Exploring Emotion

I'm really just getting started on this post, as I'm sneaking it in from work on a very busy day. However, as you might guess from the title and my state of mind over the past couple of weeks, I'm intrigued by the concept of emotion and the human brain.

When I was growing up, I was a tomboy who never cried... and that was the case at least through my college years. These days, and I'm not sure when it started, I can find myself in tears over serious real life issues, or a Disney movie. I think all of this emotion makes me a better, more real, person.

I found myself sympathizing with another mom in the ladies room on a break from the Alvin Ailey performance on Mother's Day at NJPAC. When her 7-to-10 year old daughter asked her why she was crying during the first act, the mom told her she was moved to tears by the performance. The young daughter just shook her head and laughed at her in that "oh, mom" way my girls do.

If I try to understand whether emotion comes to us via "nature" or "nurture," I don't get very far, either. While both of my parents had much better reasons than I've ever had to cry, they never once broke down in front of me when I was growing up.

I find that in my predominantly male investment banking business environment, I tend to get mad rather than sad, which makes me a much more successful professional -- better to be seen as a pit bull than as a stereotypical member of the weaker sex.

Roxy's Mother's Day Tradition: Alvin Ailey at NJPAC

We're just back from a relaxing weekend at our beach house in Bay Head, NJ, and spring is definitely in the air here in the Roxiticus Valley. The daffodils are out and the first of the cherry blossoms have popped. Poor London was home from school for the past two days, sick with asthma triggered by the last cold virus of the season, but it gave me an excuse to work from home instead of commuting in to NYC, and we made the most of our time at home by making plans for summer camp and upcoming events. After celebrating Easter Saturday here with Rex's family and our annual backyard Easter egg hunt on Sunday with Grandmom and Grammy, our next big event will be Mother's Day. Last year, our family started an awesome new tradition with Alvin Ailey at NJPAC on Mother'sDay, and we're making a triumphant return this year.

The Mother's Day program includes: Hope Boykin's Go in Grace, performed to a score composed and performed live by special guest Sweet Honey in the Rock; George Faison's Suite Otis, set to music by Otis Redding; and Alvin Ailey's Revelations, set to traditional spirituals and gospel. This year, Mother's Day is also Judith Jamison's birthday, so you never know what surprises may be in store. My loyal readers may remember that my younger daughter, Maddie, prefers a little dialogue in her performances... while that's not likely to be part of the traditional Ailey routine, we'll see if her tastes have changed/"matured" over the past year.

Last year, Rex and the girls took me out for a spectacular Mother's Day brunch at the Limestone Cafe in Peapack, NJ. This year, we may try something a little different and make a day of it at NJPAC. For all the time our family has spent at NJPAC, we haven't tried the Theater Square Grill, and they're having a special Mother's Day Brunch, with 3 seating times: noon, 12:30pm, and 1pm. For $36 all inclusive, here are the details:

• Bloody Mary, Bellini or Mimosa (one drink per person)... I wonder if naughty Roxy can order a bellini for London, a mimosa for Maddie and keep them all for myself!
• Soft Drinks and Coffee Service
• and a grand Sunday buffet, including
• Muffins and pastries,
• Four salad choices,
• A pasta entree,
• A fish entree,
• Breakfast sausages and bacon,
• French toast,
• An omelette station,
• A carving station with ham and turkey,
• and lots of homemade desserts.

I'm off my diet (again) already.

I also have the new NJPAC season brochure, and will be posting about my faves -- including The Color Purple in December -- shortly.

I've Got My Tickets for Cats at NJPAC (the New Jersey Performing Arts Center) in Newark, New Jersey

This past spring, I posted about two events that Rex, London, Maddie and I enjoyed at NJPAC (the New Jersey Performing Arts Center) in Newark, New Jersey. We saw Movin' Out, Twyla Tharp's interpretation of Billy Joel, in June, and Rex and the girls took me out for a Mother's Day treat to see Alvin Ailey. Both shows were spectacular, so we decided to make Alvin Ailey at NJPAC a Mother's Day tradition, and we also ordered tickets for Cats as soon as tickets for the 2008-2009 season were available. It looks like they've got a lot of other great events lined up, including:

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The Perfect Mother's Day Weekend!

My loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers may have found me unusually quiet this past Mother's Day weekend, but I was away from the Blogosphere and out enjoying my family. I want to thank all of you for your thoughtful comments and Mother's Day wishes in response to my long-running "Wordless Weekend: I Am Mother of the Year!" post. I will be sure to post a more detailed review when I have more time, but to give you a hint of how I spent my Mother's Day, I wanted to share the following video of the Alvin Ailey dancers performing "The Groove to Nobody's Business." Their Mother's Day performance at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ, was absolutely spectacular...the dancing, the choreography, the lighting, the costumes, and the venue itself all made for a perfect afternoon for Rex, the girls, and the Mother of the Year!

Mother's Day in the Roxiticus Valley

What are you doing for Mother’s Day this year?

I can't believe how much I have looked forward to this holiday every year since my older daughter was born seven years ago. The girls always surprise me with hand-made cards and treat me like a queen on my special day. Since we moved out to the Roxiticus Valley in 2003, every year Rex has prepared a special Mother's Day brunch for me, as well as my mom and his mom.

Last year was my best Mother's Day celebration so far. My older daughter's kindergarten class put on a Mother's Day Tea. The whole class had worked hard for a month to learn a selection of special songs to sing for us, and they all stood up at the front of the room, beaming and singing their hearts out. I had to put on my sunglasses so the other moms couldn't see the tears in my eyes, but I shouldn't have been so self-conscious...the moms in the class were passing around a box of tissues! This year, it will be my younger daughter's kindergarten class that puts on the Mother's Day show, and I expect to get every bit as mushed out.

The other way my Mother's Day has been special for the past two years is thanks to our terrific nanny, who works with the girls to surprise me by creating special photo gifts for me....last year, I got a "World's Greatest Mom" mug and a beautifully framed photo of my two girls in their best dresses out in our yard in front of the flowering trees. This year, I'm hoping that our nanny will also have something to celebrate on May...fingers crossed for someone who truly deserves to be a mom.

On Mother's Day 2008, Rex and the girls are taking me to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. The description in the brochure and on the web site reads: Marvelously athletic and sleekly sensual, they return with programs that include NJPAC premieres as well as the gospel-infused Revelations, Ailey’s timeless masterwork that the Times says “warmly and wonderfully capture the joyful side of the black American experience.” There's a 3pm Mother's Day performance, which includes the following program:

• Night Creature (Choreography: Alvin Ailey, Music: Duke Ellington)
• Reflections in D (Choreography: Alvin Ailey, Music: Duke Ellington)
• The Groove to Nobody's Business (Choreography: Camille A. Brown, Music: Ray Charles, Brandon McCune)
• Treading (Choreography: Elisa Monte, Music: Steve Reich)
• Revelations (Choreography: Alvin Ailey, Music: Traditional Spirituals)

The only issue I have with celebrating Mother's Day at NJ PAC is remembering my own mother's special day. Rex is planning to invite Grammy and Grandmom over on Friday for an early Mother's Day dinner and celebration, but maybe I can order something special to be delivered on Mother's Day itself. I'll go online or call 1-800-FLOWERS...they're having a "Celebrate Mom For Who She Is Contest" so maybe I can order a bouquet and nominate my mom to win a prize.