the weather has been spectacular, with these bright sunny days meaning vitamin d depletion is not so much of a concern (unlike the UK), but also spectacularly variable: from so mild I was walking through central park in just a long-sleeved t-shirt and t-shirt (weds), to so cold you think your nose will drop, frozen, off your face (thurs). crazy. walking through central park continues to be a delight; it's stunning...
and there's so much to discover, and the squirrels, did I mention how cute they are? There are 100s of them, everywhere. and they're well, just so cute.
one of the amazing things in central park are these really old tiles, in the arcade in the Bethesda terrace.
unfortunately some disaffected yoof took it upon themselves to tag the tiles... and they did so in an entirely uncreative fashion. unfortunately their 'life of crime' was cut short by being caught red-handed so to speak (more like purple if the paint got on their hands), and the latest story I heard was that the city was seeking to prosecute them as a 'felony' rather than as a 'misdemeanour' meaning they'd get a prison sentence. now that seemed pretty ridiculous to me; I thought a better punishment might be a 3 month intensive art programme, to get them to appreciate what they had tagged and perhaps develop some creative inspirations of their own. well, I can't see that being taken up as a suggestion, so i've withheld from emailing the city about it.
chocolate has also been spectacular. Finally made it to a new local chocolate outfit, nunu, who do this delicious burnt soft caramel covered with dark chocolate and salt. mmmmm. Not much to report on the bagel front, though we've eaten some very yummy pizza... from a place called artichoke, which the food critics can't seem to decide whether they love it or not. There was quite the queue, and we were crammed into a tiny space with a load of other plebs... but we loved it, even though it was very rich. and had our first bialys. and red velvet (cup)cake, which seems to be quite the thing, somehow the mixture's different to normal cupcakes, as it tastes as if it has baking soda in it. Certainly also good for the vampire-mouth look. And churros on the side of the street. what's not to like about deep-fried dough!?
tonight we went to the highly (over?)rated Momofuku Milk Bar... perhaps we were grumpy, or perhaps we just ate far too much sweet stuff (and got a grumpy post-sugar rush), but it was very loud and crammed and while the pie (I had the crack pie; D had the brownie pie) was incredible, it was just far too rich. but that's a small point. perhaps we should have gone for the savouries.
but perhaps since not everyone in the world is as obsessed with food as I am (i'm actually starting to get a little bit worried that I'm too obsessed; reading the reviews with great regularity), I should actually talk about other things we've done. Well, last weekend, after a fab game of soccer, we wandered around chelsea. or should i say hobbled, as d had hurt himself in the last minute of the game, twisting his ankle as he scored a goal. still, he scored. Incredible it wasn't me (but wait... in my wednesday 7.30am game(!), i think i cracked a rib... but that's another story. needless to say, laughing isn't much fun these days - i prefer grumpy instead).
anyway, I schlepped poor d around various galleries in chelsea, ignoring his agony, and it's one of those places which, every time I go, is truly mind-boggling... you just have to ask, is there too much art in the world!? Not that we saw much that was crap - instead, some truly spectacular shows, two faves were simon evans island time at james cohen gallery and itamar jobani wounded topographies at andrea meislin gallery. we also loved this building:
later in the week we went to MAD on the 'pay as much as you want' night - gotta love those nights - and saw some spectacular work on display, and a most fabulous building.
and i'm branching out from academia and joining the art world... i've talked to a gallery that d has made connections with (through NZ contacts), and their upcoming show is on plastic/cosmetic surgery. I'm doing a talk associated with the show. That's in April, and will be interesting.
i've got a crazy month of travel... on monday I head to Nebraska for 3 days, to do talks. i've never been to landlocked parts of the USA, it's kinda scary... Then the next week I head up to a waterlocked part, Rhode Island, for a conference. And not much more than a week later, during which time Simon comes to visit, I am off to Arizona for a conference. D's gonna come too, and we're gonna go hiking in the desert national parks. cannot wait. Wilderness!
before I sign off, one more addition to my earlier comments about dogs: the monumental dog walker of prospect park... well, that's what I'm calling him. d saw him one morning with 17 dogs! a few days later, we both encountered him, with 16. So many that they kinda pull him along on a half jog half walk until they get to their 'off the leash' spot. apparently they all know the drill (a fixed routine it seems), but blimey, that's a lotta poo to pick up! here he is:
that's all from me for now
ciao
No comments:
Post a Comment