good morning, brooklyn!

out my kitchen window. happiness.
when i was a little girl i used every opportunity to make a wish--usually on the first star--to wish it would snow. and while a trace dusting about twice in my lifetime did wake me up squealing, i'm thinking new york is just a delayed answer to my little girl wishes. this is what east coast winter should be. enough of the cold and dreary with no white, business!
i like it!

24 marzo, wednesday: oliver jeffers

one year since cuba creeps up. one year since jade creeps up. and i'm just posting these now. return to cuba? ojala!

el 23 de marzo: la casa de juana

too legit

sometimes i find myself commenting on other people's blogs. i used to be timid about this and still don't do it much. however, knowing how much i love my blog being more of a dialogue than monologue-how much i love receiving comments, i try to come out of my 'lurker' status occasionally (this is only partially intended to be a kick in the ass to you lurkers!).

but sometimes i find my comments on others blogs running too long. i'm too much of a story-teller. so i'm yanking this comment from where i was originally posting it (the inadvertent gardener) so i can yammer on and on.

uhhh...with such a long-winded pre-amble i forgot what i was going to say! oh yeah. here we go. it just fell to the bottom of my bag...

in her post, genie talks about being afraid to be pulled over by the cops while transporting wine-soaked barrels for her garden, despite having drunk a drop of alcohol, due to the pungent smell of the barrels.

and my response was this:

i always enjoy doing things that are legal but could be mistaken for illegal. i look forward to that moment when i can make that self-righteous 'i told you so' face and watch the cops walk back to their car. examples of this abound on the subway, where mta cops apparently haven't gotten the memo that the post 9/11 ban on photography has been lifted. oh, how i love to educate them.

this is in direct counterpoint to those sketchy moments (which generally happen while i'm working) where i probably should or could be reprimanded and the 'i told you so' face is replaced by the more sweet, innocent 'please-don't-hurt-me-my-boss-is-just-crazy' face.

i think the boss enjoys both types. once while being pulled over for talking on his cell phone while driving, coincidentally hauling an oversized truckload of phragmites reeds for a project, the officer inquired: "do you know why i'm pulling you over?"

the boss: "cause i'm hauling a truck full of marijuana?"

love.

seriously, the last qatari journal entry....

riotous honking and booming fireworks outside. perhaps the emir (the king) has made his way down this road now. today is national qatar day. each tribe sets up tents by the side of the road and rugs and upholstered furniture and they burn fires and they dance with swords and there are camels and horses about. the emir starts at the end of a miles long stretch and walks his way down to visit each and every one. no wonder they love him. if this were america it would be like the biggest tailgate party. but it isn't. there is no alcohol, and there are no women (well, not so many women at tailgate parties...) we drive by in the twilight, staring in wonder at what we see for miles end to end.

---

observations happen throughout the day and i make mental notes and then my chalkboard gets erased. too full of other things. work things. and i come back to the hotel so beyond exhausted. blame it on jet-lag. i haven't slept over three hours a night. i'm rooting for tonight. and while i'm whining, may i take a moment to wonder how the company i've never worked for promoted me to one of the two lead captain positions out of 30? this affords me no more money. i still can't afford a massage or a souvenir. but at least they are gracious and complimentary.

on a positive note, every time i walk into the party space i get chills. i mean goosebumps on my arms. it is truly royal. and tonight i saw the sheik. and then of course i was was asked to leave.

my brainwashing is officially complete. in contrast to yesterday morning (was it really only a day ago?!) when robert had to extend a firm handshake to remind me not to hug him--did i mention that an act such as that--a public display of affection between unmarried people, could get me arrested?! anyway, in contrast to forgetting that, i left my hotel room to go to the spa. out of laziness, i threw one of my 'long dresses' over my swim suit. walking down the hall, i waddled as i noticed in horror that when i walked, my knees were half revealed. women must never show their knees or shoulders! i was achingly uncomfortable and took a back hallway.

------

today the mud started to harden in our part of the palace grounds. i've started thinking of our area--the back bowels of the wedding tent--as deadwood (the lawless western town). yes, our main street is a sludge of quicksand mud spanned by sinking wooden planks that when stepped on wrong will spit mud juice at innocent bystanders. our shoes are caked with mud. and trenches of raw sewage flow just below the backstage plywood and it's no secret it's there. we walk in fear of snipers for perceived wrongdoing. it's so deadwood.

another stray journal entry from qatar...blah, blah, blah.

the hotel is a wonderland. i'm led to my room, given a tour of its features by a man who first asks permission to enter, then speaks in an east indian accent so thick that i miss all details and just nod my head when it seems appropriate.

i have a room with a balcony all to myself. at first i'm tired. but soon i'm unpacking, figuring out the computer hook up, indulging in room service, wearing the bathrobe and slippers. everything is beautiful.

best. business. trip. ever.

and suddenly it's 3am. i have to get up at 6:30 and i can't sleep at all. which leads me to a very jet-lagged state.

breakfast is exquisite. there is simply no other choice than to use such words. it's not bourgeoishy. it's regal. i want to eat everything, and damn near do. yogurt and honey, nuts and granola, a ton of fruit, smoothies, coffee, pastries. there are beans and cheese and olives. my eyes are bigger than my stomach but at this rate the latter just might catch up, and by the time the event comes, that carefully tailored royal wedding outfit may not fit.

we meet with the organizers and it seems not be be a coincidence that i've arrived early, as i've been given a role as one of the two lead captains.

i see my old friend robert in the lobby. the one who is responsible for my being here. the one i've known for ten years. the one i haven't seen since the time he voluntarily did sanit at my white box fund-raising auction two years ago. i rush toward him, ready for a big bear hug. he very meaningfully stops my impulse by extending his hand to shake. doh! already i forget. all public displays of affection between unmarried people of the opposite sex are illegal, punishable by law. i can't even get away with a christian side hug here!

after breakfast we explore the stunningly beautiful and deserted indoor and outdoor pools. the hot tub resembles one of those rooms at the met museum of art in the islamic art section--the recreated tiled harem.

today is supposed to be our day to chill here, but our new boss is so excited we're here that we're whisked to the site, my arms reaching back with claws extended. MUST HAVE POOL!!! supposedly you can walk right through the golf course, down to a dock and swim in the gulf. i want to be there now!! but after our walk through, we now wait from 11 to 1. there is no driving due to prayer. they will serve us lunch in an hour. somehow, i am ravenous again. incredible.

i am also tortured by that oh so familiar feeling of being unable to photograph. it seems that i won't have an opportunity to take my camera out of the hotel.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

opening!

i know that it's standard blog etiquette not to discuss your job in posts. i find this most difficult, because i'm happy to say, that i love my job and all of the adventures (and even accidents!) it brings.

as a compromise, i sometimes make mention of stories from my job, but try never to directly name my employer. this seems silly, but please humor my vagueness.

this vagueness is particularly difficult for me when i have some sort of personal accomplishment to brag about. for example, this past thursday, the boss and i celebrated the end of a kick-ass project that opened in philadelphia. as the boss said, my hand was heavy in this project/installation, particularly in the creation of 2 beautiful 5 foot by 4 foot photographic prints documenting the project. seeing these photographs printed in such a large format was a first for me and quite honestly, brought tears of pride to my eyes.

additionally, the fact that my love, jade, often collaborates with the boss brings further joy to my life, as it provides us time to work and create together and take collective pride. like last summer.

jade, as a member of the elusive psudoterrorist group born from this project, helped paint the huge mural atop a 100' tall gas drum as i sat shaking in the center, clinging to an exhaust chimney, having a panic attack, certain i was about to fall off the earth. alas, i was later enlisted as the getaway driver. but hey! who dangled out of a helicopter to snap that photo, eh?

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

to read a great article about the project click here:

take that suckas!

just because i'm so in love with this man.
just because i've been under attack lately for my love for this man.
just because valentine's day is around the corner
and just because i'm silly and the most romantic thing i like to do with this man is build things...

i ran across these snapshots of us installing his pig ship at his gallery.
and i love them.

favorite text messages part 1

i'm still drivin around gayin out to yer lesbo cd.

qatar by car

in case the text moved too swiftly for you:

in december of 2009 i was flown to doha to be a part of an amazing team of women who would manage the royal qatari sheika's wedding. cameras were strictly forbidden in the palace and hours were too long for sightseeing. the ride to the airport became my sole chance to snaps tourists photos. but it was the qatar i saw.