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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bridge Over Trouble

For the shortest month of the year, February always gets me in a funk right smack in the middle of it. Maybe it's the tax preparation, or it's the cluster of birthdays of all the wackiest women I know. Personally, I blame Valentine's day. The idea of hearts and chocolate just makes me a little bi-polar, ya know?

So, even if this only suits myself - I am dedicating this post to encouragement. While perfection and beauty may get all the attention, flaw and functionality are the crucial balance without which love would cease to exist.

Yeah, I'm not sure how that works either but it sounds good, don't it?

It started with the second grader's Social Studies project: two full written pages and a mini-model on a New York City landmark. Zuki was assigned the Manhattan Bridge. Of all the useless landmarks in this town, the Manhattan Bridge was my least favorite. If I had a choice, I would've picked "Pete's Tavern" in Gramercy Park - no doubt I'd do a lot of hands on research there. I'm sure many New Yorkers feel the same way. It's an unimpressive bridge. Not to mention shoddy. But Manhattan Bridge is what we're stuck with.

The research was grueling because the resources were profoundly limited. I resorted to reading a blog, albeit a rather insightful one, which titled the post, "Manhattan Bridge: New York's Dysfunctional Classic". Like the ugly middle sister, standing in the shadow of our beloved Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge to this day is under appreciated and largely ignored. It was almost scrapped entirely but went under reconstruction instead - for nearly two decades. Today, it stands dutifully - silencing the doubters and receiving nothing more than a mention in a footnote.

In a way, I can identify with that. The headache we're experiencing right now with Zuki's schooling is a strange reflection of its plight. Seriously, it's enough to make me want to go there to jump off of it. Instead, we took a field trip to the Canal Street entrance to pay our respects. We took pictures by the stone archway - the bridge's only notable feature and I promised to appreciate it more. In my head, I thanked the Manhattan Bridge for showing me the beauty of surviving those troubles and eventually becoming the subject of a seven year old's school project.

I was sure my husband was appreciating the same new found respect when he uncharacteristically asked to borrow the camera.

Then he said, "I want to take pictures of that statue's tits."

Honestly. Can't take him anywhere.

Sweet Tits is on the bottom left
Zuki's attempt at photography

10 comments:

  1. Hahaha! And here I thought you were taking a blog break like Bridget too. I missed you! I'm happy we only have to endure a month of Mikaela homeworks/torture projects now, school closes March here in the Philippines.
    For what it's worth, glad your husband found the statue's tits! hahahahaha So funny! No wonder you have 2 colorful personalities for children!

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    1. Yes, they were enamored by the groin cloth and boobs as well. So much for Social Studies. Spring Graduation makes so much more sense although most schools in NYC don't have air conditioning so being open in July is like...murder.

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  2. I love how hands-on/field trippy you are with your kids' education. And I love that your husband was able to find and appreciate beauty in an underappreciated landmark...as only a man could. :)

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    1. The husband didn't want to go. So I guess he should get credit for finding the upside of things.

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  3. I thought this post might have been about me! My mom used to sing Bridge Over Troubled Water and say Bridget instead of Bridge. Lame, right.

    I'm glad you found some solice in the project and the tits.;)

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    1. We are such lame asses - I totally LOVE that song. Makes me cry every time.

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  4. I thought this post might be about ME but then I remembered my tits really aren't so sweet anymore (sigh)

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    1. Anytime you say "sweet" in front of tits, it becomes "Sweet Tits" no matter the gauge of sweetness....I hope that becomes my epitaph.

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  5. HAHA!! I think our husbands would get along great !

    2nd graders there can write 2 pages? Is that typed or handwritten? Because we're struggling to get middle schoolers to write 3 typed pages here!

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    1. Yes, it's a little ridiculous if you ask me. He has trouble remembering the "d" in bridge - how is he supposed to do the research? We might as well ask Big Foot!

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