Yesterday morning, on a brief walk near my home in Historic District Savannah, I found myself looking down. Here’s a sampling of what I saw.
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Anyone who has been to Savannah on or around March 17 knows that Saint Patrick’s Day is a pretty …
… in this city! From the Greening of the Fountain and Tara Feis onward, Savannah embraces its Irishness, shamrocks growing and showing up everywhere, an already diverse and fesitval-driven city photosynthetically converting excited energy into green Gaelic joy. And since 2013 St. Paddy Day was Sunday, Savannah opted to hold its primary celebration on Saturday with the parade (the nation’s second largest), River Street revelry and other merrymaking events.
Since Yours Truly lives DIRECTLY on the parade route along Abercorn Street, and since some green Irish blood flows through my veins (Saye =”one who lives by the sea”), I decided to host a little parade-viewing party.
Party Prep Notes: For some reason I will never fully grasp, I decided to make Cabbage and Ham in the Crock Pot (or as I call it, Beverly Hillbilly-ishly, “the Slow-Cooking Pot”).
Now cabbage sounds fine, and even a bit Irish, until you understand that my place is a little under 800 square feet, positioned at the front of a beautiful old building completed in the 1800’s. Well, the slow-cooking cabbage produced a Rather Strong Aroma (try not to imagine it), first in my apartment, then wafting across the hall to my next door neighbor and fellow party hostess Audrey’s place, then throughout the entire old building, and probably up and down the parade route and on to the South Carolina border across the river. People were so nice and pretended that the smell made the party more “Irish authentic.” But a bunch of folks had drinks in their hands, so I’m not at all certain their sensory perception was on target. AND I noticed they would get a bowlful of steaming, fragrant cabbage and then quickly run out the door to see the next band or float they “had been waiting on.”
Here’s me helping to set up the area for guests to sit and watch the parade outside my building (my windows have the St. Patty tacky shamrock cutouts and green garlands).
Before the parade started, I made a quick tour of the squares close to me. A few sights:
I met some cool green-clad new friends:
And then quickly back to my place where the crowd had grown during my foray.
I found this pretty lady pirouetting in front of my apt, so of course I had to get my pic with her:
Here’s across-the-hall stylish neighbor Audrey:
And here’s party guest/good buddy Ellie and her brother encouraging the crowd:
I wish I was brave enough to dance in the street!
Hip green-haired son/father duo Ethan and Kevin:
And Kevin with very significant other Olivia:
Former Everyday Creative Writing Student Jaymes stopped by for a while. (He knows what’s rocking in Savannah.)
Buddies Rich and Edward (who brought party-hit basil lemonade):
Cool St. Patty Baby:
Made great new friends with some folks visiting from Maryland and staying in the vacation rentals in my building (so of course they were party guests too)–Kathy and Karen with their husbands. And don’t they look SO Saint Patricky?
Preparing to kiss the parade marching men:
(Public Service Announcement: I think I will rent out my place next year for St. Paddy Day. Is $2000 for the holiday too much? I plan to include a HUGE bowl of frozen-but-on-the-table-in-a-jiffy Authentic Irish Cabbage and Ham.)
New kayaking friend Tom with Edward, Rich and me:
Church buddy Diane with Rich, Edward, Robert, Jaymes and me:
Good friend Zach and brother Josh marching in the parade (marching, that is, before I ran out into the street and made them stop). Their Irish family has been in the parade for something like 1000 years.
What a wonderfully fun Savannah Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration!
But sitting here after the parade, I started to worry: “What if my Crock Pot Cabbage Smell keeps those hundreds of thousands of visitors from coming back to Savannah next year? Can they trace it all back to me?”
Top of the Friday morning, to you. Here are Five Friday Bringers of Happiness:
1. This cool pic of blooming almond trees in California sent by my new buddy Don Simmons. Don is good friends with Rick and Linda, the couple who moved to Savannah from Wisconsin. One fabulous day they gave me the tour of the “Joy in their own back yard”. Here’s what Don said in his accompanying email: “Since you mentioned almonds in one of your post, as something that brings you joy–I wanted to send you one of the great views that I have here in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where most of the world’s almonds are grown–it’s time for our ‘blossom trail’ and the almonds are certainly giving us a beautiful show–as well as the Sierras!”
2. Finishing up a great Winter Quarter at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). My two classes:
3. Savannah azaleas (near Forsyth Park):
4. The promise of SPRINGTIME:
5. Fresh pineapple.
Have a Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Weekend!
A few reflections on the weekend BEFORE St. Patrick’s Day weekend here in Savannah.
THE GREENING ****
One of Savannah’s coolest St. Patrick’s Day traditions has to be the greening of the fountains. In a week, we will welcome the city’s most popular holiday. And at noon Friday the beautiful fountain in Forsyth Park, surrounded by several hundred people, morphed into a bright green explosion of water color. Soon thereafter the other fountains in Savannah followed suit.
Tangent Ahead: Okay, I know this is a Happiness Blog and all, but let me vent a second, okay? Please? But first, a little background: While I taught up the road at Georgia Southern, I heard this refrain from time to time: “GSU? Oh, what a party school!” That got on my last nerve. My very last. (Similar to the Kardashians’ dilemma over what to do after “reality” TV.) Why did the comment irk me? Simple. GSU (or UGA or Emory or Harvard) is a party school if students choose to party there. But GSU (etc.) is a great place to get a wonderful education for those students who choose to do so (which, by the way, are the vast majority).
In a similar vein, what do many people associate with our city’s incredibly popular March holiday? Drinking on River Street, of course. But that aspect of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration is only one part of the wonderful holiday, albeit a decidedly profitable one, and the one that often gets the most press. However, so much more, SO MUCH MORE captures the attention and interest of most Savannahians. Which brings me back to the greening of the fountains. End of Tangent.
Thinking I would just mosey up to the fountain and watch somebody toss in a bit of green dye, I was shocked at the size of the gathering and the palpable excitement of the event.
Before the greening:
After the greening:
Here’s James A. Ray, the Grand Marshal of the 2013 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
And here’s his sister, Nancy Ray Johnson, who is the second female in Savannah St. Patrick’s Day history to be the Aid to the Grand Marshal.
TARA FEIS ****
And then on Saturday at Emmet Park near the river, Tara Feis (feis= festival, pronounced “fesh”) burst on the holiday scene with Irish music, dancers, food and fun. This annual celebration of Erin Go Bragh–Ireland the Beautiful is completely family friendly and alcohol-free.
Here’s a bit of the Glor Na Daire Irish dance school performance:
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And perennially popular local singer/songwriter Harry O’Donoghue‘s closing song, “All the Best”:
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Saints & Shamrocks ****
After enjoying the festival for a couple of hours, I went in search of the official St. Patrick’s Day Parade Magazine, and finally found it at the beautifully delightful Saints & Shamrocks boutique …
… specializing in religious gifts, Irish imports and fair trade gifts. There I met the welcoming, helpful owner and new friend Hope (I love that name) Ebberwein …
… who gave me a copy of the magazine.
[Should I dye my facial hair green for the parade viewing? Now be honest. (Some of you weren’t when I asked if I was too old to wear skinny jeans. See item#4 in the skinny jeans hyperlink.)]
Bach Music Marathon ****
Still not finished with the day, I walked into the Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church on Calhoun Square, where organist Christopher Jacobson from South Carolina sat at the incredible pipe organ performing a two-day marathon of the COMPLETE organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach (257 individual pieces!).
Beautiful.
I get tired just trying to hum through Abba’s three most popular #1 hits.
What a tremendously festive weekend! A greening. A feis. A new friend. And a concert. I wonder what the actual Saint Patrick’s Day Twenty-Thirteen will hold. I’ll let you know. I’m hosting a little parade viewing party, since my place lies directly on the parade route.
It’s Friday All Day Long! Here’s what I am happy about:
1. My SCAD ENGL 193 (Composition for International Students) classes and I holding an informal drop-in Visual Essay Exhibition on Wednesday. A rousing success! I was/am SO proud of my students: artists showing off their work!
Here’s the blurb about the exhibition which I printed out on little programs:
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VISUAL ESSAYS:
A Classroom Exhibition Habersham Hall 3/6/13 SCAD
For this project, students in Neal Saye’s ENG 193, Composition for International Students, both think “essay” and forget “essay.” They can do that—they’re smart! How is the project like an essay? Well, they compose, they have a focus and thesis, they have structure, they have support. But it does not evolve in traditional essay format. It births as a sculpture, a collage, a scrapbook, a video, a painting, a mobile, a form, a food, fashion, theatrical presentation, etc.
In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho presents various themes about life and dream following. After reading the incredible text, students choose a theme, a symbol, a character, an idea, etc. and then create.
The visual essay project, then, is a visual representation of one topic narrowed into a clear thesis/point/perspective/idea. The students’ challenge: how to “show” their thesis.
This exhibition reveals their interpretations.
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And some photos from the exhibition:
And some pics of the visual essays themselves:
2. My iPhone (and sense enough to minimally operate it). Can anybody else remember when a phone was this device you used to call people … and … like, talk?
3. The expectant thought of fresh, fat, orange-red, Vine-Ripened Tomatoes this summer. I nearly cried at lunch yesterday at Panera when this pinkish thing pretending to be a tomato slice fell out of my tuna sandwich. I was so embarrassed I put a napkin over it.
4. Raw almonds
5. Our incredible sense of hearing. It’s so amazing. (Well, except when, for some reason, I came across the band Screeching Weasel’s song “Bark Like a Dog.”)
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That does it. I’m going to start a band, Neal and the Bansheeing TurtlePins. I’m working on our first really big hit, “Knead Like Julia, Martha and Paula (Before the Weight Loss).”
Have a Beautiful Weekend. You HEAR me?
Several years ago, after my underground (!) gym (really, it was underneath Broughton Street) closed in the historic district of Savannah where I live, I joined the nearby Habersham YMCA. I had never belonged to a YMCA before–but I had danced to the song.
From the very first day I have been SO impressed with the folks who work at the Habersham Y. They are without exception welcoming, encouraging and fun to see each time I waddle in.
ALWAYS smiling, the MOST encouraging, MOST positive, FRIENDLIEST Habersham employee has to be RICHARD JOHNSON.
I’ve never seen Richard without a smile on his face and a cheerful word to share. He most definitely meets the criteria of a Balcony Person (Balcony Post Link One, Link Two). Balcony people are those folks you come in contact with who encourage you, bless you, inspire you, give of themselves in some way. They climb the steps up into your balcony, so to speak, lean over the railing and yell, “You’re doing fine! Keep going! You look great! You’re almost there!”
So it is with Richard. As he wheels through the busy gym, his voice can be heard above the whir of elliptical machines and the clang of free weights, greeting every person he sees: “Hey, Neal” “How you doing, Carl?” “Come on now, Janice, you can do more than that!” “Alright now!” Richard is the very definition of a Balcony Person. He infuses the Habersham YMCA with encouragement and joy.
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I asked Richard a few questions about himself and his views about happiness.
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Thanks to Richard and folks like him who help make ho-hum days into Occasions of Happiness.
It’s Friday again! Here are a few Happy Bringers.
1. Samples of some of my SCAD international students’ work turned in this week. The assignment is called the Visual Essay and is based on a book we read, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. After reading the book, the students choose a theme, a character, a symbol, an idea, etc, and “make” their essay, using the composition concepts of thesis, structure, organization, support, and detail to get their point across. Here are some completed projects.
2. My obsession with Irish blessings, quotes, and anything Savannah-St. Patrick’s Day-ish:
“May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.”
3. My brand-spanking-new NealEnJoy blog card holder (and cards):
4. A picture that doesn’t make me look too fat:
(Can I wear skinny jeans at my age?)
5. Taking my ENG 193 (Composition for International Students) classes on a really fascinating docent-led tour of the exhibits at the SCAD Museum of Art during the recent DeFINE ART event (which was actually held at three of SCAD’s campuses in Savannah, Atlanta, and Hong Kong).
[More complete blog post on the museum tour to follow soon.]
Have an Artfully Beautiful Weekend!
Recently my laptop somehow got a Most Terrible Virus which shut my e-world down for a while. My first thought: “Why me?! What have I done to deserve this?!” (FYI: When distressing things happen to me, the idea of a Happiness Blog completely escapes my consciousness. Happy?! Are you CRAZY? And I start to think about writing a Pity Blog or a Hate Blog.)
On a tangent, I wailed the exact same “Why Me?” refrain, only louder and with man tears, when they cancelled Cop Rock back in 1990. You don’t remember Cop Rock? Fine, here’s a clip from the show–which has been listed among the Five Worst Television Programs of All Time. That really hurts my feelings BECAUSE I LOVED IT! What’s not to love? Cops singing, Gleefully, the storyline! Hello.
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Anyway, my computer got sick, and I sure didn’t feel like singing. I had to restart in Safe Mode and do all kinds of actions, such as holding one finger on F7 while I balanced on one foot. Nothing worked. I even asked Jesus for help. Finally, frustrated and lonely, I somehow made an online connection (Jesus’ help?) and started frantically downloading antivirus software right and left, kind of like Kathy Griffin making fun of Oprah and yelling in a frenzy, “Look under your seats! Tickets for everybody! You’re all going with Gail and me to Bali!”
An hour later, with my computer running smoothly, I regained my balance, on both feet. But it seems I had downloaded a few too many antivirus programs, including Avast!, McAfee, Trend Micro and Norton, most of which offered trial versions and then started to charge after a few weeks. So today I realized I needed to do some cancellation, or get another part-time job.
I contacted Norton, and here’s (finally!) where my story begins. Unable to get ahold of a literal person (is “literal” needed there?), I made a sort of appointment for an e-talk chat with a Norton customer service representative. Here’s what I initially saw on my screen:
“Thank you for contacting Norton Support. We are currently experiencing longer than expected wait times. You have been now been placed in a queue and our next available expert will be with you soon.”
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A few minutes later:
“Thank you for your patience. One of our experts will be with you soon.”
[To be honest, I didn’t really have to have an “expert”–just anybody who knew a little bit about cancelling my trial version would be cool.]
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And soon after:
“You are now chatting with Mark Anthony.”
[I felt like I used to feel when my time finally arrived to sit in Santa’s lap.]
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Neal Saye: I am trying to cancel my Norton trial version.
Mark Anthony: Welcome to Norton Support! My name is Mark, I’d be glad to assist you with regards to canceling your trial.
Neal Saye: Thank you.
Mark Anthony: Neal, may I ask why are you canceling your trial? Are you no longer using the Norton product?
Neal Saye: I already had an antivirus package on my computer.
[I was too embarrassed to admit that I had a Bali trip worth of antivirus programs protecting my laptop.]
Neal Saye: So I do not need another.
Mark Anthony: I understand Neal, but under this account nsaye@georgiasouthern.edu, I don’t see any trialware on it.
[His use of “Neal” started to make me feel as if I was talking to, I don’t know, maybe an old college buddy I hadn’t seen in eons.]
Neal Saye: Well actually that’s what I saw when I looked too. But I got a Welcome to Norton email at this email address.
Mark Anthony: I see. Okay let’s see if the product key for your trial is still on your computer. Can you check on your My Documents folder if there’s a Symantec folder?
Neal Saye: [Panicking] One second.
[I had no clue what he was talking about. “Product key”? Huh?]
Mark Anthony: No problem, Neal.
[That’s easy for him to say. He’s a customer service representative.]
Neal Saye: I don’t see one there.
[Embarrassed. Afraid he would dislike me because I couldn’t find the damn key.]
Mark Anthony: Okay, if you are sure that there is no Norton trial program installed on your computer, and I don’t see any trialware on your Norton account nsaye@georgiasouthern.edu, there’s no need for a cancellation, the one you received on your email is probably a Norton account greeting that you have signed-up an account.
Neal Saye: Okay, but if I somehow get charged, may I get a reimbursement?
[Beet red. Made me sound SO cheap.]
Mark Anthony: You may at anytime contact us back. If in any case you get charged, we will be more than happy to process a full refund.
[So happy. He cares.]
Neal Saye: Thanks. Also aren’t you either a famous singer or a Shakespearean character? What are you doing working for Norton?!
[I don’t know why I say such things to perfect strangers, but it seemed right at the time.]
Mark Anthony: I get that a lot Neal, and you’re most welcome.
Mark Anthony: Anything else I could assist you with today?
[I would like to have engaged in more banter about my singer/character joke. People close to me tell me that I’m not really a very funny person. But that I think I am. And that’s what makes people laugh. I never know whether to take that as a compliment or insult.]
Neal Saye: Thanks again for helping me, Mark Anthony. That makes me happy. Speaking of happy, I write a happiness blog–check it out sometime at NealEnJoy.com. I’ll mention you!
[Rule of business: Never miss an opportunity to sell yourself.]
Mark Anthony: That’s great Neal. I’ll be taking note of your blog and will check it out.
[Great response. We will see if he does.]
Neal Saye: Have a great weekend!
Mark Anthony: Thank you for contacting Norton support, feel free to contact us anytime if you have further concerns. Have a great day!
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I suppose there’s no real moral to this blog story–maybe just this: customer service representatives are people too.
This afternoon, my Grandtwins took their FIRST bite of baby food meat, chicken to be exact.
Here’s Matthew‘s reaction:
And Madison‘s:
Uncannily similar to the response I had when it hit me that Keeping Up with the Kardashians is about to enter its 8th season.
NealEnJoy 
