its a mad mission

Just show up to Thanksgiving dinner as an emotionally conflicted villainous lord. It’s also my Uncle Paul’s commentary on everyone’s boo-hissing of the Patriots. If they are going to call us an evil empire, why not embrace it?

Uncle Paul was so determined the picture of him be posted on the blog that he sent me a reminder card of his own.

So much happens in this city in a day, in a year, in a century. Just this past few weeks I caught some small, very diverse glimpses of that fact. So from P-diddy to Warhol, here’s a few examples…

This is our office admin, Pearl, in the lobby of our building with none other than Sean “Puffy” Combs.

The New York Marathon came through my neighborhood. So I went down and watched it for the 5 minutes that the lead men were running through.

I went on a tour this weekend with my friend Vicki through Greenwich village. It was an art tour, meant to show us all these buildings we normally pay no attention to actually housed great people and moments in history. This picture is of a building in Union Square that was actually Andy Warhol’s Factory.

Here at the Albert, “California Dreamin’” was composed by The Mamas and The Papas on a cold night.

This is just cool. Smack in the middle of modern Manhattan sits Washington Mews, which was originally a stable yard. At the end of the street you can see One Fifth Ave, and the penthouse apartment photographer Alfred Stieglitz occupied.

Edward Hopper’s home sits on the mews, and his famous “Nighthawks” was inspired by a now demolished diner in the village.

That gray home by the tree was Jackson Pollack’s studio at one time.

A massive, three dimensional Picasso sits in the yard of the Silver Towers, NYU’s faculty housing.

Work by 80s public artist Keith Haring adorns the public pool at a lower village rec center.

She’s not famous yet, but my coworker Rachel brought down the house at a gospel concert in Harlem Saturday night.

These two concert attenders aren’t famous yet either, but someday, Deb is going to be the first scientist to clone a mouse, and Jessica will become a curmudgeony old NY editor who calls people by their last names and drinks exorbitant amounts of coffee.

This has happened without fail when I’m too caught up with my thoughts after work. I come down the 33rd station stairs and walk right through the turnstile, and can’t figure out why it’s not turning (and now have a bruised thigh). For some reason I forget the subway costs money, or think they somehow know an unlimited monthly card sits in my pocket. I nonchalantly step back, pull out the card, and swipe it as if I meant to do that. So much for trying to look native.

And John, Rebekah, and Jonas Lawrence get to stay in it this week. Really looking forward to their visit.
We’re taking more reservations as of today.
Oh, and the futon is a normal shape, and the room is only 8.5′ by 8.5′–some camera distortion going on there. But I love our little room!

A little tale (or, ahem, tail) for you below. Thanks to Brannon McAllister for making me aware of this comic strip maker program thing. Enjoy.

Taken from the conference room. So serene-looking when you can’t hear the accompanying sirens and honking horns.

Saturday night, November 3, 2007: 10 lucky people participated in the first ever Williamsburg Church co-ed craft night. 9 of them made magnets. 1 of them tried to eat them. Glass marbles are very appealing to 9-month-olds.

Kat had magnet madness. No one came close. She was like a machine.

Sarah took the “quality over quantity” route.

Pastor Rob made an “animal” series, and thinks he won the competition and trophy.

Dave’s “face parts” series makes for great fridge fun.

Exhibit one: The Howard Gilman Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. A beatiful structure indeed, of the traditional opera house feel.

Exhibit two: Sufjan Stevens’ BQE project/favorite songs concert takes the stage. Slightly less traditional than its setting, as you’ll see in the picture, but wondrous to the ears. Think: folk meets an amplifier and full orchestra, with a healthy dose of caffeine thrown in. My favorite part had to be when every instrument on stage was playing as fast and loud as was humanly possible, creating a cacauphony meant to sound like the traffic on the BQE. At first it seemed like there was no order whatsoever. Then I noticed the conductor kept pace through the whole thing, an amazing contrast: in the greatest amounts of seeming chaos, someone was directing it all, and as a result, augmenting the importance of resolution beautifully. I think there might just be a life lesson in there.