Today was declared a VQ holiday in lieu of the fact that my friend and sometimes roomie scored some tickets to the first day of the Matisse exhibit at MOMA. So the gallery remained closed this Sunday and I’m not sure what those poor socializers did with their afternoon. But I’m not about to worry because I found myself in a state close to artgasmic.
“Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–17” runs through October 11th at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The exhibit is a stunning collection of over a hundred paintings, sculptures, and sketches done by Henri Matisse between 1913 and 1917. This is the early so-called dark period of Matisse’s career, so you can see the draw for me right there.
Of all the works two paintings stand out in my mind, two works with totally different looks. The first is “Flowers and Ceramic Plate" (p) which was painted in 1913. Almost the entire canvas is a stunning blue with a green ‘plate’ suspended above a vase of red and orange flowers. I can’t really convey the shade of blue, close to a palatinate blue, but it is so totally dazzling that it seems to fill the entire gallery with blue light. I had never seen this painting before as it is owned by the Städel Museum in Germany and I was a bit in awe of it. One of those paintings that you can not really see in a photo.
The second painting is “Portrait of Yvonne Landsberg” (p) which was painted the following year, 1914. The background of the portrait is as dark as the former was bright. I picture them in a room together with one drawing the light from the other. I am very familiar with this painting as it is owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I have seen it many times. What is fascinating about this painting is the series of arcs around the body, the way Matisse dug into the paint of the black background to further delineate her shoulders and arms. It’s impossible to know but the theory is he used the butt end of his brush to do this. In his book “Matisse Portraits” John Klein described Matisse’s working on this painting as an “extended period of evolution, and the intensive labor suggested by the appearance — scraped, rubbed, scumbled — of the painting itself.” I always wanted to take this one home and I still do.
I could go on and on because there is a little known Matisse story I want to pass on but that will have to wait for another day. I don’t know if the exhibit will travel elsewhere, it has already been at the Art Institute of Chicago, but it is worth seeing if it does.
Charlotte Hatherley - White
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Scribbles from the Coffee Shop 7.18
I can here it now 'damn somebody is in one of her moods.' But not really, I was just scribbling on a tablet waiting for my breakfast and this is what I ended up with ....
The hurtful stares, The burning laughs,
Am I really that different?
Does it matter who I like,
Whether it be boys, girls, or both?
I live every day being hated, despised,
For something I was born with.
What disease plagues me so?
What makes them hate?
To some I am a leper, a freak with no worth.
A homosexual, A gay,
A godless heathen.
I love my fellow women more than most others.
Does that make me wrong?
Will I be forgiven by God?
To be honest,
I don't care about anyone's opinion,
Let alone God's.
30 Seconds To Mars - Attack
The hurtful stares, The burning laughs,
Am I really that different?
Does it matter who I like,
Whether it be boys, girls, or both?
I live every day being hated, despised,
For something I was born with.
What disease plagues me so?
What makes them hate?
To some I am a leper, a freak with no worth.
A homosexual, A gay,
A godless heathen.
I love my fellow women more than most others.
Does that make me wrong?
Will I be forgiven by God?
To be honest,
I don't care about anyone's opinion,
Let alone God's.
30 Seconds To Mars - Attack
Friday, July 16, 2010
Observations from the Window 7.16
Well something new here, late night mildly drunken blogging. Thank all gods in advance for spell check. I was sitting in the window reading and, as usually happens, I put down the book and picked up my lap to cruise my ever changing sites. I’m sure somewhere across the street somebody is looking at me bathed in the LCD glow and wondering what I am looking at, or reading, maybe what porn I am watching. Now I wish I could see them too because I want to know what they are doing and I can’t even see them. And I wonder if they have better porn than me too.
Before I started this I was just beginning a new book, ‘The Lotus Eaters’ by Tatjana Soli. It’s the story of a woman combat photographer in Vietnam and one of those books that begins at the end of the story and than travels back to the beginning. Just a few pages into the book, as she wanders the deserted streets of Saigon before the fall, is one of those lines that grabs you and wont let go. “If one was rich and powerful, one was already gone. Only the losers of history remained.” God that line, ok lines, has to be a metaphor for so many things but at the moment I have no clue what it would be. I just hope that the rest of the book lives up to those lines.
Funny she is a photographer too because I was thinking about that before I even picked up the book. I have been so into my photography lately, to the total detriment of the rest of my art. My brushes, pencils, and paints stacked forlornly in a corner of my bedroom like once used props waiting for another idea. I’m not sure I’m totally thrilled with this turn of events but it is what it is and I haven’t really painted since I finished ‘Gurl Parts’ almost a year ago. I used to live to lock myself away for days drinking, smoking, painting, and little else. I miss the smell of the paints, the feel of the brush in my hand, the tired but ecstatic feeling I get when I finish a painting I like. I just feels like I’m in the grips of instant gratification art but I have no idea what to do about it.
And one final semi drunken thought. A Corona without a lime is like sex without an orgasm. It just shouldn’t happen. And a question, is Anderson Cooper ever at home in the Village? I know I'm gay but damn!
Sonic Syndicate - My Own life
Before I started this I was just beginning a new book, ‘The Lotus Eaters’ by Tatjana Soli. It’s the story of a woman combat photographer in Vietnam and one of those books that begins at the end of the story and than travels back to the beginning. Just a few pages into the book, as she wanders the deserted streets of Saigon before the fall, is one of those lines that grabs you and wont let go. “If one was rich and powerful, one was already gone. Only the losers of history remained.” God that line, ok lines, has to be a metaphor for so many things but at the moment I have no clue what it would be. I just hope that the rest of the book lives up to those lines.
Funny she is a photographer too because I was thinking about that before I even picked up the book. I have been so into my photography lately, to the total detriment of the rest of my art. My brushes, pencils, and paints stacked forlornly in a corner of my bedroom like once used props waiting for another idea. I’m not sure I’m totally thrilled with this turn of events but it is what it is and I haven’t really painted since I finished ‘Gurl Parts’ almost a year ago. I used to live to lock myself away for days drinking, smoking, painting, and little else. I miss the smell of the paints, the feel of the brush in my hand, the tired but ecstatic feeling I get when I finish a painting I like. I just feels like I’m in the grips of instant gratification art but I have no idea what to do about it.
And one final semi drunken thought. A Corona without a lime is like sex without an orgasm. It just shouldn’t happen. And a question, is Anderson Cooper ever at home in the Village? I know I'm gay but damn!
Sonic Syndicate - My Own life
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Observations from the Window 7.14
Sitting in the window tonight I can actually see a crescent moon over the city. The haze of the past few days washed away by a late afternoon rain. If it could only last for a couple months I might survive this summer in the city. I don’t hold out much hope for that but I’ll take anything I can get.
Nothing much to pass on tonight but I have one little intriguing thing. I was blog hopping the other day and came upon this site. Called ‘I Write Like’ it is a self described “statistical analysis tool, which analyzes your word choice and writing style and compares them to those of the famous writers.” This I had to try so I inserted my last blog post to see what it came up with. It told me I write like David Foster Wallace which is flattering except for two things. One it is nowhere near the truth and two David Foster Wallace committed suicide by hanging himself. Hopefully IWL doesn’t know something it isn’t telling me.
The only other thing I wanted to pass on was something I heard on the news yesterday. We as a nation are to the point that every tax dollar, every dollar from every source, which the government takes in goes to pay only three programs. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Everything else is borrowed, in all likelihood from China. Pardon my language but we as a nation are fucked.
Speaking of which there are more important things on the news than the tragedy that is us. Did you see Lindsay Lohan’s fingernails in court?
Damn. In the short time it took to write this the moon is gone but, again damn, Rachel looks hot in black tonight so life is still good.
Metric - Stadium Love
Nothing much to pass on tonight but I have one little intriguing thing. I was blog hopping the other day and came upon this site. Called ‘I Write Like’ it is a self described “statistical analysis tool, which analyzes your word choice and writing style and compares them to those of the famous writers.” This I had to try so I inserted my last blog post to see what it came up with. It told me I write like David Foster Wallace which is flattering except for two things. One it is nowhere near the truth and two David Foster Wallace committed suicide by hanging himself. Hopefully IWL doesn’t know something it isn’t telling me.
The only other thing I wanted to pass on was something I heard on the news yesterday. We as a nation are to the point that every tax dollar, every dollar from every source, which the government takes in goes to pay only three programs. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Everything else is borrowed, in all likelihood from China. Pardon my language but we as a nation are fucked.
Speaking of which there are more important things on the news than the tragedy that is us. Did you see Lindsay Lohan’s fingernails in court?
Damn. In the short time it took to write this the moon is gone but, again damn, Rachel looks hot in black tonight so life is still good.
Metric - Stadium Love
Monday, July 12, 2010
Observations from the Road 7.12
Saturday night I had a very private conversation with a friend of mine. I won’t get into what it was about, that’s just between us, but on my long drive home from the Arts Fest in State College last night I had time to think. Fool that I am I didn’t think of traffic leaving so a close to four hour drive became over five hours. So I had plenty of time to think.
When I was in high school and than into college I was a very proud person. I knew exactly who I was and I was proud of it. Than I fell into some bad times and a lot of that pride drained away over a couple of bad summers. I have had so many changes over the last year one would think that the last thing I would get out of it was a return of that pride. But it seems to be trickling back. Thing is, and what I was thinking about while driving, I’m not so sure I know exactly who I am or what I am proud of. So I started running things through my mind to see what I would say if somebody asked what came to mind when I thought of myself. So for what its worth here is what I came up with. You probably won’t be surprised at the answers but the order.
First I am an artist. I love art, live for it, thrive on it. My art is an expression of who I am. But I need more than just my art. I need that constantly changing spectrum of painting, writing, and photography that is art itself. I think I would die without it. I am constantly looking for new avenues of expression. Next up is a sex blog. Just kidding!
Second I am a woman. A woman with all the desires, passions, and wants of any woman. I feel the pain of women throughout the world whose rights are trampled or have none, who live a second class life for one reason or another. I want to help but, at the same time, have no idea how.
Third I am a daughter, sister, and a friend. I love my family and friends more than anything and would do anything for them. I can be loyal to a fault but I suppose there are worse things in life than that.
Fourth I am an addict, or more to the point was. I can’t explain it if you have never been there but it will always be with me. Something in me that is hopefully gone forever but still always lurking in the background of my life, always to be watched.
And fifth I am a lesbian. This is what surprised me. Ten years ago if you would have asked me who I was I would have said s lesbian without missing a beat. It’s what I was most proud of, who I was, but now it doesn’t seem as important. And to be honest I don’t understand this feeling at all.
And so I asked myself a question and, in the end, came up with a bigger question.
Brandon Flowers - Crossfire
When I was in high school and than into college I was a very proud person. I knew exactly who I was and I was proud of it. Than I fell into some bad times and a lot of that pride drained away over a couple of bad summers. I have had so many changes over the last year one would think that the last thing I would get out of it was a return of that pride. But it seems to be trickling back. Thing is, and what I was thinking about while driving, I’m not so sure I know exactly who I am or what I am proud of. So I started running things through my mind to see what I would say if somebody asked what came to mind when I thought of myself. So for what its worth here is what I came up with. You probably won’t be surprised at the answers but the order.
First I am an artist. I love art, live for it, thrive on it. My art is an expression of who I am. But I need more than just my art. I need that constantly changing spectrum of painting, writing, and photography that is art itself. I think I would die without it. I am constantly looking for new avenues of expression. Next up is a sex blog. Just kidding!
Second I am a woman. A woman with all the desires, passions, and wants of any woman. I feel the pain of women throughout the world whose rights are trampled or have none, who live a second class life for one reason or another. I want to help but, at the same time, have no idea how.
Third I am a daughter, sister, and a friend. I love my family and friends more than anything and would do anything for them. I can be loyal to a fault but I suppose there are worse things in life than that.
Fourth I am an addict, or more to the point was. I can’t explain it if you have never been there but it will always be with me. Something in me that is hopefully gone forever but still always lurking in the background of my life, always to be watched.
And fifth I am a lesbian. This is what surprised me. Ten years ago if you would have asked me who I was I would have said s lesbian without missing a beat. It’s what I was most proud of, who I was, but now it doesn’t seem as important. And to be honest I don’t understand this feeling at all.
And so I asked myself a question and, in the end, came up with a bigger question.
Brandon Flowers - Crossfire
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Observations from the Library 7.8
It’s been so damn hot in the Village this week, hotter than I ever remember it being here. Today it isn’t so bad but it is way more humid than it has been and the ‘reel feel’ temperature is pushing 100 again. That’s effing hot, so hot I wore a skirt to work today. I had some things to do at the library too and luckily they keep it nice and cool in there. So hot I’ve been having this overwhelming urge to sit naked under the ceiling fan in our living room, just to let that air wash down over me.
So how hot is hot? I went to check on foxy yesterday and thought I was going to melt till I got out of her. Who in their right mind buys a black car with a black leather interior? And I have this mad desire to play ‘mythbuster’ and try and fry an egg on the hood of a car. Not my car though! You ever see what egg does to the finish of a car? I am going to need a volunteer for this. Speaking of the show ‘Mythbusters.’ I think that Kari Byron is kind of hot too. Her bio on the ‘Discovery Channel’ website says she is a trained painter, sculptor, and has had shows in major San Francisco galleries but sadly it seems she is married. So much for that idea.
But back to the heat in the Village. Another urge i have been having is to go buy a garden hose, take it up to the roof, and spray it straight up in the air. Just like when I was a kid. Which, before you ask, yes I was a kid once! Have I mentioned its freaking hot outside? Been taking warm, no cool, showers and forgoing my beloved steam. That means it is hot because I love my steam and my steam sometimes loves me back. And the ancient ac in our apartment building seems ready to give it up. I think it is pumping humidity back into the air in a total disregard of my comfort.
And where are all those global warming naysayers? Funny how you aren't hearing a peep out of them right now. Probably all safely enconsed in their air conditioned limos and mega homes all paid for with dollars form BP et al while the air seems to burn and the Gulf of Mexico turns to the color of bad coffee. All we need to make this story perfect is another Katrina sized storm blowing through the gulf.
But enough. I am going to the mountains this weekend for the big State College Arts Festival and a meet up with 'the kid' and my sis. It seems like a big chill down is on the way too with the high for Saturday supposed to be a comparatively frigid 75 in the mountains. I can hardly wait.
Billy Idol - Hot In The City
So how hot is hot? I went to check on foxy yesterday and thought I was going to melt till I got out of her. Who in their right mind buys a black car with a black leather interior? And I have this mad desire to play ‘mythbuster’ and try and fry an egg on the hood of a car. Not my car though! You ever see what egg does to the finish of a car? I am going to need a volunteer for this. Speaking of the show ‘Mythbusters.’ I think that Kari Byron is kind of hot too. Her bio on the ‘Discovery Channel’ website says she is a trained painter, sculptor, and has had shows in major San Francisco galleries but sadly it seems she is married. So much for that idea.
But back to the heat in the Village. Another urge i have been having is to go buy a garden hose, take it up to the roof, and spray it straight up in the air. Just like when I was a kid. Which, before you ask, yes I was a kid once! Have I mentioned its freaking hot outside? Been taking warm, no cool, showers and forgoing my beloved steam. That means it is hot because I love my steam and my steam sometimes loves me back. And the ancient ac in our apartment building seems ready to give it up. I think it is pumping humidity back into the air in a total disregard of my comfort.
And where are all those global warming naysayers? Funny how you aren't hearing a peep out of them right now. Probably all safely enconsed in their air conditioned limos and mega homes all paid for with dollars form BP et al while the air seems to burn and the Gulf of Mexico turns to the color of bad coffee. All we need to make this story perfect is another Katrina sized storm blowing through the gulf.
But enough. I am going to the mountains this weekend for the big State College Arts Festival and a meet up with 'the kid' and my sis. It seems like a big chill down is on the way too with the high for Saturday supposed to be a comparatively frigid 75 in the mountains. I can hardly wait.
Billy Idol - Hot In The City
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Observations from the Window, Hope
Hope
If you read my last post it may seem that all hope is lost but yet it’s a word connecting the comments to that post like a web. I didn’t mean for that post to seem so hopeless but it was made up of some thoughts I felt I needed to say. At the same time I really am full of hope and I think I should tell you why.
I know a girl whose life parallels mine in so many ways. She is so very different from me yet so much alike. I always knew I was gay, I know that might be rare but I just never had a moment where I didn’t know. This girl grew into that awareness and at times struggled with it. She asked me so many thought provoking questions that I was sometimes worried it was more a phase than a realization.
When I was in high school I wrapped myself in my gayness in an arrogant and cocky ‘this is who I am and you will know it’ facade. The girl I’m thinking of does the same thing but in such a different way than I did. She is so self-assured and confident of herself that she doesn’t have to throw it in anybody’s face. She knows who she is and makes no effort to hide it. As if she is saying ‘if you don’t like me and who I am that’s just too bad and your loss because I am a good person.’
This girl is as popular in school as any straight girl. It just makes no difference to her friends, teachers, coaches, or to anybody else that matters to her. She is an awesome student and captain of her hockey team, everything just seems to go so much smoother for her than it did for me. I know part of it is the fact that she doesn’t have my arrogant abrasive personality. But I also like to think things really have changed in just a short time, changed so very much for the better.
I have only been out of high school about ten years now, really a very short time in the scheme of things, and my sister, my mini me, is ten years younger than me. And yes that girl I have been talking about is my younger sister. Every time I think about her life compared to mine I do have hope. Not so much hope that people can change, I know they can but deep down I fear they won’t, but hope that thanks to people like my sister and her generation it just won’t matter if you are gay anymore. That might be the best hope of all. That it just won’t matter anymore.
I am a very proud sister.
Michael Paynter - Love The Fall
(added comment)
If you read my last post it may seem that all hope is lost but yet it’s a word connecting the comments to that post like a web. I didn’t mean for that post to seem so hopeless but it was made up of some thoughts I felt I needed to say. At the same time I really am full of hope and I think I should tell you why.
I know a girl whose life parallels mine in so many ways. She is so very different from me yet so much alike. I always knew I was gay, I know that might be rare but I just never had a moment where I didn’t know. This girl grew into that awareness and at times struggled with it. She asked me so many thought provoking questions that I was sometimes worried it was more a phase than a realization.
When I was in high school I wrapped myself in my gayness in an arrogant and cocky ‘this is who I am and you will know it’ facade. The girl I’m thinking of does the same thing but in such a different way than I did. She is so self-assured and confident of herself that she doesn’t have to throw it in anybody’s face. She knows who she is and makes no effort to hide it. As if she is saying ‘if you don’t like me and who I am that’s just too bad and your loss because I am a good person.’
This girl is as popular in school as any straight girl. It just makes no difference to her friends, teachers, coaches, or to anybody else that matters to her. She is an awesome student and captain of her hockey team, everything just seems to go so much smoother for her than it did for me. I know part of it is the fact that she doesn’t have my arrogant abrasive personality. But I also like to think things really have changed in just a short time, changed so very much for the better.
I have only been out of high school about ten years now, really a very short time in the scheme of things, and my sister, my mini me, is ten years younger than me. And yes that girl I have been talking about is my younger sister. Every time I think about her life compared to mine I do have hope. Not so much hope that people can change, I know they can but deep down I fear they won’t, but hope that thanks to people like my sister and her generation it just won’t matter if you are gay anymore. That might be the best hope of all. That it just won’t matter anymore.
I am a very proud sister.
Michael Paynter - Love The Fall
(added comment)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Born on the 4th of July
Born on the 4th of July. It’s the title of a book I have never read and a movie I have never seen about a war I know little about. More to the point it is Independence Day in America, which also happens to be a totally awesome summer flick I have seen. Flags wave, bands play, and fireworks shoot into the night sky all across America. All America celebrates its freedom.America, yes it is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Free as long as you follow certain social and sexual mores that are approved by the hate spewing wingnuts and their brethren. Brave as long as you stay so deep in the closet the dust balls look down at you.
In California you had proposition 8. Some might think this is American democracy at its best. What could be simpler than the majority rules right? Except for the little remembered fact that America isn’t a pure democracy and was never intended to be one. It is a republic. You would think the wingnuts would get the idea from the name of their own party but no they don't remember. The party of Abraham Lincoln and Glenn Beck, where did it all go wrong? Did you people learn nothing in school? Looking at a recent poll I guess not, a quarter of you not knowing what country we gained our independence from. Seriously some of you thought China?
I have never thought seriously about getting married nor do I ever see it happening. To be honest there probably isn’t a girl out there who could deal with me for any length of time. But for anybody to tell me that I have no right to marry is like a slap to the face. Am I not an American citizen just like you? Am I not a human being like you? How dare you tell me yes I have all the rights of an American citizen but than qualify it by adding except for these rights. I am not an American citizen ‘but’. I am an American citizen.
From the day I was born promises have been made and made and yet nothing changes. Nothing changes but the ones who make and break the promises. Granted President Clinton tried to repeal the military gay ban but he also, to quote Jerry Seinfeld, folded faster than Superman on laundry day. Almost twenty years later we have more promises and just as little action. Just more words to keep track of. More promises to forget.
How can anybody in this nation believe they are truly free if not all are equal?
“You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments: rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the universe.” Words spoken by John Adams well over two hundred years ago, it was true than and it’s true today. Maybe one day this nation of ours will live up to its potential and dreams for all of its so called citizens.
I have no plans on holding my breath.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Observations from the Roof 7.2
Let me start by saying all fireworks are highly illegal in the five boroughs of New York. Yeah right! Somebody queue Francis Scott Key and tell that to all those peeps in Brooklyn cause I’m sitting in the rocket’s red glare here. I might be embellishing that a bit but these people are seriously rocking the sky.
Moods are a capricious thing. One day it’s all dark skies and Armageddon and the next it’s sitting on the beach under a full moon in a way to big sweatshirt. Today I woke up in a mood I best described to a friend as a ‘good arrogant summer bitch' mood and it still fits. How do I explain this mood? Well it’s a good mood and it is summer so that explains part of it. It’s the kind of mood where I do what I want and I really don’t give a damn what anybody thinks about it. I just give my inner weirdness full bloom and damn you if you don’t like it because I just don’t care. It's a fuckin Linkin Park mood and it’s a fun mood to be in but it never lasts long enough.
And why do people think New Yorkers are so full of themselves? Just because we live in the center of the universe and a select few of us live in the epicenter that is the Village. So we have the best in art and culture. We do know it doesn’t make us any diff or better than the rest of the world. It just is what it is. I would take a survey here but I’m surrounded by New Yorkers at the moment so I think the results would be a bit warped. I do know one thing that ‘native’ New Yorkers are full of. It’s their damn sports teams. There isn’t a team in this city I didn’t grow up hating and I don’t see myself changing now. They just don’t realize that the sports center of the universe lies a hundred miles south of here in Philly. I keep trying to explain this to them but they just don’t get it. Something about winning the World Series last year keeps getting in the way.
Finally from Plurk comes the word of the day, synthetic asshat. I have no idea what it might be but I so like it!
Linkin Park - Faint
Moods are a capricious thing. One day it’s all dark skies and Armageddon and the next it’s sitting on the beach under a full moon in a way to big sweatshirt. Today I woke up in a mood I best described to a friend as a ‘good arrogant summer bitch' mood and it still fits. How do I explain this mood? Well it’s a good mood and it is summer so that explains part of it. It’s the kind of mood where I do what I want and I really don’t give a damn what anybody thinks about it. I just give my inner weirdness full bloom and damn you if you don’t like it because I just don’t care. It's a fuckin Linkin Park mood and it’s a fun mood to be in but it never lasts long enough.
And why do people think New Yorkers are so full of themselves? Just because we live in the center of the universe and a select few of us live in the epicenter that is the Village. So we have the best in art and culture. We do know it doesn’t make us any diff or better than the rest of the world. It just is what it is. I would take a survey here but I’m surrounded by New Yorkers at the moment so I think the results would be a bit warped. I do know one thing that ‘native’ New Yorkers are full of. It’s their damn sports teams. There isn’t a team in this city I didn’t grow up hating and I don’t see myself changing now. They just don’t realize that the sports center of the universe lies a hundred miles south of here in Philly. I keep trying to explain this to them but they just don’t get it. Something about winning the World Series last year keeps getting in the way.
Finally from Plurk comes the word of the day, synthetic asshat. I have no idea what it might be but I so like it!
Linkin Park - Faint
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Observations from the Road 7.1
Some last thoughts from the roadtrip to phillypa ….
While I was in Philly I had lunch at the Reading Terminal Market which is a kind of indoor farmer’s type market in the center of the city. It’s housed in an old railroad terminal building so that explains the name. You can find damn near anything to eat in here along with the usual flowers, bulk goods, and all the usual stuff. Did I mention food? So much to eat from sushi to scrapple. If you don't know what scrapple is don't ask and for god's sake don't look it up before you try it!
But I’m not trying to be your gay tour director here so I’ll get to my point. I’m sitting there eating the most wonderful greasy egg and bacon sandwich I bought at an Amish food stand. When I look around I realize that I’m sitting next to a Mexican food stand run by an Asian guy who was eating a cheese steak. Just one of those only in America moments you get every now and than.
I haven’t been to downtown Philly for years. Maybe not since I took some classes at Temple University when I was working on my masters degree. It’s so diff from the Village and New York, seemingly much more working class. I know it really isn’t that way now, industry having fled years ago, but it still has that feel to it. And, for whatever reason, the police seem to be a much happier bunch here than in New York. And there were police everywhere too, all drinking coffee and eating pretzels. I honestly didn’t see one donut!
I really need to get back sometime soon because around the edge of center city is a whole trove of new galleries. Or new since last I was there. It seems a lot more vibrant than I remember, even with its blue collar soul, but maybe that’s just me. I wanted to spend more time but lacking proper footwear, proper footwear being in my kitchen in the Village, I was tired of walking and had had about enough for one day.
I know it looks and reads like I am trying to be some pseudo Seth Kugel or a budding travelists but I’m not. I promise to quit now before it gets out of hand.
Jackyl - She's Not A Drug
While I was in Philly I had lunch at the Reading Terminal Market which is a kind of indoor farmer’s type market in the center of the city. It’s housed in an old railroad terminal building so that explains the name. You can find damn near anything to eat in here along with the usual flowers, bulk goods, and all the usual stuff. Did I mention food? So much to eat from sushi to scrapple. If you don't know what scrapple is don't ask and for god's sake don't look it up before you try it!
But I’m not trying to be your gay tour director here so I’ll get to my point. I’m sitting there eating the most wonderful greasy egg and bacon sandwich I bought at an Amish food stand. When I look around I realize that I’m sitting next to a Mexican food stand run by an Asian guy who was eating a cheese steak. Just one of those only in America moments you get every now and than.
I haven’t been to downtown Philly for years. Maybe not since I took some classes at Temple University when I was working on my masters degree. It’s so diff from the Village and New York, seemingly much more working class. I know it really isn’t that way now, industry having fled years ago, but it still has that feel to it. And, for whatever reason, the police seem to be a much happier bunch here than in New York. And there were police everywhere too, all drinking coffee and eating pretzels. I honestly didn’t see one donut!
I really need to get back sometime soon because around the edge of center city is a whole trove of new galleries. Or new since last I was there. It seems a lot more vibrant than I remember, even with its blue collar soul, but maybe that’s just me. I wanted to spend more time but lacking proper footwear, proper footwear being in my kitchen in the Village, I was tired of walking and had had about enough for one day.
I know it looks and reads like I am trying to be some pseudo Seth Kugel or a budding travelists but I’m not. I promise to quit now before it gets out of hand.
Jackyl - She's Not A Drug
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Observations from the Road 6.29
Randomness from the road, phillypa
Philly looks a bit diff than last I was here, a little bit poorer and a bit grungier. Maybe it’s the times and you could say that for any city what with budget crunches canceling fireworks shoot em ups all over the country. I even gave a guy a couple bucks for a ride home. I know call me a sucker but I fell for the haven't worked in four years and just got this job cleaning floors and i have my lunch here in my bag so I'm telling the truth and my ride didn't show up so I'm stuck here man. Man? OK I gave him a couple bucks to shut the hell up. Hey why the hell you still have your lunch if you just got finished working? Damnit!
It’s totally amazing how even the slightest breeze feels so good on a sweltering day. Chatted up a pretzel vendor and was informed it is 50 degrees warmer inside his aluminum pretzel shed. I doubt it’s that much but it has to be scorching in there though. Pretzel was good though. But if you are going to spend a hot day walking around Philly don't leave your sneaks in New York.
Found a nice secluded bench in Independence Park. Trees, shade, breeze, and no peeps around to bother me. Smoked, tweeted, and read the Lady Gaga article in Rolling Stone. Bet that doesn’t happen here everyday. But that effing bell they ring in Independence Hall is effing loud when you are sitting just under it.
Japanese tourists have a penchant for two things, and one of them isn’t a camera. I’m talking cigarettes and umbrellas here. All the men were smoking and all the women where carrying umbrellas to shade their heads.
Speaking of cigarettes, a lot of people seem to smoke in Philly. At least more than you seem to see in New York, well if you don't include the Village. Outside every building you see people standing around smoking. It seems lawyers smoke the most of all and, by the way, some lawyers are smoking in more ways than one.
My sis eats sushi like I drink beer. Nough said.
Framing Hanley - You Stupid Girl
Philly looks a bit diff than last I was here, a little bit poorer and a bit grungier. Maybe it’s the times and you could say that for any city what with budget crunches canceling fireworks shoot em ups all over the country. I even gave a guy a couple bucks for a ride home. I know call me a sucker but I fell for the haven't worked in four years and just got this job cleaning floors and i have my lunch here in my bag so I'm telling the truth and my ride didn't show up so I'm stuck here man. Man? OK I gave him a couple bucks to shut the hell up. Hey why the hell you still have your lunch if you just got finished working? Damnit!
It’s totally amazing how even the slightest breeze feels so good on a sweltering day. Chatted up a pretzel vendor and was informed it is 50 degrees warmer inside his aluminum pretzel shed. I doubt it’s that much but it has to be scorching in there though. Pretzel was good though. But if you are going to spend a hot day walking around Philly don't leave your sneaks in New York.
Found a nice secluded bench in Independence Park. Trees, shade, breeze, and no peeps around to bother me. Smoked, tweeted, and read the Lady Gaga article in Rolling Stone. Bet that doesn’t happen here everyday. But that effing bell they ring in Independence Hall is effing loud when you are sitting just under it.
Japanese tourists have a penchant for two things, and one of them isn’t a camera. I’m talking cigarettes and umbrellas here. All the men were smoking and all the women where carrying umbrellas to shade their heads.
Speaking of cigarettes, a lot of people seem to smoke in Philly. At least more than you seem to see in New York, well if you don't include the Village. Outside every building you see people standing around smoking. It seems lawyers smoke the most of all and, by the way, some lawyers are smoking in more ways than one.
My sis eats sushi like I drink beer. Nough said.
Framing Hanley - You Stupid Girl
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Observations from the Shore 6.26
A full moon over the ocean seems a fitting way to end my yearly sojourn to the shore. Actually, as I start writing this, it won’t be long and I’ll be seeing the sun rise again but I really should crawl to bed. I always totally hate having to leave here. It’s one of those times where you just think if your karma goes bad you may never be back. I suppose every vacation ends with those thoughts but sometimes I just get to damn morose for my own good. I don’t like good times to end because I figure the bad times are just lurking in the background.
I never did think about what I am going to do when i get back. But in the end I really didn’t need to. With the VQs here I realized one thing. In a short six months in the Village I may have changed more than I knew. I really can’t see myself going back to PSU, not even for my mountains. I just can’t see the two of them doing without me. OK now I’m laughing so hard I’m going to spit my beer all over my laptop. But honestly I can’t see leaving them behind because I enjoy every weird little moment I spend with them. Maybe one day I can be a VQ too, that is if I ever figure out how the hell they do it.
A few things did come out of this week. I didn’t do as much sketching as I wanted to but I seem to have discovered, or rediscovered, color photography. Not that I forgot it existed because I usually shoot in color, with a very low iso, and convert it to b&w on my computer. I love the shading and detail you can pull out in b&w. But I was amazed by the intensity of the color in the pics I was taking here and I couldn’t bring myself to convert them. (pics)
The other thing is a bit deeper and had me thinking most of the night. I’ve written before about my problem with cocaine and trip to rehab and I’m sure I will again at some point. It all started during a trip to Wildwood just after my mom passed away seven years ago. I have been up and down the south Jersey shore many times since than but have never ever gone back to Wildwood, avoiding it like the plague. That is until this week.
Ash, in her boundless wisdom, decided I needed confront the demons I saw lurking there and finally purge my brain of them once and for all. Of course neither she nor Chloe informed me of this evil plot because they just wanted to ‘ride the coasters’ and I fell for it. Now I love roller coasters myself but I hate boardwalks. On a good day the Wildwood boardwalk reminds me of some freak show out of Dante with a side serving of ocean. But I figured I owed them and didn’t want my senseless fear of the past getting in the way of their fun so I went with them.
I would love to finish this with a paragraph about the stunning catharsis that happened when I got there but I can’t. Not because I don’t want to but because nothing happened, not a fucking thing. I took some pics, road some coasters, and went back to Stone Harbor no worse for the wear. I guess it helped that the motel I had stayed at during that summer is now tourist strip mall complete with pink flamingos, Hawaiian shirts, and pseudo Caribbean nick knacks all I’m sure made in China. So it seems you really can go back sometimes.
I suppose this is it from the shore for this year. You’ll just have to go back to watching MTV’s version now.
Dead Poetic - New Medicines
I never did think about what I am going to do when i get back. But in the end I really didn’t need to. With the VQs here I realized one thing. In a short six months in the Village I may have changed more than I knew. I really can’t see myself going back to PSU, not even for my mountains. I just can’t see the two of them doing without me. OK now I’m laughing so hard I’m going to spit my beer all over my laptop. But honestly I can’t see leaving them behind because I enjoy every weird little moment I spend with them. Maybe one day I can be a VQ too, that is if I ever figure out how the hell they do it.
A few things did come out of this week. I didn’t do as much sketching as I wanted to but I seem to have discovered, or rediscovered, color photography. Not that I forgot it existed because I usually shoot in color, with a very low iso, and convert it to b&w on my computer. I love the shading and detail you can pull out in b&w. But I was amazed by the intensity of the color in the pics I was taking here and I couldn’t bring myself to convert them. (pics)
The other thing is a bit deeper and had me thinking most of the night. I’ve written before about my problem with cocaine and trip to rehab and I’m sure I will again at some point. It all started during a trip to Wildwood just after my mom passed away seven years ago. I have been up and down the south Jersey shore many times since than but have never ever gone back to Wildwood, avoiding it like the plague. That is until this week.
Ash, in her boundless wisdom, decided I needed confront the demons I saw lurking there and finally purge my brain of them once and for all. Of course neither she nor Chloe informed me of this evil plot because they just wanted to ‘ride the coasters’ and I fell for it. Now I love roller coasters myself but I hate boardwalks. On a good day the Wildwood boardwalk reminds me of some freak show out of Dante with a side serving of ocean. But I figured I owed them and didn’t want my senseless fear of the past getting in the way of their fun so I went with them.
I would love to finish this with a paragraph about the stunning catharsis that happened when I got there but I can’t. Not because I don’t want to but because nothing happened, not a fucking thing. I took some pics, road some coasters, and went back to Stone Harbor no worse for the wear. I guess it helped that the motel I had stayed at during that summer is now tourist strip mall complete with pink flamingos, Hawaiian shirts, and pseudo Caribbean nick knacks all I’m sure made in China. So it seems you really can go back sometimes.
I suppose this is it from the shore for this year. You’ll just have to go back to watching MTV’s version now.
Dead Poetic - New Medicines
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Observations from the Shore 6.24
I’m not keeping up with the news the way I normally do but some things just jump out at me when I open my laptop. The first is the continuing Afghanistan debacle with President Obama accepting General McChrystal’s resignation and replacing him with General Petraeus. In the end he really had no choice but to accept the resignation but followed with a brilliant choice for his replacement. Whatever happens Obama can rightly say he did all he could. Now all we need to do is declare victory and leave that burial ground of empires behind.
Than there is the discovery of trillions of dollars of minerals or, as Fox News calls it, stuff in Afghanistan. Fox is worried that China will want this array of stuff so we have to stay to protect it. Hell let the Chinese have the stuff! Just leave and hand the whole effing mess over to the them. Or better yet trade Afghanistan for Tibet. We get the Dalai Lama and they get Hamid Karzai and his pathetic posse of cronies.
Whatever happens with the Afghan’s new lottery winnings Jon Stewart is, as usual, dead on. “Perhaps now the Afghan people will pay some sort of price for the war. You hear that Afghan people? The free ride to Rubbletown is over!" Stewart said.
Finally I have to have a tard of the day. I haven’t had one in a bit but not because of lack of potential candidates. The right wing is a virtual cornucopia of tards and aholes. But all that is for another time. So in leaving I give you Mike Huckabee who said in a New Yorker article “I do believe that God created male and female and intended for marriage to be the relationship of the two opposite sexes. Male and female are biologically compatible to have a relationship. We can get into the ick factor, but the fact is two men in a relationship, two women in a relationship, biologically, that doesn’t work the same.”
Ick? A presidential hopeful used the word ick? The Urban Dictionary defines ick as ‘something gross, a feminine way of saying "ew". usage by men: only recommended if you are a homosexual.’ Ahhh now I understand!
And so it goes
Buckcherry - Everything
Than there is the discovery of trillions of dollars of minerals or, as Fox News calls it, stuff in Afghanistan. Fox is worried that China will want this array of stuff so we have to stay to protect it. Hell let the Chinese have the stuff! Just leave and hand the whole effing mess over to the them. Or better yet trade Afghanistan for Tibet. We get the Dalai Lama and they get Hamid Karzai and his pathetic posse of cronies.
Whatever happens with the Afghan’s new lottery winnings Jon Stewart is, as usual, dead on. “Perhaps now the Afghan people will pay some sort of price for the war. You hear that Afghan people? The free ride to Rubbletown is over!" Stewart said.
Finally I have to have a tard of the day. I haven’t had one in a bit but not because of lack of potential candidates. The right wing is a virtual cornucopia of tards and aholes. But all that is for another time. So in leaving I give you Mike Huckabee who said in a New Yorker article “I do believe that God created male and female and intended for marriage to be the relationship of the two opposite sexes. Male and female are biologically compatible to have a relationship. We can get into the ick factor, but the fact is two men in a relationship, two women in a relationship, biologically, that doesn’t work the same.”
Ick? A presidential hopeful used the word ick? The Urban Dictionary defines ick as ‘something gross, a feminine way of saying "ew". usage by men: only recommended if you are a homosexual.’ Ahhh now I understand!
And so it goes
Buckcherry - Everything
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Observations from the Shore 6.23
And so the VQs arrived at the shore yesterday. It seems Ash apparently packed for two weeks and any possible weather. One does never know when one will get the call for a wine and cheese party. She seems to be enjoying it though. How do I know? The first sure sign is that she turned off her omnipresent cell phone.
But honestly it’s cool having my girls here and be able to show off my little hideaway, normally I like spending this shore time alone. It is a totally sweet sight to see them stand on the deck sipping beers.
Than again I smile a lot when I think of them. So different in looks, but both gorgeous in their own ways, and personalities. Ash is the hyper one while Chloe is more laid back. One has a fine arts degree and the other a degree in theatre, which alone should send up warning signs. But it works for them and works most awesomely.
Other than for my severely depleted beer stock the first day went rather well. But their differences quickly became apparent during our first trip into town. The Oceans Gallery is a cool little gallery off the main intersection, just up from the all important Fred’s Tavern. Until she was finished there Ash not only met the owners but had a cell number too. Meanwhile Chloe shopped in funky jewelry stops and picked up a pile of Fred’s t-shirts.
I won’t pretend I know anything about love and relationships, it’s just not my area of expertise, but I know what I see. I see two women who are strong, each sure of themselves in their own way, and very happy together.
The VQs have been a couple for over four years now and sometimes I am in awe of how close they are. One time Ash and I were on the roof pondering life and I asked her what the attraction was. What was it that held them together in the crazy world that is the Village? She told me it was simple. Chloe lets her be herself, makes her happy, and brings her peace.
Karma
Paper Tongues - Trinity
But honestly it’s cool having my girls here and be able to show off my little hideaway, normally I like spending this shore time alone. It is a totally sweet sight to see them stand on the deck sipping beers.
Than again I smile a lot when I think of them. So different in looks, but both gorgeous in their own ways, and personalities. Ash is the hyper one while Chloe is more laid back. One has a fine arts degree and the other a degree in theatre, which alone should send up warning signs. But it works for them and works most awesomely.
Other than for my severely depleted beer stock the first day went rather well. But their differences quickly became apparent during our first trip into town. The Oceans Gallery is a cool little gallery off the main intersection, just up from the all important Fred’s Tavern. Until she was finished there Ash not only met the owners but had a cell number too. Meanwhile Chloe shopped in funky jewelry stops and picked up a pile of Fred’s t-shirts.
I won’t pretend I know anything about love and relationships, it’s just not my area of expertise, but I know what I see. I see two women who are strong, each sure of themselves in their own way, and very happy together.
The VQs have been a couple for over four years now and sometimes I am in awe of how close they are. One time Ash and I were on the roof pondering life and I asked her what the attraction was. What was it that held them together in the crazy world that is the Village? She told me it was simple. Chloe lets her be herself, makes her happy, and brings her peace.
Karma
Paper Tongues - Trinity
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