Halloween Warning

Just a little reminder of what can happen when Halloween falls on a Friday...

Moboxo In Action 2008

What is Moboxo, you might ask? For the uninitiated, I will explain. Moboxo is the time honored martial art that combines the physicality and spirituality of all martial arts in one. It is rarely practiced these days, but here is a unique glimpse into the world of a group of committed followers of the tradition. You can learn, but must always keep, its secrets.

Jeremy's Birthday Weekend

Jeremy's birthday is actually Tuesday, but I'll be leaving Tuesday evening for New Haven, where I'm facilitating a day-long workshop at a University the next day. So, we had to do it up with birthday-style this weekend! On Sunday, we had brunch at a great neighborhood place and then went to Fort Greene Park for Halloween Fest. The highlight of the Fest was the Dog Costume Contest -- our favorite was The Golden Parachute -- a small boxer wearing a golden cape with dollar bills all over it, dragging a golden parachute behind him. We also spotted a large pet pig on a leash (see photo), which was pretty random. Then, we headed to Broadway and took in the musical Chicago, from the second row! We got half-price tickets the day before. The dancing and singing were truly amazing. We are excited to go back to Broadway, once some visitors show up who want to go!

Jer and the Silkscreen Shop

Here are some photos of Jeremy at school in the silkscreen shop -- he is taking Silkscreen as one of five classes this fall. Here are photos of him working, showing off his screen, and showing a print that isn't done yet. So far, he really loves Silkscreen and may take it again in the spring. And yes, there are three cats that live permanently in the shop. And yes, Jer says they were cute at first but now are annoying because they sometimes hop on wet prints. This is probably Pratt's way of keeping the mice population down...

Always Go Out For Music

Last night we went to see our friend Susan Enan play a show at a great little venue on the Lower Eastside, the Rockwood Music Hall. It was part of the big CMJ music festival in town. The venue is tiny and a great listening room. Susan's set was lovely, as usual. Check her out if you haven't already. Her new album is coming out soon, she says.

Jeremy liked the look of the next band, so we stuck around and it turned out we really loved them/her -- Sasha Dobson. I was hooked because I thought she sounded like old Fleetwood Mac at first, then add in a little Fiest, and maybe a little Norah Jones even. Jer loved the sweet licks of the electric guitarist, and Sasha's cute outfit didn't hurt either, I'm sure. We'll definitely check them out again around town. Moral of the story: even when you are hungry and not sure you want to trek into town to hear music on a Tuesday night, go!

In other news, I'm flying to Chicago tomorrow for a job interview with an educational consulting firm. The job would be here in NY, but the headquarters for the firm are outside Chicago. This will be my third and final interview with them. Wish me luck!

Stinson Beach

We got back from California last night at midnight - Shawn and Beth's wedding was amazingly beautiful and joyful. Jeremy and I don't know if we've ever cried more at a wedding. Since I was standing up front as a groomsmaid, I tried to contain myself, but it was hard! My favorite memory of the event was during the personal vows. Beth explained that one reason she loves Shawn is because he can bring music and fun to any situation. During his vows, in a surprise move, he got down on one knee and sang a love song acapella to Beth (all three verses!) It was also wonderful to see so many Macalester friends there. For some reason, only one of us managed to bring a camera! So I'm waiting to get a few good wedding shots, which I will post. In the meantime, here are some beach photos from our first day there (taken by my iPhone)...

Debate Night Inspiration, Part 2

We don't need no debate! Minnesota has voted, people! Well, at least Jeremy and I have. We filled in our absentee ballots and are mailing them today. After this election, we'll register in New York and try to catch up on local politics here, but for this fall, we feel the most informed about how Minnesotans should be casting their lots...

Also, here's a festive photo of the brownstone across the street from us. I can see this out of my office window. These people are psyched about Halloween! Or really trying to keep trick-or-treaters off their stoop.

Speaking of psyched, we're flying off to the wedding of my dear dear friend Shawn Reifsteck tomorrow. He's marrying the smart, sassy, and beautiful Beth Kuenstler in Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco. I am a groomsmaid, and I seriously can't wait!

Explore Dark Alleys

Jeremy's parents gave us a sweet good-bye card when we left for New York extolling the virtues of exploring all of life's experiences, including dead ends and dark alleys. In the past four days, we've hung out in three new parts of town and explored some dark and interesting places. We went to galleries in Chelsea with Mike + Friends, and ended up in the Meatpacking District at a BBQ restaurant on the verge of bankruptcy. The Hog Pit reminded Jeremy of the Boulder Beer Bar, in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, with plenty of boar and deer heads on the wall, and even the Buck Hunter II video game. The Hog Pit's been in the neighborhood forever, but the Meatpacking District became super trendy in the past decade (and for the first time in NY, I really thought we might see "famous people" as we walked past high end cafes on our way there). Their rent is increasing from $4,000/mo to $40,000/mo., so they are closing soon.

On Saturday we met our friend Susan in an area of Brooklyn called Gowanus where a new music venue (the Bellhouse) was opening for the first time -- some friends of Susan were one of the three bands we saw. The music was OK (terrible sound mixing), but the club was really nice, created from an old warehouse. Here's a photo of me at the bar. I ordered a Hot Toddy since I was sick all week. The walk from the train to the Bellhouse was definitely the sketchiest moment we've had so far in NYC (empty dark streets, under highways, etc...sorry Moms), but we're safe and sound.

We also got to meet a friend from Minneapolis - Brian - at a restaurant in part of the East Village where we've never been. Lil' Frankie's was fantastic -- Brian bought an appetizer made of delicious fresh ricotta served with unusual olives (see photo). You must go with us sometime. We sat in the "garden" - the dark outside area with space for four tables, created in the tiny backyard between all the buildings. Nice and dark, in New York.

Please Visit Our Home! (virtually)

I finally created a video tour of our apartment for you! Apologies for the overexposed bedroom -- the sun is really coming in those windows this afternoon. Enjoy, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Friends In Town

Hello, dear blogosphere readers. Sorry for the slow posting speed this week -- I have been really under the weather. I did want to share some photos from visits with out-of-town friends back on Sunday. First, our dear Boston friends Julie and Michael met us for brunch and then took us on a stroll through the Lower East Side and Chinatown, since they've been here much more than we have! A highlight was Katz's Deli, where a famous movie scene was filmed (see photo). I then had the great pleasure of meeting up with my friend and colleague Angie and visiting the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum. I love that place so much I became a member, so when you come to visit, I can take you for free! Angie and I chatted for a few hours over drinks, pickles, and popcorn (of course) before leaving in opposite directions on the train. Here is a blurry photo of her (in red scarf) across the platform.


In job news, I had two great interviews this week, and believe I'll have final interviews with both next week sometime. Keep the good vibes flowing!

Let Us Eat Cake

We spent a great Saturday evening for FREE at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. It was the 10th birthday of "Target Free Saturdays," and Heidi suggested we all go. The celebration included bands, professional dance performances, curator talks, and the opening of a huge retrospective exhibition by Gilbert and George. They were actually there and did a little talk. Here's Jeremy, cozying up to famous artists once again! (G & G are the older gentlemen in the photo.)

Did I mention there was free birthday cake? After taking in a dance performance, we hurried to the front of the cake line, only to be told "the cake will be served in 35 minutes." We gave up our prized spots, much to Heidi's dismay. From the gallery we visited next we could see the masses below waiting for cake. Here is a photo of Heidi sadly taking in the view of all the people, and the limited cake. But wait! It turns out Target bought plenty of red and white cake and we got some after all!




And quick job search update -- I just got home from my in-person interview with a certain public radio program and it went GREAT! They already asked me back for another interview next week! I have an interview with another place tomorrow, too.

20 Minute Stroll - Handy!

I thought it might do me some good to do get out and do some errands this afternoon. Of course I thought of you along the way, and thought you might like to see the sights. One block south of us and parallel to our street is Fulton Street. Fulton is lined with stores, restaurants, convenience marts, etc. None are particularly nice, most are just "handy." In a two-block walk, I went...

* Past Clean Rite, our laundromat.
* To the post office, where you should note that dogs are not allowed in the lobby!
* To Met, a grocery store, which aggressively advertises their array of organic products, but we have found the produce there is disappointing, and lots of things on the shelf are expired. It is handy for things like cat litter, which I bought today. I also enjoyed watching the dude painting Halloween decor on the front windows.
* Past Green Planet, a small and overpriced natural foods store, also with disappointing produce, but with bulk items. Handy to have so close by.
* Past our train stop.
* To our pharmacy, where a sign on the door said "Closed from 1 - 2 today." Since it was 2:02 and I needed to pick up my prescription, I waited. Afternoon prayers at the mosque two doors down were just getting out, and the sidewalk filled with men greeting each other, "salaam, salaam" (peace, peace). Turns out the pharmacist was at the prayer service, but was back in action by 2:05.
* Then, it was just one block north and I'm home!

Inspiration for Debate Night

Over the summer, our dear friend Angie Talle put her amazing artistic skills to work and created a mosaic project for the Democratic National Convention. She found 50 volunteers -- one from every state -- to make a mosaic panel that became part of an installation she did at a big art show next door to the DNC. She just sent me some photos of the project yesterday, and on this day of the Vice Presidential debate, I wanted to share the beauty and inspiration. Angie (pictured here, thanking her volunteers) created the large center panel of Obama and gave the volunteers guidance on creating their own panels. Two friends of ours (Eleanor in Iowa and Cheryl in Arkansas) contributed. You can see their panels in the close-up below. The Obama quote reads:
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.
We are the ones we've been waiting for.
We are the change we seek."

Organic Bandwagon

A phenomenon we noticed right away out here is that even the corner shops -- like the ones that seem to mostly sell pop and cigarettes -- are getting on the organic products bandwagon. There are a lot of these little places everywhere, because so few people have cars. People still need to run out for little food and household products all the time (in Minnesota we'd be stopping at Target a lot, but Target is a lot less convenient here), so these places fill that need. And everybody must want "organic." Product lines we only saw at the co-op back home can be found even in these little corner haunts (for plenty of money). I saw this sign when we were on our way to the neighborhood farmer's market on Sunday, where we were thrilled to find beautiful local produce, cheeses, flowers, fish, etc. (also for plenty of money). Quality has its price, folks.