Found Art!

My thesis was returned to my mentor's home and now it's on its way back to me. I'm proud of myself for holding it together under the circumstances. I don't remember the last time I handled myself so well in crisis. (I need to pat myself on the back; allow me this, please.)

On another note, did anyone else think it was strange/fabulous that the army announced the Oscar for best short documentary, which was stacked with anti-war movies, and the winner was a pro-gay marriage film? Oops.

-Latest viewing: Batalla en el Cielo
-Engrossed: You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon
-Getting Used to: Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
-Lesson: Don't drink half of a bottle of wine before waking up early to go to work.
-Second Lesson: Find little ways to brighten up a drab dress-code to avoid misery at work.

Valentine's Day (Observed): Beacon, NY

Joseph, artist by day; explorer of strange towns (like Beacon) by night.

My first encounter with Bruce Nauman's work. Dia: Beacon.



Winter in Beacon.

death of a horseman

Last week my horse necklace broke. I don't want to jinx the goodness, but since removing the jewelry, improvements abound. Overall, I'm much happier, like the old days. Maybe I wasn't bred to be a horse girl for a reason: the giant beasts bring bad luck.

My first thesis submission is lost in the mail. This isn't good luck.
Snow is coming down for real now. Also not good luck.
Hm.
Still, feeling better all around.

On my nightstand: American Pastoral by Philip Roth
In the CD alarm clock: Gravy Train!!!!
On repeat: Mr. Blue by Yaz (watch Chocolate War!)

Matzo Ball Soup: An Initiation

Saturday started with a traditional English-style breakfast (unbeknownst to Joe, who cooked the meal), which consists of scrambled eggs with baked beans and hot sauce, and sourdough toast. Then a trip to Yaffa for brunch with Sandra, Rui-Bing, and some of her friends.

Entering a heavy food coma, we made our way to the Brooklyn Brewery for a "tour," which ended up being a twenty-minute speech/presentation about how beer helped one man cope with witnessing the murder of two friends and the decapitation of another. The whole point of suffering through this was the assumption that we would be given free beer. Not so. Not so at all.

Consoling ourselves at a local coffee shop over Irish coffee, I declared the day, Serious Conversation Saturday, a national holiday. Everyone participated and we even got a lecture on the hypocrisy of discussing gentrification. Yippee!

We parted ways, and Joe and I headed to the new 2nd Avenue Deli for what might be considered a kind of Bar-Mitzvah: Joe's first ever bowl of matzo ball soup! He loved it. I believe mazel tov's are in order.

Along with matzo ball soup, we gulped down hot pastrami sandwiches, a plate of pickles, coleslaw, and Dr. Brown's cream soda. We will never go hungry.

L'Chaim!

someone else's vacation

It's like that when you're on vacation: drinking freely, staying up until G-d knows what hour, buying your friends desserts and beer, running around town looking for figurines, sleeping in.

It's like this when you have a friend staying with you who is on vacation: drinking with abandon, late nights before early work mornings, free dessert and beer, staying in instead of hunting down figurines, growing jealous of a friend who can sleep in.

nothing a little erasure can't help

Just in time for Sandra's visit, winter bombarded New York. Everything is quiet, slower, and a little gloomier. Still, Sandra is here, so nothing can be that bad.

My second semester of classes that I'm teaching began this week. For now, I will say that it's a mixed bag and leave it at that.

I'm losing focus on my thesis and instead of trying to regain control, I'm puttering around my apartment, making coffee, eating Trader Joe's chili (yum), and fiddling with my itunes.

-Reading: Among the Missing by Dan Chaon
-Listening: Erasure is a quick fix for the winter blues. Sandra says the intro to "Who Needs Love (Like That)" sounds like a PBS documentary.
-Biggest b.s. lesson plan, that I ended up pulling off: "Time to Go" by Stephen Dixon
-Need more discipline in order to watch: Twin Peaks: Season Two, which is my goal this winter.
-New cat experiment: covering Cornelius with olive oil in order to reduce visitors' allergies. So far, I'm not sure if it's working because Sandra wasn't allergic to Cornelius to begin with.

we are your creepy neighbors

the snow fell horizontally. gravity changed. one thing remained the same: voyeurism is a perfect pastime. last night at 7 pm, New York was watching television. photos by Joe and Gili:

First Thesis Submission in the Mail

School is so hard: I had to endure hours of Footloose in order to write one of my stories.

Currently watching: Spirit of the Beehive
Reading: Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Listening: Donovan
Playing: hookey
Excited about: Sandra's visit

Last day, wiped out, AWP style.

Janet and Deb, writers at large.

Lopate's really pretty wife and the genius little mushroom, Cynthia Ozick.

Pensive mushroom.

Abbs and Deb.

Association for Wack People

We can't go anywhere.

Brian's a baby bird.

I'm a baby bird, too.

Brian is staying with the nuns in the middle of Chelsea. Three Catholics and a Jew, singing Chorus Line in the lobby of a convent.



The convent had a tribute to clowns. Did you get that? Clowns. This place = creep(y) central.