That Would Be Coryton
Part 2: What We Did On Our Holidays
Sun 13 January, 2002
Friday morning, turn up at chateau Cory. Meet the parent. Meet the step-parent. Meet the dog. Decide that it would be a nifty idea to go and pay Cory's tuition fees, so that it's not got to be done next week. Ride right across town on the bus, turn up at the office, and find ... it's closed for the holidays. Blast. Compensate by heading off to 4th Ave, where there are lots of funky stores and the greatest bookstore in the city. There's also pizza involved. Pizza is good.
Paulo arrives on Saturday morning, so there's the usual round of greetings to be done. Meet parent, step-parent, dog, step-sibs. On the grounds that someone's got to show off the best of Arizona, Cory's dad drives us through the desert. It really looks like the set of the Road Runner cartoons - those three-pointed cactus things and huge ravines. That's not our destination; we go up Mount Lemmon to Summerhaven, where there is snow. Over a mile high, there will be snow. There's also pie. Whether it's the altitude or the quality of the pie, this is delicious stuff. On the way down, we stop at a jaw-droppingly beautiful viewpoint. Words don't do it justice. Pictures (with you soon) won't do it justice. You have to visit.
By the time we're back, chelle is en route to the hotel. Meet and greet, the usual round of hellos. This time, we say hello to Robyn. She's the one who is going to be studying at St Andrews' next year. We all end up in a coffee house, where there is coffee. chelle falls asleep watching Saturday Night Live.
Sunday sees proof that you can't dump listies in a used bookstore and expect them to leave of their own accord any time soon. Like ants scurrying round in search of ant food, we scour the place looking for interesting, funky, or different books. Then we raid the CD section. On the way back, stop at Trader Joe's for some food and refreshment. C&c cook up some funky pasta dish. Then we enjoy highlights of the first half of MSCL, thanks to the tapes the Fischers sent. Thanks again. The conference call is a welcome diversion ... yes, that *is* my regular accent, deal. MSCL and talking well into the night.
Monday, and Robyn's back amongst us, going for the most kick-ass quiche in town. Then look around some of the thrift stores on 4th Ave, for pleasure and profit. We would have taken chelle to the bookstore, but they were closed for their new year's bash. Even though we've only got a few minutes there before closing time, Paulo relieves Borders of two DVDs. We watch CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL before Cory makes the infamous grilled cheese product. I'm seduced. Then the aforementioned game of "I Have Never," in which Cory has done a lot, chelle a little less, and Paulo hardly anything. New year interrupts a game of "Truth" - we would have played the "Or Dare" variant, but that's for kids. Jupiter is bright in the night sky, but hiding behind a cloud.
Tuesday was a blur. There was much wandering around a bookstore involved, I have the receipts and goods to prove it. There was also a trip to Hot Topic, where a lush purple velvet notebook found its way into my possession. That store has the greatest PR agents. Cory's watching a BOY MEETS WORLD marathon, then we view BEFORE SUNRISE and Simon & Garfunkel's concert in Central Park.
Wednesday has us traipsing halfway across town to get some post posted. It's annoying to find that it reached its destination before I did. It turns out Paulo has never seen FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; I'd forgotten how much CLARISSA EXPLAINS IT ALL and THE SIMPSONS owes to this movie.
What did I do with the extra Thursday? Walk about a bit, listen to The Point, *finally* get to hear "Southside" on US radio, and enjoy being in town.
But wait! There's more!