Home Again

Finally made it back to NC for a visit and actually talked John into driving up from FL to hang out at the same time!! Yay!
This is a picture of siblings.. John, Sarah, and Page. Do I look like the middle child or what?! It was so good to see Page.. sometimes I feel like we are strangers but we are both working on changing that.

My little brother is so cute isn't he? Not so little anymore I guess, he passed me in height years ago. John of course brought with him bottles and bottles of the most delicious wine from his company. He constantly surprises me with his good taste. Who would have thought that the same boy who swore he liked peanut butter and salsa sandwiches would turn out to have such a refined palate?

Always the ham in the fam..

Probably listening to John talk.. something he likes to do ..ALOT..

Page and his beautiful/sweet/amazing wife Jenny. We were all sorry that Mariel (John's lovely bride) couldn't make it but alas she was at the Madonna concert in Miami.. some people have it rough!

Dad, Page, Jenny, and Aunt B all listening to John tell some sort of story no doubt.. he is very verbal.

Sweet Daddy grilling filets.. I am the biggest Daddy's girl ever! I love my Dad so much. Sad to say as we were about to enjoy our feast of fresh corn, potatoes, filet, and grilled egg plant.. the sky opened up and rained down thunder and lightening.. so we had to grab it all and head indoors .. that made for some cramped eating but it was still gooooooood!!


John brought his Boston, Zen, who really likes to hump Oliver. Finally Oli got fed up and started fighting back. Oli is smaller than Zen but older so he won most of the time.

This one makes him look really scary and mean right?

Nice puppies play well with others..

Great trip just too short as usual.. looking forward to the next one..

Katie's New Digs in Jersey City

Katie has moved from Montclair to a fabulous new place in the hip neighborhood of Jersey City. She invited a few friends over to see the new place and hang out and visit. I took these pictures very early in the evening before most of the others got there. Maggie and Thomas drove out from the city which was awesome since I haven't seen either of them in awhile. Of course Nathan was there but camera shy as ever and I totally missed getting Stephen in a shot but whatever. How beautiful is this place??!??! Katie knows how to make things so dreamlike and fantastical. Her room looks like it was ripped from the pages of Dwell. She has taken her space and transformed it so that it seems so open and roomy yet warm and cozy. The kitchen as you can see is a vintage wonderland and the bathroom (which I did not take a picture of) even has a claw foot tub! One of the best features is that she has a back yard!!!! For those of you who live in areas where yards are something everyone has... you won't understand why this is such a big deal. NO ONE has a yard around here!!! Not to mention one as magical as this one. That is Frances's bunny on the grass. Frances is Katie's puppy and constant companion. We all had a great time and I even stopped at Billy's and got a dozen cupcakes.. how can you have a bad time when cupcakes are invited???
So glad you are closer to the city now Katie.. just a short subway then PATH ride away from the new place in Brooklyn (coming soon to a blog near you!). Now the next time JV comes to town, we will have no excuse not to go out for breakfast afterward!!

the best of intentions

i have been a bad blogger and neglected to even put up the px from Maine from last weekend. we have out of town guests staying with us for Nathan's opening on Thursday and even though I told myself I would be coming straight home after work, somehow I found my way downtown to the same old shitty italian place that I hate eating the same crummy food with the same crummy service all to hang out with the boys (and Ryans new GF Micalah). Some things you just cant say no too I guess and hanging around those guys listening to them compare my eggplant parm sandwich to a yeasty vagina is just too appealing to turn down! seriously.. the nasty boy talk is starting to get to me a little bit. stephen wonders why i am shocked every time they say stuff like that and i guess i am not shocked.. not even really that grossed out. I feel this overwhelming urge to make sure that I express my protest to that kind of speach and behavior. I say its because I am a woman and they are nasty guys and Nathan says that is sexist because I am assuming that I am more offended by what they say than a guy would/might be. Whatever the case after all of that ultra stimulating conversation I came home and hid long enough to take a shower then cut Nathan's hair in preparation for his big NY debut and then had a bowl of blueberries and an orange juice popcycle. All of this leaving me with little time to really think about my day or post many px. I really prefer to do postings with px all the time. I feel very self conscious when its just my writing up here for everyone to see.
Today I got an email from a very good friend of mine, Jeff. It made my day and possibly my week. It made me so happy reading this very important letter on the train this morning. Happy for reasons only Jeff really understands and the fact he does makes me even more happy. I tried to explain why the letter was so perfect and meant so much to me to Stephen today and gave up after only one sentence. I know he would really try to understand and he would be respectful and smile and tell me he got it but the reality is that the only one who really gets it is Jeff.. and me of course. So I am leaving it between us where it belongs and its ok for it to stay that way. Here's to Sea Island and apartments in NYC.
Tomorrow I am going to my first yoga class in the city.. Abby and I are trying out a studio.
Ok your mission, should you choose to accept it.. is to tell me where and or what the px I posted (in random order) are or have to do with... this is a very very random selection from the last 2 months so let me know what you think I was doing and where. I will reveal the real story behind each photo if I get at least 5 responsive comments on this post.. otherwise you will all just have to wonder! Nitee nite....

Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound

one of the best things about being in Maine is the lobster. its good and cheap and all over the place! one of my dad's Harley buddies told him about this place when we went last year and it was the best lobster we had the entire trip. the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. naturally i wanted to make it my first stop when we got there. you go in a choose your lobster ( i couldn't do it.. wimpy i know..) and they put it in this mesh bag that has a number on it and take it out to those big cooker looking things outside and toss it in. its cooked in the sea water with sea weed so its perfectly seasoned. a big ol' lobster with corn on the cob and a cold can of Coke. nothing could be finer! strange enough, while we were there we ran into a whole group of people from Chapel Hill! Stephen heard their accents and made some comment about NC and i said something about how not everyone who has a southern accent is from NC and then.. they came up and asked him about the High Point t-shirt he was wearing and introduced themselves as being from Chapel Hill.. small stinkin' world!
anyway Carolinians aside, the weather was so clear and sunny and the cool breeze off the water does good things for an appetite that has lately been absent.

road tripping to Maine..

we went to Maine this weekend for a few days. i love road trips and i must say we are pretty hard core. we have no a/c in the volvo and its july so.. its hot. its pretty basic wizzing down the road with the windows down and the music blasting. cant complain since i always have alot of fun. its so loud between the wind and the tunes that you can just sit and check out the scenery without having to have alot of in depth conversation if you don't want too. poor stephen! i cut ALL his hair off the night before the trip! he took it in stride though and its a nice change from the hot mop he was toting around i guess. Mullins would kill me! Sorry Mullins! It will grow back i promise.. it always does!



a very sleep Oli sneaks a peak around my seat to see if he can get in my lap for a nap..



how could i say no to a face like that! he loves to lay there in the sun and put his face in the crook of my arm.



one of the greatest things about a road trip is the food you get to bring along. of course there are always plenty of Nalgenes filled with water. this time however we filled one with herbal tea which was awesome! lemon zinger.. mmmm!! other essentials not pictured: glass bottled Cokes, M&Ms, peanut butter crackers, chex mix and Panda raspberry licorice chews.

my friend katie

my friend katie had an opening tonight. we all arrived in the pouring rain to wish her happiness and success. it was a group show and a spur of the moment sort of thing but as always she as prepared and her installation looked great (even though she didnt get to/have to install it herself). nathan and stephen arrived together as always (thats nathan telling the story with his hands - he doesnt like me taking his picture so i turned the flash off and held it down and took secret pictures of him anyway because i dont like him telling me what to do). the guy in the green is andrew.. our resident brit. he arrived half soaked and looking like a hobbit with harry potter hair as always. katie is the stunning blond leaned causally against the wall beside the nathan ducking my picture. i love my friends so much. i even love the way we all get anti-social and stand in the hall at openings laughing at the same jokes and movie quotes. there was a new guy there this evening that i didnt get a picture of. he was from california and even had a tatoo of the california flag on his arm. for some reason that tattoo seemed really powerful to me. like he loved CA that much that he was willing to permanently attach himself to it. anyway thats off the subject de jour. congrats katie girl! you are much loved and supported! all you viewers out there.. buy more art!!!!

ramblings

Things I overheard today:

While waiting in line for 20 minutes downstairs at JCrew (line being held up by older out of shape woman with transparent blue t-back trying to get the store to refund her sales tax), manager has been summoned:
Impatient waspy woman 1 to impatient waspy woman 2 - "Oh look, now they've called in a gay guy.. this outa be good!!"

While seated with Abby on an MTA bus in midtown, woman standing to our left in her early 40s with no visible disabilities carrying a small shopping bag and wielding a dark red smoothy drink of some sort that is threatening to come open and spill on my head. Said woman into cell phone - " Yes!! I am on the BUS.. STANDING!!! (glowers at Abby and me)(meaningful second sigh)"

Really wish I had px of these guys but alas I have been in a shy stage and have not yet received the spy camera from my Archie comic. Must check on that. The Sea Monkeys are doing well.

Things I am excited about today:

We are going to Maine for the weekend and Oli gets to come along too.
Eating lobster in Maine.
Watching lobster boats in the bay in Maine.
Looking for tug boats in the bay in Maine.
Walking down the sidewalk in Maine.
Listening to the way people speak in Maine.
Finding a quiet spot to nap and listen to my iPod in Maine.
The fact that Stephen made a reservation at a hotel in New Hampshire as a halfway point.
Staying in hotels this weekend (I love to stay in hotels.. of all shapes and sizes).
Stephen got me tickets to the Raconteurs in September for my birthday and told me about it today.
I am going to buy tickets to see The New Pornographers at the Summer Stage concert series in Central Park tomorrow. They are playing on August 3rd.
Our new apartment in Brooklyn.
Getting rid of lots of things so we can live more simply and comfortably in our new place.
The new couch that Avi and Abby gave us.
Belonging to the co-op in Park Slope.
Working at the co-op in Park Slope.
Two 3/4 sleeve feather weight tees that I got at JCrew today.
The doctor said I am back to a healthy weight, 116 lbs. yay for chicken veggie soup over noodles and sour dough bread.


There is a bird chirping madly outside my window and its very late for that kind of bird behavior. I think he is confused. But happy anyway. Its dark in here and the boys are sound asleep behind me. Its actually been a pretty good day. Just feeling less and less like going to work but that is pretty normal I think. Death Cab is singing about Brothers on a Hotel Bed. I think its a portrait of people on opposite coasts. He didn't mean to fall in love but it happened in an instant and he could see from beginning to end.

Things I miss today:

Lightening bugs
Mom's iced tea
Fresh green beans and country ham in a big pot
My front porch at home in NC
Driving up 18 North with the windows down

People I miss today:

Gram
Jeff
Ian
Katie
Jason

Alright. The longer I stay up the more tempting it is to continue to do so. I better go to bed. I have a job to be at tomorrow. I'd better say that's that. Love to you all.

at home at night

i think i like my apartment best at night..its really quiet and the cool breeze blows through the screens and it makes me feel like being up all night.. i am excited about moving to the city.. but i am going to miss this place..its got so much history that i can't even guess at.. its been here for almost 100 years.. i feel more comfortable in old places..it feels more like home for some reason. i love that its cheap and that it feels like a secret paradise that people who think old buildings are dirty and run down will never get to experience.

self study

i am told that i sit with my hand pressed in front of my mouth more often than i should. i never realized how shy that makes me look. i think i even watch movies this way. the person who brought this to my attention made it sound like a habit that needed to be broken. apparently i do this sometimes during meetings or events at work. after careful consideration and self study i have decided its a habit i am fond of and will not be breaking.

John Michael

my little brother John is the most precious person in my life. i missed him so bad while he was gone. these pictures have come with me through college and engagements and boyfriends and 4 states, they are always the last things to get packed up and the first to be unpacked and settled in. sometimes good memories are the best you can get and if thats the case then it pays to keep several on hand.

Capitalist Pirates..?

I went outside the rink side of the building today and what did I see? I yacht moored on the very sidewalk I usually go to eat my soup and listen to my Ian Bjornstad playlist! Well well.. are we really surprised? Afterall, people in New York are not supposed to be shocked at anything. Its just so unreal to me the amount of money spent to make the sidewalk.. the SIDEWALK look like a dock for this racing boat. Complete with Giant screen playing a loop of the crew describing their victories of some sort.. I didn't take the time to listen (shame on me) and a glass house showcasing their silver cup. They had even built pools on either side with at least 3 feet of water in them. People tripping over eachother to get a good shot of the boat with their daughter/son/wife/bff/nanny posed like a sailor.
I am constantly amazed at the contractors of Rockefeller Plaza. Overnight they can perform magic feats of wonder. It wasn't long ago that I walked out expecting to find benches on which to enjoy my lunch and instead I was met by "Art Rock!!" this mobile installation show of contemporary artists. It was at least more interesting that the present shit. Did I say shit, I meant ship of course. I am being a little unfair, if you are a fan of this kind of boating adventure having the very boat out there in the center of Rockefeller Plaza must be pretty amazing. Sort of the way I might feel if I walked outside to get some fresh air and found that a Red Headed Viking Pirate had taken up residence in my favorite corner of the causeway. That would be pretty interesting to me. I would want to take lots of pictures of him and sit in wonder at his arrival in this strange land. And much like my reaction to the present ornament.. my fellow New York working folk would pass by my precious Viking with indifferent glances. To each his(or her) own.

I am stuck on a triple repeat today/ tonight. The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema - "These Are The Fables", "Sing Me Spanish Techno", and "Falling Through Your Clothes". I may sleep with my iPod on tonight.

Have you ever felt like having the perfect song playing on repeat made up for all the unspoken words of your day? Listening to that choice on the way into your day made you feel all your conversations had already been figured out and talked out and needed nothing additional. Then on the way home its the comfort of reminding you that knew exactly what to say and said it before you needed too.