Messages, Signs and Augers

The bag in the tree outside Gristedes on 8th Avenue says: 

HAVE A NICE DAY

Neville?

(No one's called that any more.)

Never?

Snow?

Anton and Kristina

Adam and Karla

Antoinette and Kristoff

Amit and ?

Family in the park on a Sunday afternoon.

Ambiguous Night/Shadow Shot Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by the energetic and thoughtful Tracy of Heyharriet.

Go here to see more exciting shadowshots from the loyal participants.

Lo and behold the Meatpacking District is now trendy but retains a little of its original grittiness.

However it has been taken over by hardbodies and people who loom godlike above us.

What fun it is to survey the world from above.

I stole this last picture from R. 

Leftovers

Yesterday was the coldest day for four years. The air was crystalline and lovely.

I did not leave the house. 

Herewith a round up of stuff that has been lurking.

Above a place where you can assuage your desire for cash, hot dogs and coffee 24/7.

Monday's  early morning sun careening  down 23rd Street.

Bartenders from last Sunday.

Such shiny surfaces and jolly reflections.

One can  understand the romance of the bottle.

As regards taking pictures of people. I generally ask people if I can take their photo or wave at them and grin. It's all very tricky.

I almost never take photos of children.

Wandering About

I really don't approve of Fox News but this camera man outside Penn Station seemed like a nice fellow.

Anyone who agrees to be in the blog is a friend of mine.

 
The girl who made the hot chocolate in the cafe in Borders Bookshop did a master/mistressfull job. Whipped cream?

A chocolate stirring stick?

Chocolate sauce on top of that?

(It was very cold out.......)

The Fashion Institute of Technology has a new banner: Where creativity gets down to business...

As a slogan, this sounds wonderful indeed.

However, in my experience, most creative people are hopeless at the business end of things.

They need the born organizers of things to help them out.

 

Another local place to learn skills is the  American Barber Institute - mostly  noticed for the cool neon in the window.

Wholefoods has got cases of a new item in: Citrus Prickly Pear drink. Function: urban detox.

Somehow I'm not as tempted as I should be. "Urban detox" sounds so wonderfully positive or the name of some outlandish character. 

A Nice Cup of Tea

Several people have recently posted pictures of their favorite teacup or coffee mug.

This might seem trivial but I think teacup choices reveal all sorts of things. 

And I enjoy little glimpses into private worlds.

If my  favorite mug is in the dishwasher waiting,  I get it out and rinse it.

(What a thrilling life I lead.)

People who simply don't care -- or go with a paper cup  -- are missing something. 

So:  Villeroy and Boch Audun/ Ferme.

Bone china. PG Tips.

Images of an 18th century farm in France. 

I know, I know. Real life for farm workers must have been grim and grueling - chapped hands, bitter winds.

It's just the idea of cows, sheep and milkmaids.

Shades of the Petit Trianon.

Your favorite mug?

Martha Stewart and an Anomaly

Yesterday morning, when I was walking back from having coffee with Judy, a pleasant young woman approached me and asked if I'd like to see a taping of the Martha Stewart show.

Since I have never seen inside a TV studio, I said yes.

So after lunch I went and joined the cheery fellow attendees on 26th Street.

Many were from out of town and had dressed up nicely.

Some had initially arrived at 7:30 in the morning.

Everyone was very good spirits..........

 
...including James the young man in charge of security at the front door.

There was a certain amount of waiting around as lots of chipper, competent young people with headsets and clip-boards rushed about efficiently. People chatted and Joey Kola kept up an antic banter.

People had photographs taken of themselves in front of MARTHA signs.

The studio audience numbered around a hundred and  people entered the studio according to marks on their tickets.

We were 'wrangled' wonderfully well.

"Anyone with a green stripe?"

"Anyone with a star?"

"Anyone with a pink stripe?"

Those of us who had none wondered what we lacked. A bit like not being chosen for a gym team in junior high.

The studio is large, well-appointed and surprisingly chilly.

We are instructed when to clap or say "Mmmm...."

Joey Kola laughs and dances about, reminding me of a Shakesperean clown.  He keeps up such a constant banter of terrible jokes we smile anyway. He promises extra cheery people prizes. 

At one point he plays catch with Martha Stewart using little tomatoes.

The show is taped, but, since it won't be aired until Friday, I'll keep you in suspense as to the content -- suffice it to say that the crafts section included use of a glue gun.

Here is Joey Kola posing with Michelle from Florida.

We were given little presents at the door.

A good time was had by all.

A Visit to Long Island/Part Several Thousand

Up early. The sun chucking buckets full of gold* down 23rd Street.

Going to Long Island to visit an elderly relative infirm of mind and body.

Advice: bring cookies.

 
We stop off here.  Lori is starting a blog. I'm instructing her. Hmm......

The fern garden chairs too chilly to sit on.

Winter white. Chic.

Indoors the paperwhites sit next to the clivia in the cool hall.

I'm willing to take instruction anywhere. 

* Edna St.Vincent Millay. Recuerdo

Sports Bar and Wolf Moon

6:30 am and the Wolf Moon - purists will correct me if I'm wrong - hovers in outsize fashion over 23rd Street.

Jake's Sports Saloon where they were showing the Giants games yesterday.

The Giants lost.

Mysterious Night, An Art Opening and Two Suggestions/Shadow Shot Sunday

For other Shadowshot participants go to Heyharriet. 

Sitting on the windowsill taking rather bad pictures out of the window on a snowy evening when even the most ordinary things look magical. 

Who would be abroad in the park at night?

What are they doing?

Never mind that the man in the red coat is probably carrying take-away supper in his bag.

This shadow shot was taken from an 8th floor window on 11th Avenue aiming out over the Hudson the instant before my camera battery gave up.

Art openings almost always have really cool flowers (very welcome on a January night) and white wine in plastic cups. (Also welcome).

The quality of the photos in this post makes me think of a group blog Crappy Photo Blog

which R. recently discovered. Here are displayed in all their glory some perfectly 'crappy' pictures.

I'm sure we all have lots of these before we zap them into oblivion.

However, before I fall into the very murky waters of taste and aesthetics, I must admit some disastrous pictures have a certain charm.

For uber- cool non-crappy photos go to Jezblog.com.

A Bank and an Interview

The air so clean and bright yesterday, even a bank on 8th Avenue looked photogenic.

The other day Willow of Willow Manor (seen above) interviewed me. 

Q. You recently moved to New York City from Marrakesh. What took you to Marrakesh in the first place and what did you most like about living there?

A.We moved to Marrakesh because it is all the things they tell you it is: amazingly beautiful, mysterious, exciting raffish and full of fascinating people. It reminded us a little of Florence 35 years ago. We miss it a lot. The people,the orange juice,the colors, everything. 

Picture: rue riad zitoun djedid, marrakesh

Q. How did you meet your artist husband?

A."He's gone to Africa. He won't come back for these," Fabio Monsignori said, handing me a bag of Venetian beads. I strung them and sold them on the Ponte Vecchio.

He came back....

 

Picture: getting on the ALSA Bus. Marrakech medina

 Q.If you could invite one historical figure to dinner, who would it be and why?

A. The essayist Charles Lamb because he seems such a completely nice person. Perceptive, articulate, kind and interested in other people. And what people he knew.....

 Q. What inspires you most as an author?

A. The past, memory, other books, looking about me.

Q. Who are your five most favorite writers?

A. Very unkind only to be allowed five out of lots and lots

1. W.G.Sebald: such an  erudite melange of narrative, memoir, fiction and who knows what. Not to mention bad photos.

2. Jane Austen: such a very acute observer of life.

3. Paul Auster: finds mystery in the mundane. The earlier books.

4. Mollie Panter-Downes: who brings to life the lost world of my youth.

5. A.M. Homes: so utterly now.

Directions:

If you would like to be interviewed by me, leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you with questions and so on and so forth........