What I wore today

It was the first day where I could leave the house without the aid of a coat or at least a cardigan. 83 whole degrees!

Here is the celebration attire:



Although when I left the house, I noticed all the trees on my block had been cut down over night to put in new power lines.
It disheartened me until I rounded the street corner and saw a field of little purple flowers, and then it seemed like every tree was in full celebration mode. Flowers, glorious smells. And tonight, I'm going to a carnival! Very recently, as in the past ten minutes, I almost caught my boyfriend's kitchen on fire. Apparently putting a brownie in the microwave for a minute results in some disastrous things.

Sex and the Sushi

My darling boyfriend took me to a sushi steakhouse last sunday. We ate tempura and rice and drank sake. It was a lovely distraction from my constant monetary woes and tragic morning news reports.

Theatre

One of my greatest passions, situated even beyond napping and twentieth century pop culture, is theatre.

It as an art form serves as my life-source, it is what keeps my heart pumping and my body from melting into the ground. I am in the midst of the run of a show, which is the honors thesis project of my very good friend, Martin. Martin is pictured here in the middle with the glasses, choking two boys:



The play is called "Landscape of the Body" by John Guare. It's a very difficult play, and a very ambitious leap for someone like Martin. But I feel like sometimes we, as people, need to bite off a little more than we can chew to work our artistic muscles. The play focuses on a woman who is being convicted of her son's murder after their abrupt move to Greenwich Village in the late 1970s. My character is Margie, an annoying 14 year old girl who hangs out with her son (the play is episodic in structure, so there are flashbacks before the boys murder). Eventually, the rest of the children get into a large amount of trouble and my character, being herself, wants to stick her nose in the middle of their business without thinking of the repercussions.






I like playing children, especially ones that are still a little idealistic about the world. As Margie says, "Children are protected in this magic circle. Bad things happen to grown ups but children are magic." Obviously, this play observes that this statement is completely untrue, but still the blind trust children have in the world is awe-inspiring. I've always been a bit paranoid myself, but I remember feeling much safer in the knowledge that my parents are at least a ten minute drive away.

And that's what I love about theatre. Not only examining, but discovering on a first-person basis individual human condition. Being able to feel as though you are invincible for a while, even if its intended that you end up with blood on your hands (literally). Just fascinating

Pretty Foods

I have a newfound purpose for this blog.

My francophile ways are rather famous around my real-human-friend set. As a result, I have read countless books on the french way of life, including "Joie De Vivre". I realized just how much simple joy is missing from my life.

As a result, I am going to write about the simple joys I happen upon in daily existence.

So, here we are.

There's a Japanese saying that goes something like (and I'm paraphrasing), 'food must be a feast for the eyes as well as the palate". I truly do believe they're onto something. Eating beautiful cupcakes as oppose to a short muffin with a dab of strawberry frosting on top are not the same experiences.

My roommates think I'm slightly insane, but I go to great lengths to make my food look beautiful. For example:



Mini baguette topped with light cheese and a blackberry, covered in chocolate. Oh, and a hard boiled egg. I enjoyed eating this. I relished every bite.



Oh, cheese. How I adore thee. That deserves a post all to itself. The point is that with preparation, and the slow, ritualistic process of creating a meal, eating the meal, and cleaning up after the meal is so comforting to me. At a time of great stress in my life (going into my senior year of college, performing in the run of a friend's show, going into final exam period, living in the current economic climate), I develop a great need for ritual. It's such a primitive thing, and yet so necessary.

Beautiful food. Mmm.

Finally it's semi-warm outside! After days and days of 30-40 degree weather, this 65 degrees seems downright balmy.



I celebrated the moment I woke up today by adorning myself like Diane Keaton in 'Annie Hall'. Sometimes pretending to look like a character out of a movie is exactly what makes me feel like myself. An unenlightened point of view? Maybe, but I still enjoy it.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

It won't stop raining.



I'm hoping that it will inspire May to be beautiful every day, and allow picnics to commence-as they should in the spring time.

No Mondays!

I am generally not so garfield the cat-like on Mondays, but today was a major exception.

Not only was it cold and rainy, but getting out of bed seemed like I was peeling off a layer of skin.

The only thing that can really help the situation is Senor Adolfo La Blanco, my mechanical bull:

Oh David...

Anyone who knows me knows I am absolutely smitten with the talking heads.

And after these years, David Byrne is still just as awesome now as he was in the hey day.

Finds

Confession:

I have a strong love to buy things. But what I have an even stronger love for is buying things that are unique to your own individual experience.

Take this briefcase and these pair of shoes, for instance, which I bought at a flea market in Brooklyn:





There is something deliciously thrilling about the fact that I have claimed an item. Someone else had this, and did not love it as much as I do, and now it is mine and I will treasure it until it falls apart and goes unwearable. Or, maybe, someone DID love it, but it holds in their mind the memory of a love gone by and they can no longer bear the sight of it. The item has moved to a new chapter in its life, and I will relish in giving it a good one.