andy warhol's madonna

Meatpacking District, New York, New York
October 2009

photographs of madonna's new york

Source

Have $3,250 to spare? Perhaps I can interest you in some vintage Madonna in New York photographs from the 80s - before she was the Madonna we all know and love. My favorite image is the one above, although I also love this one because it features one of my favorite clocks in New York City - namely the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower located at Madison Square Park.

They always turn that clock pink and orange for Halloween :).

April 7, 2010

Annie Hall on the big screen

Annie Hall Trailer


I went to see Annie Hall down near Union Square at Parsons tonight as part of their Fashion in Film New York City series. They held a reception with wine and cheese in the courtyard before the screening. It was the perfect way to take advantage of this early Spring weather.

Judith Thurman, fashion author and contributor for the New Yorker, introduced the film by talking about New York in the '70s and Diane Keaton's fashion in the film. She told us how Woody Allen wanted Annie Hall's fashion to be based on how Diane Keaton dressed in real life, and that they used Ralph Lauren's clothes in the film even though he wasn't famous yet. I think it's romantic that Allen wanted to bring his girlfriend's style to the film; a way of paying homage to her.

The movie was excellent and much funnier than I remember it, I guess because Allen is one of those director's that you have to mature into appreciating. Both his and her clothes were amazing; very crisp and interesting. I am so wearing a hat to work tomorrow.

The series is going on for another three weeks. During the next three Tuesdays, they will show On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Barbra Streisand), Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) and Klute Jane Fonda. Can't wait to see all the outfits.

April 6, 2010

humor me

"Jerry" from Tom & Jerry


I've been dealing with this mouse problem for about one year now, and it's starting to get annoying. I shed several pounds last year because I tried to starve them out of the apartment by not bringing any food in. It didn't help with the mice, but I did lose some weight. After glue traps, starvation and various other devices didn't work, and I had to get rid of a teeny mouse at 2:00 in the morning BY MYSELF, my landlord finally filled all the holes around my apartment, and that helped. Until now. Yuck.

I told my landlord about the new mouse last night, and he promised to "get on it's tail today" (he really said that). When we spoke on the phone today, he proudly told me about how he set up various traps with peanut butter around my flat, which in my tiny studio means surrounding my bed. Great, I'm sure that'll help me get a good night's sleep. I sternly explained to him that rather than lure mice into my apartment to eat or die, I would rather they didn't come in at all, so can we please fill the holes. He went quiet which I took as a sign of understanding. I was wrong, which I realized once I got home. So I tried something new. "Look, I know you're short-staffed right now. I'll help you fill in the holes. Let's do it together and get this whole mess over with" I kindly told him on his voicemail. He called me back and agreed to come up at 9 o'clock at night.

You can imagine my surprise when he came empty handed without the mouse-repellent glue for the holes. He insisted it was impossible to find out how they came in. Then I realized I wasn't dealing with a logical landlord, but an 81 year old stubborn man. So after he checked all the easy places with flashlight I said, "Robert. Humor me. Let's pull out the fridge and the stove, and if we don't see any holes, I'll leave you alone about this." This got through to him and he pulled out the fridge. I filled one tiny hole with steel wool. Then we pried the oven from it's place and he tilted it while I peaked behind it with the flashlight. "Look, there," I said. There, between the floor and the wall, was a wedge, covered in messy super glue with holes peaking out. He looked and responded, "I'm not going to say no, but I'm not going to say yes either." I convinced him to go get the super glue so we can get this over with and he won't have to deal with the problem anymore. Thirty minutes later he came back empty handed again. He couldn't find the glue, so now I'm going to have to wait a day or two to get it done.

Until then, fingers crossed that my new 'no food' rule actually works this time. At least if I can't get rid of Jerry, I'll shed some of those extra pounds.

April 5, 2010

meditative spirit of paper

Rob Ryan "Can We Shall We"


Today, for the first time this week, I got out of work while it was still light outside. Spring has come unexpectedly to New York City, like the sudden arrival of good news. I walked down Varick Street under a pink streaked sky which softened the red headlights of cars lining up to enter the tunnel. The shiny glass buildings stood tall, ready to reflect nighttime's hundreds of little lights.

I went to a pizza joint where I had steaming hot mozzarella sticks with cheese oozing out of them. Afterwards I met up with a friend at the Museum of Art & Design where we went to the Slash: Paper Under the Knife exhibit. We wandered through two floors of paper art and saw everything from repurposed love letters to a man statue made out of colorful paper. Adam Fowler's Untitled (74 Layers) reminded me of the meditative spirit of the mundane repetitative task. It's like when thought stops and your spirit takes over and your heart communicates directly with your hands.

Had a lovely walk home from the museum where noticed that the Lincoln Center put lights under their steps. Very Billy Jean meets the Guggenheim.

March 18, 2010

of mice and traffic

Took a nap today with my window open. Sounds of traffic, honking horns, footsteps and cars racing by mingled with a warm breeze and wafted into my apartment together in lazy waves. It's a hot Spring in New York City.

When I woke up, I heard a mouse rummaging under my kitchen sink and I ran out of the apartment in terror. It's a hot Spring in New York City.

April 4, 2010