FAO Schwarz

On Saturday Stephanie and I went to a bunch of galleries in the lower east side and we also went to the Drawing Center.  We walked down Canal Street and it was finally the section of the street where all the crazy people hang out to try and sell you knockoff purses in alleyways.  It was really crowded and horrible to be honest.

On Sunday Stephanie and I went to FAO Schwarz, the huge/amazing toy store on the upper east side (5th avenue).  We have a bunch of great pictures: me with a giant ugly doll, me pretending to be holding up Simba, us with some squirrels (Albion Review!), and us with Voldemort.  Again, I'm still working on finding the time to put up pictures in an album.  On our meandering back to eventually find the subway we happened upon a giant "LOVE" where the "O" is crooked, like on the stamp.  We also went to see ASSSSCAT of course.

Yesterday was the first meeting of our new seminar.  It was extremely interesting ... I'll probably talk about it later though.  

Today was a very lame Mardi Gras, party wise, but I will be receiving the Emo Peter Parker doll from Olde English's commercial spoof.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SKETCH.  ..Basically the group is just cleaning out their office because they're moving to a new one and are getting rid of a few props.

Elmo

Wednesday I worked at Morgan Lehman and near that comedy hour, Stephanie and I went to see Gethard's Magic Box of Stories.  It was hilarious.  Since he and Grosz shot down our shirts at the last ASSSSCAT show (yes, we made shirts - long story short, every Sunday Jason would say wouldn't it be funny if someone made a rival Gethtard group ... the Gethtard's are Chris Gethard's officially unofficial fan club ... so when we showed up with our shirts Grosz said "We just said how we weren't going to talk about Gethtard's at this show!"), but our shirts and enthusiasm - and our "hurt" feelings - were such a hit, Gethard is sort of friends with Stephanie and me now.  

On Thursday was Lindsey's birthday and we had free tickets to a (horrible) comedy show at the Bowery Poetry Club and even though we left early we did get to see Leo Allen (the host of Whiplash at the UCB) perform .. we practically have his sketch memorized.  But he was the best performer that night so props.

Tonight Stephanie and I went with my bosses/colleague from Morgan Lehman to an art fundraiser called Chelsea Visits Havana.  It was pretty fun, but not too many people showed up.  The lead singer of the band hit on Stephanie and I and then proceeded to try and have an intellectual discussion with us on the nostalgia of paper, physical, books ... but we wouldn't have it.  After the party we went to Elmo, a snazzy restaurant in Chelsea - Zagat rated!  The friend/collector of my bosses at Morgan Lehman owns Elmo so that was a very fun experience.  Michael Waugh also joined us for dinner and we saw his work at the Schroeder Romero Gallery a few weeks ago (entitled, The More I See of Men) and that was great considering how much I enjoyed his work.  Everything I had to eat at Elmo was delicious and I'm so full I had to be in bed with my computer in my lap to type this.

Also, here's a shout out to Kayte!!  Hopefully I'll get the link to her work soon, it's really great.

chelsea markets

After work and dinner, Stephanie and I decided to check out a free rock concert (we ended up not evening seeing what it was like .. kind of a shady place) and then went to the Chelsea Markets.  It's a nice place with different kinds of speciality shops, wine shops, bakeries, etc.  We searched the streets forever to re-find the 7/11 where we went a few days ago.  Eventually we found it even though everyone we asked said there wasn't a 7/11 in the area.  Our reward: slurpees.  I know Lauren will be jealous.  After that we walked home and now here I am.

Tomorrow we're probably going to see two different comedy shows at the UCB!  

horatio sanz

I'm an idiot and just realized that I've been seeing Horatio Sanz every Sunday at the UCB.  I realized this because it was announced that he's usually a part of ASSSSCAT but he wasn't there last night.  I knew his name was Horatio ... I guess he's lost so much weight I didn't recognize him.

Anyway, Stephanie and I went to the Met which was huge and amazing.  After spending a few hours there we went to Good World Bar and Grill for a novella reading.  Amra Brooks is the author of California, the novella.  It seemed rather depressing from what she read, but very lyrical.  It didn't seem to have any dialogue though.  Obviously after the reading we went to the UCB and sadly our favorite comedian, Jason Mantzoukas, was not in attendance - nor was Horatio Sanz.

already sunday

I can't believe the whole week went by so fast.  

On Tuesday I met up with my sorority sisters who live in the city now for dinner at a little French restaurant, Tartine, in the west village.  It was a pretty cool place, bring your own wine - which made it a lot cheaper than getting a bottle at the restaurant.  For dessert we went to the infamous Magnolia Bakery.  And I have to say I was impressed because I hate frosting and the frosting was amazing.

Wednesday I ended up working at Morgan Lehman and helped install our current show by the French artist Benedicte Peyrat.  I touched up the walls with paint, helped hang the paintings, etc.

Thursday I left Mickalene's studio early to help set up at Morgan Lehman for Peyrat's show opening.  Unfortunately she couldn't be there because she lives in Germany, c'est la vie.  The opening went pretty well for things being slower than usual in the art world.  Afterwards, a bunch of us girls stayed in and had a girl night which was nice.

Friday after working at Morgan Lehman all day, Alma and I went to Alma's boss's apartment to essentially cater (without making the food) her birthday party.  I don't think I have ever worked a 14 hour day before (worked as in actual job, not school/homework).  It was definitely worth it and a very interesting/informative experience.  Being only young once, a few of us girls ended up going to Webster Hall - a very popular club with three floors that we obviously got into for free.  It was a ton of fun but not something I could do every weekend considering how late we stayed out.

Saturday (yesterday) I woke up really late (as it should be after such a Friday night), but still ended up doing a lot.  Stephanie, Lindsey and I went to Bryant Park to scope out Fashion Week.  We saw one model and some paparazzi but that was it.  There were huge white tents that were guarded at all of the entrances so obviously we couldn't even peak in.  Then we wandered around SoHo until dinner.  Stephanie and I finally tried the pizza place by our building and were extremely disappointed that the Italian ices advertised in the window were not being made in the restaurant.   Then we took the most roundabout way on about five different trains to get back to SoHo to see a play called The Mushroom Pickers.  I didn't really enjoy it because I didn't get all of the political references (I don't live in Ireland so I don't really know what happened there over 50 years ago...) and I also thought the pace of the show was too slow.  It did spark my interest in finding out more about the time period the show was set in though so that's good.  

Now I'm going to bed so I can wake up and hopefully go to a few museums tomorrow, a reading, and the UCB.

- - - - 

My good friend Zahi is up to it again: Rare intact mummy found.

big laughs

Today was an incredibly well-rounded day.  It started off with work.  Right after work I went to a talk with Paul Graham, a well known photographer (who currently has a show at the MoMA).  It was really interesting and I took 3 pages of notes.  Then after making a healthy dinner of noodles, green beans, and teriyaki sauce (healthy?), a few of us went to the weekly Whiplash show at the UCB where we saw comedians I have actually heard of!  Zach Galifianakis (no explanation needed), Kristen Schaal (she's the one and only fan on Flight of the Conchords), Eugene Mirman, Andrea Rosen, and Charles Star.  I'm beginning to think I laugh too much.

the dome

Today Stephanie, Santiago and I went to see a (free) musical called The Dome at the Prospect Theater.  It was about the universe and what that meant to the people who were interviewed and the whole show was inspired by the dome inside of this church where the theater was... read the website I guess.

Afterwards I finally started to tack stuff up on my wall - the room is beginning to look homey!  I have a book shelf (a.k.a. my windowsill) and a vanity (a.k.a. plastic drawer container in front of a mirror).  I even called my sister.  Sometimes I'll realize how close we've become when I'm alone in my room thinking about how she would appreciate something I did today ... or if I randomly make a Twilight connection and have no one to commiserate with ...

Of course, tonight a bunch of us went to see ASSSSCAT 3000 at the UCB.  Hilarious per usual.  We actually saw one of the members of Dangerbox (NYU's improv group) at the show - it's a small island after all.

This week is going to be pretty busy; I'm going to a talk at the SVA tomorrow and Tuesday I'll hopefully being meeting up with some alumni Thetas for dinner and Wednesday I have a seminar and Thursday I'll be working at Morgan Lehman's show opening (free wine poured by moi) and Friday I'm hoping to go to yet another talk at the SVA.  Phew.

upper west side

Today Stephanie and I went to a few theaters to find out about volunteering as ushers.  Sadly, the Blue Man Group no longer has volunteer ushers - that would have been such a great show to see.  After that a bunch of us went to the upper west side near Columbia University.  We walked through Riverside Park and then Stephanie, Santiago and I went to Tom's Restaurant, better known as Monk's in Seinfeld.  The food was actually kind of bad but I had a really good milkshake so no complaints.  Then we walked about 50 blocks until we got tired and took the subway the rest of the way back to our building.  I promise I'm putting up pictures soon, the internet is just really slow and I've been too impatient to wait for over 100 pictures to upload.

bye bye birdie

Today was very productive in gaining insights into the art world/galleries.  

This evening I went to see Bye Bye Birdie and it was so good!  I'd forgotten how much I loved the musical.

Alan Sonfist

Yesterday I didn't have to go into work because my boss's son was ill.  I was supposed to go to the Met, but I got turned around and ended up by the river (the opposite direction of where I needed to be), so that got scraped.  I ended the evening by going to a comedy show that a girl in my program does PR for (well her boss does the PR, but she helps by being the intern).  It was really great and the opening improv troupe from NYU had a guy in it that looked like a skinnier Edward Cullen (a.k.a. Robert Pattinson)!  OMG I WAS FREAKING OUT.  Seriously, he had the whole "I haven't eaten in weeks because I'm a vegan vampire" thing going on and he was super pale and even sort of did his hair like Pattinson in the movie. Anyway, all of us from the program spent the entire night there and made friends with the performers of the main act.  The group is named FUCT and they were pretty funny although I'm a much bigger fun of ASSSSCAT 3000 (probably because I like improv better).  The cool thing about FUCT is they started up in their college days and would sneak a keg of beer into wherever they were performing.  So following tradition, there was a keg there - free of course, freegans unite - and I even volunteered to participate a few times on stage, all in all a very fun night.  I won a free t-shirt!

Today I went to work and afterwards found a bagel place nearby that has super cheap food/drinks.  I was in dire need of a hot chocolate and I got a large for $1.50.  This might seem normal but in NYC that's really cheap.  Usually a small hot drink (don't think Starbucks small ... that's the size of a medium drink here) is at least $2.00.  After that little excursion I went to my seminar meeting at Alan Sonfist's studio.  I actually had never heard of him but am now glad I know about his work because he plants forests that are modeled after real, ancient forests.  And having constantly to think about how I'm going to design my independent study this fall (I want to create a giant redwood tree that is constructed out of book spines and very sewn to create bark texture, etc.), hearing Alan talk about his work was very inspiring and also gave me a lot of ideas for my own project.  Tonight Stephanie and I are staying in to rest and watch the movie 21 - yay unlimited movies online through Netflix.

poems & pints

This morning I volunteered for an art auction (Think Punk! Gala) in Chinatown.  We made centerpieces for the tables out of chicken wire, crumpled up invitations for the event, and huge (purely decorative) safety pins.  The tickets for the event start at $1000 so it's pretty cool that I got to help make something everyone will inadvertently look at through the night.  I will be getting free tickets for Karole Armitage's "Armitage Gone Dance! Think Punk!" premiering at the Kitchen in March ... they didn't cost $1000 though.

I spent the rest of the day reorganizing my closet room, doing laundry, baking, and just putting my life in order.  

This evening Stephanie and I went to a poetry reading, Poems & Pints, at Fraunces Tavern* which is actually sort of a historic place.  We heard from Dana Goodyear and Matthew Zapruder.  I didn't realize until after the reading that Dana's book, Honey and Junk, was a poetry book I checked out from the library my freshman year and had really enjoyed but then got to busy to recheck it out/even read at all.  I now am the proud owner of a signed copy.  There are poppies on the cover which makes it that much better (and how I realized I had already read some of it).  

*Fraunces Tavern: Place where the Sons of Liberty galvanized and where George Washington was a frequent dinner guest and barfly.  He also gave his farewell address here.

ucb, of course.

Of course, tonight Stephanie and I went with some other people from our building to see Whiplash at the UCB.  Before that though we had a quick adventure to the Upper East Side to pick up some free stuffed animals I found on Craigslist for one of the artists I'm interning with...she cuts them up and sews them back together to make new stuffed animal creatures - incredibly cool and eerie.  Tomorrow I'm waking up extra early to volunteer for the Think Punk! Gala at Capitale.  I'll be helping make punk centerpieces.  I'm intrigued to find out what that entails.

Did the groundhog see its shadow?  .. it's been 50 degrees two days in a row.  Hopefully it was cloudy when he poked his head out of the ground.

chinatown

Today a bunch of us went to see the Chinese Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown.  There were a lot of cool dragon dances!  It was incredibly crowded though and I don't think I'd go see the parade again.  I finally tried bubble tea ... it wasn't that amazing but I'm assuming that if I went somewhere that specializes in it then the tea would be better.  

Tonight Stephanie and I are going to the UCB for ASSSSCAT 3000 again since they were just so amazing last Sunday.