Last night my best friend’s young cousin and her guy friend spent the night with us. She’s about to graduate from Wellsley, he goes to West Point. Soon she’ll be traveling, and won’t live in Connecticut anymore, so they wanted a chance to hang out. In typical college-kid fashion, she didn’t call me until Friday night to ask if they could come Saturday and crash. But the truth is I didn’t really care. She’s a great young woman, a total pleasure to have around and I meant it when I told her she could come stay here anytime. Which is hilarious because now I think she’s coming back on Tuesday with a girlfriend. And that’s fine. There’s a good chance our friend Bart will be here Tuesday and Wednesday night for a Broadway audition Wednesday afternoon. We can comfortably host four (if with little privacy, as it involves the living room couches if we go over two) so it will all work out even if everyone comes.
This is what really marks the beginning of the pleasant-weather season in New York City — the houseguests return like swallows to Capistrano.
By the time it got cold last year I was starting to despair because it felt like we had guests week after week after week. It was hugely diffcult because it wasn’t like the same people kept coming back, it was always someone different. Someone we hadn’t seen in too long. Someone who’d spent precious time and money to get here. Someone who deserved our full and energetic attention. And after a while we really began to wilt.
But winter came and everyone started saying, “We’ll come in the spring.” We got a few months off to recharge, with no more than a few drop-ins. Now people are starting to send the emails or leave the messages and we are once again delighted.
So my advice is that if you’re coming, come early when we’re fresh. If you wait until October you may find we’ve planned a rousing weekend of watching Netflix movies and eating Chinese delivery for you.
And as someone who now has some level of hosting expertise, let me offer these two bits of advice/pleas to all houseguests everywhere.
1. Unless you are going to be totally out of your element, go ahead and make plans that don’t involve me. Telling me you’re off to have lunch with an old college friend is what allows me to get some down time and/or work done.
2. Make yourself at home. Really. If we’re close enough for you to stay with me, we’re close enough for you to rummage through my refrigerator, answer my phone, borrow my hairbrush, etc, without asking. It’s so much easier for me if you feel comfortable.
jaysaint 
Posted by travellight on May 21, 2006 at 8:09 pm
I’m not planning to visit, but what you got in the fridge?
Posted by travellight on May 21, 2006 at 8:09 pm
I’m not planning to visit, but what you got in the fridge?
Posted by jaysaint on May 21, 2006 at 10:50 pm
First the caveat that we didn’t get enough advance warning to stock like we usually do when someone is coming.
We have:
— cinnamon raisin bagels and garlic onion cream cheese (this is what happens when I say to Damon: Get bagels and a fun flavor cream cheese)
— lime chips and salsa
— marshmallow twists
— homemade vegetarian chili
— various flavors of ice cream and adorable fruit sorbets in orange skins
— apples
— pomegranite juice
— orange juice
— eggs
— milk
— Diet Coke
And then there’s the regular old stuff like salmon fillets and pasta — things like that we always have.
So, see, you *should* plan to visit.
Posted by shannyjean on May 22, 2006 at 2:27 pm
what is a marshmallow twist?
Posted by jaysaint on May 23, 2006 at 2:16 am
Wonderfulness in candy form.
Barney Greengrass sells these little lovelies, each about the size of one nigiri. It’s a bit fluffy/sticky marshmallow encased in dark chocolate. It’s a “twist” because it’s molded into a wavy shape.
Posted by jaysaint on May 23, 2006 at 2:16 am
Wonderfulness in candy form.
Barney Greengrass sells these little lovelies, each about the size of one nigiri. It’s a bit fluffy/sticky marshmallow encased in dark chocolate. It’s a “twist” because it’s molded into a wavy shape.
Posted by shannyjean on May 22, 2006 at 2:27 pm
what is a marshmallow twist?
Posted by jaysaint on May 21, 2006 at 10:50 pm
First the caveat that we didn’t get enough advance warning to stock like we usually do when someone is coming.
We have:
— cinnamon raisin bagels and garlic onion cream cheese (this is what happens when I say to Damon: Get bagels and a fun flavor cream cheese)
— lime chips and salsa
— marshmallow twists
— homemade vegetarian chili
— various flavors of ice cream and adorable fruit sorbets in orange skins
— apples
— pomegranite juice
— orange juice
— eggs
— milk
— Diet Coke
And then there’s the regular old stuff like salmon fillets and pasta — things like that we always have.
So, see, you *should* plan to visit.
Posted by travellight on May 21, 2006 at 8:09 pm
I’m not planning to visit, but what you got in the fridge?
Posted by jaysaint on May 21, 2006 at 10:50 pm
First the caveat that we didn’t get enough advance warning to stock like we usually do when someone is coming.
We have:
— cinnamon raisin bagels and garlic onion cream cheese (this is what happens when I say to Damon: Get bagels and a fun flavor cream cheese)
— lime chips and salsa
— marshmallow twists
— homemade vegetarian chili
— various flavors of ice cream and adorable fruit sorbets in orange skins
— apples
— pomegranite juice
— orange juice
— eggs
— milk
— Diet Coke
And then there’s the regular old stuff like salmon fillets and pasta — things like that we always have.
So, see, you *should* plan to visit.
Posted by shannyjean on May 22, 2006 at 2:27 pm
what is a marshmallow twist?
Posted by jaysaint on May 23, 2006 at 2:16 am
Wonderfulness in candy form.
Barney Greengrass sells these little lovelies, each about the size of one nigiri. It’s a bit fluffy/sticky marshmallow encased in dark chocolate. It’s a “twist” because it’s molded into a wavy shape.