Tag Archives: Cousin Theresa

Flip Flop and Fly

Oh so tired, but it’s a good tired. Only have an hour or so to rest before Bill and I head over to Newport in Jersey City for Risotto’s Christmas Party. We were invited a month or so ago and now the time has come. It should be a nice time.

Hadn’t seen Risotto in years and never met his partner. It’s also within walking distance. It starts at 7:00 but we can’t stay too late since Bill has to drive tomorrow morning. We’re both looking forward to attending the party, it promises to be a good time.

Another cannabis free dream last night, involving a trip to New England. Could have been Vermont, or New Hampshire. It involved Bill, my mother, Julio, my brother Brian and my sister in law Elaine. One part of the dream involved me walking up a river, knee deep to catch up with the others.

In some bushes on the shore, there might have been my former roommate Jimmy Lee whom I asked if he had figured out a song for me. I tried to get the people in the dream to move from the bed and breakfast we seemed to be meeting at to a local cigar establishment.

Then I woke up with Don’t Rain on My Parade in my head. It was endlessly repeating. Almost maddening.

What got me out of bed was the fact that I had a plan to visit the Man Ray exhibition in Manhattan at the Jewish Museum. If you recall, I was going to go last week, but it was too cold and rainy. Today it was mainly cold. I showered, made coffee and headed out to get the paper and some bagels.

Came home, had a hearty breakfast as Bill sat and watched Lawn Hors d’œuvre . No time for Bill to watch the Closer which is his Saturday morning routine. He was off to see his mom and run around Manhattan.

About an hour later I too was headed into the city, taking the Path train to 14th Street and walking over to Union Square to catch an uptown train. On the way to the Path I stopped by the Guitar Bar and wished Jim a belated birthday and also said hello to his daughter (and mine) Lily who was working at the store for the afternoon.

Throughout Hoboken there were Santas everywhere, all participating in a Santa clad pub crawl. Walking down the stairs at the Path station there were a few Santas dressed up obviously off to participate in drunken shenanigans.

The train was crowded as was the 4 train uptown from Union Square. What was an express train, turned local once it went to Grand Central. I rode up to 96th street and thought the Jewish Museum was at 96th Street but it was at 92nd Street.

Went into the museum, was searched, as was my bag which I had to check. I walked into the galleries and took off my coat and held it over my folded arms. A few minutes later a security guard came up to me and told me I had to either check the coat or wear it.

No carrying coats at this museum. I blame Tony Shafrazi. He was the former art adviser to the Shah of Iran and his Peacock Throne, that all around Iranian ghoul who spray painted Picasso’s Guernica. Or maybe it was because it was the Jewish Museum. It was a minor hassle nonetheless.

Great pieces of art, with me having a laugh at a few pieces, like Rrose Sélavy created by Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp after they both fled Ridgefield NJ to Paris. Rrose Sélavy is a ‘person’ portrayed by Duchamp and photographed by Man Ray and it’s a play on Eros, C’est La Vie.

Hilarious I thought and chuckled. The other patrons merely sniffed. So much fun to be found, especially in the letter to Tristan Tzara where Man Ray writes “dada cannot live in New York. All New York is dada, and will not tolerate a rival.” Still rings true almost 100 years later.

After than, a cigar and a stroll down Fifth Avenue, taking pictures at whatever I deemed art and whatever screamed loudly enough for me to take it’s photograph. I’ll more than likely go back again to the exhibition, I just won’t wear such a heavy coat.

I walked from 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue to 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue. That’s about it.

Here’s some pictures.

man ray kiki

man ray le cadeau 1921

Tristan Tzara photographed by Man Ray

Tristan Tzara photographed by Man Ray

My self portrait inspired by Man Ray

My self portrait inspired by Man Ray

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 002

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 003

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 004

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 005

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 006

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 007

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 008

12.12.09 NYC post Man Ray 009

Let’s All Chant

So here we are, it’s a Saturday. It’s been snowing for the past hour or so. Big wet flakes, not sticking, just turning to water once they hit the ground.

Last night was spent partly down at Julio & Stine’s apartment. I wanted to spend time with Alexander before they flew off to Denmark this afternoon. I brought my guitar and did my best to plat Give a Little Bit by Supertramp. I do love that song. Classic pop. That and Take the Long Way Home are two of my favorite Supertramp songs.

Oh yeah, Even in the Quietest Moments and Lover Boy. OK, I have a few favorite Supertramp songs. In fact their songs would be on a mix tape compilation in case I’m ever on that desert island. Never get tired of those songs, though they certainly dropped the ball after Breakfast in America.

Anyway, Alexander did his little Alexander dance to my guitar playing. He also got a kick out of my picking some notes when I played Please Please Me, which Julio and I sang while Stine printed out their airline tickets.

I encouraged Alexander to strum my guitar as I fingered some notes. He loved the pick also and even though Julio and Stine felt bad when he dropped the pick in the hole, it was not big deal. Just a few shakes and it was out again.

It fell to the floor and Alexander picked it up and gave it to me. After each song I would play, Alexander would clap his hands and say ‘Again?’ and I would play a different tune, like Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard which Julio couldn’t help but singalong to.

My mother would always say Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard whenever she would ask about Julio.

It was a fine time. Alexander was up way later than usual and eventually Stine had to put him to bed, after reading him a story. Julio and I sat at the kitchen table, drinking Galician wine which was quite nice.

Also sort of broke my rule of not eating after 7:00 at night and had 2 slices of pizza that they had ordered. Came upstairs, Bill was finishing watching 3 hours of Lawn Hors d’œuvre, and soon went to bed. I stayed up, watched the Simpsons followed by Craig Ferguson before I finally turned in myself.

Bill was up before I was this morning, attempting to rediscover the couch which was buried under so much of his stuff mainly. Some items were mine, but the majority were his. It was a bit of a pain of the ass to make room for Juan on the couch the other night, which is why I told Bill to get Juan to move into the bed once Bill was leaving for work.

I did have a plan to go to the Man Ray exhibit today. Texted Rand about it the other day but never heard anything so I was content to go solo. I was all set to go and made it out to the street. My plan was to take the subway to 96th Street and after the visit to the Jewish Museum, enjoy a stroll down Fifth Avenue, smoke a cigar and listen to some music on the iPod.

But when I got to street level in Hoboken I thought it was too cold and wet to do that and opted to return to the apartment where it was nice and cozy. The exhibit is on until March 2010 so I have time, but do plan an attempt next week, with the same agenda.

Bill was off doing theater things this afternoon so I watched Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid which was just precious. Jackie Coogan and Chaplin’s relationship is just so special, that almost 100 years later really makes you misty.

I thought about showing it to Julio, but he’d probably turn into a puddle with Alexander en route to Denmark. Still, it’s a sweet movie. Chaplin was certainly something, easy to see how he became the first big movie star.

The biographical picture about Chaplin starring Robert Downey Jr. is worth seeing as well. So if you can’t get one, watch the other if possible.

12.5.09 Snow 002

12.5.09 Snow 005

12.5.09 Snow 006

12.5.09 Snow 007

12.5.09 Snow 003