"we should have been brother and sister!"

wednesday, 04 february 2009 josejose said it as we stood sandwiched between artful new yorkers at the highline ballroom. we were gossiping, and as usual, we were nodding our heads at each other saying things like, "i know exactly how you feel", and "i totally do the same thing".

and it's true. jose started out as my boss--the boss everyone but me feared. he respected me and the work i did and so he praised me and treated me gently, like a kitten--or a little sister. between visits we do a lot of "we HAVE to get together", until finally, one of us gets stuck with an extra ticket to a concert and we share. we've done this 6 or 7 times, it seems. sometimes spontaneity is the best and most successful plan in the overscheduled, fast paced world of new york city.
this night was cold. really cold. but i delighted in the luxury of getting a ride from home to the show and back again. in a car. i pretended i was rich folk and wore heels and a dress and just a jacket. no seven layers of tights and thermals and undersweaters and hats and double gloves and diaper scarves. i still died on that one block walk to the venue. after the show i sat in the car shivering and pre-setting my camera and the plan. okay jose: i'm gonna run out and get the focus. then i'm gonna wave to you and you run out and stand right there. and try not to scream. and at 9 degrees my fingers would barely move and i'm just lucky he's in the picture plane at all!

and we ran back to the car shaking and squealing and me screaming TURN THE HEATER ON!!!

p.s. would anyone care to join me in scratching their heads in wonder that next month we will celebrate jose's 50th birthday? what?

p.p.s. oh, is it valentine's day? what's that?

p.p.p.s. jose was day 1 of my assignment. the first.

i'm sorry, apparently 50 million people have already watched this, but just in case you didn't yet..

connection

thursday, 05 february 2009

john was my teacher. he's a brilliant and humorous speaker. when the end of my semester came and he asked me to be his teaching assistant, i jumped at the chance, not because it pays well, but for the same reason his devoted people come back every semester, year after year, to sit in his classroom, complain as they do that it's too hot, too cold. just to hear him talk about art. he expands my mind and continues to facilitate my understanding of something that a few years ago seemed beyond my grasp. and he mixes his yale vocabulary with a goofiness that is so endearing.

incidentally, i've also done finances and photoshop work for his wife, tended to his plants in his glorious carroll gardens brownstone while he vacationed, and then there was the introduction to a now infamous artist to whom i've devoted my professional life in the past year. a pivot point.

here you see him with his handy, homemade--not quite perfect but makeshift pointer which replaced his holy grail perfect pointer of old. i also love the way his colorfully patterned, untucked shirts bear the awkward creases as if they've each come fresh out of a plastic package.


your favorite? hit the comments.

oh, but wait! john was my subject last thursday, so in the week that has elapsed, i had forgotten my inspiration, what i was going to say about him. i only remember that i forgot it (yes, i'm so helpful to myself). it was something about john being the person i communicate with the most via eye contact. he communicates timing to me with his eyes and i advance the slides. luckily, he has lovely eyes.

friend

friday, 06 february 2009 mieke

i bought these earrings in portland because the word 'friend' popped out of the lovely dewdrop magnified text. here in new york, where stable, down-to-earth friendships are tough to maintain, mieke has been my neighborhood yoga buddy, brunch companion, sous chef, co-party thrower, ear for gossipping, supplier of all things delicious and belgian, artistic supporter and sharer of an occaisional bottle of wine. in exchange, i found her a husband. and i will never give up those bragging rights.

these images should be enlarged for detailed viewing by clicking on them.

having trouble choosing the final image. what would you choose? (and tell me in the comment section why!)

• first: isolated earring
• second: portrait
• third: glass
• fourth: focus on earring

Created on Feb 11, 2009

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poll by twiigs.com

vegas baby

saturday, 07 february, 2009
i met shannon just today, when i officiated her marriage to matthew. they'd already had an amazing ceremony in mexico streaming in sunlight and marched through the village by a swarm of mariachis. today featured a touch less pomp but even so, the simple exchange of vows and rings (even at a pan asian-vegan restaurant) feels special and significant. so much so, that i hesitated in stripping down to my istanbul fish t-shirt, until shannon trumped me with a humor much appreciated. shannon and matthew met in las vegas, so of course, in may their baby will emerge: vegas baby. extra points for a 'shotgun' wedding?
on a sidenote: isn't it interesting meeting people's siblings? so similar yet different...(hi erika!)

warning: homework alert

i've assigned myself the task of photographing somebody different every day this semester for my visual diary class. i believe this idea popped into my head as a direct rebellion to spending a semester photographing myself for my photographic self portrait class. initially i wanted to somehow standardize the photos so they would work together but this idea was met with protest from my very encouraging instructor. so i've let them develop (hee hee, photographer's pun!) as they will, as they surely would have anyway without the in-class lashing. most of the images are taken very quickly, with no real time to overanalyze. and i think that's good. i'm already half a week behind in sharing them with you, so without further ado, i'll just start from yesterday.

sunday, 8th of february, 2009
cristina wanted to sublet that hypothetical place so badly. still in detroit, she almost declared she'd take it sight unseen. for her i held off on calling many craigslisters. for her i rearranged my schedule and then my weekend schedule. when she pulled up in a mercedes (okay, so it wasn't hers, but still, you don't find me riding around in a 'cedes) i knew it wasn't good news for our little hypothetical funky studio.
she really didn't like the carpet. who could blame her? but look at that gorgeous light! she was a good sport though, and allowed me to photograph her in our probably only five minutes ever of acquaintance. NEXT!

wherein i continue to stubbornly use my blog, rather than facebook, as a repository for boring thoughts about myself

okay, you want to hear 25 random things about me? boy, have you come to the right place! how about 296 random things about me, which is as many posts as there are on this blog? you asked. so here you go.

#22, as encountered yesterday in the BITTER cold.

i have this scarf. it's beautiful. hand knit by emre's mother. what's 'special' about it is its length. it's roughly 10-12' long. this makes it handy for days like yesterday (and probably today-haven't gone out to check that fun out yet), is that it can wrap me up like a wooly dusty rose mummy faster than you can say 'king tut' meets molly ringwald. around the shoulders and around my neck and around my mouth and around my nose and back down again.

problem is, when i actually need to come up for a breath of air, or, i don't know, see the street i'm crossing, i end up with all this yarn almost dragging the sidewalk. and somehow it has this magnetic way of getting trapped between my legs and riding up my jeans until suddenly i'm wondering, 'am i wearing a diaper or something'?

untangle epic scarf from between the legs and repeat. it usually takes about 30 seconds to diaper me up again. so the mummy style is much more effective.

aren't you glad you asked? too bad my 183 facebook friends don't want to wander over this way to read this gem. go figure.

and aha! since i haven't been regaling you with any photos lately, i'll give you more chances to call me narcissistic and share with you another such yarn creation from emre's mom. it's quite martha stewart gets out of jail, no? do notice the matching hat. as modeled a couple years ago by our happy blogger.

uncomfortable hypothetical situation #79

of course, totally hypothetical:

showing the boss's sublet apartment to a prospective tenant and hearing a rustling noise emanating from the wall. ignore.

tenant to be?: oh! are there mice here?
me: um....i don't know. there's no cat around, and this is new york city after all, so i'm gonna say, it's entirely possible.
tenant to be?: okay. great.

weather vain

okay. so i'm not really one to engage in such self-indulgent behavior as to really think the weather could conspire against me personally. and for the record, i really love snow.

however.

how is it that if the winds are 13 mph coming from the NNE, every turn i make, the snow is blowing STRAIGHT INTO MY FACE?!

just curious.

the back from vacation report

somebody, please would anybody, hit me in the face with a frying pan or anything cast iron just STOP MY EYE FROM TWITCHING!!

the left one. the one that's been twitching all day. can i be that stressed? really? i tried to zen power through it for the first hour but it just screamed, yelled and twitched and twitched and twitched some more. oof.