Ways of Being -NYC

We went to NYC this weekend, which always feels a bit bittersweet for me.  This weekend, however, was more sweet than bitter because I got to see some of the people closest to my heart and have the kinds of conversations I miss - conversations with people who really know me, with whom I have a shared history, and with whom I can lay a lot on the line.  One of the tensions I navigate is the loss of these intimates.  I have friends here (hello!), but I don't have the kind of intimates that I left behind in New York.  And while I'm quite happy in Hamilton, I definitely feel the loss of my NYC community.  I'm a fairly private person (despite having a blog), and it takes awhile for me to make these kinds of connections.

One particularly inspiring date was with my friend Kristin.  Over the past few years we've really created a close friendship that I am so thankful for.  We got to talk about our lives as artists and the challenges we faced - both within and without us.  Kristin also got me to rethinking the separation of my fiction from this blog and why I wouldn't share both here.  We think that it's partly because we come from a generation where self-promotion is a dirty world (especially in art & literature).  Times have changed, and acknowledging that, I will start to put up some of my shorter pieces.  Why perpetuate a tension between the different writing parts of myself when I'm supposedly exploring tension and trying to find organic integration?

Okay, enough of the philosophical musings.

We splurged on some sheets from ABC Carpet & Home - a place I used to fetishize.  The decor is so over-the-top and seemingly cluttered yet gives the impression of some kind of inherent order.  It feels like a good model for my life sometimes although I'm often lacking that inherent order.

 

The weather was mild enough that we got to enjoy a firepit at our friends' house.  It was great - kind of like camping without having to sleep on the hard ground, real glassware, and indoor plumbing.  We talked and talked, and then played WiiFit, which was a laugh-riot.  For someone who is athletic, I sucked at it.  It could have had something to do with the wine and the laughter.

Sunday evening we went to a great dinner party, which felt like a reunion of our Carroll Gardens days.  Photos of that are on my girlfriend's camera so I can't share here, but it was a fun and yummy end to my stay in New York. (Full disclosure, all these photos were taken by my girlfriend, only with my camera.)

Brooklyn wouldn't be the same without my best friend Keith and his partner Chip, and while we only had a little time together, we made the most of it (until 3am on Friday night, in fact).

Finally, I'll close with this photo taken outside of ABC Carpet & Home.  I just found this dog ridiculous given the fact that there was a) no snow on the ground and b) the temperature was around 45F.  But who am I to judge?  I've worn some inappropriate outfits myself.