I am slightly appalled by the fact that I thought it was ten o'clock at four in the afternoon. The lack of sun is ruining my life. Or at least my chances of ever getting out of bed.
I am still gushing from watching Hello, Dolly! earlier. I have distinct memories of watching Babs inch her way into Walter Matthau's heart throughout my childhood with my mom. As I've inched away from my childhood, I find myself taking remnants with me. Namely my love for all things Matthau and as silly as it may be (I daresay only to those who have yet to witness Barbra's dynamic on-screen personality), every single Streisand film. For the hesitant, I strongly advocate a viewing of Kazan's A Face in the Crowd, the cheeky Cactus Rose, The Way We Were (Sydney Pollack might lend the film some credibility if you are truly wary!), and quite obviously Hello, Dolly! I could add others, but I'm still a bit sheepish about my love for Babs.
Happy Saturday!
Of my silence, I don't have much to say. I've been busy baking, cutting intricate paper snowflakes, nursing every day malaise, and watching what feels like thousands of movies in bed. I am thankful for all sorts of things: my beautiful family and friends (who else sends you fresh flowers from far away and leaves you treats from the farmers market when you're having the mean reds?), James Brown's Christmas album, tomato bisque soup, peppermint Joe's O's, waking up to find I got a job at a library in Paris (I was convinced I wouldn't get it), being able to study in Paris in the spring, public transportation, warm woolen mittens, and walking home last night from supper with friends singing "My Favorite Things" charmingly off-key. The past fortnight has been a sleepless difficult blur, yet in many ways I am glad for the madness. In between papers, research proposals, and simply too much research in general, there has still been time for slumber parties, vegan cinnamon chocolate cakes, Timber Timbre, Dixieland jazz, and bundling up with tea and Chinatown dumplings to swoon over Benjamin Braddock.
I half-apologize for my absence. Life in New York is hard, folks. Couple sickness with perennial academic fatigue, a general lack of dancing in my life, and walking behind one too many cigars and cigarettes, and you have yourself a rather rotten week (don't even get me started on last week). I don't know if there's anything I dislike more than feeling obligated. This past weekend was full of obligations (albeit pleasant obligations, such as going to a literary event at a new bookstore in Brooklyn orchestrated by a dear friend and topped off with a reading by Tao Lin) and I am paying my dues with cream puff eyes and a cracked egg head. I've many a thing to look forward to- if I can summon up the courage to fulfill all of my responsibilities. My brain is drowning a little in this Visa application and trying to find mind-blowing apple recipes for an upcoming Apple Festivus this Thursday. Right now I'm thinking of making chestnut apple stuffing and an apple almond cake. My friends have really upped the ante by telling me they're going to bring homemade cinnamon apple ice cream, oysters with apple mignonnette, and a potential smoked gouda apple tart (alongside the more traditional pies, crumbles, turnovers, and fritters). Not to mention the highly anticipated vegan treats! I'll be sure to report back with savory details and hopefully savory photographs. Now it's back to apple snowflake making and chocolate milk drinking!
