Utica Club Brewery Sign on a Fall Day, Q. Cassetti, 2010Up and back. A big fagged…but up and back. We split from Tburg around 4:30 yesterday afternoon to drive to Utica (getting us to the concert at a quarter to showtime) with a little time to spare. Rob had managed to ask a colleague from Museumwise if she could get us a pair of tickets for this honored event- a double header of “The Sleigh Bells” and “LCD Soundsystem” for Alex and a friend. This was, as Alex proclaimed, “the concert of the season” and after the concert is was affirmed times ten (“How did you like it? ” we asked. Response “I’m speechless.”). We were absolutely charmed with Hamilton, this beautiful campus on a hill in Clinton, New York with old and new buildings all harmoniously designed and working together. The concert was in a small venue (low stage no more than 700 standing students)….in this inside/outside complex of buildings that had a “diner like” food offering, mail room, and various study and hanging out spaces in these low silo like spaces with different sized perfomance spaces as well. It seems like a great school for the right type of kid (they all seemed really nice, earnest, and friendly)—who would like to spend four years on top of their little hill overlooking Utica. We left the boys to check into the hotel (Hotwire…and it was called the Clarion which really was the Hotel Utica). The Utica is an oldstyle hotel that seemed to be ramped up and revamped in the mid eighties and sort of, kind of missing the mark by miles. But the beds were horizontal and seemed to be bedbug free…so we plunked down our bags and opened the windows and waited for the call from the boys. Prior to finding our accomodations downtown, we decided to go to dinner at Matt’s Brewery (which it turned out was closed for a party) so we ate in the Brewery area—dumbfounded by all the worker bars that were there (no food, just bar stools, bad lighting, linoleum floors) which had outdoor spaces for overflow. These places were dead last night…and our only assumption is that summer brings the beer drinkers and the need to expand to the outdoors. Matts also had a big stage etc…so that probably is the case.

We got up early this morning and had our free breakfast at the Hotel Utica and The Face of Tully, Q. Cassetti, 2010got the boys to the cross country event an hour plus south of town in Tully. Tully is one of my favorite races as we always have a “Tully Day”—cloudless blue skies, brilliant sharp light and all the Tully touches such as huge pallet loads of crisp cold apples free for everyone (today was macintosh!). The Tully team and families knock themselves out with teeshirts and consessions, music and a dj, and all the trappings of timers and mascots and places for teams to set up and have their pictures taken. And, it all goes remarkably smoothly for all. Alex did not run his best (no “PR”—personal record) and cramped up midway. But others did quite well, happily and against a mixed group of big and small schools (something that doesnt happen very often). But now, Alex is worn out…and a bit low.

My Birthday was nice. Really nice. I got some flowers from friends and family. I had dinner with my boyfriend. And I was given an iPad which is in the box and is next on my list of things to do after I finish talking with you. Very exciting. As you know, I love my Kindle and this is a Kindle with more…email, images, movies, youtube, books, audible books, and more. I hope I can get good with the keyboard so I can use it to post here too. I am, unfortunately, fond of a keyboard. We’ll see, won’t we?

Kitty’s gothic lolita dress just arrived from China. Terrific. And, if you are in the market for this sort of thing, trust me, you need to get the petticoat too. It absolutely makes the look. There are bows galore and the sleeves are detachable (not noted but a great thing). Something every girl needs. The shoes are on the way…and we got stockings at Target to compete the rig. Tres victorian mourning meets manga character. She should flip over this (at least I hope). All is well for classes. Same for friends and the stuff they are all doing during the hangout time. Kitty is fiddling with Pencil and is working on a series of little animations of some of her little critters. They should be fab. This could be a niche she pursues.

More later.