To NY and Back

Dear Friends and Family,

Merwin and I had a delightful 30 hours or so at our NYC studio. We trained in, and embarrassingly after an hour in the train, I could not get up from the seat.Merwin was next to me but not in a position to help, but a woman asked if I needed help and then intelligently asked how she could help. I told her to help me up by putting her arm under my armpit and lifting. It worked. Thank goodness I am not shy about getting help when I need it. It is just something that happened because I was sitting too long. Everything stiffens.

We took a cab from Penn Station, 8th Ave. side, which we have now learned is the best exit. Then after a short rest and a quick lunch, we walked to 42nd Street, to the Duke Theater, to see Macbeth. It was fabulous. As a reviewer for the Shakespeare Newsletter I got comp. tickets, right in row 5 center, best seats in the house. These are stadium seats, and I was a little nervous about the steps, but I made it with Merwin's help. Oh this decrepitude! But it could be worse. We walked back from the theater, the few blocks, but more than I have been walking lately.

Then a nap and a cab ride downtown to our twin granddaughters' apartment in the East Village. The plan was to call in for food, which Michelle did. Along with touring the apartment and admiring the street view and the furniture (many pieces my sister's), we had some lively conversations. I wish I had a photo, but though a few were taken, none are yet available.

On Sunday, we walked to Au Pain Quotidian down the block for breakfast; I love to see Merwin eating with serene enjoyment, and I enjoyed looking at all the people around us, very different from those at Pax, next door. We also stripped the beds and did a wash. Later we went to a convenience store across 5th Ave. on 40th, hoping to find some reasonably priced wine. I am thinking that some people who are coming to my talk on April 12th would like to come to the apartment afterward. We did get chips at the store.

Then it was more rest, tidying the apartment, and back to Glen Head. I think I was more physically active in these last couple of days than I have been for a long time. I got through it well, except for the inability to rise from a seated position if I sit too long. But the neuropathy that prevented me from sitting in a theater at all is much abated. The Gabapentin is working. The itching continues. Now even the touch of any fabric is likely to set it off. But I think that the Paxil may be working.

Now to sleep—and tomorrow to work on my review of Macbeth and the edits on “At Sea.”

Love to all,
Bernice

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