Photos of the Day: Negative Impressions

Something about this path is just a little off...

 Sometimes looking at things when the "normal" is reversed helps reveal a new perspective.

Spotted on the back way into work.

~ photos by iPhone

Photo of the Day: Orchids Again

New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012

Photo of the Day: Random Tagging

Spotted in Katonah, New York, late October 2011

You never know what you are going to spot on the streets late at night. It's important to pay attention to your surrounding - scan up, down, left and right - and keep your eyes open. You might find the most random tagging of an anime character on the quiet streets of a very upper crust, white collar commuting town.

Don't know exactly why this guy was on the sidewalk where we found him, but it amused us enough to double back and document it.

Photos of the Day: I'd rather be barefoot!

I've been staring at the lawn since it was just steel beams, girders, and hirsute union guys. And then I watched as multitudes of people and puppets tromped all over it. I had never managed to cross the street and climb up there myself -- until a few weeks ago.

Ah, grass. It was so nice on my pale dry feet.

Sadly, now I know how badly I need to go and get a pedicure!

Horsing Around on the Lawn

You never know what you are going to see out your window at the Big J. Seriously. One day it was POTUS, another day it was a Passion Day parade for Holy Week. The Halloween costume "parades" featuring students from the two local high schools are some of the most "interesting" displays ever of the sublime, slutty, and the ridiculous.

But then there are just the normal view of every-day events on the Lincoln Center plaza and lawn. Last year, Lincoln Center officially opened the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Lawn,

"an elevated, 7,203 square foot expanse of public green that slopes gracefully toward Paul Milstein Pool and Terrace. Technically described as a hyperbolic paraboloid, the Illumination Lawn brings another dimension of visual interest to Hearst Plaza—its texture contrasting with the surrounding materials, and its unexpected shape setting off the linear quality of the buildings around it. Designed to provide a tranquil, verdant oasis for students, artists, and visitors, the green serves as a dynamic gathering space, as well as the roof of a pavilion housing the new destination restaurant ..."

Whatever (pretentious architects). We that look at it every day call it the twisty, tessellating, or rolling lawn where all the tourists and half naked kids go to sprawl about. It's also the destination of choice for the early childhood classes and nannies, so it's not uncommon to just get caught up watching little kids run about with glee, and the adults chase after them with some concern. Some of those corners dip suddenly, and we're just waiting for the day when someone launches over the sides or the glass gives way.

This great rolling expanse of green (or brown depending on the season) across the way has been closed for the winter and for the spring so that the grass could grow. [For a New York Times article on the special art of this particular lawn's care, click here.] One day earlier this month, however, we noticed a flurry of activity near the entrance stairs. With a big red bow, it could only mean a grand opening! YIPPEE.

This wasn't just a normal grand opening, with human beings cutting the bow. Nope. This year, the giant puppet war horses from the production at the Lincoln Center Theater made it a synergistic opening. Not only were the two featured horses there, but the teeny tiny ballerina girls from the School of American Ballet were there to frolic together on the lawn. Seriously, all they needed was Brunhilde from the Wagner opera at the Met and fancy canapes from the seriously overpriced restaurant to overload on the cross-constituent promotion.

But, more to the point, it was a fun view minutes for all of us peering through our windows. Tickets for the show are selling out very quickly, so this was probably our only opportunity to see the stars of the production. Those puppets are amazing. When the 3 puppeteers are manipulating the horses you almost can't believe that they aren't real. They snort, prance, and rear just like real animals, and if you don't think about it too much, you can believe the illusion. (Also a point of pride, a few of those puppeteers are Big J trained actors.)

Anyway, here's my pictures of the great lawn opening of 2011, as snapped via the zoom, from across the street and through a large dirty pane of glass. Better media can be seen here, courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater, or go to http://lct.org/showMedia.htm?id=199 or http://youtu.be/qw8ruoIqGxI.



I also have to report that standing barefoot in that grass without having to be concerned about what real horses would leave behind is very nice indeed.

Photo of the Day: Pretty in Pink

New York Botanical Garden, Late April 2011
You know what was the biggest bummer about this?
The "No Walking on the Grass" rule!

Photos of the Day: Urban Meditation

Sometimes the City can be an overwhelming sensory blur. In all the rush, you can get stressed out and miss things.

If you slow down, take some time off, and explore on off hours, you can see new things, in places you weren't expecting them.

Early Morning Tai Chi
Lincoln Center Reflecting Pool
May Day 2011

Afternoon Meditation
New York Botanical Garden, Desert Exhibitions
Late April 2011

Me? I'd rather have chocolate, Diet Coke, and a good book.

OMMMMMM! GIVEMEMOOOORREE CHOCOLATE OMMMMMMM!

Stepping Away

Pardon our blog silence.
I'm just stepping away for a bit.
Busy. Blog-blocked. Bamboozled with a bug.

Be back ... by and by.

N.C. Roadtrip 2010: Topsail Island

It's so beautiful today that being cooped up is especially painful. The skies are hazy enough, the breeze has kicked up, and the temperature is just right. I would so rather be anywhere but where I am ... say, the shore.
Sadly, I'm trapped in the Concrete Jungle for awhile, so my memories of the brief hours on Topsail Island on my roadtrip will have to get me through until I reach the shores of Lake Michigan next month or the Cape again in October.

Topsail Island c. May 2010 with Grandmary and Cousin Ocala (not pictured)

l-r: Water Tower, Surf City; The Atlantic; Grandmary making a dash down the boardwalk; The Pier (which we never got to); I had to get my feet in the sand; the surf encroaching; up to my ankles in the sand; dune access; Grandmary doesn't want to leave (I don't blame her); rinsing off; TSUNAMI?!; unique beach house architecture -- dibs on the blue one; scenic pines; Rules? We don't need any stinking rules ...

Shoes -- Hazards of Commuting

I was getting dressed this morning and went looking for my black shoes. Now, I'm no Imelda Marcos, but I have more shoes than I'm comfortable owning. Since I have such a small apartment, I only keep them in three places: by the front door (where they end up when I kick them off immediately upon entering -- before I even close the door), on a rack on the inside of a closet door, or under the bed in the "seasonal storage." No where could I find the pair I wanted. Until I remembered! Most of my black shoes are already at work ... under the desk! Don't believe me?

Yes, that's four pairs of black shoes of varying heel heights and one of the brown. There would be a pair of blue heels too, but the "New York" code of dress doesn't include as much blue as black. In my defense, at least all of these shoes are different sizes and shapes. I swear my mother has 16 pairs of the same exact same shoes -- in black.

Now, personally, I HATE (loathe, despise, despair at wearing) heels, so the fact that there's only one pair of flats under the desk and I'm wearing another pair of black heels is strange. I'd rather be barefoot. In another work lifetime I was barefoot as much as possible, running around the office or outside in the grass come rain or shine. Puddles were my friend, shoes were the enemy.

Alas, commuting through the concrete jungle to the corporate world does not give one the same foot freedom. Sidewalks, subways, and the Big Grey Box are not conducive to bare feet. (Just think about the grossness of "curbing the dog," pigeons, and the lack of public restrooms. YUCK!) Plus, I have issues with things between my toes, so no flip-flops. I also have a a tendency to be graceless, to walk out of shoes with no backs, or to twist my ankles while wearing heels.

See my dilemma? Barefoot is better, but I have to wear shoes to protect myself. Maybe I better take my shoes home tonight rather than wear the sneakers to and fro like so many commuting women?

Me thinks there is a trip to Payless or D.S.W. Shoe Warehouse in my future. But I can guarantee that I will never, ever, ever be caught wearing a pair of these. I fall over in flats, these would kill me dead.

P.S. If you think I have a problem with shoes, check out my brother's series on his many pairs (all 8 of them!)