Never Done: Met Lucia Leandro
At a home-cooked, sit-down, birthday dinner party for 18. That Nina cooked. And Donna and Erica hosted. And Ariel and Lucia Leandro decorated. And Mickey supported in more ways than I actually know. And which was wonderful.
It had been a long time coming for me to meet Lucia Leandro, whom I had heard about for a long time, and had even seen on PieTube, which was Mich's and my nickname for the web stream of Pieathon, which I wrote about last November. Lucia Leandro was one of Nina's support team, and we were introduced by Ariel and Rachel, and I could see them all on the video stream, so I knew what Lucia Leandro looks like, but to them, I was just a chat session. So when I walked into the sit-down dinner party for 18 space, and looked around the room, and said hi to my friends, and then spotted Lucia Leandro, I knew just who he was, but he didn't know who I was. I love those moments -- on the brink of new connection. Anything could happen. And then ... it does.
So I told him who I was, and we started to gab, and I don't know how this happened so quickly, but we started talking about how at his old workplace, on lunch break during the World Cup, he and his co-workers would take the soccer player cards and categorize them by hotness. And then they would sub-categorize them by who looks like Jesus. Of course I loved this, and it led me to ask him where he used to work, which turned out to be the Arcus Foundation, which is, according to Lucia Leandro, and taken (by me) directly from their website, "a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues. Specifically, Arcus works to advance LGBT equality, as well as to conserve and protect the great apes."
I know a foundation created by a sole individual with wealth when I see one. I didn't work in development for nothing. There's some guy, and I am guessing it's a guy, who has a lot of money, and he is probably gay, and he cares a lot about the protection of the great apes. And he starts a foundation to support both of his passions. His friends love him and make fun of him. His staff has to figure out how to promote the dual mission without offending anyone. And everyone is slightly uncomfortable almost all of the time. I don't know how to describe my brain activity when he told me about the foundation other to say it was akin to watching someone else's life flash before my eyes. I just got it, but also, I was having a visceral experience that I couldn't immediately place. Until I could.
I was sitting with Jesse in the Longacre Theater in 2004, watching a Broadway production of a play by Mark Medoff, called Prymate -- about scientific experimentation, human-animal relationships, HIV/AIDS, hearing loss/deafness, and sexual aggression. More specifically, it's about the relationship between a gorilla who has been the subject of scientific experimentation, and a deaf-mute linguist who works with autistic children. But I'm skirting around the real issues. In the production, the scientist was played by a blond actress, and the gorilla was played by an gay, African-American actor. And the play was ridiculous.
Casting a black man to play a gorilla on Broadway is bold. I'll tell you what's even more bold; the actor (Andre De Shields) played the role with brilliant physicality and stunning emotional commitment. So while on the one hand, the play had me squirming in my seat, on the other hand, the performance had me riveted. I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of sitting in that theater, mouth agape, unable to reconcile the conflicted thoughts and feelings pulsing through my brain and body.
And what a delight to meet someone with whom I can talk and laugh about Prymate, seven years later. I have a feeling that Lucia Leandro and I will always have a special bond.
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
I called PropArt
Never Done: Called a prop shop
I guess it's the nature of work that it should be somewhat repetitive, because how else are we going to become good at it? And even if that's an inept generalization, my personal truth is that it is a rare day that I get to do something for work that I've never done before. But ... I am producing a 30-second spot to counter a 30-second spot made by some anti-immigrant bigots, and I need someone to build some props. Hello PropArt! Where have you been all my life? Oh, right there on St. Marks near Vanderbilt, in Brooklyn? Seriously, right there?
"Hi, I need a McMansion, an SUV, a yacht, and a private jet, all releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere." "We could laser cut that out of plexiglass, paint it gray, and put it on simple pedestal stands." I mean, that's not literally how the conversation went, but it's close enough. SOMETIMES MY JOB IS FUN!
I guess it's the nature of work that it should be somewhat repetitive, because how else are we going to become good at it? And even if that's an inept generalization, my personal truth is that it is a rare day that I get to do something for work that I've never done before. But ... I am producing a 30-second spot to counter a 30-second spot made by some anti-immigrant bigots, and I need someone to build some props. Hello PropArt! Where have you been all my life? Oh, right there on St. Marks near Vanderbilt, in Brooklyn? Seriously, right there?
"Hi, I need a McMansion, an SUV, a yacht, and a private jet, all releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere." "We could laser cut that out of plexiglass, paint it gray, and put it on simple pedestal stands." I mean, that's not literally how the conversation went, but it's close enough. SOMETIMES MY JOB IS FUN!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I might do a triathlon
Never Done: Attended a Team in Training orientation
I'm a bit worried I'll be a giant cliché if I do an endurance sport event during my Never Done year, and a bit worried that I'd be missing a giant opportunity if I don't do one. And since the spirit of Never Done is to actually do it if I've never done it, then I guess I have to risk being a cliché.
I think I am going to train for a triathlon.
When Claire ran the Boston Marathon, she trained with Team in Training, and raised money that went directly to research and cure for leukemia and lymphoma. She also got superb training, and finished her very first marathon in just under 4 1/2 hours, and never even got sore afterwards. (OK, so I shouldn't compare myself to Claire. Got it.) I was there to support her, and I wept all day long, watching people reach for, and in most cases achieve this massive physical feat.
Here's what would make this very personal for me. My mom died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma almost three years ago. She had excellent medical care, and she was in otherwise (aside from the cancer) excellent health, and they still could not cure her. It's not like it's gonna make it all better if I complete a triathlon, but 75% of the money I would raise would go directly to research and cure for blood cancers (and the other 25% goes to the coaching and other race-related expenses I would incur.) At least I'd be doing something, and that might help me feel a little less powerless about her death.
Another thing that would make it personal is that Tonia's mom has a leukemia now; she's always been a pillar of physical health and strength, and is doing surprisingly well, given the amount of chemotherapy she has had recently, but it's also been kicking her ass. (Both the cancer and the chemo) and I would love to do this event with her in my mind. (And believe me, she is a good person to have in your mind when you are engaged in a physically challenging activity.)
Another thing is that I have always wanted to do a triathlon, but I've been hurt for so long that it's just never made sense to me. I tore my ACL, both menisci and a tendon in my knee when I was 15, and have had seven arthroscopic surgeries and one reconstruction done. On top of that, I had a car accident and then a carpentry accident that have left me with two herniated discs. In other words, it wouldn't take running a marathon to make me sore; I am sore when I get out of bed in the morning (and sometimes, you could define "sore" as "paralyzed with pain.") Still, I have always wanted to do this.
When I looked through the options of endurance events, and saw that the marathons and half marathons and century rides and hikes and triathlons, I was immediately drawn to two events: A 3-day hike through Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon, and the South Maui triathlon. (Never been to either place!) In my heart though, I knew that the hike wouldn't give me the same overall sense of accomplishment that the triathlon would -- I've done big hikes before, so this would be more of a great opportunity to hike somewhere stunning, but it wouldn't be the big Never Done activity that a triathlon would be. I emailed the contact guy for the New York chapter, and I found out that the New York chapter is not training for Maui, but I could train for (wait for it, wait for it) the New York triathlon in August!
Eww. A triathlon in New York City in August? That does not sound ideal. In fact, it sounds smelly and hot and muggy. A bike ride up and down the West Side Highway vs a bike ride along the Maui coastline. Hmmmm. And yet it has its advantages. I would have a huge support network to cheer me on, and I could try out parts of the course in advance. My fundraising goal would be smaller, because I wouldn't be raising airfare and bike shipping and other destination event-related costs.
The big thing though, aside from destination or olfactory concerns, is really my body's physical limitations. On the one hand, I am a strong, athletic person. A have done a two-mile open water swim before. I wasn't fast, and I had to stop to rest sometimes, but I didn't even train for it. I think that with proper training, I would be just fine to do a 1.5K (.93 mile) swim. I have taken long bike trips before -- traveling 80 miles a day, carrying all my gear. That was 20 years ago. I am no longer a stalwart biker. I walk up hills, and get insanely tired when I don't. A 40K (24.8 mile) bike ride would kick my ass if I did it today, but I don't think the training would hurt my knee or my back too badly. Then there's the 10K (6.2 mile) run. In some ways, this is the most native to me, and the one that would hurt the most. I love to run, and there have been times when I could run for an hour without stopping. These days I run on a track or a treadmill, and I wouldn't actually call it running, but jogging. I jog about a 13 minute mile, which would be 75 minutes if I could keep that pace after swimming and biking in the middle of August in New York.
What, am I insane? Or am I doing what people do when they want to feel expansive and push through real or imagined limitations?
The reason I went to the Team in Training open house was to talk with their trainers. I set up an appointment for when there would be a coach who is also a physical therapist there, to talk honestly about my injuries and abilities. Instead, when I got there, there was just a marathon coach, who was in his 20s, and his expertise was that he has run 5 marathons. He was sweet, he was enthusiastic, and he was even empathetic -- he told me that his girlfriend has a bulging disc in her neck and she becomes paralyzed with pain, and that he himself broke a rib and that it looks to him that she's in worse shape than he is. But he was 28 (I'm guessing) and gung-ho, and kept saying "Oh, the coaches will work with you." But I had gone in specifically to talk with someone with that level of expertise before I sign up to do this, and I know myself well enough to know that I really do need help, expertise, and someone to tell me how it could be possible to train me through my injuries, to know this could really work.
While that doesn't inspire confidence, and it makes me think that Team in Training's excellent training is geared to people who are beginners and not to people with special needs, I don't want to let their limitations become mine. Luckily for me, my cousin Kenny is both a triathlete and a physical therapist, so I will call him up today and ask him if I'm out of my league here, or if it is actually possible that I could complete a triathlon. If I do it, will you come?
I'm a bit worried I'll be a giant cliché if I do an endurance sport event during my Never Done year, and a bit worried that I'd be missing a giant opportunity if I don't do one. And since the spirit of Never Done is to actually do it if I've never done it, then I guess I have to risk being a cliché.
I think I am going to train for a triathlon.
When Claire ran the Boston Marathon, she trained with Team in Training, and raised money that went directly to research and cure for leukemia and lymphoma. She also got superb training, and finished her very first marathon in just under 4 1/2 hours, and never even got sore afterwards. (OK, so I shouldn't compare myself to Claire. Got it.) I was there to support her, and I wept all day long, watching people reach for, and in most cases achieve this massive physical feat.
Here's what would make this very personal for me. My mom died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma almost three years ago. She had excellent medical care, and she was in otherwise (aside from the cancer) excellent health, and they still could not cure her. It's not like it's gonna make it all better if I complete a triathlon, but 75% of the money I would raise would go directly to research and cure for blood cancers (and the other 25% goes to the coaching and other race-related expenses I would incur.) At least I'd be doing something, and that might help me feel a little less powerless about her death.
Another thing that would make it personal is that Tonia's mom has a leukemia now; she's always been a pillar of physical health and strength, and is doing surprisingly well, given the amount of chemotherapy she has had recently, but it's also been kicking her ass. (Both the cancer and the chemo) and I would love to do this event with her in my mind. (And believe me, she is a good person to have in your mind when you are engaged in a physically challenging activity.)
Another thing is that I have always wanted to do a triathlon, but I've been hurt for so long that it's just never made sense to me. I tore my ACL, both menisci and a tendon in my knee when I was 15, and have had seven arthroscopic surgeries and one reconstruction done. On top of that, I had a car accident and then a carpentry accident that have left me with two herniated discs. In other words, it wouldn't take running a marathon to make me sore; I am sore when I get out of bed in the morning (and sometimes, you could define "sore" as "paralyzed with pain.") Still, I have always wanted to do this.
When I looked through the options of endurance events, and saw that the marathons and half marathons and century rides and hikes and triathlons, I was immediately drawn to two events: A 3-day hike through Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon, and the South Maui triathlon. (Never been to either place!) In my heart though, I knew that the hike wouldn't give me the same overall sense of accomplishment that the triathlon would -- I've done big hikes before, so this would be more of a great opportunity to hike somewhere stunning, but it wouldn't be the big Never Done activity that a triathlon would be. I emailed the contact guy for the New York chapter, and I found out that the New York chapter is not training for Maui, but I could train for (wait for it, wait for it) the New York triathlon in August!
Eww. A triathlon in New York City in August? That does not sound ideal. In fact, it sounds smelly and hot and muggy. A bike ride up and down the West Side Highway vs a bike ride along the Maui coastline. Hmmmm. And yet it has its advantages. I would have a huge support network to cheer me on, and I could try out parts of the course in advance. My fundraising goal would be smaller, because I wouldn't be raising airfare and bike shipping and other destination event-related costs.
The big thing though, aside from destination or olfactory concerns, is really my body's physical limitations. On the one hand, I am a strong, athletic person. A have done a two-mile open water swim before. I wasn't fast, and I had to stop to rest sometimes, but I didn't even train for it. I think that with proper training, I would be just fine to do a 1.5K (.93 mile) swim. I have taken long bike trips before -- traveling 80 miles a day, carrying all my gear. That was 20 years ago. I am no longer a stalwart biker. I walk up hills, and get insanely tired when I don't. A 40K (24.8 mile) bike ride would kick my ass if I did it today, but I don't think the training would hurt my knee or my back too badly. Then there's the 10K (6.2 mile) run. In some ways, this is the most native to me, and the one that would hurt the most. I love to run, and there have been times when I could run for an hour without stopping. These days I run on a track or a treadmill, and I wouldn't actually call it running, but jogging. I jog about a 13 minute mile, which would be 75 minutes if I could keep that pace after swimming and biking in the middle of August in New York.
What, am I insane? Or am I doing what people do when they want to feel expansive and push through real or imagined limitations?
The reason I went to the Team in Training open house was to talk with their trainers. I set up an appointment for when there would be a coach who is also a physical therapist there, to talk honestly about my injuries and abilities. Instead, when I got there, there was just a marathon coach, who was in his 20s, and his expertise was that he has run 5 marathons. He was sweet, he was enthusiastic, and he was even empathetic -- he told me that his girlfriend has a bulging disc in her neck and she becomes paralyzed with pain, and that he himself broke a rib and that it looks to him that she's in worse shape than he is. But he was 28 (I'm guessing) and gung-ho, and kept saying "Oh, the coaches will work with you." But I had gone in specifically to talk with someone with that level of expertise before I sign up to do this, and I know myself well enough to know that I really do need help, expertise, and someone to tell me how it could be possible to train me through my injuries, to know this could really work.
While that doesn't inspire confidence, and it makes me think that Team in Training's excellent training is geared to people who are beginners and not to people with special needs, I don't want to let their limitations become mine. Luckily for me, my cousin Kenny is both a triathlete and a physical therapist, so I will call him up today and ask him if I'm out of my league here, or if it is actually possible that I could complete a triathlon. If I do it, will you come?
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