Scarlet Glow

"Women are like teabags;
We don't know our true strengths until we are in hot water."
-Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

On June 26, 2009 I enjoyed afternoon tea at a very favorite place known as Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon inside the Inn at Irving Place in New York City. The full-service tea is quite special while it always feels like such a departure from being in New York City. It has a lovely, elegant, English-style atmosphere. I was enjoying tea on this day with Alan, his daughter, Carrie and Susan Hirsch-Frieman-Ross.
http://www.innatirving.com/default.aspx?pg=dining-mendls&rp=home



I pondered my tea choices and selected White Peony (my old stand-by favorite). There was a ‘Scarlet Glow’ tea on the menu and it made me flashback to a previous visit to Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon on April 23, 2008.


I wondered if the ‘Scarlet Glow’ tea was the one that actress, Scarlett Johansson ordered last Spring 2008.

You see, Alan and I were having tea on April 23, 2008 with Alan’s step-sister, Candice, when I happened to take notice of actress Scarlett Johansson at a table by the front window of the Tea Salon. She was with a mid-30’s portly brunette woman who seemed friendly enough (and having Scarlett’s best-interests at heart). I could not resist the temptation of taking this (unbeknownst to her) photo using my handy 3X zoom ‘point and shoot’ Cyber shot camera. I felt like such a paparazzi. It’s a good thing I did not use the ‘forced flash’. Smiles.

We finished our tea on this Springtime day in 2008 and I still wanted to talk to Scarlett. I had something to say. Alan dared me.
"You're not going to say something to her, are you?"
Alan and I (and Candice) walked over to her table after we had finished our tea time. I pardoned my intrusion, of course.

“Hi Scarlett, I am a big fan of yours but I have to tell you…I’m a little disappointed.”
Scarlett gasped ever so lightly, “but why?”
“Well, you’ve lived in our building in New York and I heard you are moving out. We never even had a chance to welcome you,” I said.
She smiled and laughed.
Alan added, “You know that The Knitting Factory is moving out, so it won’t be crowded and noisy there anymore.”
“I know, but someone else will just move in,” Scarlett said.

Her hair was very blond and ‘after the fact’ I realized that she must be back in New York after just wrapping up the filming of ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ (due for release in mid-August 2008).

“Well, I just had to tell you I was hoping to run into you in the elevator of the building,” I said, “maybe we will before you leave.”
She laughed again. Did she like my charm and wit?
Somehow the conversation shifted to Broadway Theater and our recent, random meeting with actor Laurence Fishburne the other night.
“Oh, I heard he is going to be so good in that show,” Scarlett said, in reference to THURGOOD.

We bid our farewell. Scarlett married actor Ryan Reynolds about five months later (September 27, 2008). I now wonder if she still goes to tea at this magnificent little place. She was not there during my most recent visit.

Please forgive me, Scarlett, for giving away our ‘afternoon tea’ hideaway, but it is so good a place. People must try it. Tea for health, right?

Twenty-five years ago today:

August 2, 1984
Thursday

While doing my morning exercise routine the telephone rang. I thought it might be Karyn Kossoff reminding me to watch The Flintstones at 7AM this morning. It was Chris Cordellos’ mother!
“I spoke to Chris briefly and he would like you to call him tonight,” Mrs. Cordellos said in a very pleasant tone. “It’s early now could you call me later for more details?”
“Of course I will,” I answered back.

During training today we were briefed on SORD (Service ORDERS) and BOSS (the computer Billing System). It was boring but I did learn more. We are now getting into Premiere calling features and benefits. It is quite complex in comparison to the simple ‘call waiting’ and ‘call forwarding’ features. It is all so new to everyone (even the longtime reps in the Business Office).

I telephoned Mrs. Cordellos as she had asked but she still had not heard from Chris again for more information.
“I will leave a message for you as soon as I hear from him.”
I ended up receiving her message at around 3:30PM; whereby, I called her again.
“Chris got his vacation. He wants you to call him tonight between eight and nine o’clock at the Base,” she said gratefully.
“Okay, I will and thank you so much.”

I did a non-stop 6pm to 7pm bicycle tour when I arrived home. I saw this New Wave-looking blond curly haired dude with black shades sitting in front of the AT&T Building on Shoreline Drive. As I drove by I waved to him once. He had a bit of a delayed reaction but he waved back, too. My courage was stirred, so I rode up next to him with my adrenaline at a high. I walked my bike alongside him as we continued to walk and talk around the middle of Shoreline Drive, through Otis Drive, up Grand Avenue to Shoreline and through Park Street when we departed. He was a nice guy. He graduated from Alameda High School in 1982 and his name is Erik Jacobsen. He kind of reminded me of Chris when I got a closer look at him. He works at the Hungry Hunter as a waiter in Oakland.
“I’ll probably see you later up along the beach sometime,” I said when we went our separate ways.

I also saw Birda ride by (as a passenger) in a white Ford Mustang as I was walking with Eric. I waved to her, of course. As we walked I briefly spoke to the black dude who shares a room at Suzy’s apartment. He is such a nice guy, too. I asked if he’d been running.
“I haven’t been running because of a bad foot or something,” he explained.

I kept riding my bike until 8:30PM and once I arrived home I telephoned Chris Cordellos. It was good to hear his voice again.
“I’ve been wondering where you’ve been,” Chris said urgently.
I could tell that he had a feeling that I was going’ out with someone else.
“No, I’m not seeing anyone else,” I said, hoping he believed me because I really had not been seeing anyone ‘regularly’.
Chris was at the Base and could not talk very long periods, so I agreed to call again in fifteen minutes.

Bruce called me during the fifteen minute interval.
“Okay, let’s go hiking on Sunday,” I said just to get him off the phone and the geek off my back. He is such a nag.

I telephoned Chris once more. It wasn’t easy getting connected but we finally did and we had a good talk.
“I’ll see what I can do about getting the first week off in September,” Chris said, sounding not-very-optimistic.
“I guess I’ll have to wait and see,” I said as my ‘call waiting’ beeped and interrupted twice. It was Karyn Kossoff the first time and Danny Garcia the second time. I told them both that I’d call back.

Once again it was nice talking to Chris. He is really my best-friend. I am glad he still calls on me and remembers and thinks of me.

I returned Danny’s call but his line was busy.

I returned Karyn’s call and we confirmed the arrangements to have drinks after work on Friday. We had another long discussion about one another, New York (where she is from), the office and her predicted foresight of the gay guys’ pestering she will receive at the office (with regard to us).