P.O.S. Yeah Right!

Jeremy and I have a difficult-to-explain love of a Minneapolis rapper named P.O.S. Sure, we've come to learn that his real name is Stef and he went to high school in the western suburbs, but to us, he is the Real Deal. Or he says, "the voice of a new generation of slaves." When I listen to his stuff, especially off his last record (Audition), I feel like walking faster, getting up, and LIVING.

Check out some lyrics from my favorite song on Audition, "Stand Up"

"Hands up if you're broken but find a way to stand up;
Give it up if you're hopin and never givin up
Stand up so we know who’s here,
who wanna open the machine and rage against the gears?"

Well, maybe you just need to hear it live to get it, but believe me we were psyched to hear P.O.S. was coming out to NYC to promote his newest album, Never Better. We went last night to the Mercury Lounge, got there early, got up close, and had a great time. I would have liked a few more songs from the older albums, but I say that after most shows, I must be traditional and set in my ways. After four hours of hip hop, I was TIRED by the time we left, but like the new album even more now. Check out his myspace and listen to the song "Goodbye" for a sample.

One of my favorite moments last night came during one of the opening acts (Sims from the Doomtree Collective). I noticed there was a small woman with a head scarf down front, and a dude with a huge blond mohawk a few people over from her, both loving what they were hearing. Check out the photo.

Niagara Falls

I had to fly to Niagara Falls for a one day meeting, and since my hotel was a few blocks from the American side of the Falls, I walked down in the morning to see what I could see. It was bitterly cold, but due to the rapid flow of the water, the falls were still dramatically falling, spraying cold mist into the air on me and a Japanese tourist group (the only other people there to see it that morning).

Our friend Chris Larson wrote a song a few years back with the line, "Niagara Falls you suck me dry..." I don't know exactly what the falls meant to Chris, but it can be a tiring experience to witness so much life constantly running somewhere, so fast and loud. Despite that, Jeremy and I might go back in June on our way to Pittsburgh for our friend Sena's wedding. I feel a need to understand this new state I live in a bit better, to get inside the "upstate" and "downstate" division. Niagara Falls is officially west, so we'd be going "across the state," but no matter. Road trip!

Jon & Debb visit!

Do you see the theme in this blog -- how happy it makes me when friends come and stay with us? A recent visit by Jon and Debb was no exception! We spent time looking at art, hearing music, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, checking our Facebook accounts on our iPhones (nerds!), and drinking as many bloody marys as possible.

The photos here are of Debb and me on the Pratt campus (with a Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture), on the bridge, and at Pete's Candy Store. Even though Pete's is now a bar and music venue, it was once a real candy store, so they offered candy hearts on Valentine's day. Jon and Debb, will you be our Valentines and come again next February when we'll really need another injection of Minnesota love?

Garfield Minus Garfield

Last night we went to the fun birthday party of our friend Arianne (where the menu was fried chicken and 40's of Bud). Somehow that theme had prompted me to wear jeans to the party, but most of the other gals looked beautiful in party dresses! Typical NYC.

It was the first "event" we've gone out for since last Tuesday when Jer was mugged, and I was happy he wanted to go. He is getting better/healthier every day, and most of last week's stress and exhaustion is gone (although his black eye gets more colorful each morning!)

On the lighter side, I recommend you check out Garfield Minus Garfield, "a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle." I was a huge Garfield fan as a kid, but this more my speed now. Thanks to our friend Luke for turning us on to it...

Grace and the Gridplan

When I got off the train last night from work, a voicemail from Jer popped up on my iPhone. He was calling from our local police station because he had been mugged, beaten up, robbed, but was generally OK, thank God. The police had come quickly to take his story, listen to witnesses, drive around looking for the group of teens who had done it, and have the paramedics make sure Jeremy was OK. Jer has a black eye, scraped up nose, and sore arm. We cancelled the credit cards and the kids only got $15 in cash plus a $40 Metrocard. We've said many times in the past 24 hours, "It could have been much worse."

This happened on our corner -- well lit and full of people -- around 6:30 PM. This happened on the corner that we will have to walk past many times a day for several years, often alone, because walking around corners alone is how you get around in this city.

This morning I stayed home for an extra hour, but then had to walk past that corner to the train and on to a meeting for work. My routine now involves listening to a podcast as I walk and wait for the subway. I recently remembered that House of Mercy's sermons are available as podcasts and by coincidence (maybe) I had just downloaded sermons starting back around the time we moved to NY. I listened to my first one this morning -- it was from 8/17/08, one of the last ones we had heard Debbie give. In it she describes a crazy tour guide in New York City who questions the city's gridplan, and talks about suffocating notions of family, honor, and trangressions in first century Palestine. She also beautifully, passionately describes how God's love is not limited by any human constucts of what and who are right, wrong, in or out.

I cried listening to this sermon while riding the train. I needed to be reminded of the things Debbie talked about, the mercy, especially today. I needed to be reminded about things bigger than me, and Jer, and police, and street corners, and teenagers with shitty life circumstances and anger and fear or whatever compels one person hurt another. Thank you, Debbie, and thank God for bringing me back home for a few minutes this morning. Jeremy is going to be alright, and so am I.

New Artwork From Jer

Jeremy's off to a great start this semester, loving all his classes and happy with his new part-time job at the gallery on campus at Pratt. He also updated his website with images of some of the work he produced this past semester. Check it out!

Inauguration Day!

Any one who has followed this blog knows how much the "change in administration" (i.e. TOTAL VICTORY BY OBAMA) has meant to me. City College, where I work in Harlem, really celebrated the moment by setting up a big screen in the beautiful Great Hall (in the building where I work.) Students, staff, and faculty were invited to come and watch the swearing in. Here is a view of the students watching behind me and of our new President Obama walking in to the ceremony. There was tremendous energy in the hall, including many standing ovations, cheering, praying, crying and generally acting like we were all there in person. GOBAMA!

Angie, Adam, and Erik Visit!

We enjoyed quick visits from several wonderful Twin Cities friends in mid-January. Erik Brandt came into town to play a show (of course!) that reunited members of the Urban Hillbilly Quartet, four of whom live in NYC now! It was a fun night that I regretfully have no photos of (I blame the Hungarian Palinka). Here's a nice wistful shot of Jeremy after the band practiced in a secret attic in a warehouse on the East River.

We also hosted Angie and Adam for two nights and the fun did not stop. We loved walking with them over the Brooklyn Bridge (in the snow!) for the first time, and meeting their friend Jeremiah who is a documentary filmmaker whose newest film, In A Dream, was short-listed for the Best Documentary Oscar this year. Check it out if you can. Jeremiah also treated us to dinner at an amazing new restaurant in DUMBO run by his friends - Vinegar Hill House.

I should also mention that I started my new job in January, and it has been a bit of a rough beginning. Now that I'm three weeks into it, I'm better tolerating the long commute (an hour each way, on the train) and getting used to having regular hours in the office. Every morning I stand at our train station waiting for the train, and I just have to share the billboard vandalism I spotted recently. So New York. Sigh.

Luke Visits!

We learned how to truly rock this town with a five day visit from our dear Minneapolis friend Luke. There are too many Luke-adventures to mention here, but some highlights included...

* Visiting Rockefeller Center for the first time, and seeing the big tree (see photo on right).

* Experiencing Luke's first tattoo (a beautiful image created by his bandmate Ben in Romantica).

* Watching Luke dance and sing his way through the streets and subways.

* Listening to Luke and Jeremy play music together late into the evenings.

* Spending an evening with my friend Susan, who taught us all about geo-caching.

* Taking Luke to McSorley's Ale House for continuing discussion of "the precipice" in life.

* Celebrating the New Year watching Luke's friends Ben and Courtney (from the band KaiserCartel) play music at our favorite Williamsburg bar, Pete's Candy Shop. Scroll down for lots of photos.

Christmas Adventures

We spent Christmas with my parents in Green Valley, Arizona, south of Tucson. It was wonderful to see my folks and spend some time in the warmer climate. Highlights included going to an airplane museum (mostly a highlight for Jer, I'll admit, featured in this photo), making our traditional pizza party for my parents and their friends, enchilada dinner on Christmas eve, and many thoughtful gifts. My sister Flora and her finace Lane were supposed to be with us for most of the trip, but got stuck in Portland during the big snow storm :-( We only got to see them for one day, which we tried to make the most of.

Jeremy became my ultimate hero when we finally got home from the airport only to discover that our catsitting friend had locked a handle on our door that we don't have the key to. We were so tired and had just hauled ourselves and our luggage across country and up to the third floor, only to be left locked out and needing the bathroom. I freaked out and figured we'd be out a few hundred dollars for a Christmas Day locksmith, but Jer figured he could take the hinges off the door with the proper tools! We walked over to his studio at Pratt, got tools, and it all worked out.