December 2005. Joel accepts JC into his life. A star is born.

A trip back to Portland made us wonder all weekend long, "Why did we leave?" The most amazing people we will ever know all in the same city. Thanks for the snow on the mountain and the skiing, yes Geoff. Thanks for sleepovers in fancy houses, all of you in your fancy houses. Thanks for Jambalaya, A&T. Thanks for parties with Nativity scenes and dinners with samosas. Thanks for just being the Portland folk you are. Never change. And take it from us, NEVER LEAVE.
We miss you. Happy all that stuff...
The King Blooms. Or should it be...The Bloom Kings.

Haven't written in a while.

New things. Hmmm.

-Engaged? Yes. That. Block Island, Rhode Island. So shocked. Fun.

-Actually reading Harry Potter, instead of just paying 10 bucks for the film.

-Going to Portland tomorrow to see old friends. Ah. Home.

-Went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. V. fun catching up with family and friends.

-Holidays coming. Ready, early. That never happens.

-Cutest picture ever. I am a proud Aunt.

SO TRUE. ENJOY...

BEAMING with pride

The Portland ladies are real, they are here to tell us about their body parts. And I love it. Go to,
www.nikewomen.com
Click on What story does your body tell?

Reminds me of high school. My friends and I all decided one day, who had the perkiest breasts, the best legs, the tightest rump (NOT me). Maybe all in a state of defiance. Maybe in a state of support. But, we decided who's asset was what. Very anti-sorority bash of us...way before we hit college.

Rock on ladies. You inspire me and other female creatives to fight the good fight against airbrush. You inspire me and many others to say, "Hey, I like what I got."

Yes, I just used inspired twice in a blog. I am ascending to hackdom.

-out

To see more about the campaign:
http://nytimes.com/2005/08/17/business/media/17adco.html

BTW: Who wrote the print? I love it.

Columbia Gorge, Oregon 9/04

Columbia Gorge, Oregon 9/04
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

How I miss Oregon...

Small things that make our crappy days get better.

--Scrubs. Zach Braff can do no wrong. If I ever run into him at a random bar in this town, I'll either faint or ask him out. With Joel's permission of course.

--American Idol. Yes, Joel and I are junkies. I finally gave in to the phenomenon. Although I admit, Joel is worse. He actually rewinds Tivo to watch a song AGAIN!

--A really good book on the subway. "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Amazing. I was nauseous for the first 20 pages. It's about an addict's road to recovery...and I use the word recovery loosely. Read it.

--A walk. A run. Anyway that you feel that you are running from the world and talking inside your head again. Sorting things out.

--Bar hop in a new neighborhood 'til 3 a.m. Caveat: Hangover is consequence.

--Soft serve ice cream.

--Watching new plants grow in your backyard.

--Picking a toe.

--A guitar lesson.

--Being naked.

--Concerts. Any, all, in the park, at the beach, free, paid.

--The Shins. How I love all of you...

--Boston Red Sox Hats that are washed before you even get them. Yum.

--Getting drunk with your friends. Getting drunk with your friend's parents.

--Blogs.

Joel. Me. A Gate.

Joel. Me. A Gate.
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

The Sun Bows to The Gates

The Sun Bows to The Gates
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

What better place to run?

What better place to run?
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

The Gates in Central Park

Most people think Central Park in the winter is stony grey, cold, and brittle. Where's Waldo-like, people dot the park in whatever keeps them warm. An entire suit made of red costume fuzz. Leather from head to toe. A purple ski suit. A random incognito celebrity...was that Gwyneth? Or occassionally, an old woman in a fur coat will drift by with a vacant look. Lost, maybe. Or just taking a break from her CPW mansion.

At this point, most people in NYC are tired of hearing about The Gates. Even though I'm one of them, I think it's necessary to react.

Saffron. Orange. Whatever color comes to mind, The Gates fill the park in weaving lines like dominoes. Except with hundreds of steel at the base of each Gate, these are not falling. Sure, one Gate, two Gates, even three is not all that impressive. I thought the material would be more like First Aid Gauze, than thick taffetta. I thought the sun would have a chance to shine through. But, what I thought, and what I saw were to my happy surprise different.

The saffron flags, as I thought they looked like blowing in the wind, didn't just border the park. They weaved in and out and lead paths across many points of the park. People walked through them like models or friends in a wedding. Waiting to be discovered maybe. Or just experiencing NYC in a new way.

We walked through and filmed this fabric blowing as we walked through...ahead of us, then above, then behind. The sun reflected saffron everywhere, all part of the show.

The question that came to mind was this:
It's beautiful...so many Gates through such a huge park. You were reminded just how big CP was ...how is it still this big, untouched and pure? But, was this exhibit of color worth the 25 million dollars it cost Christo?

I guess when you are an artist who thinks grand, than grand is what you will make.

And money, being the mundane color of green, could never touch the vision of saffron.

See photos:
http://photos4.flickr.com/6079010_655d826357.jpg


--Art Rant

PRACTICE RANDOM VALENTINE'S DAY

Single or not single, I was never a fan of Valentine's Day. Besides the commercial aspect, besides the re-molding of gender roles, the "I'm a man, I must impress you with many chocolates." and such...why just one day?

I ask again, why celebrate on just one day.

Now, this rant is not meant to sound like a greeting card, but THIS is Valentine's Day.

1. Buying a Cadbury chocolate that's hard to find to remind a friend of his early South African beginnings.

2. Taking out the recycling and the garbage on the same day.

3. Giving up your seat on the subway.

4. A surprise meal of Cornmeal crusted scallops.

5. A candle lit dinner.

ANY, all, some of these and more NOT necessarily on Valentine's Day, but on:

September 16th
May 8th
June 2nd
January 20th

And so on...

Be random with love, like, like-a-lot the moment a whim hits. The moment it feels right. The moment you think of it.

Not because some chocolate company needed to boost sales in the dead of the winter.

Because, you want to, any time.

One last note:
Best quote for Valentine's Day yet,
Joel to Juan Carlos: "Where should I take Liz for dinner on Valentine's Day in NYC?"
Juan Carlos: "Stay home and cook."

And that's what we did. Made lasagna. Made salad. Shared a bottle of wine and watched the ever so uplifing Carnivale on
HBO. It was the most memorable V-Day yet.

Oh, yeah, and the flower bouquet that I received at work? Nice work Lothario Bloom...

Rant Out.

Rant. What this space is for. And why Pottery Barn STINKS.

I am buying a mirror. 18x42, Antique Beaded Copper Mirror. It's perfect for the apt. AND we have a gift certificate from Marc and Amy (THANKS!). I called last week, the 59th and Lex store, to see if they had this particular mirror. YES, they said, we do! Great. I put it on hold. Work got crazy and I never got there. So, I called back and kept it on hold. Then, I called, Monday, and talked to someone new at this PB. 18x42, Antique Beaded Copper Mirror? YES, we have that at this store! GREAT! Can I put it on hold? Ah, yes, life got busy again this week, 3 days in a row. Each time, I called to make sure they had that particular mirror, and yes they did.

FINALLY, today I walk all the way up to this PB, (it's about 4 degrees. HELLO, winter.). I'm so excited to pick up my mirror. They hand me a mirror, that is the wrong one. Hmmm...this mirror isn't 18x42. Because this mirror is SQUARE. 18X42 is a rectangle. "Sorry, this is the only one we have in the store." I explain, that I have called this store at least 4 times, to see if they carried the 18X42 LONG RECTANGLE mirror. I was told YES! Many times. All they could say was sorry, and that the mirror I wanted is only available by catalog. "ISN;T this something you could have told me many ONE of the FOUR times I asked about this mirror?" So, all that for nothing. Now, I have to order it by catalog and pay $21 in shipping! UGH....

There's more. (Can I go home now, and go to bed, and start this day over?)

AT work, it's donate Blood Day...cool. If we donate, we get a free vacation day! PRETTY awesome.
I'll donate, it's a great cause for them and me. I fill out the lengthy application only to be turned away.
Am I drug addict? Not lately. Have I had sex with a prostitute...um, no. I was turned away because the resort I vacation to in November, Zihuatenejo was one of the resorts on watch for MALARIA. Wow, that's great...I had no idea. So, not allowed to give blood, and NO vacation day.

Poop.

Tomorrow is another day. Yes, Scarlett, and it better be better than this one.

Reading, Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson. Just started it. He's a genius. Thanks goes to whoever brought it to Miguel's last book exchange (St. Jordi day). Hart, did you bring it? It seems like something cool that you'd bring...

BTW: I'll spare people about work details of late. It's too depressing to get into. All that is said is this:
Same assignment since October, changed 10 times. Starting over again today.

But, I have a job, so no rants about the jobbie job.

The New Year Baby Burps

Wake up. It's 2005. What does THAT mean? Sounds like a bad Sci-fi short story written in the 50's. And yet it's real.

The New Year Baby is the glitch we all need.

The New Year Baby tells me to get off my ass and run in that beautiful Prospect Park that I'm paying for.
But, today, the rain stops me. What? Rain never stopped me in Portland. But this is a cold winter NYC rain. Actually, it wasn't that cold. My flannel sheets wrapped me, in fact strangled me so I couldn't go exercise. But, I wear my fat jeans today, to remind me that one more M&M, and I'll have to give these jeans away. Reminders are good.

The New Year Baby says to keep in touch more. Right Kelly? Call people more. Do NOT fear the marathon phone conversation. Sometimes it's just nice to call and see what kind of toothpaste people are using. Write more. Molly is inspiration. A random postcard is better than Xmas. Since my cell phone doesn't work in the apt, postcards are a good idea.

The New Year Baby says to write more in the blog. Use it as a rant, a vent, the way I originally intended. Again, not to write or go on and on. But, short, quick rants like Lamaze (sp?) breaths before a birth.

(Speaking of babies, a toast and a prayer to all my new mother friends and my pregnant ones. To healthy babies and births.)

The holidays? One big eat fest with drink and presents in between. Catching up with PDX friends...you always have a place to stay, ALL of you, including Ben and Susan Carter? Thanks to Andy's parents for letting us crash in Jersey to we could catch up with Andy and Therese. We never did see the amazing basement...mysterious. Thanks for Marc and Amy for visiting us in Park Slope. Thanks to Jen and Jon for getting us drunk. We ended up at the Santa Fe Grill AGAIN for the weirdest ending to a New Years Eve ever. All in all, we love visitors. But wait a week. We're all visitored out at the Inn right now...

Onward to the new year. With a long weekend in January, perhaps some skiing. With Joel's 30th Birthday in March in NYC...Help. With dreams of Cape Cod filled summers and a little Maine on the side.
It's gonna be a good year. Oh yea, and work. 2005 is all about perspective. If Oregon has taught me one thing, it's this:
Work to Live. NOT Live to Work.

How profound. A toast to all of you this year.

Feel free to call and rescue me from bouts of missing PDX possee. And Joel's HALO haze.
718.857.2204