Our few days in New York were nothing short of fabulous. To protect the rich and the famous, I will be using initials for my links, which means you must follow all of them if you are to gain a true understanding of just who we interacted with and just what we were up to, and of course, the level of fabulousness that we maintained for the duration of our jaunt. I am not above name-dropping. I am not below bragging. I�m sure you will forgive me for the shallowness of this update, as we are all aware of my abysmal depth by now. Now, onto the fun! First of all, I must tell you that M.s. surprised me with an upgrade to FIRST CLASS! I�ve never flown first class before, so I was like a kid in a candy shop the entire time. How can I ever go back to coach now? What a treat!

When we arrived, two siblings of my father picked us up at the airport and whisked us away to Park Slope for a home cooked meal, courtesy of Susan, my aunt�s partner of many years. Dinner was delicious, the evening was warm and comfortable, with good wine and sparkling conversation. M.s. hit it off with my family, and they all adore him immensely. After hours of settling in, catching up and sharing, we were taken to our hotel . The neck-deep bathtub was everything it was cracked up to be! To doorman remembered us from our last trip in March, and the room was warm and inviting.

Thursday was the big show! I was pleasantly surprised to see two of my cousins show up with my father�s third sibling, their mother. I felt fancy in feathers and red lipstick that match my red streaks. What a joy it was to catch up with my cousins, my aunts and my uncle! I think they all had a great time, as they were smiling from the time they walked in until the time we said goodbye. Prepare yourself for the onslaught of dropped names.

After the show, we went to a DINNER being held in M.S.�s honor. As we discovered that these people regularly google both themselves AND each other, I repeat that I will be using initials and links for you to follow, so as not to be discovered in an online ego-search. Among the intimate dinner party of nine people (again, held in MY MAN�S honor), were the following:

First, our host and a friend of M.s., Mr. B. , a publisher and founder of the most elite group of science intelligentsia in existence. Two men of the news, one a columnist and editor, Mr. W. A mild-mannered observer of a man, this one sat directly to my left, with Mr. B to his left, where he faced for the entire meal. Yes, yours truly had this �media guru�s� back to her for most of the evening. We also had CBS�s very own Dan! Not Rather, mind you, but rather Mr. D. He was the friendliest of the bunch, and his wife, though drunk, was simply darling. She�s in public relations or something like that. Mr. B�s wife, and also our next artist at our gallery (yes, some of these people might be coming to San Diego for her show), is a delightful woman, and whom I chatted with the most. Hang in there, there are only two more to mention, and they�re worth waiting for! Charlie Rose, though I believe he made it to the opening, was unable to make it to dinner (see, we had cancelled on the dinner to hang out with my family and asked that it be slapped back together right before the gallery opening began � blame my neurosis). However, the producer of his show, Ms. DeB, a beautiful and pleasant Frenchwoman, was able to make it. And last, but certainly not least, the mysterious billionaire with several personal planes, Mr. E. This guy, if you actually read the article I�m linking, is a reclusive and influential money-man, and recently seen carting Clinton, Kevin Spacey, and Chris Tucker all around Africa.

So you had these people, and you had me and M.s. Yes, I�d say it was an interesting crowd. Mr. E was an engaging story teller, and Mr. D was nice, as I said, but the rest of them were pretty much just a dismissive sort of clique. I can�t remember staying silent for as long as I did that evening, but sometimes, it�s better just to shut up and listen. Dinner ended eventually, and Mr. D hailed us all cabs.

Friday morning, we went to the home of a couple that recently purchased one of M.s.�s prints. The woman, a high-profile lawyer, and her husband, a high profile doctor. You would not BELIEVE the art in this home! Next to M.s.�s large photograph were original slave documents, and across the wall, interesting sculptures in gold, and lo, what�s THIS? An ORGINAL Bouguereau , who also happens to be my favorite painter. It was just there on a wall by the kitchen, cluttered amidst pieces of equal value and beauty, from different styles and different times. I was stunned into silent appreciation, and toured around the place as much as I could before we headed out again. A dinner had been planned for M.s. by these folks, but it was postponed at the last minute because the hostess is still in the middle of a big trial.

The rest of the day we tooled around with my good friend, Carolyn. We had lunch, we went shopping � oh, wait until you see what I bought at Purple Passion! Yes, it�s something I can (barely) and will wear out to an evening on the town! Ooh, I can�t wait! Man, it was like 10 degrees the entire time we were there (just thought I�d mention that). We were bundled TIGHT, and the air burned my cheeks a rosy red. The little lesbian in the store told me I reminded her of Parker Posy as I tried on the fun stuff I bought (apparently, Parker lives in the neighborhood and she sees her rollerblading by regularly). That�s not the first time I�ve heard that � I think it�s the way that I talk. We headed to dinner to celebrate Carolyn�s bold purchase and enjoy the Tuscan restaurant we fell in love with on our last trip back east. After dinner we met up with my uncle in the village for some tea and dessert. MMM! It was great to see him a third time, and I think I was successful in convincing him to visit us soon in San Diego. He�s a landscaper, and business is slow in the winter back east, for obvious reasons.

Whew! What else! Saturday we brunched at the home of a couple we met at the gallery, friends of M.s.�s parents. He is a doctor known for his cancer research, and she, a wonderfully friendly woman and wife of over 40 years. They were polite, fun, intelligent, and genuinely interested in everything we had to say. They had this childlike �sponge� quality that made every subject fun to delve into, whether it be journaling, art, or politics.

The rest of the day we had to ourselves, to enjoy the hotel room (boy, did we EVER), and relax for our last evening in the city. After playing in the tub (hee hee), and watching a flick, we went to the Japanese restaurant across the street for dinner and then, back to the room! Sunday morning, we checked out, said goodbye to the 7 degree day and hopped on a plane. Today, I took the day off of work to write a paper for school, do some laundry, and meet my niece and her mother (my beautiful sister) for lunch. Now THAT�S living the high life. Nothing is more fabulous than spending a time with someone you love.

-Barbarella

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