Goat Cheese and High-topped Sneakers on the Roof-top

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been rearranging my life. My scientist-aunt took off from her Columbia job and headed for an emerging science project in the mid-west. This left me scrambling to find alternatives to her upper-west-side Columbia-funded apartment I'd been camping out in. I've ended up in a place in Brooklyn. My roomy is a startling combination of being smarter than me, nicer than me, and loopier than me. She free-lances for major newspapers and has a job managing a fashion web-site at ridiculous midnight hours. Last night she had friends over for goat cheese and wine on the rooftop, where you can see the glimmery lights of the city all around.

My roomy's friends are all as nice and smart as she, although not as loopy as either of us. They wear high-topped sneakers and say things like: "But how do you FEEL about skimming the quote unquote 'smart' kids off the top and putting them into 'honors' classes?" By this time, having lived in NYC for 9 months, and have vociferously pitched Obamadoctrine to my independent, conservative-leaning family all the while (a task I've been woot! largely successful at) I consider myself a Democrat. I even (shockers!) put myself down as a Democrat on my register-to-vote form (first-time registering too). That is, I check-marked the Democrat box without thinking. Then I saw the Independent option, said "crap" and tried to erase the Democrat check-mark. Then I thought of Palin and put a large, strong, unmistakable double check-mark next to "Democrat". So yes, it's official, I'm a Democrat.

But give me 5 minutes on a Brooklyn roof-top with goat cheese and liberals and you would think otherwise. I start uttering irresponsible things like "I love Narnia" and "Doesn't Giuliani just crack you up?" The conversation turned to Bloomberg and how the little cultural NYC neighbourhoods are being leveled over by un-conscientious billionaires. But all I could think of was how much I love this city, and not because of its "culture" but because of its bigness, its irresponsibleness, the what-the-hell greed of its sky-scrappers and lights. Yes there couldn't be a worse time to trumpet such qualities. But as much as I love goat-cheese on Brooklyn roof-tops, giving TLC to a fragile culture can get a bit lame as well.

Tough Girls, NY

Image via Tara

Don't tell me you can't be cute and tough at the same time. :)

shop art

Images via Tara

I have become addicted to shop window photography. To justify this addiction, I need to start gathering material for a long, academic, dreadfully boring article on how the art of museums is dead and the real art is being produced in commercially driven store front windows. Or, I could just go out and take more pictures.

Mutton Sleeves

Subway stop image via Tara

Today I had a productive day off. I went to a Calvin Klein seminar hosted by my job, got my hair cut, went to the Natural History Museum, and had a discussion with my boss about whether or not I should get paid for the time I spent at the Calvin Klein seminar. To my mind if, on your day off, you're going to go into work at 9am to eat croissant and strawberries, drink coffee, gossip with co-workers, and watch a Project Runway model demonstrate Calvin Klein dresses, you should get paid for it, right? Besides, I learned valuable information, such as what a mutton sleeve is, which I will shortly be dispensing to customers. The discussion went well, my boss threw his hands up in the air, waved them around, and smiled.

Serious Calvin Klein demonstration via DFR

Bits and Bytes of NYC

Some more snippets of photography. I think I'm in love. :)

Bryant Park: Where great conversations are born on lunch breaks.

Gigabyte kids.

View into Whole Foods on Columbus Circle.

Intruding on someone's smoothy.

Making myself part of the art. A Central Park South Gallery I need to research further.