  | ||
|
Spill Guts Here. It's gotta go somewhere, know what I mean? Can you stand it?
purls before swine
Geek Knitting
West Indian Parade
West Indian Parade
Dog/Cat Wrestling
|
7.31.2003
It's been Estrogen City here at the shop. Tamara is due in about 3-4 weeks, yesterday I helped her with finishing work on the exquisite little pale blue silk knitted outfit she made to bring the baby home in. Gerry had a serious health scare, and came through it brilliantly. Michelle found $30. knock-offs of those cute $85. kitten heel flipflops at some place on Broadway and came to tell me about it. I learned about breast pumps and leakage. Anna is contemplating which way her life should go. Kaethe visited me from London, and is doing well.
Female bonding in full swing. Really, in my life at least, men come and go and are the icing, but my girlfriends are the cake. Private party at the studio building this Saturday, a theatre director is hosting it for his friends, and there will be a live band, and *comedians*. The fee for the rental will pay for 2/3rds of the plumbers fee. I had the toilet and nasty slop sink removed from my studio, and now have lots more room. That old potty had no walls around it, it was sort of bizarrely just in the corner of the room. Will put in another new slop sink and run hot water back there in the fall, so I can handwash knits. 7.29.2003
Off again, feel relieved and ok.
It's been a violent few weeks. Another person was murdered 2 days later by the same execution style a block from where the last body was found, right around the corner from my house. Councilman James Davis, who was shot and killed in City Hall last week, worked for Prospect Heights, I knew him from numerous community meetings last year. Just trying to focus on the multitude of projects in the pipe now. Embroidery machine started on fire yesterday morning, goes in for repair today. I think I fried the motherboard somehow. Getting a plumber in to fix stuff at the studio building at 11, then errands all afternoon. A typical day off. Otherwise, summer is beautiful, and I'm pretty happy in general. 7.21.2003
I've wondered about this for a very long time, and apparently scientists have now agreed that the mystery of life = 4. Glad that's settled.
7.20.2003
My snog-pal and I both got a 48 hr. stomach flu, his version involved projectile vomiting out of the window of a van speeding across the Queensborough bridge during rush hour. :-) Somehow, I avoided that part. My stomach still hurts, but all other aches are gone.
Doing lots of skirt sewing, embroidering pockets. Have a freelance embroidery gig to get started on this Mon and Tue. 7.18.2003
Coming down with some type of flu. Went to the park this am because sleeping for 20 hours makes you stiff, and I tried to walk it off. Helped a bit. Got to see A briefly, who took his Ozzie.
7.17.2003
Had a delayed reaction from seeing that murdered body this morning of about an hour and a half. Mild panic attack, stayed home, didn't open up the shop today. Slept all day after feeling very nervous for a while. Just walked the dog, feel better now, will get back on track tommorrow. I was just really enjoying this neighborhood and life in general. That was a neighborhood guy, apparently well-known on the street. It's still not on the news.
Left the house 7:15 am to exercise in the park with the dog, saw masses of police on the corner. Sprawled on the sidewalk with his head in the doorway of the Full Gospel Deliverance Center on Washington Avenue, half block from my apartment, is a dead body with 2 bullets in his head. Got the details from Honor, the woman who owns the building on the corner of St. Marks Ave. Apparently drug/gang related. Happened very early am. They found lots of money and a cell phone on the body, dressed in gang colors. Just got back, and it's still there, but the top half is covered with a bloody sheet.
Talk about parallel universes. These cockroaches come out at night, and I hope they continue to pick each other off in the wee hours. I want to go watch the forensics at work, but have to prepare for a fitting with Anastasia at 11. Had a dinner of shark meat and organic vegetables made just for me last night. It was good. After years of getting asked "What's for dinner?" by a tv tv watching slug when I walked in the door at 9pm, this is an incredible luxury.
On again. Yoyo.
7.15.2003
Delicious Discourse on the word "Dude".
Lay down for a nap this afternoon before a lecture I'm going to tonight (business hooey), turned on the tv to find one of my favorite movies of all time had just started, "Tron". Oh man, the graphics yes of course, but the color pallette is exquisite. Greyed pastels and flourescent oranges and reds, bits of lavenders and pink accents, a full range of clear and greyed blues. Lot's of strong dark orange and pale/midtoned greens. Totally inspired. Got no sleep.  This now only exists in draft form and memory.7.14.2003
Damn it, my on/off thing is off again. Have a mild case of the blues. What can you do when you have nothing, I mean absolutely nothing in common but mindblowing sex? Have as much of it as possible, which I think we did. Love never entered the picture, or would it ever have. We ended as friends, as I usually try to do. shit.
C'est la Vie. I'm going to watch American Chopper.
Did my monthly shift at the Food Coop this am, and afterwards while running errands ran into the adorable Marcus Wolf. Marcus is a friend of my ex, and one of the very few people who knew both of us to come by my shop after we broke up to see if I was ok. He's a spiritual, sweet and talented guy. I got a copy of his new CD "Shallow Breath" this am, too. Bravo, Marcus!
Have a crush on someone at the Coop, and we worked together this am. Crushes are fun. Really fun. I pulled his hair, very gently. Sort of got the whole ball rolling. I realized my studio building is turning into "Ye Olde Estrogen Hut". All chicks, all the time. Oh well. I enjoy being able to support other women, especially as the art world is still very much an old boys club, I don't care what anyone says. By the way, the Whitney is accepting submissions for it's 2004 Biennial this year. Deadline is August 1st. Went to a great barbeque last night, and saw my pastry chef friend Joseph, who agreed to cater the art walk party. I especially want his lemon angel food tarts...oh man, to die for. My mouth is watering thinking about them. We'll have something savory also, don't know what yet. Designing and grading dress, top and skirt patterns. Boring. Knitting will commence late August. It's too damn hot now. 7.12.2003
 An embroidery currently in the window of the shop, which elicits *EXACTLY* the type of responses I covet, either disturbed or amused. From the Black album. How succinct and poetic, Mr. Hetfield.Extremely busy day at the shop, went to my friend Mari Lowery's photography opening after work, and got to do a bit of shopping for myself for a change. Blood orange sorbet in a sugar cone and fresh raspberries for dinner. It's hot. Forgot to feed Ian's cats today, shit! It's late and I now have to walk 10 blocks to do it. They need to get fed. Hosting 3 more artist's for the September Art Walk in the common space: Jen Kim (installation), Alexa (painter) and Katie (illustration). I spoke briefly with DJ Tate, she might dj the party. I think other artist studio buildings are going the serious, quiet, lot's of "empty white wall" route. We'll be getting down, bit-o-drunk and hardcore conceptual that Sunday afternoon. Why not? I'm going to design a dress (displayed on a dress doll) especially for it, possibly the only time I do something in my life that's not really meant to be worn, I'm really not comfortable with that, still. Too practical. Can't help it. We'll see. Maybe you will be able to wear it. I treated myself to a massage tonight on the way home and it hurt like hell! It was the worst one I've ever had, and a waste of $60. I'm twinging and sore, not in a good way. The guy was a "reflexologist". I asked for my hands, arms and shoulders to be done, he was squeezing my joints, not the muscles inbetween. Never again. 7.10.2003
Obsessed with "American Chopper" and to a lesser degree "Monster Garage" on discovery channel. Incredible to watch these muscular & tattooed beautiful and real guys fabricating original design bikes out of sheets of metal. Paul Jr., you are my hero and an inspiration. Pure testosterone.
Viva la Difference!! 7.09.2003
Had a fun day at the shop today. My homegirl Anna returned from a trip to Poland and Germany with her BF. I missed her! We had some laughs and I'll hear the gory details tomorrow night over some Pad Thai. Was closing up with the lights out, and turned around to see the awesome Liz Collins, fresh from a bike ride around the park, checking out my windows! We had a laugh and I found out she'll be teaching at RISD in the Fall. All you machine knitting design students in Rhode Island are very, VERY lucky!
Then Anastacia, an absolutely beautiful young actress who lives in the neighborhood, came in to see if I would design her costumes for an indie movie she's getting ready to shoot in Cambridge next month. I don't have any more details than that yet. Oh yes I will! She's a gorgeous figure to dress, short blond hair, muscular and curvy, a natural beauty. RedLipstick will get credit, too. I'm going to make her look like no-one else. Her character is one of 4 leads, and I'm getting the script tommorrow to read and get ideas for. She's one of the very few people who has as much, if not more, energy as I do! We're always running in different directions waving at each other. The Prospect Heights Art Walk is definitely set for September 21st, 2003. Finally, we're all getting it together. We'll have a party that afternoon, and host a few studio-less artists as well in our common space. My grapevine is already twining and grasping the iron fence. Newly transplanted plants seem really happy, must be the manure. :-> I love Brooklyn. Now, it's time to rest.
Yes, there was a way too personal post here last night that I removed, for those of you who left a comment, you're not crazy. And D. that's super flattering! :->
I have an excellent boyfriend. No more details. Very happy. Sleepy. 7.07.2003
Two exciting things: RedLipstick got a great review in the new Zagat's Brooklyn Guide shopping section. I'm thrilled about this, as they totally got the "art project" mode of what's going on there. I'm listed under the "Offbeat" catagory. Thank you for understanding!
Currently in negotiation with an old and very famous animation festival to show "Azimuth", my anaglyph 3-D animation! This film requires red/blue glasses to enjoy properly, and it's not often that festivals can pony up the extra cost to supply them for the whole audience. This is a huge thrill for me too. Pretty happy and having fun these days. Soundtrack: Ramones - Cretin Hop, Metallica - entire catalog, Leontyne Price - Live from Carnegie Hall. Cecelia Bartoli sings Mozart. Note: Started working on another abstract animation a while ago, using "Cretin Hop" as a soundtrack. It's so incredibly *circular*, extremely easy to visualize shapes and movement to it. An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field. -Niels Bohr, physicist (1885-1962) Or woman, dear Neils. 7.06.2003
Since I decided to stop trying to verbalize experiences to record here, (which was a self-imposed exercise to get into the habit, as well as have some record and a time frame for events since my sense of linear time is maddeningly elastic), my life has become concentrated and quite vivid.
I'm in a great focus mode as far as work is concerned. I had a spectacular....what they used to call: "affair". Life-affirming, as well as strengthening my desire to live alone for a while more, quite happily. :-> I have a tan and feel lean and light like you get in the summer. Ingrid and I went to the plant nursery on the other side of Greenwood Cemetery early this am to get plants and pots for the "veranda" of my artist's studio building. Viburnum tree, Niagra grape vine, sunflower, spearmint, odd purple perennials, 2 kinds. A bromeliad. Dark fuschia clematis vine. Got a pretty yellow orchid for the house. 200 lbs of topsoil and 40 lbs of composted manure to fill the beautiful wooden planters Luciano made for me. Then we had a big lemonade. I had the reason and occasion to dump a bucket of cold water on someone who was trying to disturb the normal operation of my shop today. It's somewhat empowering to go ahead and do that, if you need to and sometimes you do. The last time was 3 or 4 years ago, Jehovah's Witnesses, Saturday morning, 8:30 am, Berkeley Place. |
|
