then reached in his pocket for a few bills to tip the young man at the door.
He finally actually looked at the young man who happened to have a huge smile in his face for the first time.
"Pete!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping his ukulele on the floor as he excitedly stepped closer to the young man. Sukie and the old man stopped playing and stood, looking at Mike who finally released the young man.
"Man! I knew you lived here, but i never thought I'd run I to you like this!" exclaimed Mike as he nearly pulled Pete into the room.
"Same here!" said Pete, who looked around the suite, and whistled. "Nice digs, so, I have to ask, what's going on, that you get the nicest suite in the building?"
Mike quickly and very animatedly explained the while story. The old man shook his head disbelievingly at mike who to him resembled an overactive puppy during his recounting of the story. Mike did a short round of introductions then, Pete laughed and applauded at the end of mikes performance.
"Wow! Good luck to you all!" said Pete as he made his way to the door. "I got to run before they start looking for me being on the job and all. Mike, I hope to see you on the jams soon!"
"You mean, at the jam?" asked the old man. Mike and Pete laughed.
"No, he means at." started mike, "My international uke group meets online at night, and we chat and play music to each other. It's how I know Pete."
"Yep! You guys should join in if you have the time, the whole crew would get a kick out of meeting you guys." Mike and Pete chatted for a few more seconds at the door. Sukie and the old man returned to their coffee and ukuleles. Mike closed the door and made his way back to them at the couch. They each had a cup of coffee, and played a few more songs.
Sukie yawned the. Looked at the clock. "Alright then, men, it's about midnight, and I think it's my bedtime."
"midnight?" asked the old man, sounding shocked. "I don't think I have stayed up this late in nearly forever. Wow, I think I probably should cAll it a night too."
"Well, I guess I should go to bed too, before I turn into a pumpkin," said mike. The three carefully packed away their ukuleles and songbooks, then plodded off to bed.
The long awaited chapter 11
Ok. I'm letting ya'll know, theres no way in anything I'll be winning nano... but I'm gonna see if I can get anywhere near the 20kish words I need by midnight...
And.. I apologise now for how horrid it's gonna get. Chapter 11 is pretty awful.. I"m hoping the next 5 chapters are readable. (there will be continuity and other errors. I really do apologise now :) )
Without further ado... Chapter 11.
Chapter 11
Mike and Sukie emerged from the other room minutes later. Mike was equipped with his portable camera, and a knapsack full of necessities he'd require during his nights filming. Sukie checked out her image in the large mirror on the wall of the main room. She straightened her dress, and then turned to the old man.
"So, how do I look?" she asked as she spun around. The old man whistled and nodded his approval. "You look great!" he said as he stood when she approached the table.
"Okay kids, we've got a teency bit of a walk ahead of us before we get to the center- we probably should get going so we can film all the what nots on the way there." said Mike as he made his way to the door. He stood at the doorjamb looking at the two like a puppy wanting to be let out.
The trio made their way outside, and the old man offered his arm to Sukie. Gently placing her hand on his arm, they walked down the block as the sun set to their left. Mike followed behind them filming the scenery as they made their way across the street. From a distance, he filmed the Rose Center for Earth and Space come into view like a giant ice cube sitting in the middle of the park.
The old man looked at Sukie as they saw the building. "Jeez louise! It looks like those crazy ice cubes Martha used to make, you know, with the cherries inside of them, for the punch bowl!" he exclaimed as they walked closer to the building. Mike had caught up, and was filming their reactions to the buildings. "You know," started the old man. "Years ago, the planetarium was here, but it wasn't anywhere as spectactular as this is now. The museum, though, it was always here as far as I know." he shrugged. "You know that book, 'Catcher in the Rye'?" Sukie nodded. "The main character walks around the building, and describes it to a tee. I'm pretty sure it's still the same way inside. It never changes. Though, Holden Caulfield, you know, the main character, he never goes inside. Great book, you know?"
As they approached the glass doors, the old man held it open as Sukie entered, and then followed her. They made their way to the ticket counter. The young woman behind the counter smiled as she greeted her, and then handed her a prepared packet of tickets, as well as approved press badges for the three. Sukie thanked her heartily, then passed out the badges. The trio clipped them onto their clothes as they walked around the main floor. Various exhibits littered the floor, but the main showpiece was the nearly spherical planetarium set nearly in the center of the room. The old man looked at it in awe, murmuring, "Yep, just like those crazy ice cubes." as he shook his head and laughed.
Slowly he made his way around the room as he read all the exhibit placards. He walked a complete lap, and ended up at the large asteroid, and marveled at its size. He passed his camera to Sukie, and had her take a photo of him hugging the asteroid.
"Hey, Sukie, not to be a brat, but can I ask a favor?" asked the old man.
"Sure, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"Mind hanging onto my camera? I have a feeling there will be a ton of good photo opportunities here tonight."
"Of course I don't mind- and it'll give me something to do when you're schmoozing."
"Schmoozing. I don't know if I'd identify myself as a schmoozer. I might kibitz a bit, but I don't really know about schmoozing." he said, laughing.
"Ok, go have fun, I'm going to to hang out with Mike, you go have the time of your life!" she said as she shooed him to go check out the room. The old man made another lap of the room, knowing that Mike and Sukie were following him from a reasonably respectful distance. After a few minutes of marveling at the asteroid again, a man behind him said, "You know, it really is pretty amazing." Without turning the old man sighed and leaned against the railing surrounding the asteroid. "Yeah, you know, it really is. I always wished I could be an astronaut when I was a kid." The man moved next to him moved and leaned into the railing as well. "Me too. Never quite got around to it, but I studied all about it a lot."
The old man turned and looked at the man, and was taken aback to see that it was Neil DeGrasse Tyson. "Mr. Tyson, it is truly an honor to meet you!" he said as he stood up a little straighter and stuck out his hand to shake. The two men shook hands and spoke for a few minutes before an aide walked up and whispered into Neil's ear.
"Alright then, Jim, it's almost time to get this show on the road, so I'll see you inside!"
"Oh wait, before you go," started the old man, as he waved Sukie over to him. "Can I take a picture with you? My kids will get such a kick out of this!" Neil laughed and stood next to the old man. Sukie snapped the picture and then flashed a thumbs up. "Ok, Neil! Break a leg!" he said to Neil, before he walked up into the planetarium.
"Sukie! that was Neil Tyson! The Neil Tyson! Oh wow. I never thought he'd just come and talk to me. Did you have any part in that?" he asked her as he shook his finger at her jestingly.
"Honestly. No, he just meandered over here, and it looked like he took an interest in you."
"Wow. What an honor!" the old man laughed. "Look at me, I'm like a schoolgirl gushing over her idol." they laughed for a moment before they heard the sound of bells chiming, inviting them inside to their seats.
The old man made his way up the spiraling path to the entrance to the planetarium. He passed through the door and saw the darkened theater with wide eyes. He looked around for a moment before taking one of the seats in the first row. Sukie and Mike took seats about half way around the theater in the back row so they would have a great view of the old man.
After a few more moments, the crowd all got to their seats and settled down. The panel of men and women came in next and sat in the center of the room. Neil came in next and sat in the vacant seat in the middle of the group, as he would serve as moderator. The debate was spirited and lively, and the old man hung onto every word. It only felt like mere minutes has passed before they announced intermission.
The old man stood and stretched for a few seconds before he headed over to Mike and Sukie. "What fun this is!" he said to them, while looking around the round room. "Thank you guys for making this happen" he said to Sukie. The sound of the bells ringing brought the old man out of his fan boy haze long enough for him to get back to his seat.
The debate continued, and the old man was moved by many of the arguments presented. He knew he had plenty of food for thought from his evenings entertainment, but as the event came to a close, his mind went from food for thought to just food, as he was famished.
The trio reassembled in the lobby area and they all had the thought of dinner on their minds. The old man glanced at his watch and saw that it was already half past eight. Together they decided to start walking down the block to the restaurant. During the walk down, mike and the old man were chatting about the debate they had seen, and how fascinating it really was. The two men felt as if they had learned. a whole lot if new information, and both knew that what they had learned was only scratching the surface of what there was to know.
They arrived at the restaurant after the brisk but short walk. They introduced themselves to the hostess who guided them to the bar while their table was prepared. They made themselves comfortable as they watched the crowd around them. A young man impeccably dressed in a bright blue shirt came over and took their drink orders. Mike ordered a martini, Sukie a glass of white wine, and the old man a daiquiri. "Like Hemingway?" asked the waiter with a smile.
"That would be the very one," he replied. The waiter wrote their order on a little pad of paper and walked over to the bar. The trio looked around, marveling at the scenery. The outside of the restaurant seemed tiny, and the inside was small, make no doubt of it, but the furniture was well placed to make efficient use of the space. Their drinks arrived but a minute later. The old man had a sip, and declared it to be perfect.
The trio sat and chatted about their day so far. Neil was the recurring topic of their conversation. After a few minutes of conversation, Sukie's eyes lit up. "I just realized who Neil is!" The two men cocked their heads to the side and looked at her. "He's the guy who got Pluto demoted? Right?" she asked, looking triumphant in her recall.
"Kinda sorta." Said Mike.
The old man nodded and replied, "It's a long story, he didn't go and say, 'Pluto, be a planet no more!'."
Mike and the old man started talking about the whole story of how Pluto was reclassified, and the topic was of the perfect length to tide them over through their first cocktail, and straight through until the hostess walked over and said, "Alrighty then, your table is ready. I hope you don't mind, it's out in the walled garden."
"Oh, no, that's fine," said the old man.
"Yes, Mr. Wong called earlier, and specifically for it," started the Hostess as she led them out the back of the restaurant. "He comes here often, and it's his favorite place to sit." She opened the door at the back, which was next to the open kitchen. A fantastically landscaped but rather small garden sat behind the building, with four wrought iron tables, delicately draped with fine linens, with chairs that had small but elegant cushions standing at the ready. They were set on a small paved patch towards the front of the space, and small trees lined the walls, and clusters of fragrant herb bushes sat in patches towards the back of the garden. Above them, a set of beams held squash and grape vines, the leaves serving as a roof of sorts, but further back, they could see the inky blackness of the sky. For being in the middle of the city, this served as a sort of oasis that one could learn to crave within the concrete jungle outside. "Oh, by the way." said the hostess as they sat at their table. "I also want to tell you folks that usually we don't allow it, but for you, we'll make an exception, you can film in here all you need to. We'll be pleased as punch to see what comes out of it."
"Pleased as Punch?" said the old man. "You don't hear that too often."
"Well," she said, as she blushed slightly, "I guess I picked up the phrase in college, but I think punch is a rather pleasing thing, don't you think?"
"I have to agree with you, miss. Thank you!" said the old man, as she handed out the menus. She placed a wine list on the table. Before he looked at the Menu, Mike whipped a small tripod out of his bag, and set the camera up to take a clear set of shots from the table. He sat down, and put a small remote control onto the table. "Well,I'm not going to film all of dinner. It'd be too much. I figure we'll only hit the high points or something." said Mike, with Sukie nodding her head in agreement. The old man just shrugged, as he read over the menu.
The menu options were fairly limited, but there was a great amount of diversity within it. After a few minutes of reading through, the old man decided on his appetizer and main course. He closed his menu then placed it down flat on the table. A few seconds later, Mike and Sukie followed suit.
After a few more minutes of small talk, a waitress came over to the trio and took their orders, writing it down on her little pad. She walked over to a computer terminal in the corner and pressed buttons on the screen. "Computers everywhere!" remarked the old man. "Years ago, they'd take a carbon copy and pass it to the guy cooking in the back. Now, tap tap tap, no bad handwriting to decipher. I guess it's an improvement but still, it's just still so modern."
Their meals came soon after, and they fell silent for a few moments while they enjoyed their meals. "This is so good!" marveled Mike as he relished his pork chop. Sukie nodded as she chewed her chicken. The old man was clearly enjoying his steak. "At home, I never have steak. It's just too much or a hassle, but it really is my favorite whenever I go out."
The trio ate their meals, discussing the topics of the lecture from earlier. The demotion of Pluto from a planet piqued some spirited debate at the table. "It was my favorite planet, you know?" said Mike wistfully.
"At least Neil did apologize about it publicly," said the old man.
"Yeah. But it was on a television show." responded Mike.
"Still, you know, it's still an apology. I'll take it." said the old man. Sukie shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes at the two men. "Boys, boys. Men! Okay, enough nerd talk!" she said, waving her fork at the the old man and Mike.
"So, then, Susan, dearest," began Mike, batting his eyelashes as he attempted to ooze charm in Sukie's general direction. "So, in your opinion, which we will indeed listen to and attempt, at most likely great personal expense, we will most likely go along with, what would you like to talk about?"
Sukie rolled her eyes yet again, as the old man sat back and laughed at this interchange. "Well, we've got places to be, things to do?"
The old man giggled as he interrupted, "Well, that's better than people to do and things to be."
The looks on Sukie and Mike's faces were priceless. Mike offered the old man a high five while Sukie just shook her head and laughed. "Ok, boys," she said as she rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh. "Apparantly, age just is a number, not a disposition."
"Hey- we resemble that remark!" said the old man, gesturing to himself and Mike.
"Okay, we'll be serious for you Sukie," Mike said, the old man nodding in agreement. "But, only for a few minutes."
"Well, tomorrow, I figured we'd take a walking tour of the city, check it out, we already have our list of things to do, and places to be." Mike and the old man giggled again at the statement. Sukie just ignored them as she continued along. "I figure, we'll hit as many of your New York related points tonight."
"There's no way we can finish the list, its the wrong time of the year," said the old man, as he pulled the original list out of his pocket. He pointed to an item about midway down the sheet of paper. It read: "Watch the ball drop in times square at midnight on new years eve".
"Well, if we keep moving, we can probably use that as an end point this year, it's still 9 months away."
"But that'll really intensify our pace, I mean, we'll be running all over the place." said the old man, looking thoughtfully into the distance, before continuing. "Do you guys think you'll be up to it?" he asked, seriously looking at Sukie and Mike.
Sukie shook her head at the old man in disbelief, "I thought broaching this topic would be a whole heck of a lot harder. Mike and I were talking about it earlier." Mike shook his head affirmatively as he chewed. "We're in if you're in."
"Oh hell yes!" exclaimed the old man. "Lets figure this out over dinner, and then, tonight, lets have some fun!" The trio animatedly discussed their sped up schedule. This seemed to the old man to be what seemed to be his wildest fantasy- an adventure, every day something new, a fast paced adventure, like a fantasy lifestyle.
As they finished their meals, they had a new list drawn up on the table. They would be streaking across the world now attempting a speed run of the remainder of the goals on the list. Sukie was assigned the old man's still camera. Mike would do his darnedest to capture as much as possible on the video camera. Mike and Sukie decided to text Ronin and let him know about their plans to push along a little faster. Nearly instantly, Ronin reponded with a text, as Sukie said, "Ronin, he's near impossible to get on the phone, but if you text him, you can get him day or night. I swear, I think he's connected to his crackberry in a rather immoral way. The trio at the table smiled, then Sukie read the text.
"Idea is impressive. Consider yourselves all stars. Sending you another camera man soon, please keep him behind the camera, 4 is a crowd, keep me appraised on your status."
"Wow. Looks like we now have a silent filming partner." said Mike, shaking his head in approval. "This'll make it easier to do a whole lot of things." Mike and Sukie looked very pleased as they ordered a round of champagne.
They raised their glasses, and The old man, well, he was ready to go ahead and have the time of his life. They toasted their new decision and their new plan with a glass of champagne over dessert. "To insanity!" toasted the old man as they clinked their glasses.
They sat and joked as they paid their bill and left a handsome tip. They had decided to go return to the hotel room and hang out a bit, so they could have an early start in the morning. Together, they walked to the hotel, arm in arm.
And.. I apologise now for how horrid it's gonna get. Chapter 11 is pretty awful.. I"m hoping the next 5 chapters are readable. (there will be continuity and other errors. I really do apologise now :) )
Without further ado... Chapter 11.
Chapter 11
Mike and Sukie emerged from the other room minutes later. Mike was equipped with his portable camera, and a knapsack full of necessities he'd require during his nights filming. Sukie checked out her image in the large mirror on the wall of the main room. She straightened her dress, and then turned to the old man.
"So, how do I look?" she asked as she spun around. The old man whistled and nodded his approval. "You look great!" he said as he stood when she approached the table.
"Okay kids, we've got a teency bit of a walk ahead of us before we get to the center- we probably should get going so we can film all the what nots on the way there." said Mike as he made his way to the door. He stood at the doorjamb looking at the two like a puppy wanting to be let out.
The trio made their way outside, and the old man offered his arm to Sukie. Gently placing her hand on his arm, they walked down the block as the sun set to their left. Mike followed behind them filming the scenery as they made their way across the street. From a distance, he filmed the Rose Center for Earth and Space come into view like a giant ice cube sitting in the middle of the park.
The old man looked at Sukie as they saw the building. "Jeez louise! It looks like those crazy ice cubes Martha used to make, you know, with the cherries inside of them, for the punch bowl!" he exclaimed as they walked closer to the building. Mike had caught up, and was filming their reactions to the buildings. "You know," started the old man. "Years ago, the planetarium was here, but it wasn't anywhere as spectactular as this is now. The museum, though, it was always here as far as I know." he shrugged. "You know that book, 'Catcher in the Rye'?" Sukie nodded. "The main character walks around the building, and describes it to a tee. I'm pretty sure it's still the same way inside. It never changes. Though, Holden Caulfield, you know, the main character, he never goes inside. Great book, you know?"
As they approached the glass doors, the old man held it open as Sukie entered, and then followed her. They made their way to the ticket counter. The young woman behind the counter smiled as she greeted her, and then handed her a prepared packet of tickets, as well as approved press badges for the three. Sukie thanked her heartily, then passed out the badges. The trio clipped them onto their clothes as they walked around the main floor. Various exhibits littered the floor, but the main showpiece was the nearly spherical planetarium set nearly in the center of the room. The old man looked at it in awe, murmuring, "Yep, just like those crazy ice cubes." as he shook his head and laughed.
Slowly he made his way around the room as he read all the exhibit placards. He walked a complete lap, and ended up at the large asteroid, and marveled at its size. He passed his camera to Sukie, and had her take a photo of him hugging the asteroid.
"Hey, Sukie, not to be a brat, but can I ask a favor?" asked the old man.
"Sure, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"Mind hanging onto my camera? I have a feeling there will be a ton of good photo opportunities here tonight."
"Of course I don't mind- and it'll give me something to do when you're schmoozing."
"Schmoozing. I don't know if I'd identify myself as a schmoozer. I might kibitz a bit, but I don't really know about schmoozing." he said, laughing.
"Ok, go have fun, I'm going to to hang out with Mike, you go have the time of your life!" she said as she shooed him to go check out the room. The old man made another lap of the room, knowing that Mike and Sukie were following him from a reasonably respectful distance. After a few minutes of marveling at the asteroid again, a man behind him said, "You know, it really is pretty amazing." Without turning the old man sighed and leaned against the railing surrounding the asteroid. "Yeah, you know, it really is. I always wished I could be an astronaut when I was a kid." The man moved next to him moved and leaned into the railing as well. "Me too. Never quite got around to it, but I studied all about it a lot."
The old man turned and looked at the man, and was taken aback to see that it was Neil DeGrasse Tyson. "Mr. Tyson, it is truly an honor to meet you!" he said as he stood up a little straighter and stuck out his hand to shake. The two men shook hands and spoke for a few minutes before an aide walked up and whispered into Neil's ear.
"Alright then, Jim, it's almost time to get this show on the road, so I'll see you inside!"
"Oh wait, before you go," started the old man, as he waved Sukie over to him. "Can I take a picture with you? My kids will get such a kick out of this!" Neil laughed and stood next to the old man. Sukie snapped the picture and then flashed a thumbs up. "Ok, Neil! Break a leg!" he said to Neil, before he walked up into the planetarium.
"Sukie! that was Neil Tyson! The Neil Tyson! Oh wow. I never thought he'd just come and talk to me. Did you have any part in that?" he asked her as he shook his finger at her jestingly.
"Honestly. No, he just meandered over here, and it looked like he took an interest in you."
"Wow. What an honor!" the old man laughed. "Look at me, I'm like a schoolgirl gushing over her idol." they laughed for a moment before they heard the sound of bells chiming, inviting them inside to their seats.
The old man made his way up the spiraling path to the entrance to the planetarium. He passed through the door and saw the darkened theater with wide eyes. He looked around for a moment before taking one of the seats in the first row. Sukie and Mike took seats about half way around the theater in the back row so they would have a great view of the old man.
After a few more moments, the crowd all got to their seats and settled down. The panel of men and women came in next and sat in the center of the room. Neil came in next and sat in the vacant seat in the middle of the group, as he would serve as moderator. The debate was spirited and lively, and the old man hung onto every word. It only felt like mere minutes has passed before they announced intermission.
The old man stood and stretched for a few seconds before he headed over to Mike and Sukie. "What fun this is!" he said to them, while looking around the round room. "Thank you guys for making this happen" he said to Sukie. The sound of the bells ringing brought the old man out of his fan boy haze long enough for him to get back to his seat.
The debate continued, and the old man was moved by many of the arguments presented. He knew he had plenty of food for thought from his evenings entertainment, but as the event came to a close, his mind went from food for thought to just food, as he was famished.
The trio reassembled in the lobby area and they all had the thought of dinner on their minds. The old man glanced at his watch and saw that it was already half past eight. Together they decided to start walking down the block to the restaurant. During the walk down, mike and the old man were chatting about the debate they had seen, and how fascinating it really was. The two men felt as if they had learned. a whole lot if new information, and both knew that what they had learned was only scratching the surface of what there was to know.
They arrived at the restaurant after the brisk but short walk. They introduced themselves to the hostess who guided them to the bar while their table was prepared. They made themselves comfortable as they watched the crowd around them. A young man impeccably dressed in a bright blue shirt came over and took their drink orders. Mike ordered a martini, Sukie a glass of white wine, and the old man a daiquiri. "Like Hemingway?" asked the waiter with a smile.
"That would be the very one," he replied. The waiter wrote their order on a little pad of paper and walked over to the bar. The trio looked around, marveling at the scenery. The outside of the restaurant seemed tiny, and the inside was small, make no doubt of it, but the furniture was well placed to make efficient use of the space. Their drinks arrived but a minute later. The old man had a sip, and declared it to be perfect.
The trio sat and chatted about their day so far. Neil was the recurring topic of their conversation. After a few minutes of conversation, Sukie's eyes lit up. "I just realized who Neil is!" The two men cocked their heads to the side and looked at her. "He's the guy who got Pluto demoted? Right?" she asked, looking triumphant in her recall.
"Kinda sorta." Said Mike.
The old man nodded and replied, "It's a long story, he didn't go and say, 'Pluto, be a planet no more!'."
Mike and the old man started talking about the whole story of how Pluto was reclassified, and the topic was of the perfect length to tide them over through their first cocktail, and straight through until the hostess walked over and said, "Alrighty then, your table is ready. I hope you don't mind, it's out in the walled garden."
"Oh, no, that's fine," said the old man.
"Yes, Mr. Wong called earlier, and specifically for it," started the Hostess as she led them out the back of the restaurant. "He comes here often, and it's his favorite place to sit." She opened the door at the back, which was next to the open kitchen. A fantastically landscaped but rather small garden sat behind the building, with four wrought iron tables, delicately draped with fine linens, with chairs that had small but elegant cushions standing at the ready. They were set on a small paved patch towards the front of the space, and small trees lined the walls, and clusters of fragrant herb bushes sat in patches towards the back of the garden. Above them, a set of beams held squash and grape vines, the leaves serving as a roof of sorts, but further back, they could see the inky blackness of the sky. For being in the middle of the city, this served as a sort of oasis that one could learn to crave within the concrete jungle outside. "Oh, by the way." said the hostess as they sat at their table. "I also want to tell you folks that usually we don't allow it, but for you, we'll make an exception, you can film in here all you need to. We'll be pleased as punch to see what comes out of it."
"Pleased as Punch?" said the old man. "You don't hear that too often."
"Well," she said, as she blushed slightly, "I guess I picked up the phrase in college, but I think punch is a rather pleasing thing, don't you think?"
"I have to agree with you, miss. Thank you!" said the old man, as she handed out the menus. She placed a wine list on the table. Before he looked at the Menu, Mike whipped a small tripod out of his bag, and set the camera up to take a clear set of shots from the table. He sat down, and put a small remote control onto the table. "Well,I'm not going to film all of dinner. It'd be too much. I figure we'll only hit the high points or something." said Mike, with Sukie nodding her head in agreement. The old man just shrugged, as he read over the menu.
The menu options were fairly limited, but there was a great amount of diversity within it. After a few minutes of reading through, the old man decided on his appetizer and main course. He closed his menu then placed it down flat on the table. A few seconds later, Mike and Sukie followed suit.
After a few more minutes of small talk, a waitress came over to the trio and took their orders, writing it down on her little pad. She walked over to a computer terminal in the corner and pressed buttons on the screen. "Computers everywhere!" remarked the old man. "Years ago, they'd take a carbon copy and pass it to the guy cooking in the back. Now, tap tap tap, no bad handwriting to decipher. I guess it's an improvement but still, it's just still so modern."
Their meals came soon after, and they fell silent for a few moments while they enjoyed their meals. "This is so good!" marveled Mike as he relished his pork chop. Sukie nodded as she chewed her chicken. The old man was clearly enjoying his steak. "At home, I never have steak. It's just too much or a hassle, but it really is my favorite whenever I go out."
The trio ate their meals, discussing the topics of the lecture from earlier. The demotion of Pluto from a planet piqued some spirited debate at the table. "It was my favorite planet, you know?" said Mike wistfully.
"At least Neil did apologize about it publicly," said the old man.
"Yeah. But it was on a television show." responded Mike.
"Still, you know, it's still an apology. I'll take it." said the old man. Sukie shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes at the two men. "Boys, boys. Men! Okay, enough nerd talk!" she said, waving her fork at the the old man and Mike.
"So, then, Susan, dearest," began Mike, batting his eyelashes as he attempted to ooze charm in Sukie's general direction. "So, in your opinion, which we will indeed listen to and attempt, at most likely great personal expense, we will most likely go along with, what would you like to talk about?"
Sukie rolled her eyes yet again, as the old man sat back and laughed at this interchange. "Well, we've got places to be, things to do?"
The old man giggled as he interrupted, "Well, that's better than people to do and things to be."
The looks on Sukie and Mike's faces were priceless. Mike offered the old man a high five while Sukie just shook her head and laughed. "Ok, boys," she said as she rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh. "Apparantly, age just is a number, not a disposition."
"Hey- we resemble that remark!" said the old man, gesturing to himself and Mike.
"Okay, we'll be serious for you Sukie," Mike said, the old man nodding in agreement. "But, only for a few minutes."
"Well, tomorrow, I figured we'd take a walking tour of the city, check it out, we already have our list of things to do, and places to be." Mike and the old man giggled again at the statement. Sukie just ignored them as she continued along. "I figure, we'll hit as many of your New York related points tonight."
"There's no way we can finish the list, its the wrong time of the year," said the old man, as he pulled the original list out of his pocket. He pointed to an item about midway down the sheet of paper. It read: "Watch the ball drop in times square at midnight on new years eve".
"Well, if we keep moving, we can probably use that as an end point this year, it's still 9 months away."
"But that'll really intensify our pace, I mean, we'll be running all over the place." said the old man, looking thoughtfully into the distance, before continuing. "Do you guys think you'll be up to it?" he asked, seriously looking at Sukie and Mike.
Sukie shook her head at the old man in disbelief, "I thought broaching this topic would be a whole heck of a lot harder. Mike and I were talking about it earlier." Mike shook his head affirmatively as he chewed. "We're in if you're in."
"Oh hell yes!" exclaimed the old man. "Lets figure this out over dinner, and then, tonight, lets have some fun!" The trio animatedly discussed their sped up schedule. This seemed to the old man to be what seemed to be his wildest fantasy- an adventure, every day something new, a fast paced adventure, like a fantasy lifestyle.
As they finished their meals, they had a new list drawn up on the table. They would be streaking across the world now attempting a speed run of the remainder of the goals on the list. Sukie was assigned the old man's still camera. Mike would do his darnedest to capture as much as possible on the video camera. Mike and Sukie decided to text Ronin and let him know about their plans to push along a little faster. Nearly instantly, Ronin reponded with a text, as Sukie said, "Ronin, he's near impossible to get on the phone, but if you text him, you can get him day or night. I swear, I think he's connected to his crackberry in a rather immoral way. The trio at the table smiled, then Sukie read the text.
"Idea is impressive. Consider yourselves all stars. Sending you another camera man soon, please keep him behind the camera, 4 is a crowd, keep me appraised on your status."
"Wow. Looks like we now have a silent filming partner." said Mike, shaking his head in approval. "This'll make it easier to do a whole lot of things." Mike and Sukie looked very pleased as they ordered a round of champagne.
They raised their glasses, and The old man, well, he was ready to go ahead and have the time of his life. They toasted their new decision and their new plan with a glass of champagne over dessert. "To insanity!" toasted the old man as they clinked their glasses.
They sat and joked as they paid their bill and left a handsome tip. They had decided to go return to the hotel room and hang out a bit, so they could have an early start in the morning. Together, they walked to the hotel, arm in arm.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Chapter 10...
Chapter 10
The old man woke and stretched. They were still in the car, but from the look of it, they were further down the road. "So, where are we?" he said mid yawn.
"Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty," started Sukie. "We're just outside of New Paltz. I figured we could stop here for lunch, then its another ninety or so more minutes till we get to the city."
"Oh, great, I think I could qualify as positively famished." said the old man, who continued to stretch a bit, as he has stiffened up in the car. "I also request a stop at someplace where I can buy a small pillow. My goodness am I stiff." he said, and groaned a bit as he stretched some more.
"There's a Walmart in town, if I'm not mistaken, and there's a really great sandwich shop here too. We're running a little ahead of schedule anyway."
"Yep," Mikes sleepy voice piped up in the back. "Maria Andretti. Good thing I don't have a camera on your speedo, you know? Sukie? How long till we're in town?"
"Tops, twenty minutes, we'll be inside the sandwich shop." True to her word, nearly exactly twenty minutes later, they were inside the sandwich shop, enjoying their heroes and sipping their drinks.
"You were right, this is a good sandwich" said the old man with a nearly full mouth. They sat and ate for another few minutes, before driving a little further into town and pulling into the Walmart parking lot. The trio ran in, and found a few nice cushy neck pillows, as well as a small throw pillow. "Aha!" called the old man. "This is exactly what I wanted. It's so much easier to rest in the car when you have the proper cushioning." They made their way to the check out aisles, and stood on line. The old man eyed the candy rack, when his eyes lit up. "Ooh! Turtles! My favorite," he said, as he picked up a few packets of the candies, and set them on the conveyer belt. After they paid, they made their way back into the car and drove down the road up to the edge of town.
"Coffee Stop!" called Mike, as he pointed to the donut shop.
"Yep, that's our last stop in town, then its a straight shot into Manhattan." As she pulled into the parking lot, she assumed the demeanor of a Drill Sergeant. "So, if you gotta go, go now, because this is the last stop on this ride kids!" The men saluted her before standing and stretching their legs one last time. They all made their way into the restrooms, then headed up to buy some coffee. The old man bought a half dozen donuts as well to share for dessert. "You know, I've always liked something sweet with my afternoon coffee." he said as he settled into the car, and passed out the contents of his donut box.
As they continued on their way into the city, they ate their donuts and drank their coffee in relative silence. The old man felt his sense of excitement build as they neared the city. They made their way over the Tappen Zee Bridge about an hour or so after they left New Paltz. They continued along, and it wasn't long before they could see the iconic skyline of Manhattan fill their view. A bit later, they were in Manhattan proper. The old man looked around, his eyes as big as saucers. "New York, New York, the city so great they named it twice."
"Have you been here before?" asked Sukie
"Sure, passed through a few times, never really visited or anything that spectacular. I've been an upstate New Yorker all my life. No real need to come down, you know?"
They continued along the FDR drive, Mike repositioning his camera slightly. "You know, this place is a bear to photograph from this angle. All grey."
"No worries, Mike, we're actually making a little loop of the city right now, we've got to cut across to the West side, and I want to do it just above the park. You'll get some great color there."
"So, Where are we going?" asked the old man.
"We're heading off to the hotel first to unload most of this stuff. We'll freshen up a bit, then head back out." As they headed across 110th street, they turned down Columbus Avenue, and then turned again a short while later at 81st street. "I think you'll really like where we are, Jim." she said, as she saw his eyes bug out as he saw the giant glass structure of the Rose Center for Earth and Space.
"Oh man, we're across the street from the Rose Center. I'd love to go there."
Sukie smiled, "We're going there tonight. Seven o'clock tonight, its the SciCafe series. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is leading a debate on the planet earth. The topic, if I'm not mistaken is 'Is the Earth Unique'."
"Whoa! You mean the Neil Tyson?" said Mike. "We're going to meet Neil Tyson?" Sukie nodded her head yes as both men cheered and high fived.
After the two men settled down a for a second, she continued. "I figured, we'd go ahead and check out the museum beforehand a little bit, maybe after an early dinner, and I've already gotten clearance to take photographs, and use the video camera inside."
"Sukie, you rock." said Mike gratefully.
"Indeed, you do rock!" agreed the old man. Sukie smiled at the compliments.
"Hey, okay, gents, we're here!" she said as she pulled up in front of the Excelsior hotel. A bellhop came and helped them unload the car, followed by a valet, who pulled away in the car to park it. The trio made their way into the hotel, the men sitting back in the lobby while Sukie went to talk to the young lady behind the desk.
A few minutes later, she signed a paper, then recieved three room keys. The bellhop swiftly moved the bags upstairs while she walked back to the men.
"Okay guys, here are your key cards. We apparantly were given a room upgrade that was prompted by Mr. Wong." Sukie began to smile bigger than they had ever seen. "We have the largest suite for the next week, with a beautiful view, and wow. It's just going to be so nice." Mike and the old man stood and nodded their heads in appreciation.
"Wow, this sure is unexpected. I though you and me were sharing a room," said Mike to the old Man as they made their way to the elevator.
"Well, it sure will make a nice backdrop to your filming." said the old man. "What a good place to start our adventure!" he said as they stepped inside the elevator, and pushed the button for the top floor. They stood there, silently anticipating what they would find upstairs. They heard the elevator door bell ding once, then saw the door open to a rather plain hallway.
"The woman at the desk said it would be the last room on the left." Said Sukie as she took the lead walking down the hallway. The hall seemed impossibly long, but they arrived at the door. She held her breath as she inserted the key card, then pushed open the door. She gasped as she stepped inside, seeing the enormity of the sitting area. The three of them wandered around the room, looking through all the windows, and looking at all the paintings and shelves.
Their silent revelry was interrupted by the old man's phone beeping. He fumbled in his pocket and pushed the button to silence it. "That's a new beep for me" he said, walking over to Mike. "What's it mean?" he said as he handed it to him.
"You've gotten a text message- mind if I open it?" he asked, and the old man nodded the affirmative.
"Oh, wow," started Mike. "It says: Enjoy the upgrade. You have reservations at Ocean Grill at 9. Enjoy dinner on me."
"Nice! Thanks Mike, you'll have to show me how to do that." Mike and the old man sat at the table in the sitting area, and Mike showed the old man how to send and receive text messages. They heard a knock at the door. Sukie went to answer it, and was greeted by a young man with a trolley complete with a carafe of coffee, and enough pastries to feed a small army. They thanked the young man, and tipped him well. There was a card on the table addressed to the old man. Sukie passed it to him. He opened it and read: "Best regards, Ronin." They sat and enjoyed the coffee and pastry for a short time, while they were chatting about their good fortune. After a bit, they decided to clean themselves up a bit, and get ready for their night out.
They opened the other doors of the suite. Two bedrooms with huge beds stood before them. The first bedroom had a large king size bed, and french doors which looked out upon a balcony with a view of the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. The other room had two large double beds, with a matching balcony and view.
"Ok, for the sake of photography, Jim, you get the big room, Mike and I will share the other room."
"Are you sure Sukie? I can bunk up with him if you'd rather the big room"
"Nah, we can use the room to hold the equipment too, and you deserve a little privacy. It's not like Mike and I are sharing a bed here either. It'll be okay, I promise."
"Okay then Sukie, but if you change your mind, you let me know, and I'll bunk up with him, no problemo." replied the old man. They each took a few minutes and cleaned up, and changed into fresh clothes. The old man glanced at his watch, and saw that it was nearing 6pm. He was pretty much all ready to go, so he headed into the sitting room to wait for Mike and Sukie to finish up while he enjoyed another cup of coffee and another pastry as he didn't want to be hungry during the event later.
The old man woke and stretched. They were still in the car, but from the look of it, they were further down the road. "So, where are we?" he said mid yawn.
"Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty," started Sukie. "We're just outside of New Paltz. I figured we could stop here for lunch, then its another ninety or so more minutes till we get to the city."
"Oh, great, I think I could qualify as positively famished." said the old man, who continued to stretch a bit, as he has stiffened up in the car. "I also request a stop at someplace where I can buy a small pillow. My goodness am I stiff." he said, and groaned a bit as he stretched some more.
"There's a Walmart in town, if I'm not mistaken, and there's a really great sandwich shop here too. We're running a little ahead of schedule anyway."
"Yep," Mikes sleepy voice piped up in the back. "Maria Andretti. Good thing I don't have a camera on your speedo, you know? Sukie? How long till we're in town?"
"Tops, twenty minutes, we'll be inside the sandwich shop." True to her word, nearly exactly twenty minutes later, they were inside the sandwich shop, enjoying their heroes and sipping their drinks.
"You were right, this is a good sandwich" said the old man with a nearly full mouth. They sat and ate for another few minutes, before driving a little further into town and pulling into the Walmart parking lot. The trio ran in, and found a few nice cushy neck pillows, as well as a small throw pillow. "Aha!" called the old man. "This is exactly what I wanted. It's so much easier to rest in the car when you have the proper cushioning." They made their way to the check out aisles, and stood on line. The old man eyed the candy rack, when his eyes lit up. "Ooh! Turtles! My favorite," he said, as he picked up a few packets of the candies, and set them on the conveyer belt. After they paid, they made their way back into the car and drove down the road up to the edge of town.
"Coffee Stop!" called Mike, as he pointed to the donut shop.
"Yep, that's our last stop in town, then its a straight shot into Manhattan." As she pulled into the parking lot, she assumed the demeanor of a Drill Sergeant. "So, if you gotta go, go now, because this is the last stop on this ride kids!" The men saluted her before standing and stretching their legs one last time. They all made their way into the restrooms, then headed up to buy some coffee. The old man bought a half dozen donuts as well to share for dessert. "You know, I've always liked something sweet with my afternoon coffee." he said as he settled into the car, and passed out the contents of his donut box.
As they continued on their way into the city, they ate their donuts and drank their coffee in relative silence. The old man felt his sense of excitement build as they neared the city. They made their way over the Tappen Zee Bridge about an hour or so after they left New Paltz. They continued along, and it wasn't long before they could see the iconic skyline of Manhattan fill their view. A bit later, they were in Manhattan proper. The old man looked around, his eyes as big as saucers. "New York, New York, the city so great they named it twice."
"Have you been here before?" asked Sukie
"Sure, passed through a few times, never really visited or anything that spectacular. I've been an upstate New Yorker all my life. No real need to come down, you know?"
They continued along the FDR drive, Mike repositioning his camera slightly. "You know, this place is a bear to photograph from this angle. All grey."
"No worries, Mike, we're actually making a little loop of the city right now, we've got to cut across to the West side, and I want to do it just above the park. You'll get some great color there."
"So, Where are we going?" asked the old man.
"We're heading off to the hotel first to unload most of this stuff. We'll freshen up a bit, then head back out." As they headed across 110th street, they turned down Columbus Avenue, and then turned again a short while later at 81st street. "I think you'll really like where we are, Jim." she said, as she saw his eyes bug out as he saw the giant glass structure of the Rose Center for Earth and Space.
"Oh man, we're across the street from the Rose Center. I'd love to go there."
Sukie smiled, "We're going there tonight. Seven o'clock tonight, its the SciCafe series. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is leading a debate on the planet earth. The topic, if I'm not mistaken is 'Is the Earth Unique'."
"Whoa! You mean the Neil Tyson?" said Mike. "We're going to meet Neil Tyson?" Sukie nodded her head yes as both men cheered and high fived.
After the two men settled down a for a second, she continued. "I figured, we'd go ahead and check out the museum beforehand a little bit, maybe after an early dinner, and I've already gotten clearance to take photographs, and use the video camera inside."
"Sukie, you rock." said Mike gratefully.
"Indeed, you do rock!" agreed the old man. Sukie smiled at the compliments.
"Hey, okay, gents, we're here!" she said as she pulled up in front of the Excelsior hotel. A bellhop came and helped them unload the car, followed by a valet, who pulled away in the car to park it. The trio made their way into the hotel, the men sitting back in the lobby while Sukie went to talk to the young lady behind the desk.
A few minutes later, she signed a paper, then recieved three room keys. The bellhop swiftly moved the bags upstairs while she walked back to the men.
"Okay guys, here are your key cards. We apparantly were given a room upgrade that was prompted by Mr. Wong." Sukie began to smile bigger than they had ever seen. "We have the largest suite for the next week, with a beautiful view, and wow. It's just going to be so nice." Mike and the old man stood and nodded their heads in appreciation.
"Wow, this sure is unexpected. I though you and me were sharing a room," said Mike to the old Man as they made their way to the elevator.
"Well, it sure will make a nice backdrop to your filming." said the old man. "What a good place to start our adventure!" he said as they stepped inside the elevator, and pushed the button for the top floor. They stood there, silently anticipating what they would find upstairs. They heard the elevator door bell ding once, then saw the door open to a rather plain hallway.
"The woman at the desk said it would be the last room on the left." Said Sukie as she took the lead walking down the hallway. The hall seemed impossibly long, but they arrived at the door. She held her breath as she inserted the key card, then pushed open the door. She gasped as she stepped inside, seeing the enormity of the sitting area. The three of them wandered around the room, looking through all the windows, and looking at all the paintings and shelves.
Their silent revelry was interrupted by the old man's phone beeping. He fumbled in his pocket and pushed the button to silence it. "That's a new beep for me" he said, walking over to Mike. "What's it mean?" he said as he handed it to him.
"You've gotten a text message- mind if I open it?" he asked, and the old man nodded the affirmative.
"Oh, wow," started Mike. "It says: Enjoy the upgrade. You have reservations at Ocean Grill at 9. Enjoy dinner on me."
"Nice! Thanks Mike, you'll have to show me how to do that." Mike and the old man sat at the table in the sitting area, and Mike showed the old man how to send and receive text messages. They heard a knock at the door. Sukie went to answer it, and was greeted by a young man with a trolley complete with a carafe of coffee, and enough pastries to feed a small army. They thanked the young man, and tipped him well. There was a card on the table addressed to the old man. Sukie passed it to him. He opened it and read: "Best regards, Ronin." They sat and enjoyed the coffee and pastry for a short time, while they were chatting about their good fortune. After a bit, they decided to clean themselves up a bit, and get ready for their night out.
They opened the other doors of the suite. Two bedrooms with huge beds stood before them. The first bedroom had a large king size bed, and french doors which looked out upon a balcony with a view of the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. The other room had two large double beds, with a matching balcony and view.
"Ok, for the sake of photography, Jim, you get the big room, Mike and I will share the other room."
"Are you sure Sukie? I can bunk up with him if you'd rather the big room"
"Nah, we can use the room to hold the equipment too, and you deserve a little privacy. It's not like Mike and I are sharing a bed here either. It'll be okay, I promise."
"Okay then Sukie, but if you change your mind, you let me know, and I'll bunk up with him, no problemo." replied the old man. They each took a few minutes and cleaned up, and changed into fresh clothes. The old man glanced at his watch, and saw that it was nearing 6pm. He was pretty much all ready to go, so he headed into the sitting room to wait for Mike and Sukie to finish up while he enjoyed another cup of coffee and another pastry as he didn't want to be hungry during the event later.
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