notes from Catherine

Book Accidents

2010-07-12T19:56:00.002-04:00

I wonder how many Columbia University library books accidentally end up on the subway tracks of the 116th stop on the 1 line.

Literary life...

2010-02-16T10:03:00.003-05:00

I recently came across a brief autobiographical essay by Elif Batuman, a lecturer in literature at Stanford University:

Confessions of an Accidental Literary Scholar

I admire her ability to stay true to what felt right to her, as a developing writer and scholar of literature, and not to take for granted the steps one is "supposed" to take to become a writer (e.g., get an MFA, go to writers colonies, etc)...of course, I am sure part of my fondness for this essay also stems from my shared love of Russian literature (which I recently started studying) and my own budding career in higher education (well, "budding career" might be a bit excessive, but I sure do love spending time in the libraries of the campus where I work).

William Kentridge

2010-02-10T14:01:00.002-05:00

Went to a lecture given by the South African artist William Kentridge at Cooper Union's Great Hall last night, took some notes. Here are a few Kentridge gems:

-Kentridge's own term for his rudimentary stop-motion animation technique is "Stone Age Filmmaking."

-Kentridge is attempting to make work that reminds us "what it is we do when we see."

-"An artist talking about philosophy is like a drunk going on and on about a theory."

-The concept of mistranslation: things that get lost lost as images are transferred and shared...it's about the gaps, the things that go wrong...our memory.

-Goal: to make an image that is elusive of rational explanation.

-"Like connoisseurship, both forensics and psychoanalysis rely on the details as the key to solve problems."

-"Masks actually do not work as expected: instead of focusing on the mask, we focus on the movements of the body around the mask."

-"Holding onto possibilities even if they can't or won't seem to be is what gives us hope in the world."

-"It's not fair for artists to blame bad work on theory that came first."

24 Nov 2009

2009-12-07T21:58:00.003-05:00

This image is unfinished...but it has remained unfinished for two weeks now, so I think it's time to move on and post it as is. I originally intended for there to be text in this drawing.
This is the final image for this round of the Daily Drawing Project.

23 Nov 2009

2009-12-07T21:56:00.001-05:00

Tradition!

2009-11-25T23:22:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and, like last year, I will be spending the day feasting on delicious food at my significant other's parents' house in Long Island.

This year I have a hankering to bring a little LaSota to the table. I won't be celebrating any part of the Thanksgiving weekend with my own blood relatives (a rarity, considering it's my mom's favorite holiday), so I'm going to bring a little of my own tradition to the dinner table tomorrow, gonna represent LaSota style.

And so...I just made my first Spinach Casserole (yes, it deserves to be capitalized). A staple at LaSota holiday dinners, the Spinach Casserole was, I believe, devised as a way to get kids to eat vegetables. The Spinach Casserole, you see, does not taste like vegetables. This is due to a careful (over-)cooking process whereby all nutritional value is squeezed out of several packages of frozen chopped spinach, which is then blended harmoniously with sour cream and dry onion soup mix, then topped off with plenty of butter and bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Yum.

Gourmet it ain't, but tradition it is. Yummy tradition.

22 Nov 2009

2009-11-23T00:14:00.001-05:00

21 Nov 2009

2009-11-23T00:13:00.001-05:00

20 Nov 2009

2009-11-23T00:12:00.002-05:00

Scanning Delays...

2009-11-22T23:55:00.002-05:00

No, really, I have been doing these drawings every day...it's just been an, um, crazy weekend, so I didn't get around to scanning everything daily for the last couple of days. Tonight is catchup time for the technological side of my Daily Drawing Project! And my scanning skills are still less than stellar...one of these days, soon, I hope, I will become one with my scanner...but that day is not today.

19 Nov 2009

2009-11-19T23:01:00.002-05:00

Learning Curve

2009-11-19T22:47:00.003-05:00

So I've been told that the quality of my scans is poor, and that the scans are not doing justice to the actual drawings...poorly representing them and all that. I have also noticed this myself...but, for now, my focus is on pumping out these drawings, and my hope is that my scanning skills will improve as I go. Hopefully I will have a bit of a chance this Sunday to put a little more time and love into the technological side of this Daily Drawing Project, and I'll jump up really high on that scanning learning curve! We can only hope...
It's nice to have a project.

18 Nov 2009

2009-11-18T23:56:00.002-05:00

17 Nov 2009

2009-11-17T23:11:00.001-05:00

16 Nov 2009

2009-11-16T23:43:00.002-05:00

Daily Drawing Project

2009-11-16T23:31:00.002-05:00

Well...now that I've figured out that using my scanner is oh-so-simple (I'm not doing any image manipulation, mind you, just straight up scanning and cropping...one step at a time, kids!), and now that I've dusted off my pens and gouache, I have spur-of-the-moment decided to embark upon an awesome I-have-no-idea-how-long-it'll-last project. It's my...

DAILY DRAWING PROJECT!

Yessir, I'm gonna make a new drawing every day (or night) and post it right here on this blog...until I grow bored or run out of things I wanna draw or my scanner breaks! (Knock on wood, none of that will happen any time soon...)

Let's see how this crazy scheme pans out...

Oldie but Goodie

2009-11-16T20:18:00.005-05:00

Well, now that I've figured out how to use the scanner function on my Epson NX400 (so easy! I had just never tried before), there is no stopping me, kids. I'm going scan-crazy. Now if only I had Photoshop on my laptop...
This image is a gouache drawing I did in early 2006, from a series based on words I grabbed out of Margaret Atwood's The Tent.

Going crazy, time to sketch...

2009-11-16T19:54:00.004-05:00

I think it's just been too long since I've put pen or pencil to sketch paper or bristol board or rag paper or...anything! So, until I de-crazify, I think some sketching is in order. No agenda intended. Here's the first two minutes of my efforts (the 80s music station is playing in the background in the other room).

Hoarse and sore...

2009-11-01T13:20:00.003-05:00

...is what I am from cheering on the New York City Marathon runners outside my apartment this morning.

It was a great way to start the day, standing on the sidelines, cheering on all of the athletes who have worked so hard to run this marathon.
My favorite parts:
-Shouting out encouragement to individual runners by name (many had written their names on their shirts for this purpose).
-Sticking out my left palm to receive high fives from runners as they passed.

Pretty awesome, feel good stuff.

beige, surprisingly

2009-10-14T00:20:00.002-04:00

I must be settling down, because a few weeks ago it was time to paint the walls of the new apartment, and I painted some of them beige, and I liked it.

Beige.

television...aggh!

2009-05-17T16:28:00.002-04:00

I love television, sometimes.
Sometimes all I really need is a mindless hour in front of the tube (yes, I still have a tube - no LCD flat screens here).
But recently I've noticed how much more quickly time moves when I am watching television than when I am not.

I went for a walk in the park the other day. I walked several blocks to the edge of the park, walked deep into the park, and sat down on a bench to write for a bit. After writing for a short while, I took a look at the clock on my cell phone and noticed that only a half hour had passed since I'd left my apartment.
I was pleased to discover that, in the time it takes to watch a sitcom, I had gotten some exercise, enjoyed some nature, and written some words.
When I'm watching television, on the other hand, a whole hour can fall away in a moment with nothing at all to show for the time lost.

I think I might try watching television less and extending my life more.

mm, food

2009-05-03T20:10:00.002-04:00

I've been having a wonderful day off from work - just a day off for writing and drawing and relaxing...a little birthday present to myself.

So it was getting on 6 o'clock, and I'd done a little of this and a little of that. I'd had a pretty low key, awesome day.
But I felt like crap.

How could this be? This could be because, ridiculously, I had forgotten to eat any food beyond my breakfast tea and egg.

I had no other food in the house and no cash in my wallet, so I stumbled to the nearest takeout place that would accept credit cards and, armed with my debit card, purchased some soup and stir fried asparagus, etc...
And as soon as I ate, I felt ten times better, sorta like a human again.

The moral of this story? Don't forget to eat, kids.

Parsons rally

2009-04-23T21:38:00.004-04:00

Today I took an hour off from work to participate in a rally at the New School University. (I took many photos of the rally on my cell phone, but I still have not acquired the necessary cable to connect my phone to my computer...so, no photos for the blog yet, unfortunately.)

I earned my MFA in Visual Arts at Parsons, a division of the New School, five years ago. This year has seen much upheaval at Parsons. The new chairperson, Coco Fusco, is extremely unpopular with the faculty, who feel greatly disrespected and often ignored by Ms. Fusco. Unrest in the department reached a climax just before Spring Break, when 12 faculty members, some who had been teaching at Parsons as many as 34 years, received notification via email that they would not be teaching their classes in the coming semester. The fact that this email was sent from Ms. Fusco did not help the situation.

I don't mean to put all the blame on Coco Fusco here. For all I know she is just a mouthpiece for the administration. The bigger targets seem to be New School President Bob Kerrey and the Parsons Dean and Provost, who seem to be on a mission to completely change the nature of the Fine Arts department by morphing it into a design and business oriented program. Parsons faculty, students, and alumni fear that, ultimately, an object-making curriculum, and the physical graduate studio spaces that go with it, will be done away with.

Part-time faculty Peter Drake (with whom I had a year-long course in my second year at Parsons) and Laurence Hegarty have spearheaded a lot of the faculty resistance effort. Their actions have been covered by several news sources, including the New York Times:

Parsons Faculty is Cut Amid Protests by Artists

The Parsons faculty has been having trouble with the New School administration ever since they first organized and secured a hard-won union for adjunct faculty (the lifeblood of most New School departments). See this 2004 Village Voice article as reference:

New School's Labor War

The hurdles these faculty have had to deal with seem extremely ridiculous when one considers that the New School was founded in the middle of the last century quite specifically as a liberal, progressive institution.

So, I've written emails to the New School administration as a concerned Parsons alumna, and I went to the rally outside the main administration building today.

The rally was energized, and also peaceful. Police put up barricades to control the flow of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk around the rally, but there were zero altercations. Faculty and students just wanted their voices to be heard. I was so glad to be there, surrounded by my former classmates and teachers, among many others (the organizers estimated the turnout to be around 300+). Even in these troubling times at the New School, I found myself proud to be an alumna, because being a graduate of the Fine Arts program meant I was affiliated with that entire creative community - and today I was reminded how powerful it can feel to be a member of a community. I felt revved up, and inspired to create more.

I want to thank the organizers of the rally today for a wonderful event - I hope that today's rally, and continued action, leads to greater transparency in the New School administration and greater communication with the Parsons faculty.

I'm trying to understand...

2009-03-19T09:58:00.004-04:00

...these reactions of teenagers to abusive relationships:

Teenage Girls Stand by Their Man

A lot of these girls seem to be defending Chris Brown's beating of Rihanna with the reasoning that men and women are equal and therefore equally responsible for anything that happens within a relationship. It's difficult to argue with a group who thinks its position is based in equality, but something just doesn't sit right here.

One girl's parents instruct her to strike back if she is ever hit by a man. What happens to this advice as the kids age and grow, and the men gain significant physical advantages over the women? I agree that a woman should "fight back" in that she should not put up with abuse, but to suggest that a woman should try to match a man physically could lead to more danger for the woman.

Abuse is an extremely complicated issue. People abuse others, and abusers stay with their abusers, for so many reasons. Most human behavior can be explained somehow. We can come up with psychological profiles to give us reasons for this or that action. But at a certain point, even if things are explicable, isn't there cause to intervene when the behavior is destructive? Who cares if we know why the abuse is happening, if it is clear that the abuse is harming someone?

art school = waste of time?

2009-03-07T23:34:00.003-05:00

I used to spend more time than I do now wondering whether my years as a graduate art student were a creative and financial waste of time. But once in a while I read something that gets those thoughts stirring in my head again.

I completed my MFA in Fine Arts in 2004, and I'm currently looking forward to paying off the loans I took out for this degree for the next 25 years or so. (Hm, hopefully not that long...c'mon lotto! Big money! No whammies!)

In the couple years after I graduated, as I slowly accepted the fact that loan repayment was to be my new constant companion, I doubted many times whether the financial investment was worth it. I rarely make (visual) art now, and I have no desire to teach art at a college level (this was the goal of many of my classmates, as the MFA is the terminal degree in the field and required for nearly any teaching position). I could not afford even to work in a (generally not monetarily awesome) field related to visual art, as it was crucial that I start making significant money immediately to pay back Uncle Sam.

Well, I'd had such thoughts clear from my head for some time, but they were just reactivated tonight by an article by Dave Hickey in the March 2009 issue of Art in America: "Revision Number Six: Addictions." (Note: I do not understand the meaning of this title - perhaps if I'd been reading Art in America regularly I'd know what the heck this title is all about?) (Also note: I've always enjoyed Dave Hickey's writing - I think he has an intelligent unique voice, and he doesn't apologize for going against the grain once in a while).

Anyhoo...in this article, Hickey argues that no school program can create an artist (you either are one or you're not) and that school can in fact damage artists.
These are arguments that I've heard, and contemplated, before. I believe there's some truth to these arguments.

On the other hand, I can also readily see some benefits of art school. The most glaring benefit, in my mind, is the opportunity to build a professional network. You could be an amazing artist, but if you don't know other artists or know people who can help get your work seen by others, what's the point?
Building a community of colleagues is also important, I think, as an emotional support system during the periods of self doubt that plague absolutely every artist I know.

It is because of the benefits of building a community of fellow artists that I am contemplating returning to school for an MFA in creative writing...but that's a topic for another post...

2009-03-04T23:12:00.003-05:00

Cartooning is a beautiful art form.

Last Friday I went to a joint talk by Chris Ware and Marjane Satrapi, moderated by Françoise Mouly (New Yorker art director, wife of Art Spiegelman, etc). The talk was a free event of N.Y.U.'s Festival of New French Writing. I regret that I could not attend so many of the Festival's talks, but I am so glad I was able to catch this one at least.

I first started to become aware of Ware (har har) in 2002, when he was included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial for Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. I was blown away by the incredible detail, and at the same time simplicity, evident in his work. The sheer number of hours that must've gone into production of this book-length comic (graphic novel?)...it was the only kind of artwork that seemed to not only engage me but give me the urge to run home and work on something myself. I love art with that effect.

As much as I find myself more and more interested in comics as an art form, I was still not aware of Satrapi, until Friday night. This despite the fact that the movie version of her book Persepolis had been nominated for an Oscar. (Certain parts of my pop culture knowledge simply have big gaping holes - I've come to accept this).

Anyway...I just wanted to say thank you to NYU for bringing Satrapi to my attention through this joint lecture series. It was such a treat to watch both her and Ware talk about their work. They're both excellent artists who work in the same genre but in totally different styles, and it was amazing to see comics taken so seriously by two such different personalities. Satrapi was full of energy and endlessly quotable, and Ware was, like the characters in his comics, endlessly apologizing for existing. Totally fascinating.

Debris.

2009-02-05T12:11:00.002-05:00

I manage a small boutique in Nolita. Every day, before I open the store, I sweep the sidewalk. Some days are messier than others, but generally the litter strewn about is not all that interesting.

Today there was a concert ticket stub in the pile of trash I was sweeping together. I was curious to see what concert this stub was from, so I leaned down close to read it. It was a concert for the band Squeeze.

Squeeze? When have they played a concert recently? I wondered. So I looked to see where the concert had taken place: The Academy.
And then I saw the date of the concert: 1995.

Man, some debris has quite the life span.

Interesting

2009-01-20T18:35:00.003-05:00

Right now, MSNBC and CNN are covering the inaugural parade, and Fox News is broadcasting live from Bush's homecoming rally in Texas, where he is giving a speech. I hope Fox can learn to say goodbye.

This time tomorrow...

2009-01-19T21:15:00.001-05:00

...Bush will not be our President.

:)

books on writing

2009-01-14T16:25:00.003-05:00

I have been writing a LOT recently (really, I have - just not on this blog).
I am having a blast discovering my apparent passion for writing, and I am also reading more than ever, devouring books.

One thing I've noticed is that there are tons of books out there ABOUT writing: books about finding your voice, books about honing your craft, books about getting published. I started to think that absolutely everyone must want to be a writer, for there to be so many books out there on the subject of writing.

But then I thought: perhaps it makes sense that there are so many books on writing. After all, writers write, and one area that all writers have some level of knowledge about is...writing. So perhaps many authors feel inclined to pen a book on their craft.
There are plenty of books out there about pursuing art, music, etc...but books on writing outnumber them all.
Naturally - if you are a writer, you write...if you are an artist or musician, maybe you write, and maybe you don't, but the pool of authors for books in those fields must be considerably smaller than it is for writing.

This post officially wins the award for most frequent use of the word writing.

Lopate

2009-01-13T14:01:00.002-05:00

I listen to WNYC, the New York City NPR affiliate, a lot.
I love the Brian Lehrer show (10am-12pm every weekday) the most, but I often listen to other programs as well.

Immediately after Brian Lehrer's show is the Leonard Lopate show (12pm-2pm every weekday). I have *tried* to listen to this show, hosted by the brother of writer Phillip Lopate, many a time and enjoy it as I do my Brian Lehrer. I have concluded that this just cannot be done.

Leonard has a way of speaking that grates on me just a bit. He asks questions in a manner that, I think, sounds mildly presumptuous. I believe this is because he extends his speaking out in such a way that he always seems to squeeze in his own view/opinion of a situation at the same time he is asking his guest for their view. It can be a very leading way to inquire about something.

But as much as I always have trouble with Leonard's interview style, I am sure I will continue to listen to his program. I just love WNYC too much, and sometimes he does have some very interesting guests on, guests that don't become in any way derailed by his questioning methods, as I do.

Perhaps I am alone in my view of Leonard. I try not to judge, really I do. Sigh.

Treadmill TV, Part 2

2009-01-07T19:41:00.008-05:00

Okay.
My gym has decided to leave the televisions on MTV for some kind of extended time period, I guess (previous long-term gym television choices have included, inexplicably, TBS, C-Span, ESPN2, and various infomercial stations).

So this MTV marathon gave me the opportunity yesterday, while running along on the treadmill, to experience another MTV program previously unbeknownst to me...well, at least to experience it in part, and with closed captioning instead of sound. This latest program is called The City, and as far as I could tell, it is intended to be a Sex and the City for females in the 20-23 age bracket (oh, and probably in the aspirational high school age bracket as well...it's never too early to start dreaming about your big city move to NYC, girls).

Anyhoo...I was all set to share my rage at yet another drama that mischaracterizes the reality of life for 20-somethings in New York City...but then someone informed me that this show is in fact, at least in theory, a documentary of ACTUAL young women making their way in the city. Really??? Who the hell are these people? They work at entry level jobs at Diane von Furstenberg, yet they are able to afford beautiful, new, sunlit apartments in Tribeca and Gramercy. To use the lingo of the young kids: WTF??

Ugh. I think I might just watch the premiere of Real World: Brooklyn tonight so that I can further develop my MTV rage. Apparently the kiddos in this season are living in a loft in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Having recently lived in Red Hook myself for two years, I look forward to the ridiculous portrayal of these people in a very personal way.

Maybe this is bad for me. Maybe I need to de-program MTV on my television. I just find it so enraging and fascinating.

Treadmill TV

2008-12-30T21:05:00.003-05:00

Went to the gym today.

My gym has the most random things playing on the televisions sometimes.

Today all televisions were tuned to MTV - I couldn't help but catch this out of the corner of my eye while doin' my cardio thang on the treadmill.

Now, we all know that MTV stopped showing actual music videos some time ago, but I, for one, had no idea what kind of programming had taken the place of music videos...until today during my run.

MTV was airing a show with a title like "Real Life: My Summer Romance," or some such thing, in which they were following two very young couples the summer before one half of the couple was due to leave for college. I could only catch the occasional subtitle, but I felt sure that I am way older than the intended MTV demographic. I found my mind doing the equivalent of eye rolls as I (loosely) followed the story of Stephanie(?) and Danny(?).

Stephanie and Danny live in Florida, and Danny will be attending college in Gainesville, FL in the Fall, five hours away from their hometown!!!
Danny wants Stephanie to move to Gainesville with him, but Stephanie isn't sure what to do!!!
She wants him to go off and have the full "college experience," whatever that means...

I'll tell you what it means, sister. It means Danny's gonna go off to college and realize he hasn't grown up yet, and neither have you...and you're both gonna move on with your lives, and realize that all the drama you are putting on this youthful, immature relationship is very, very silly.

Wow. I just turned into a mean old codger, or something. Sorry about that. But the show was annoying. I promise.

New Skill

2008-12-23T00:29:00.006-05:00

So I'm learning how to play bridge.

My boss hosts a weekly bridge gathering at her apartment near Washington Square Park. She and her friends have been meeting there for a year and a half. They have three regular players, but they are always struggling to secure a steady fourth player...this is problematic, as bridge requires exactly four players to play a game.

Anyway, my boss has been encouraging me to come and check it out for some time, partly because she has some sort of idea that I might be good at bridge. She knows that my brother is a world class bridge player - guess she's hoping it runs in the genes!

I had no idea at all how to play bridge before going to check it out for the first time last week. I've now gone to bridge night twice - the first time just to observe and ask questions, and the second time to sit in and play (and, of course, ask more questions).

I was amazed at how quickly time passed while I played. At one point I looked up to check the clock and noticed that three hours had passed almost imperceptibly. Who knew bridge could be so much fun?

I think perhaps I will stick with this bridge thing, continue to attend bridge night at my boss's apartment when I can. It's a tremendously complicated game - there's so much to learn, and it feels good to stretch my brain in a completely new direction. Plus, there's the added bonus of the possibility that maybe, just maybe, I can hope to understand my brother a tiny bit more.

Gonna try, gonna try...

2008-12-22T00:11:00.002-05:00

...gonna try to write a little something here everyday. Again. (While giving myself exceptions for vacations and such).

Let's see what happens.

Saturn return

2008-12-01T22:03:00.003-05:00

Alright. I'm not a new agey kinda gal, and I don't believe in astrology, but I swear there's something to this Saturn return thing.

My 30th birthday, which occurred earlier this year, was indeed a significant time for me, and I made sure to commemorate it properly, by surrounding myself with friends, preparing and performing a new full-length show, and getting my first tattoo.
I was looking forward to 30 as an age when I'd be done with all the bullshit, as a time when I'd focus on what I really wanted to do with my time.

Astrologers say that Saturn return occurs anywhere from age 27-30, or perhaps as specifically as every 29.5 years. This is how long it takes Saturn to complete its orbit around the sun - therefore, Saturn will theoretically occupy the same place in space on the day you turn 29.5 as it did on the day you were born.
According the Astropalmistry(!) website, "Saturn is the planet of contraction, limitation and time. It rules form, structure, focus, discipline, responsibility, steadfastness, security or insecurity, modesty, harvest, bitterness, depression, success or lack of it, and rigidity."
Therefore, a person's Saturn return is said to coincide with a deep questioning of one's path in life.

I think back to when I turned 29.5...hm, if I'm going to be precise about it, that would be November 2, 2007. What was going on in my life then? I had certainly recently made some changes for the better. I had left a bad relationship and moved into my own apartment. I was also about to make some more changes that indicated progress...I was about to start performing regularly at open mics, and I was finishing up a memoir project I had started that Fall in an essay writing workshop. I was also busy revisiting and re-evaluating parts of my past.

And now...I find myself caught in confusion and sometimes depression and sometimes fear, but mostly hope and excitement for the future. It feels like big changes are coming, but only if I make them so. I hope I have the necessary strength and courage to move forward. I think I do.

New President

2008-11-14T00:56:00.003-05:00

I have been a slacker on this blog for the past week.

I am thrilled about the results of our Presidential election, and I've been celebrating. I spent the night of the election in Union Square...it was an awesome spontaneous public party...crowds kept convening, people started body surfing. The feeling in the air was joyous.

But I've been a slacker on this here blog. All of my post-election discussion energy has been spent in the Comments sections of MooreThoughts, the Nashville Republican blog run by my sister and brother-in-law. Reading their blog posts has provided a stark contrast to sense of hope and happiness I've experienced in New York all week, and it's been interesting, if frustrating, interacting with them online.

I'll get back to writing on my own blog again soon, very soon...

I voted!

2008-11-04T14:25:00.002-05:00

It took an hour and a half, but I did it!

I had a new polling place place this year, as I just moved to my current neighborhood a little over a year ago.
I always enjoy seeing the inside of unfamiliar schools, so I was pumped!
No, really. I'm serious.

Anyway...when I got to PS 6 at 43 Snyder Avenue, the line of voters was spilling out of the school and wrapping around two sides of the building. At 11:45am!
It was so exciting to be surrounded by so many other voters...I've never experienced an election where people CARE so much. Refreshing.

Pretty much everyone was in good spirits. It actually felt a little bit like waiting in line for a popular ride at an amusement park. The folks who had finished voting came out of the school with a smile and a bounce in their step, and they assured those of us still waiting in line, "It's worth it!"

Once inside the school, we were led directly to the gym, which was a somewhat organized madhouse. The lines for each district were long and nearly intertwining, and it took a minute to navigate through and find my proper spot...but I did! And I voted! And it did feel especially awesome this year.

2 more days...

2008-11-02T16:39:00.003-05:00

I went to Lansdale, PA (a working class suburb of Philadelphia) this past Wednesday and Thursday to volunteer with the Obama/Biden campaign.
I'd like to post some of the pictures I took on my camera phone at the campaign headquarters...but, I haven't figured out how to get those pictures from my phone to my computer yet. So, for now, a description in words only:

I arrived in Lansdale a bit after 10am on Wednesday, and right away I was put to work, with several other volunteers, calling known Obama supporters in the area. The goal was to recruit more volunteers for this weekend's big Get Out The Vote push.
Apparently, the fantastic, hardworking staff in Lansdale had managed to register many new voters over the course of the campaign, but many of these new voters were still unclear about the voting process (not sure where to vote, what to bring, and, in some cases, even which day to vote). The campaign was organizing an impressive schedule of canvassing for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to make sure that new voters had all the necessary information. Many people had also signed up to drive people to polls all day on Tuesday.

After I called 108 people, it was time to do a little canvassing. I went, armed with Obama literature and local endorsements, to designated addresses where the residents' candidate preferences were still unknown. The weather was cold and a bit rainy, the sun was setting, and the canvassing was, frankly, exhausting. But I was extremely happy when I came upon folks who were planning on voting for Obama...many of their neighbors had McCain/Palin signs in their yards, and I think it was a relief to these folks to be made aware that there was a local team of volunteers working for the Obama campaign.

The next day was more focused on physical labor tasks. We were getting together packets for the volunteers who would be doing the Get Out The Vote canvassing, which meant organizing door hangers with voting information/locations printed on them and sorting out walking routes on zoned maps of the town.

I gotta say, I was pleased to discover just how extremely well organized the Obama campaign is. We were working out of a former truck showroom, and there was no central heat or even land phone lines, but the staff was dedicated and friendly and diverse, and the information they had been able to compile about Lansdale residents and put to effective use in the campaign was awesome.

The race is Pennsylvania is tighter than some polls indicate, and McCain absolutely needs the state to win the election. I am so very glad I was able to give some time to the impressive effort in Lansdale.

I am cautiously optimistic, and I'm also nervous as hell.

Goin' to PA...

2008-10-28T21:43:00.003-04:00

I'm heading to Pennsylvania early tomorrow morning to volunteer with the Obama campaign for two days.

I have voted in every Presidential election since I've been old enough to vote (my first vote was for Clinton in 1996 - remember Rock the Vote? Ah, memories)...but this election is the first one that has me motivated to get involved in the campaign process. I want Obama to win too much to just show up and vote on election day. This year, I feel the need to do more. The last thing I want is for McCain to win and to find myself saying, "Is there anything else I could have done to prevent this?"

So I'm pretty glad I'm able to get to PA tomorrow...looking forward to it!

On a side note...my lovely, lovely new cable was having problems all week (oh no!)...my first box didn't work correctly, and then my replacement box was on the fritz all week... I am now on my third cable box, and I think this one's the charm...no trouble yet! So great! I am watching the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC as I write this. I have never seen the Rachel Maddow show before...and, hey, I know that MSNBC is completely in the tank for Obama and definitely biased (which can be a bit annoying - I like my news a bit more balanced...um, not FoxNews, no), but...this is totally entertaining. I am loving having all this political coverage right before the election. Yay!

Cable!

2008-10-22T22:04:00.002-04:00

Oh man oh man...for the first time in my life, I have cable.

The CableVision technician came to my apartment yesterday. He arrived over an hour later than my scheduled 3-hour installation block, and he had to return an hour after he finished when I discovered that the first cable box he'd given me was defective...but I forgive all of this, for I now have cable.

It's almost overkill y'all...I mean, I now have, I think, over a hundred channels. And they all come through clearly!!!
Two days ago, I had to hold my broken rabbit ears antenna in my hand at a certain angle in the hopes that I'd get lucky and be able to recognize facial features on the programs of couple network channels.

Wow.

And I don't even have premium cable. I don't have any of that "pause live TV!" or "save your programs and watch 'em later!" hooey, either. I think if I had all of that, I might just explode.

Yes, I know that eventually the thrill will probably fade, and that I will become aware of just how much nothing can be found on 100+ channels.
But tonight? Tonight, I am celebrating. And vegging out. A lot.

Wow.

2008-10-19T22:56:00.004-04:00

Have y'all seen this photo? It was taken as the candidates were taking their seats at the last Presidential debate:

John McCain will adopt your babies...

2008-10-16T10:47:00.002-04:00

Oh, my goodness. Last night's Presidential Debate.

I will have to find the quotes from the transcript later, but can I just say now that I found two of McCain's comments last night to be highly amusing (because of how confusing they were):

1) In the Roe v Wade portion of the debate, McCain made a comment that an unwanted pregnancy is a difficult thing for a woman to deal with, but that he would make sure all of the children of unwanted pregnancies were taken care of. Don't you worry...John and Cindy are going to adopt all your unwanted babies.

2) In the education portion of the debate, McCain said that he would get rid of bad teachers, and that he would get those bad teachers other jobs. Huh? Is he worried about offending the bad teacher vote? I assume he plans on hiring the bad teachers to be nannies for all the babies he's going to be adopting.

Late Bloomers

2008-10-14T20:50:00.005-04:00

I've been in a bit of a creative funk lately. Creative block, maybe? Creative hiatus? Creative laziness?

In any case, I haven't been making things like I've wanted to (this includes music, writing, art, etc), and I've been worried that I'm spinning my wheels yet again, succumbing to the mild depression that has reared its head in my life ever since high school.

Today I got a nice creative kick in the butt by having tea with one of my ex-professors-turned-friends. Just getting out of the house and talking to someone who has taught me about art and who still believes in my ability to do something significant was pretty inspiring.

So I went right out and purchased myself a mic stand, which I've been meaning to do for months, went home and recorded rough demos of two songs I wrote in August. It's amazing how much easier my life feels all of a sudden with a cheap $40 boom microphone stand.
Sometimes, you just gotta spend a few bucks and do something simple to get the ball rolling.
I now feel like I am prepared to record new ideas anytime they come to me, which is very liberating.

And just to seal my improved outlook this evening...I received the latest issue of New Yorker magazine in my mailbox today, and in the issue was an article called "Late Bloomers (Why do we equate genius with precocity?)," which I just finished reading.

Malcolm Gladwell, the article's author, presents a theory on creative people that was developed by David Galenson, an economist at the University of Chicago. Galenson had come to the conclusion, through his research, that creative people can be divided into two types:
1) prodigies, who produce their best work early in their career and tend to be "conceptual"
2) late bloomers, who are "experimental" and produce their best work only after years and maybe decades of work

Anyhoo... it was liberating to read this article, and somehow made me feel a bit less like I've been flailing around for the past ten years, somehow wasting my time.
I have a lot of work to do, creatively, but I feel hopeful, which is an important step towards moving forward.
I highly recommend the article.

I have a new life motto...

2008-10-13T23:51:00.003-04:00

...and it is:

"If you don't have to work tomorrow, then fuck with your neurons."

(My previous life motto, for those keeping track, was "Get the fuck over yourself." It seems I have a penchant for including the word "fuck" in my life mottos. Sorry, Mom.)

Anyhoo...

I realize my new life motto could be interpreted in any number of ways, depending on one's preferred method of fucking with one's neurons. In my case, this evening, I preferred an entirely wholesome, nerdy, intellectual approach to my motto.

I got it into my head, during a brief phone call with my dear buddy Beth, that it would be a good idea to whip out some of the art criticism I haven't glanced at since grad school, to give it another go. My brain is a bit out of practice, art-criticism-apprehension-wise, and I thought it might be illuminating to revisit some stuff I haven't thought about in years, to see if my accumulated experience since grad school has provided me with new and/or improved methods of understanding (others') ideas.

I was a bit scared to open up the cobwebs of my art brain, but then I thought, "Hey, fuck it. I have the day off tomorrow...and I can choose to stay up late trying to understand cryptic art critical text all I wanna. Yeah!"
Party. Fucking with my neurons.

Hence, my new life motto.

And I *did* go through some old photocopied handouts from grad school for my possible reading pleasure, and I settled on "Grids" by Rosalind Krauss, from her collection of essays The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths.

Yep.

It was a tiny bit of a struggle to get through the entire text, but I tried not to let small moments of incomprehension stop me from plowing through til the end. I was helped along by a glass of red wine. Fuck those neurons.

Long overdue response: Brooklyn style

2008-10-01T10:19:00.004-04:00

A couple of months ago, I sent out a challenge to my readers: I asked anyone to give me a topic, and I promised I would write a post about that topic.
I have already addressed the three topics provided by my verbose sister, but I have neglected (until now) to respond to the one topic proposed by Sarah B., an old friend of mine from back in the day (elementary school, that is).

Here is what Sarah B. wrote to me:

"Here's a topic - Brooklyn style. Is there one? Thoughts? Are beards ironic? "

ANSWER:

This is a tricky subject, Sarah B. It is difficult for me to feel justified in any attempt to define "Brooklyn style," as Brooklyn is such a massive NYC borough, with widely varying modes of dress and grooming. Also, I've only lived here for nine years. I suppose nine years is a decent amount of time to get a read on a place, but I am well aware that there are tons of folks who've lived here longer than myself.
And... having lived here through most of my 20s, I can't really say how fashion/style differs here from other locations. I have developed my own style, and my friends have developed their own styles, while living inside an NYC bubble, for the most part.

I am most familiar with the 20s-30s demographic, specifically college-educated kids who moved to Brooklyn after graduation and have now lived here for 5-15 years. I am describing most of my friends here:
-On the whole, we dress stylishly but with comfort in mind. Lots of jeans. Lots of second-hand clothes from hip second-hand stores, lots of mixing and matching carefully chosen items from less expensive stores like Uniqlo and H&M. Most of us are artists, so there's not a lot of disposable income for sartorial indulgences, but we can be creative with what we've got. I've seen my friends grow into their own styles over the years without even realizing it. Personally, I splurge on nice jeans (I live in jeans), but top off most of my outfits with $7 shirts from Old Navy.
-Brooklyn is definitely more casual than Manhattan. There seems to be less of a need to impress here. Folks wanna look good, but they do it mostly, I think, for themselves. Trends and brand names are less important than personal taste.

I think style has a lot to do with how you present yourself with body language, etc. You have to have some level of confidence to stick it out in NYC for any length of time, and I think that translates into personal style. You can get away with a lot, clothing-choices-wise, if you believe you look good and present yourself that way.

As far as beards go...I will say that an inordinate number of the males in my life were found sporting beards this past winter - a couple of them even retained the facial hair into the spring and summer.
I don't think the beard choice was an ironic one for most of them. And if it were, I'd be likely to make fun of them for it. I do think, however, that the sudden beard-sprouting was possibly influenced by the likes of music groups such as Band of Horses (I'm not kidding - I really believe this).
If you start venturing into certain Brookyn neighborhoods where the ratio of hipsters to everone else is high (think: Williamsburg), then it's quite likely that you'll run into some irony (or plain stupidity) in grooming choices. I tend to avoid those neighborhoods.

Final thought:
I think the beard is a totally justified winter option in Brooklyn. We don't live out in the country or anything here, but we do spend a helluva lotta time walking around outside - more so, I am sure, than in many other parts of the country - and a little face protection couldn't hurt in that daily cold walk from the apartment to the subway to the job to the subway to the drinks with friends to the subway to the apartment, etc.

Was this a more straight-ahead approach to your question than you were expecting, Sarah B.? I suppose I am in a very non-ironic frame of mind these days, and that's a good thing. Eh, I've never been a big fan of irony.
-

One day late

2008-09-12T13:43:00.002-04:00

I have had computer trouble at home, and so I have not been keeping up with posts as I'd like...

But I do want to write a little post acknowledging the passing of another September 11, even if the post is a day late.

(By the way, my sister wrote a very thoughtful 9/11 piece on her own blog. Please note - the Catherine she refers to in her posts is not myself but my 2 1/2 year-old niece).

So, last year, I think partly because I was in the middle of some life changes, September 11 hit me a little harder than usual. In 2001, I watched the towers burn and fall from my rooftop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. In 2007, I found myself thinking about the changes in my life over those past six years, and I had an urge to call the people I loved, just to say "I love you." I was thankful that I had a few people on that list.

This year, the date September 11 did not affect my day or my feelings too much, though I did start my day by listening to some memorial coverage on WNYC.
At the end of the day, though, I did have a moment of reflection. Last evening the weather was beautiful, just the hint of a cool Fall night, so I snuck up onto my roof to enjoy the air. I had totally forgotten about the Twin Towers of Light, which I could clearly see from my rooftop, shooting out the bottom of the Manhattan island. Those light towers might just be my favorite public art of all time. They're beautiful and simple and perfect, and I was glad to have that moment to stand on my roof alone, to take a pause to remember.

Also, on an unrelated note...

2008-09-11T13:10:00.002-04:00

Giuliani's speech at the RNC the other week was AWFUL.
Awful and childish and mean. And the laughter in the audience was just gross.
I am so glad he is no longer my mayor.

whine.

2008-09-11T13:06:00.002-04:00

I'm a big journal keeper. Been writing in journals since I was seven or so, and I still have all of 'em.

All except one, that is.

Two nights ago, I stupidly left my journal behind at a bar I go to a lot. Been writing in this puppy since December, and it was nearly full. Tried calling the bar, tried calling friends I saw there that night, even went to the bar myself to look around with a flashlight...
My journal is gone.
I am sad.
But I will move on.

I do wish ill things to the loser who picked it up, however.

The DNC...

2008-08-28T20:59:00.003-04:00

I just checked out my sister's blog, as I often do, and I realized just how behind I am in posting on this here blog o' mine. My sister Sarah often has moments of slagging behind in her own blog (which she shares with her husband, Nathan - Sarah's writing is in the column on the right)...but both my sister and brother-in-law have been posting like crazy since this Democratic National Convention began. And they are not Obama supporters! (Heck, they're not even Democrats...though my sister USED to be, but that's another story, I suppose...care to elaborate, Sarah?).

Anyhoo...thought I'd just drop a line here as I sit at home watching the DNC on PBS, waiting for Obama's speech in an hour or so.
I'm excited to hear the speech, though I fear it will be a lot of preaching to the choir (sorry, Sarah and Nathan, I guess that plays right into your view of Obama as a man with a messianic complex). But if it IS preaching to the choir, well, that's not so bad if it at least manages to get the choir fired up to work for the campaign.

OK, back to the pundits for me for now, but before I go, a wee little story:

As I walked from the subway station to my apartment building after work today, I passed a man hawking some goods on the corner. He had his palm stretched out, with about five buttons resting on that palm. "Obama, Obama!" He was selling Obama buttons.
Yes, I live in a very Obama-supportive neighborhood. And, yes, I am an Obama supporter.

The ol' ticker

2008-07-29T15:13:00.004-04:00

I love having health insurance, especially in a country such as ours where it's treated like a luxury - lucky me!

Today I had my yearly physical check up. I was sitting there on the exam table, in my fashionable, blue hospital gown thingy, when my doc's assistant came in to take my blood pressure, weight, blood samples, etc...
Only...this time she wheeled in a crazy machine on a cart.

"That's new," I said.
She replied, "Cardiogram. It's recommended once you're 30."

Great. This just reminded me of the blurb I read somewhere once upon a time that said a human heart starts its decline at 30 years of age.

I am officially in a new age bracket. I want another birthday party, dammit.

My sister's third question...

2008-07-27T23:52:00.005-04:00

Slowly but surely, I am working through them all. Here's her third inquiry:

3. What gives you the most pride in being a graduate of James H. Harrison Elementary in Laurel, MD? I know ... it will be difficult to pick just one.

My response:

Ah, Laurel, MD. My sweet hometown. Well, my hometown, anyway.

Some Laurel trivia:
-Laurel, MD is a strange, sprawling town that spans three counties. West Laurel (larger yards, some newer developments, higher income bracket) was (and still is, I believe) very different from my own South Laurel (townhouses, large apartment complexes, and some neighborhoods of modest houses).
-During my childhood, the population of Laurel (according to the sign that welcomed drivers to the town limits) was 16,000. This number seems way too low to be descriptive of the current population, however.
-My section of Laurel was in Prince George's County (PGC!), neighbor to Washington, DC, and birthplace of go-go music. Yeah, that's right!

So...James H. Harrison Elementary School is a small to medium-sized educational institution. We lived close enough to school to be able to walk, but far enough away for that walk to be some decent exercise.

But...hm, points of pride? Hard to say, Sarah. I do have some memories of Harrison that stand out more than others. I remember trudging to the school on snow days to sled down the awesome hills behind the school. I remember there was still a forest of trees behind those hills, and not a clear view of the Marlo Furniture superstore like there is now (thanks to "new development," i.e., destroying all the trees of my childhood to make way for giant parking lots and box buildings).

I remember Mr. Kowzun, the gym teacher, throwing me up in the air on my birthday...but instead of catching me, like he did all the other birthday boys and girls, he dropped me, leading me to land hard on my knee. I didn't have to participate in gym that day. And Mr. Kowzun made sure that I knew it was my own fault for being dropped (apparently I was "not holding my arms in such a way that would make it easy for me to be caught")...yeah, we had only the finest teachers at Harrison.

I remember Gary Love teaching me how to do the Running Man and the Cabbage Patch at our 6th grade classroom holiday party...hm, that was pretty awesome, I guess. OK, I pick that as my most proud Harrison moment: tapping into my inner groove - I haven't let go of my dancer self since.

Regarding my sister's second query...

2008-07-03T20:57:00.003-04:00

Dana Gioia, chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts, was on my local NPR station, WNYC, today. I thought the interview by Brian Lehrer was pretty interesting. You can find the interview halfway down this page and listen to it online.

On a side note...

2008-06-26T21:01:00.002-04:00

I've had a few celebrity sightings in the retail store I manage, but yesterday's sighting was the funnest to date (yes, sometimes "funnest" is a real word).

Yesterday, I sold a pair of reading glasses to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame (or Liv Tyler's father fame, depending on your point of view).
He looked like a total rockstar. I think rockstars aren't allowed to leave their homes unless they have on the tight pants/vintage-y tight button down shirt uniform. I base this theory solely on my single Steven Tyler interaction and my sales interaction with Ric Ocasek years ago (he bought some colored pencils from me at an art supplies store. I definitely remember some purple velvet in the ensemble).

The only thing that could have made yesterday's experience more awesome would have been if Stevey had broken into song. It almost happened...he started improvising a tune under his breath to the world music pumping through the store's speakers. So close!

Response to my sister's first query

2008-06-24T13:05:00.003-04:00

OK, so I put out a challenge to my multitude of readers (and myself) a couple weeks ago. I promised that I would write a post on any topic that was proposed through a reader comment to my June 8, 2008 post.
Sooo....I actually received some comments, and now I've got some writing to do. Two Sarahs, one of whom is my sister, provided me with writing fodder. Sister Sarah went a bit overboard and gave me THREE topics to write about (thank you, dear sister). I am now going to attempt to respond to her first request. Here is her question:

1. Are you concerned that Barack Obama will destroy any motivation to work and succeed through his oppressive tax plan and desired expansion of entitlement programs? Why or why not?

A note: my sister and I are indeed the best of friends, but we have very different political beliefs. Luckily, we both enjoy a good spar once in a while...

Allow me to pick apart your question, dearest sister, as you chose some loaded vocabulary words (destroy, oppressive). I can guess where you stand on Barack Obama's fiscal plan.
What part of Obama'a tax plan are you referring to? I hardly find it oppressive to reverse the tax cuts that Bush gave to the wealthiest Americans.

And the expansion of entitlement programs? Are you referring to his desire to increase access to jobs and transportation in low-income urban centers? His desire to provide incentives to minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as small start-ups?

My answer to your question: NO. I don't think that approaching our nation as a humanistic and compassionate community "destroys" people's desire to "work and succeed."
Yes, I think that people should enjoy the rewards of their hard labor, and I believe in personal responsibility for the course of one's life. But I also think that Americans are born into all different kinds of circumstances, and that offering some government assistance to people in depressed circumstances can create a sense of hope that could be the needed impetus to pull oneself out of said depressed circumstances.

I could elaborate further, but I have three more pending topics to write about. I am not, however, against revisiting this topic in the future...

This one's for my sis'...

2008-06-08T12:11:00.003-04:00

So I haven't posted in a while. It's been about a month and a half since my last entry here. Sure, I felt like a slacker for dropping the writing ball, but I didn't think my grand readership of 2-3 people (by my estimate) would mind terribly the lack of fresh material.

Well, apparently one reader does mind: my sister, Sarah.

I recently went to Maryland for a long weekend - I stayed at my parents' house with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, who were visiting from Nashville. During said visit, I learned that Sarah regularly checks my blog for new material, usually two times a week, and she was growing tired of seeing the same post at the top time and time again. I was flattered that she was so devoted, and upset that I was letting down my singular steadfast reader.

So...I promise to write more. There are things to write about, and I just ain't been doing it.

That being said, I present:
A CHALLENGE (to my, um, many readers, sister included)

The CHALLENGE is this (well, it's a challenge to myself, too): I promise to write a blog post on any subject matter that is presented to me through a comment to this post.

Frankly, I don't think I'm setting myself up for much work here, because I fear that my readers have all but disappeared. But, hey, if you prove me wrong, I promise to write away. I hope you do.

Live Through This

2008-04-21T21:50:00.005-04:00

My friend Sabrina Chapadjiev has been working her butt off for at least the past year getting this amazing book together, and it's finally done. I went to one of the reading release parties here in New York a few days ago, and the presentations by contributors Cristy C. Road, Nicole Blackman, Fly, Silas Howard, and Bonfire Madigan Shive were just amazing. Do yourself a favor and check this out:
Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction.

Here is a quote from the back of the book jacket (which, by the way, includes endorsements by Janeane Garofalo, Lydia Lunch, and Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara, among others):
"...(Live Through This) is a collection of original stories, essays, artwork and photography. It explores the use of art to survive abuse, incest, madness and depression, and the often deep-seated impulse toward self-destruction including cutting, eating disorders and addiction..."

Full list of contributors: Nan Goldin, Patricia Smith, bell hooks, Eileen Myles, Inga M. Muscio, Diane DiMassa, Fly, Cristy C. Road, Annie Sprinkle, Elizabeth Stephens, Nicole Blackman, Stephanie Howell, Daphne Gottlieb, Carolyn Gage, Carol Queen, Anonymous, Kate Bornstein, Silas Howard, Toni Blackman, and Bonfire Madigan Shive.

I am so proud of my friend and so thankful she has put this amazing book out into the world.

My weakness for bad game shows

2008-04-14T20:36:00.002-04:00

I am going to admit something. I love the television show Deal or No Deal. There, I've said it.

Why do I love this crappy show hosted by a bald ex-comic and populated by life-sized Barbies in matching mini dresses? I am not sure.
I will say that my fascination with the show has waned a tiny bit as I've slowly let myself accept the fact that the contestants/contests may very well be rigged. (Aren't a disturbing number of "reality," or reality-type shows scripted? So what is real about it? The writing?).

I think I just love numbers, and odds, and chance. And maybe I get a little thrill out of watching someone stupidly throw away a good offer, when their chances of doing better are obviously next to zero.

I do have a least favorite part of the show, however. I really dislike it when Howie gets into the details of the contestants' personal lives, 'cause that's when the show seems most scripted. And, frankly, I don't really care about the personal lives of the contestants, real or not.
I'm a Deal or No Deal bitch.

art + fashion

2008-03-24T15:16:00.006-04:00

It had been quite some time since I'd splurged on a copy of the Sunday New York Times. As the price of the paper has steadily risen ($4.00 for Sunday alone!), I've become a regular online reader.

But there ain't nothing like a leisurely day off with the Sunday paper spread before me, so I decided to splurge yesterday and buy myself a copy. Also, the magazine section was taking the art world as its focus this week, and this intrigued me.

Ah, the "art world." It's like people who are involved with art live on a different planet...hmmm...

So there was one photo spread in the magazine called Hang Time with which I have some beef. It features nine young art handlers (in their 20s and 30s, I think) who install work in New York galleries and museums, including the New Museum, Matthew Marks Gallery, and John Connelly Presents. All of these real-life "models" are dressed in work clothes - if work clothes mean things like $2,245 Prada jumpsuits. Ummm...

Some of these art handlers are artists themselves, not too far out of art school, working as art handlers to pay the bills (some of which surely include hefty art school student loans, I am guessing). Can they afford these clothes? Do they work in these clothes? Even lounge around in these clothes? Doubtful, I'd say.

I know that a big dose of fashion's appeal is its fantasy aspect - the promise of a better life through better clothes - but I think that this particular fashion spread is perpetuating some myths about what it's really like for many folks in the "art world." I am sure plenty of folks in the land of art can afford these clothes, but it sure ain't the guys doing all the grunt work.

(Update: found a nice little interview on the New York Times online that expanded the story nicely).

art?

2008-03-04T23:43:00.002-05:00

I rarely enjoy discussing art much anymore. I rarely go to see art much anymore. My art viewing excursions have waxed and waned since I went to art school...mostly they've waned. Yes, I blame art school.

Perhaps I just didn't have the temperament for it, perhaps somewhere inside myself I hate art just a little bit, but, in any case, so much discussion of art and meaning for two straight years in intimate settings with a limited number of people left me running and screaming when the whole thing was over.

Today, however, I broke my art avoidance habit and went to see some work in the galleries of Chelsea. I generally dislike Chelsea (so far away from the train, so much bad, overpriced art), but sometimes I stumble upon a show there that leaves me with food for thought and makes the trip worthwhile. Plus, I found out that one of my favorite professors from school, Nayland Blake, had a solo show up that would be closing on March 8, 2008. So I made my way to the western edge of Manhattan...

Nayland's show made me miss my regular studio visits with him. He was one person at my school with whom I never tired of discussing art. This is probably because Nayland believes that other sources of inspiration (music, writing, etc) are just as if not more important to the creation of new work than other visual art is. He was also suspicious, I remember, of the usefulness of a formal art education. I respected that, even though I was going into massive debt receiving my own formal art education.

I only visited galleries on West 24th Street today - there's so much jammed into that one block between 10th and 11th Avenues that continuing on to other streets ends up overloading me with too much visual data.

I'm glad I went to Chelsea today. More often, recently, I find myself having the urge to start drawing again (I've all but given up making artwork in favor of writing and music in the last couple years). Perhaps, with baby steps like the one I made today in visiting a few galleries, art and I can become friends again.

The most wonderful time of the year

2008-03-03T01:38:00.005-05:00

I finally buckled down and filled out my tax forms tonight. It wasn't too bad...I found the various cross-referenced forms to be a bit annoying, but I was still able to handle it myself without professional help. Had a W-2 and a couple 1099s to deal with this year, as well as my pretty little student loan interest deduction...

So I finished up the federal forms a little while ago. To set a productive scene for myself, I popped the LL Cool J All World CD into my laptop (classics!), and took out my contacts (somehow, being bent over tax forms in the middle of the night looks better to me with glasses resting on the bridge of my nose).

I held my breath as I reached the end of my 1040...I was at the line that reads TOTAL TAX, and I was looking for Box 2 ("Federal income tax withheld") on my solitary 2007 W-2...please, I thought, please let that amount in Box 2 be larger than my TOTAL TAX owed for 2007...

A smile crept upon my face:
I was completely thrilled to find out that, despite a couple worrisome components of my income, I am still due to receive a little refund from the Feds this year. Thank the lordy...I'm getting that form in ASAP now...it always takes Uncle Sam so much more time to issue checks than to cash them, in my experience...

Emboldened, I decided to try to wipe out my New York State tax forms tonight as well. What could possibly follow Cool James in my CD rotation? I chose Fugees The Score CD...it doesn't really compare, but it does have nice college nostalgia associated with certain tracks for me...

I am now *this* close to finishing up the NY forms, but the application displaying the form instructions on my laptop keeps unexpectedly quitting (ack!). I am tired, and I gotta work tomorrow, so New York's gonna wait for now. I'll finish tomorrow. Hell, it's not even April yet, so I'm way ahead of my past years' schedule.

February didn't exist this year

2008-03-01T00:32:00.004-05:00

Yeah, so it's a leap year, and even with that extra day in February, I somehow didn't manage to write one new blog post the entire month.

It seemed like a pretty full month, though. It seemed there was plenty to write about...yet, I didn't. And now I can hardly remember what all happened all month long. I'll blame that memory lapse on a long week instead of on the inevitable fact that I am getting older.

I'm having a few folks over tomorrow for a bit of a housewarming. I've been in this apartment for about 4 1/2 months...what can I say, it takes me a while to settle in. I do like to make a space nice and livable before I subject outsiders to it.

This February blur is bothering me. I suppose, at least, that if I were going to let a whole month slip by that it's just as well that it's the shortest month of the year. The shortest month, with one extra day.

Maybe I should write more often.

Happiness!

2008-01-17T23:16:00.000-05:00

I do believe I have a new love...and that love is the Yamaha CP33 stage piano.

I finally made the plunge and purchased my new love yesterday afternoon, after waiting several agonizing days for my local Yamaha retailer to replenish its CP33 stock. And tonight, well, tonight I set the bad boy up and played it for the first time.

I can't wipe the grin off my face. Uncontrollable smiles are my favorite kind.

My new love has graded hammer action (it feels like a real grand piano), a sweet sustain pedal, and (most importantly of all) the most realisitc piano voices I have ever heard on a digital piano.

My new love is probably the best roommate I've ever had (please, note to humans I've lived with: if you heard this baby, you would not take offense to that statement whatsoever). I hope we have a long and fruitful relationship together.

The Gift

2008-01-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

I am happily in the middle of reading several books right now. In one book in particular, I am making extremely slow progress. This is because I come across a thought every few pages that gets me contemplating my approach to my own creative pursuits. The book I am referring to is the 25th anniversary edition of The Gift by Lewis Hyde.

I knew nothing about this book or its cult following when I bought it. I was simply shopping for a gift certificate Christmas present in my local independent bookstore in December when, as usual, I found myself drawn to the table of new paperbacks. It is very difficult for me to resist the urge to buy a book in a good bookstore. For this reason, Strand bookstore in New York is a dangerously tempting place for me to enter.

I think it's too early in my reading of The Gift to give a thorough review of it, so for now I will say that I am intermittently enjoying it greatly and will provide a link to some other folks' thoughts on the book:
Re-Gifting by Dwight Garner in the New York Times Online

Why did I pick up this book and buy it, with no prior knowledge of its existence? I couldn't resist the praise on its cover, including Margaret Atwood's assessment that The Gift is "The best book I know of for talented but unacknowledged creators. A masterpiece."

(p.s.: My apologies for the lack of proper italics in this post - I am having difficulties with my Safari browser.)

I messed up...

2008-01-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

...I really, really did. *Somehow* I got it into my head that to be able to vote in an election in New York State, one had to register (or update one's registration) at least 25 days (only 25 days!) before the election. Why oh why did I think that the New York bureaucracy could adjust its records in such a short amount of time?

I've been a registered voter since 1996, when I used my vote in Maryland to help elect Bill Clinton into his second term. At the time I was a registered Democrat. A few years later, after I had been a New York resident for a couple years and had grown skeptical of all established political parties, I switched my party affiliation to None. I was Independent and proud of it.

Proud, yes, but also stupid. New York is such an overwhelmingly Democratic-with-a-capital-D state and city that almost all elections are basically determined at the primary level, when the Democratic candidate is chosen. Since one must be affiliated with a party to vote in New York primary elections, I was essentially giving up a big part of my ability to determine our elected leaders.
For this reason, I've considered changing my party affiliation back to Democratic many times over the past several years, but it took this current Presidential election for me to finally say, "it's time." This Democratic race is intense!

I thought I'd take the opportunity to adjust my party affiliation at the same time I registered my new address change (I moved this past Fall). So...I just recently got my updated registration into the Board of Elections this week, thinking I had made it in time...only to learn that October 12, 2007 was the deadline for changing party affiliation for our February 5, 2008 primary election. HOW did I miss this piece of information???
Why oh why can I not live in South Dakota or even West Virginia, where primary elections are being held on June 3, 2008 and May 13, 2008, respectively? Then I might still have time to make the necessary changes...but then I'd also live in South Dakota or West Virginia, so...

I am just supremely disappointed in myself right now. I'm also jealous of the Iowa caucusers, who are able to register and/or change party affiliation right up to the day of the caucus. Argh.

At least I can still vote in the general election this November.

Liquid Diet

2007-12-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

Ah, nothing says it's the holiday season like applesauce, pudding, yogurt, and puréed soup...

Yesterday, around 1:30pm, I became a tiny bit less wise. My lower right wisdom tooth (tooth #32, the last one on a jaw chart) was removed from my head by Dr. John S. McIntyre, DMD (by the way, if you're in need of an oral surgeon, I highly recommend this guy - he's at One Hanson Place, in the old Brooklyn clocktower bank building, which, like everything else, is currently being converted into luxury condos).

All I have left of my wisdom now is #17, the lower left one...it's still hiding out inside my gums. I hope it stays there a good while, as I'm sure I'll need to remove it once it starts to surface.
According to an online chart I found, human third molars (wisdom teeth) generally "erupt" between the ages of 17-21. My first wisdom teeth (the ones on top) did not begun to erupt (nice choice of words) until I was almost 27. I have always had retarded teeth - it's true, I didn't lose all my baby teeth until I was 14 1/2. My sophomore year high school picture features a small gap in the upper right side of my smile, where I was waiting for the "grown up" tooth to make its way into my face.

I opted not to be put under during the surgery yesterday (instead taking three long jabs of a needle into my gumline, for local anesthesia)...I'd be interested to know what it feels like to be put to sleep, but not for the additional $350 fee. Anyway, if I'd been asleep, I would have missed the soundtrack to my extraction. Dr. McIntyre cranked the stereo for me while he went to work, and, I kid you not, the first track to come on was "Don't Fear the Reaper." Awesome.

So, yesterday afternoon and evening was a bit painful...well, a lot painful, even with a couple prescription-strength Aleve AND a couple vicodin swimming through me. I wonder what it would have felt like with no pain medicine at all.

Today, I am sore but most of all hungry. Yesterday, eating involved carefully slipping liquid foods into the opposite side of my mouth, avoiding the hourly-changed gauze covering the bloody hole behind my teeth. I look forward to chewing, carefully, again sometime soon.

I think I have become a New Yorker.

2007-12-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

1) I have lived in Brooklyn for 8 1/2 years.

2) Over the last year, I have really started to enjoy Woody Allen movies.

3) Most of my friends are in therapy.

4) Seeing tourists treat my city like an amusement park disgusts me.

5) I’ve started to feel superior to people who don’t live here.

6) I can see the NYC MTA subway map with my eyes closed.

7) I am friendly but don’t like it when people waste my time.

8) I can’t imagine my life without Brian Lehrer.

9) I remember how it was before “everything started changing” (the southeast corner of 2nd Ave and 10th St was most certainly not always a Chase bank, and the Village Voice didn’t always suck).

10) I watched the towers fall from my rooftop.

11) I am homesick when I’m not here.

A (sorta) tasty menu option for the lazy and cheap

2007-12-11T23:58:00.000-05:00

In my quest to spread my dollars ever further, I have been pondering easy ways to make cheap, tasty-enough entrees that I can stretch (preferably) into several meals.

I am a person who can maybe sometimes really enjoy cooking, but who almost always has a zillion other things that I need or want to do...therefore, I love time-effective meal preparation.

Strolling through the grocery store recently, I came up with the following super-easy yet decently-tasty meal scheme:
-half a box of bow-tie pasta
-two cans of chunk white albacore tuna packed in water
-one can of "Mexican" corn (I dunno, that's what it says on the Green Giant package...it's basically corn with some chopped green and red peppers, and extra sodium)
-one can of dark red kidney beans (preferably Goya, cause Goya is good and easy to locate nearly anywhere)

Cook, drain, and rinse all of the above that needs cooked (pasta), drained (tuna and corn), and rinsed (beans), and toss that shit together...yum, a semi-tasty meal with a respectable amount of protein.
If you've a smallish belly like me, you can refrigerate this dish and spread it out to 4 meals (lunch or dinner)!

Bon Appetit! And happy barely-depleted wallet!

Work

2007-12-10T02:45:00.000-05:00

There are soooo many things I've been wanting to write about recently, but I've kinda been living like a robot in auto-mode, trying to get through the days, and I've had such little energy to write.

Let me explain...

I am so very broke right now. The stars converged in such a way this Fall as to bless me with a multitude of debts. The list of costly events in my life includes: moving (and all that entails - broker's fee, security deposit, man with van costs, setting up the new pad, etc...), dental work (oh, will the work -and costs- on my poor, poor crown never end?), computer dying (new Mac laptops ain't cheap), etc, etc, wah wah wah poor me.

Fortunately(?), my past lives include the livelihood that is bartending...I happily left the bar life two years ago, vowing never to return...but, let's face it, desperate times call for desperate measures, and there's no other way I can think of (that I'd actually do at this point) to turn a few quick bucks. Mmm, cold, hard, beer-soaked cash.

So I called up my old bar boss and asked to be put on the list for fill-in work. I've already worked two shifts - two Sunday nights in a row. Sundays are good, 'cause they're six-hour shifts (8pm-2am) instead of eight-hour shifts (8pm-4am), and they're not super-busy (meaning it's easier for now-older me to get back into the bartending swing of things).

All in all, I consider myself lucky to have this bartending option for some extra dough...but, man, I am so beat. See, I work full days Friday through Tuesday at my retail job, which means my schedule the past two weeks has included the following:
1) Sunday, work at store in Manhattan from 11:30am-7:15pm
2) go straight to bar in Brooklyn to work 7:45pm-2:15am
3) get a car service home (goodbye to $20 of the cash I just earned!)
4) get up Monday morning to work at store in Manhattan from 11am-7:15pm
5) go home, crash in the bath Monday night, make sure I get up in the morning to work at the store again all day on Tuesday

The above scenario is my explanation to myself for not writing as much as I'd like these past couple weeks. Yes, there are other days in the week, but, I have a life, too, sometimes (and I've been filling in Thursdays at the store, too).

Wah wah wah. I am hoping for a big tax refund, my light at the end of the too-much-debt, too-much-work tunnel.

Home

2007-12-05T00:25:00.000-05:00

When can one officially call oneself a New Yorker?

I felt so content tonight as I made my way home to my apartment.
I love coming home to my apartment.
I love coming home to my cat (she is really due for some new cat toys!).

I was just thinking, after an awesome evening out, how happy I am and how lucky I feel to live where I do.
I have been a Brooklyn resident since August 1999...can I check New Yorker as my official status yet? It certainly feels that way.

I caught a little bit of the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC (our local NPR affiliate) this morning before work, and I learned in one of his segments that I now live in the most ethnically diverse zip code of New York City. My heart swelled with neighborhood pride...neighborhood pride is a big thing in New York, I have learned over the years...I have felt New York neighborhood pride many times myself, in a few different places that I have called home.

I like it here. I might even stick around for another 8+ years.

2nd Best Show Ever (The Muppet Show is #1)

2007-11-24T00:19:00.000-05:00

I just want to make sure as many people as possible read this:

Sweeping the Clouds Away, by Virginia Heffernan

...and/or listen to this:

Beware the Cookie Monster, Brian Lehrer Show 11/19/2007

Has anyone seen a recent episode of Sesame Street? I think the last time I stumbled upon a new episode was about two years ago, and I remember being bored out of my mind. It was such a disappointment, as I had remembered Sesame Street as such a weird, funny, quirky show.

I plan on obtaining a copy of these old school DVDs asap.

There is nothing like...

2007-11-14T01:37:00.000-05:00

...Popeyes biscuits at one-thirty in the morning on a drunk, empty stomach.
Thank you, Popeyes!

I love my neighborhood.

I can't make this stuff up.

2007-11-10T02:13:00.000-05:00

I just poured myself a drink and turned on the TV for some pre-sleep brain numbing, and I came across an amusing infomercial hosted by Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply. I thought, "this is going to be amusing," and it was - it was the Time-Life ad for their Classic Soft Rock Collection. 168 Hits! Yes! A real score for late night brain melt!

Time-Life infomercials are made for the wee hours of the morning. They're made for folks who are hanging out too late in front of the television, getting sleepy, possibly drunk, maybe lonely, probably stoned. The Time-Life folks aren't dummies - they know this demographic is the most primed to pick up the phone and pull out the credit card.

And then there are people like myself, who watch these infomercials for pure entertainment. Over and over I got to hear clips of Kenny Loggins, America, Chicago, Boz Scaggs, Christopher Cross, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, 10CC, and more...not to mention watch clips of Elton John's "Daniel" and Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" over and over and over...
Check out these quotable gems:

"Some people like a fine wine, others reach for a cold beer, but in 1979, everyone wanted a Piña Colada..."
"Soft rock takes me to a relaxing place, like a beach..."
"This is the music that made soft rock pure magic!"
"You'll find yourself singing along to songs you didn't know you knew all the words to!"
"You could spend hundreds of dollars trying to buy all the songs found on this collection" (um, iTunes anyone? 168 songs x 99cents per song...hmm...)
"There were so many songs from my high school times, and those were truly the greatest years of my life..." (Oof.)
"In the eighties, some artists put away their guitars, and plugged in their synthesizers." (Yeah, baby!)
"Every time I hear these songs, I feel like I'm on vacation." "You're so right, Angela."

A few other notes and highlights:
1) An acoustic "All Out of Love" by Air Supply, performed live on set by Graham and Russell, pitcher of lemonade on the table in front of them. Ah, so relaxing!
2) The video for "Sad Eyes," by Robert John - Did sexy used to equal a balding guy in a track suit? Is this the sexy that Justin Timberlake promises to bring back? Awesome!
3) Eric Carmen's "All By Myself"- I never noticed the physical resemblance to Prince before...am I crazy here?
4) I still don't understand Meat Loaf.

The soft rock is now floating in my head, along with my delicious nightcap...I can't wait for the dreams ahead...

Bulk Mail

2007-11-08T22:41:00.000-05:00

Anyone else ever take the time to notice the subject matter of all that spam email that usually gets automatically directed into your Bulk Mail folder?

My Yahoo email account has been active since I first opened it in I *think* 1999, giving me many years to end up on seemingly every spam email address list in existence. I swear, I must receive at least a handful of new spam emails every five minutes. (Thank you, thank you, Yahoo, for so accurately diverting nearly all of these into my Bulk Mail folder.)

I know that Yahoo will automatically delete the spam emails from my Bulk folder every 30 days or something, but the ever-growing numbers of them annoy me, so I go through regularly and clean 'em out myself, too. Recently, I began taking an interest in the subject lines of these emails. I figure the goal of the subject line is to lure as many people as possible into opening the email and reading it, so what do the following choices of subject lines say about the (assumed) headspace of most computer users? (these are all the subject lines that appeared in the spam emails of my Bulk folder just within the time it took me to type these paragraphs):
"10K Scholarships - Year-Round Giveaways"
"Government Grant Money Available, Act Now"
"eHarmony - Review your matches for free!"
"Attend detective College on a grant"
"Millions in Nursing Scholarships"

It looks like people are looking for: money, love, a better job/education. No big surprises there, I guess. But...are people less interested in penis enlargement than they used to be, or is this just an exceptional batch of spam?

You, too, can be an ass!

2007-11-05T01:07:00.000-05:00

What is up with the giant Calvin Klein billboard on the northwest corner of Lafayette and Houston?
This particular billboard spot has belonged to Calvin Klein for as long as I can remember into the recent past. I often glance at it as I dash into the Broadway-Lafayette subway stop after work, and I've noticed that the CK folks switch up the image maybe every 2-4 weeks (or maybe not that often, but I do feel like I've seen lots of different pictures on that spot recently - CK jeans, CK underwear, CK fragrance...)

This evening I looked up and noticed a new image had been placed on the giant board, a new image that I found both amusing and disturbing: a teenage(?) girl is reclining, her head in the lap of a teenage(?) boy. Both are fully clothed in CK gear, and the boy's hand is resting on an exposed portion of the girl's waist.
It was the expressions on the faces that got to me. The girl appears completely bored out of her mind (or maybe drugged), and the boy is staring into the camera, looking confused and/or pissed off, as if he has nothing but scorn for all the little New Yorkers walking around below him.

I gotta ask: how does this image help to sell CK clothing? I, for one, do not want to wear anything that heightens any sense of 1) boredom, or 2) superiority over others. Do other people want these things? Am I missing something?

What makes a house a home?

2007-11-02T00:16:00.000-04:00

As of this evening, in my opinion, the answer to the above question is none of the following:
-reliable internet access
-unpacked boxes
-a roach-free environment

Sure, I'd love to have the ability to email at whim, the comfort of having everything in its place, and the knowledge that I'd never buy another Combat roach trap again, but these things do not make a home.
Tonight, I confirmed my belief that a home is really made by surrounding yourself with the things and, more importantly, the people you love.

My new apartment hosted its first get-together this evening. Just a few close friends, a floor, a six pack of beer, and some take-out roti from a West Indian food joint down the block. What more could I need? It was absolutely perfect. Even my cat came out of temporary hiding and stared at us all night.

It's Halloween, y'all...

2007-10-31T21:40:00.000-04:00

It's the first Halloween in a long, long time that absolutely nothing Halloween-y has appeared on the radar. My friends and I all seem to be in the same boat: no parties, no costumes...no real acknowledgement of the holiday at all, really.

Is it because Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year? Is it because we're all getting older, and we just don't care as much as we used to? Perhaps.

I went about my business as usual today, and as day wore on into evening, I saw increasing signs of city Halloween life (it's hard to ignore Halloween completely in New York, after all). Kids and grown-ups in costumes (though, with the grown-ups, it's sometimes difficult to tell whether the clothing is a costume or just the everyday attire of an eccentric personality), candy being given away to Trick-or-Treaters at neighborhood stores, more interesting outfits than usual on the folks waiting on subway platforms...
(I did have a favorite costume - someone had stuck a fake oversized hot dog bun on his dog, adding a strip of fake ketchup on top for good measure).

I didn't really care about celebrating the holiday myself this year, but there was something comforting about seeing those yearly signs of Halloween life. More than most holidays, Halloween just blends so seamlessly into the fabric of my beloved New York City. Something would just be wrong if Halloween disappeared completely - so thank you to everyone who made an effort this year. Maybe next year I'll be back in the game...

I just got health insurance, and now I need PHONE insurance, too?

2007-10-27T22:52:00.000-04:00

I've always been very aware of how many people seem glued to their cell phones as they're walking down the street, but today that awareness took on an extra clear sharpness. You see, for the first time ever, today I lost my cell phone.

I work at a small store in Manhattan, and I had my Motorola RAZR sitting next to the register as I rang up our customers. At one point, with a sinking feeling, I noticed that my phone was no longer next to the register. I am pretty sure my RAZR left the premises with a customer, who inadvertently grabbed it thinking it was her own, OR with a NON-customer, which would be just...evil.

Ever lose a cell phone before? There are so many annoying things about the whole experience, not the least of which are the following two:
1) the ridiculous expense of buying a new phone while not in my "free upgrade" time window (this one's especially fun, having just moved AND having just replaced my recently-crashed laptop. Yay!)
2) the process of attempting to retrieve all the phone numbers I lost (does anyone keep a hard copy rolodex these days, besides my mother? Perhaps now's a good time to start...)

I don't consider myself the most "connected" lady in the world, but I do enjoy my share of text messaging, and it's painful right now to have that activity missing from my life. Thank goodness for my new neighbors' open wireless networks...at least I still have email until I scrape together the funds for a new phone.

I hope the new owner of my RAZR is enjoying the phone photos of my cat.

New Home

2007-10-19T01:11:00.000-04:00

Once again, it's moving time for Catherine...

I have lived in seven different apartments (including this newest one) since moving to Brooklyn just over eight years ago. I am not counting the various places (read: friends' couches) where I have crashed for various lengths of time in between homes...I am just counting those places where the post office has deemed it official enough to deliver mail to me.

This newest apartment is in a neighborhood of Brooklyn that is completely unfamiliar to me, a whole new zip code and cable service provider. I've hardly had a chance to explore the 'hood (moving takes its sweet time), but I am already finding things to appreciate: 24 hour fruit/vegetable groceries on nearly every block, West Indian/roti eateries seemingly every 50 feet, a laundromat across the street, a public library behind my building...
There is more of a longstanding "Brooklyn" feeling here than in the other considerably more gentrified neighborhoods where I have lived, and I like that...but there are also just enough chain establishments to create a feeling of comforting familiarity. Every major bank, a Blockbuster videostore, and a Duane Reade drugstore are all within easy walking distance. And, while it is totally gross if consumed on a regular basis, I can't argue with having a Popeye's down the street that is open until 2:30am (3:00am on weekends).

Up until now, I've hardly had more than an hour or two at a time (usually at night) to check out my new surroundings. I am interested to discover how my perceptions of my new locale and my place within it will change and develop in the coming months (and, I hope, years...moving is exhausting, and I'd prefer to cut down the frequency of its occurence in my life).

Breakin' this hiatus

2007-10-11T19:31:00.000-04:00

My blog is getting off to a shaky start, as I haven't posted to it now in weeks, and there are only three posts before this one to begin with.
Such lapses in productivity cause me to consider my lifelong companion: Procrastination.

Most people I have met are familiar with procrastination, and some succumb to it more than others. In my experience, people procrastinate for one of two reasons: 1) They don't really want to do the thing that they are putting off, or 2) They REALLY REALLY want to do the thing that they are putting off, and they are just not giving themselves the time and permission to get to it already. Or, maybe people are just lazy.

I find that procrastination is most deadly when beefed up by Excuse-Making.
It's easy to say that life can get in the way, people get busy, blah, blah, blah... I can verifiably say that I have had plenty going on in my life in the last few weeks, plenty to keep me busy outside of this blog. But, I also like to follow things through as long as I still have interest in them, and I am most certainly still interested in this blog.

So, in an attempt to keep my posts more free-flowing, I am going to be less prohibitive with my choice of posting topics. Maybe I'll even supplement the social criticism with some straight-up creative writing. Life is hard enough without placing further restrictions on oneself, I say...and I just want to write more.

2007-09-15T00:42:00.000-04:00

I love taking notice of what commercials are paired up with particular television programs. I think it's possible to learn a lot about a program's point of view and assumed audience based on the advertisers that buy time during broadcast.

Recently, I happened to be home at 6:30pm on a weekday, and out of curiosity I flipped on a show that I never watch: CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. (I generally avoid this show because I find Katie Couric mildly grating, for reasons I can't quite pinpoint).
Anyway, as a disclaimer I must admit that I have ideas about who regularly watches the CBS Evening News - I could be wrong, but I'm guessing it's mostly folks who have just gotten home from work and are looking to catch up on a quick bit of news before eating dinner with the family. Oh, and in my mind these people live in suburbia. These are the assumptions I am starting with, and they could be totally wrong, but I have a feeling that my description is accurate for a good chunk of the CBS Evening News demographic.

So this is what I ended up thinking after observing the commercials: suburban Middle America is uncomfortable in a variety of ways, and pharmaceutical companies are ready to encourage folks to medicate themselves excessively to alleviate these discomforts.
During one commercial break, three ads were shown, all by pharmaceutical companies. The three ads were selling drugs to alleviate the following: irritable bowel syndrome, nasal allergies, and something called "restless leg syndrome."

Granted, some medications are necessary and help people to live better lives, and I'm not denying the existence of allergies. But my primary reaction to seeing these ads one after the other was: why are Americans suffering from so many ailments, and why are we so ready to load up on medicine?
Personally, I am of the opinion that lifestyle changes would lead to greater health in America than would mass dependence on drugs. How about exercise, healthy eating, and a more reasonable balance of work and leisure (can't deny the connection between mind and body)? While we're at it, let's throw in friendlier workplace conditions and more reasonable wages for all Americans, so that people don't have to spend so many hours worrying about how to take care of their families and pay their bills.

But this is just where I stand, and it's certainly not going to lead to any profits for the pharmaceutical companies, on whose advertising dollars the CBS Evening News depends.

Why write?

2007-09-06T09:20:00.000-04:00

It's been over a week now since my last posting here, and I think I know why...Ever since I started this blog with a single post, I have found myself slightly overwhelmed by the number of topics I might find myself discussing through text. What would be the direction of my blog? Would there even be a "direction," or would this be something that emerged only as time passed and posts accumulated?

In an attempt to dive into my questions about writing even more deeply, I began reading Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing, by Margaret Atwood, last night. This, of course, only got me thinking more, and prompted ever more questions in my head: Why write? What is the urge to write? What is my urge to write?

I suppose that writing can serve many purposes: communication, persuasion, documentation, explanation, entertainment, etc...But talking can also serve many of these purposes, in the form of conversation, debate, storytelling, etc. So how do I choose what to talk about and what to write about?

What is the difference between talking and writing? I suppose, if one has written something, and someone else is reading it, then there is no opportunity for that someone else to interrupt the writer, as is possible in live communication. Of course, the reader could also very well choose to close the book, or journal, or article or whatever, to stop reading...and isn't that the ultimate interruption? There's no chance to win your reader back if they refuse to listen.

Win your reader back?
Is this a contest?
A fight?
A debate?
These thoughts on writing are occupying my mind.

I don't mean to imply with these questions that I desire to win people over to my point of view (though, this is surely bound to be the case sometimes). Rather, I ask these questions because I am curious as to why people take the time to read particular authors, or listen to particular speakers.

Two years after Katrina...

2007-08-29T21:25:00.000-04:00

I've been considering many topics over the last week or so with which I could initiate this new online component of my life. I've mulled over the changing roles of religion in Western society, the genre of memoir, and various influences in the development of contemporary music. I am sure I will make my way to all these topics and more in due time, but I've decided that right now a discussion of the state of affairs two years after Hurricane Katrina is most pressing.

Two years ago today, in the early morning hours of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the southern edge of our country, devastating many lives in Louisiana and Mississippi in particular, though the damage spread into other states as well. Over 1,800 people were killed. The city of New Orleans was especially hard hit - to date, only 10% of the population of the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans has been able to return home.

None of the above is news to most anyone with a pulse over the age of five. I am not writing now to describe the effect that Katrina had two years ago. I am writing now because I believe it is a disgrace that Katrina has fallen out of the public consciousness as much as it has. I guess most attacks against our current federal government are focusing on the invasion of Iraq and the various instances of questionable ethics in the Bush administration (and the ensuing mass exodus of the rats from the sinking ship that is the G.W.Bush legacy)...these are, in my opinion, warranted and timely topics...but let's not forget about the role (or should I say, lack of a role) our elected officials have played in the recovery of a great American city.

I was heartened today to come across some two-year anniversary coverage of Katrina, though I worry that much of the country will forget all about it again until the third year anniversary next year (soon before a highly anticipated Presidential election). Both Brian Lehrer and Leonard Lopate discussed it today on WNYC. As Brian Lehrer said, "it's really a damn shame" that there hasn't been more political fallout due to the exposed ineffectiveness of government in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Oprah Winfrey had a special new show today, a week and a half before the start of her Fall season, called "Katrina Two Years Later: An Oprah Special Report," which included CNN's Anderson Cooper among other guests. Oprah applauded Anderson Cooper for keeping the Katrina story alive on CNN, and I applaud Oprah for bringing the story to network television (especially since I do not have cable myself). Anderson was blunt in his assessment of the government on local, state, and federal levels; as he said, "it takes leadership (to improve the situation of those hit by Katrina), and that is what has been lacking." Anderson also said that "it was left up to individuals to figure out a system on their own."

My sincere appreciation goes out to anyone who has volunteered time and/or resources towards rebuilding New Orleans and surrounding areas. I believe many aspects of recovery would not be possible without individual citizens taking the initiative to pitch in. My anger today is a result of the obvious lack of government planning in cases of national disaster, and the lack of responsibility and initiative demonstrated by our elected leaders.

Facts:
-4500 doctors were displaced in the storm, and only 50% have returned
-25% of New Orleans residents currently get their basic medical care in emergency rooms (six New Orleans hospitals remain closed, including Charity Hospital, designed to serve the uninsured)
-the death rate in New Orleans is nearly 50% higher than before the storm
-people are still living in what were supposed to be temporary FEMA trailers, some of which contain over 20 times higher than acceptable levels of formaldehyde in the building material
-some studies suggest that 2/3 of New Orleans children are struggling with depression and/or chronic fear
-there were 196 psychiatrists in New Orleans before the storm, and now there are 22...not a good statistic in a city where suicidal thoughts have increased in a fair proportion of the population
-violent crime is on the rise: as of today, 27 people have been murdered in New Orleans in this month, August 2007, alone