Cautionary Tale, Cupcakes, and Unlikely Reasons to Love New York
Thank you to you ALL for my birthday wishes (and you know who you are). I know I mention his name all the time in this blog (it's the only way he'll read it), but I want to give it up for my man, GRAHAM, for working his tail off to make sure I had a good birthday. I awoke early to roses and coffee and cupcakes and presents in bed. This was just the beginning! The day held up with balmy weather and crabcakes for lunch with my friend Michael. Then the oldest parts of the Natural History Museum, with gorgeous totem poles that reminded me of Emily Carr Paintings. Then a walk through the park, where we sat by the pond and made faces at babies and watched mini sail boats. The end was at the stoic gold and brown lobby of the Algonquin Hotel, drinking cosmopolitans with two friends I have known since the second grade, Judy and Vitali. Usually Judy lives in California and Vitali lives in Paris, but they just happened to be in town on business--how great is that?? A GREAT birthday!
And now, a cautionary tale...
My friends, let me give you a word of advice, nay, a WARNING! Do not, I beg you, under ANY circumstances, no matter how much you might think it is a good idea, no matter the reasons...DO NOT PAINT YOUR WALLS RED! This weekend was a giant lesson in why red (my favorite color)is only seen in make believe homes like those in Amelie, or the Royal Tanenbaums or storybooks. It took FIVE COATS as opposed to the two coats the rest of the rooms took. It actually could use more, but we gave up after two days of painting. It's definitely striking. It makes the pink look as docile as the Snuggle softener bear. In a fit of frustration, I started calling it our "Redrum Room," but G. got a little freaked out about it, so now I use my inside voice and STILL call it the Redrum room. I don't understand why red is harder to paint with than say, Jamaica Green, but it is. Save your money and stick to blue, green, and pink.
This weekend I also found two reasons why I love New York. One was watching a guy get off the subway, after seeing him for at least four stops, and realizing that he had a BIG, long antennae branding COCKROACH riding uptown on his shirt! I doubt the guy knew about it, but it made me laugh. The other was seeing a nun walk into a shoestore called SHOEGASM. You have got to love a town where cockroaches ride the arms of subway riders and even nuns have reasons to go into an effervescently named shoe store in Chelsea. Everything really DOES happen here.
And now, a cautionary tale...
My friends, let me give you a word of advice, nay, a WARNING! Do not, I beg you, under ANY circumstances, no matter how much you might think it is a good idea, no matter the reasons...DO NOT PAINT YOUR WALLS RED! This weekend was a giant lesson in why red (my favorite color)is only seen in make believe homes like those in Amelie, or the Royal Tanenbaums or storybooks. It took FIVE COATS as opposed to the two coats the rest of the rooms took. It actually could use more, but we gave up after two days of painting. It's definitely striking. It makes the pink look as docile as the Snuggle softener bear. In a fit of frustration, I started calling it our "Redrum Room," but G. got a little freaked out about it, so now I use my inside voice and STILL call it the Redrum room. I don't understand why red is harder to paint with than say, Jamaica Green, but it is. Save your money and stick to blue, green, and pink.
This weekend I also found two reasons why I love New York. One was watching a guy get off the subway, after seeing him for at least four stops, and realizing that he had a BIG, long antennae branding COCKROACH riding uptown on his shirt! I doubt the guy knew about it, but it made me laugh. The other was seeing a nun walk into a shoestore called SHOEGASM. You have got to love a town where cockroaches ride the arms of subway riders and even nuns have reasons to go into an effervescently named shoe store in Chelsea. Everything really DOES happen here.
posted by Summer Pierre at
3:52 AM
3 Comments:
Another slow day at the bookstore looking at photo books and finding a picture of a girl from Wegee's "The Village" (photos of Greenwich Village in the late 50's) that reminds me SO much of you!
She has glossy brown hair in a ponytail, a little scarf around her neck, knit shirt, high-waisted paint-splattered cuffed jeans, white sox and loafers, and to top it all off, a big black leather jacket and a bulldog. She sits in the corner of some hopping cafe...oh-I'm going to take the book home and scan it so you can see it.
New York sounds SO lovely. Wow. Your entries ARE cupcakes to me.
happy belated birthday, my dear!!!
warmest, felicia
I remember red rooms. A few years ago I was living in a friend's house who had always dreamt of painting her living room red. But in her case that meant EVERY paintable surface, including the ceiling and cornices! I will never forget coming home and opening the living room door and ohmigod, I have just walked into a womb!!
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