First Cookies!

Yum!

Paul made his first batch of cookies, ever, yesterday! And they were delicious. Way to go, honey! Now that you've "cracked the code" I look forward to many more delicious cookie appearances!

Le chef!

MIT cake

Any excuse for cake, right?

Congratulations Peter Louis Downs, we're all so proud of you!

All Over NYC!

Paul and NB on the High Line in Chelsea

Paul and I took a breakneck day trip to NYC earlier in the week, combining business, pleasure and even family!  We started off in Soho where Paul made a flying visit to some clients while I went to the Lee Friedlander show at at Janet Borden:

Lee Friedlander

Lunch and a few more galleries, nothing too memorable, then off to Chelsea where I had been strongly advised by more than one of my teachers to see the Michaël Borremans show at David Zwirner. It was impressive and I am glad I managed to catch it before it closed. I am still trying to work out why several people whom I respect thought of my work in connection to this work..there definitely is some similarity in our impulse, but it's somewhat "submerged" in the presentation. This needs pondering!

In front of Borremans' "The Loan." My dressing to coordinate was unintentional!

While in Chelsea we strolled on the High Line, something that is becoming a tradition.  We always enjoy the city sights, and the people watching (as usual, a large percentage of French and German speakers) and the beautiful landscaping of the line (cityscaping?)

Birdhouses and feeders in heavy use

Great light!

Walking around Chelsea we also caught some street art, like this choice little interactive project, Hope:

Hope, Chelsea, NYC, 12/11

I don't know who did it but it was simply and beautifully executed and a pleasure to participate in. It also fostered communication as several people encountering it at the same time necessarily spoke a bit, expressing astonishment and interest, sharing pens etc. I always like public art that breaks down barriers between people, however fleetingly.

Adding Hopes to the collection.

We saw some other excellent art in galleries, and then headed over to the New York Times building where we had an appointment to meet Paul's editor. It's quite an interestingly designed building, done by Renzo Piano, lots of vistas and strong colors, and we spent a pleasant hour talking and drinking tea in the beautiful Times employee cafeteria, Paul and Loren kicking around some of Paul's ideas and me quietly taking it all in.

New York Times Employee Cafeteria Photo credit: Fred R. Conrad

This would have been enough to fill up my dance card satisfactorily but wait there's more!  Paul had also arranged for us to rendezvous with a relative of his whom he only recently met, who works at Christie's. He thought I would like her (and he was right!)  We waltzed right in to Christie's, past all the security... turned out this was  something of an unintentional Ninja move because it was one of the nights of the Elizabeth Taylor auction and admission was limited and security was tight. We did get stopped at some point, but courteously, and we then waited for our relative in very glamorous Christie surroundings, and perused a fascinating digital databank of auction images. 

(I have to admit, I am not very interested in jewelry so the Taylor Collection was somewhat wasted on me!)  Once our relation, Deborah Bell, arrived downstairs we whirled off, crossing through the jolly crowds at Rockefeller Center and ended up in The Modern, which is part of MOMA. I was thrilled to see an enormous and shockingly beautiful piece MOMA commissioned from Mickalene Thomas still on display right where we were entering (it's only up temporarily so what incredible luck!)

"Le dejeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires" by Mickalene Thomas

A huge crush of people filled the bar/restaurant almost to bursting, in pre-holiday fervor, and we spent a very enjoyable if all too brief time getting to know our newfound cousin a little better (she's wonderful!) and making plans to meet again post-holidays, before dashing off to catch our train home. 

What a day! Didn't feel tired at the time, it was all very energizing, but I noticed at the end of the next day's various duties and work efforts, my boyfriend Paul and I were both drooping. Well worth it!

Almost Done!

Almost done with my first semester of grad school! I came home yesterday to find my sweet husband had these flowers and encouraging note waiting for me...his thoughtfulness brought a lump to my throat. It's been such a tough week for all of us, really.  I had four end of semester school hurdles to leap and then there were other things, kind of big things, going on as well. If I listed everything you'd stop believing in my truthfulness after a few bullet points..so I'll just mention the most important and saddest: a death in the family, Paul's sweet Aunt Sue, necessitating his sudden flight out to Chicago. Sick kid with asthma, a minor (I hope) but urgent hospital procedure, a long-ago scheduled house repair beginning and ...(and I can see your eyes starting to glaze so I will just stop listing..though there is even more!) This would make for a busy week even if I didn't have two final class projects due, end of semester Reviews (these were a real BFD...eeek!) and a 10 page  term paper due.

I'm done with everything now except the term paper. I felt like I was going to crack under the strain and so I swallowed my pride and asked for a two day extension on the paper. I cringed while I was doing it but I did it. It seemed the only aspect in this load that had a little "give"...and, fortunately, my teacher kindly gave!

So, yes, beautiful roses, almost done! :-)

State X-C Championships 2011

P has been quite sick since Tuesday night but nothing would keep him from running in the state championships today! The doctor rather reluctantly okayed it, as long as he brought his inhaler.

P ran far below his norm, but finished honorably, middle of the pack.

Naturally he was disappointed,  but we're all very proud of him!

My X-C Kids!

Saturday was a gray day but a good one for the Cross-Country team...P came in second in the district conference (with his team-mate and co-captain coming in first) and H made a Personal Best!

My guys 

Strong start for H and he stayed steady!

P and his co-captain took off from the pack at some point

Coming in to the finish! 

Cupcake Social

Netta with Cupcake

There is a seemingly never-ending barrage of social and instructive events for us students at PAFA. There are so many opportunities and offerings that  I am almost finding it a bit distracting. But it's all very fun, tempting stuff, like today's Cupcake Social at 4 pm. Hundreds of cupcakes, scores of toppings to customize them, and gallons and gallons of strong coffee. End of day bliss! Could I have squeezed in an extra hour of painting instead of consuming empty calories and socializing? Yes! But it was darn fun.

My Town

Off the evening train,
stopping to drink in the sight-
my town at sunset

Fifteen!

My baby turned FIFTEEN today! Warm with happiness, at the same time frozen with horror at the speed the years are winging past...

I'm 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I'm just dreaming...


100 Years, Five for Fighting
(This song is one the biggest tear-jerkers on the radio! Sometimes I just have to turn it off when I hear the opening bars, sometimes I let it happen...)

First Fire

the first fall fire:
its muffled roaring and hiss
suddenly remembered