Write this. Right, this?

On a walk

2012-02-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

in Paris I saw a shop keeper exit her establishment to greet a street cleaner with two kisses. He wore orange, he swept the ground with a straw broom. They were happy to greet each other.

rome covered in snow is rare

2012-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Today I saw fifteen people throw a snowball, this includes adults, nine people were taking photos of the snow, and one woman used a rolled up yoga mat to clear the windshield of her car.

V, i think i'll have melted chocolate for breakfast

2012-02-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

When I got to Versailles all of the statues in the gardens were covered by plastic, the fountains were off, bushes were browning. I commented to my friend that these things were done especially for me.

With that said, nope I wasn't bothered. How can I be bothered by such things? Someone once told me that grey is grey, when you decide to see it as grey.. I'll have this memory to compare it to the next.

photography is art.

2012-02-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

The Henri Cartier-Bresson 'immagini e parole' exhibition in Rome. If I could spend a morning with three of photos from this exhibition they would be:

A photo shot in Mexico in 1954 of an unkept boy entering a gate of a somewhat unkept home with a framed portrait of a well dressed woman who could pass for his mother, tucked underneath his left arm.

The 1947 downtown photo of New York. In it there is a cat and a man, they both seem to be out of luck, or they could just be looking for a quiet place to sit.

A photo taken in Paris in 1938 of a young man (30s) kissing the hand of Cardinal, the Cardinal seemed indifferent.

two boots in a tree

2012-01-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

The other day, on route to the metro, I stopped to admire two boots in a tree.

Pantheon

2012-01-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Indeed it is open.

Hey Mom, look at this..

2012-01-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

The bottom of the dress looks like melted metal. I wouldn't mind going to the movies in this.

lilies

2012-01-17T03:47:00.000-08:00

There's a park near the coloseo, that can be seen from inside of the coloseo, yet tourists don't venture there. Which works out well since the locals always have reading spots in the sun.

The other day I had a walk there, and on the walk I noticed a floral symbol on a step by the side entrance. If I hadn't combed the area I wouldn't have seen it... Since the symbol could have passed as an intended mistake, intended mistakes are sometimes hard to spot. .. Once I examined all of the stairs I found three on that set, which all varied in design.

After this discovery I took to examining other sets of stairs, there were two others. One was brick which probably means it was renovated... And there were two other flowers on the other.

After this, I remembered that this design was also used as a drain at the Spanish Steps... I've also been seeing it on the exteriors of buildings.

This morning I showed my barista the photos on my phone. "Che significa?," I said.

"It's a coincidence," said he.

"You shouldn't lie if you don't know the answer." I said. The he called be Sherlock Holmes, and I will not tell you what I called him.

~

After some web searching I think it's safe to say that these floral designs were done in the likeness of lilies. Leonardo da Vinci, El Greco, and Botticelli incorporated a lily in their paintings of Archangel Gabriel's visit to the Virgin Mary.

This may also be of some importance: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not neither do they spin. And yet I saw unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." - Christ, from The Sermon On The Mount.

~
This may make sense since Rome is the Pope's house.

The King Arthur Cloisters

2011-12-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

Some time has passed since I last wrote. But it was only a blink in my life, so that's alright.

In October I visited the Cloisters in nyc. Upon arrival I was reminded that there are still places that I have not seen in the city... Upon arrival I also learned that the grounds were to close in ten minutes. Due to my timing the personelle at the admissions counter suggested that I had a look around without having to purchase a ticket. I humbly said yes and had my walk.

Upon this walk I found a room with a small fountain. I stood over it and dropped a coin. .. I don't remember what I wished for.

As I was leaving an Asian couple, dressed in bride and groom attire, and a photographer were stopped from taking photos. There were some words about permission. Permission. Yeah, I guess they should have asked.

On route to the Cloisters

When the security guard told me, "Come back soon." I said, "I will." .. I thought: I think I'll get married here.

Apples

2011-10-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

This evening in front of the Apple store on 68th and Broadway.

There were also bitten apples and flowers on the ground.

At Washington Square Park 10/08/11

2011-10-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm spending a minute in New York. During the minute I've heard the buzz about the striking, but I hadn't seen it until yesterday.

After speaking to a few strikers I had a general idea of: People are pissed that there aren't enough jobs to go around for all. Then I read this newspaper, that was handed to me, the 'Revolution," which has featured Bob Avakian's book, 'Basics.'... Indeed the book may be featured due to it's content:

"It is not uncommon to hear these days, from government officials and others , that only 1 percent of the population is in the U.S. military but that this 1 percent is fighting for the freedom of the other 99 percent. The truth, however, is this: That 1 percent, in the military, is in reality fighting for the other 1 percent: the big capitalist-imperialists who run this country -- who control the economy, the political system, the military, the media, and other key institutions -- and who dominate large parts of the world, wreaking havoc and causing great suffering for literally billions of people. It is the 'freedom' of these capitalist-imperialists -- their freedom to exploit, oppress, and plunder -- that this 1 percent in the military is actually killing and sometimes dying for."

I hope this isn't true. But something tells me that at least some of it is. .. From yesterday's experience in the park I have gathered that there isn't one reason for this strike, (or these strikes -- They have been going on for some time now.) there is a collection of reasons.

My stance? Sadness I guess. Those who have power don't usually do the right things, because they are right. It's an old song. If anything does come from the striking it'll be for silence, not justice.

Also, I read something yesterday that made me think of this post, so I think I'll add it.

"He prayeth well who loveth well

Both men and bird and beast;

He prayeth best who loveth best

All things both great and small:

For the dear God who loveth us,

He made and loveth all." - Coleridge

Giacomo Matteotti

2011-09-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

There is a monument in Rome that doesn't have many visitors since a busy street without a side walk was planted directly in front of it some time ago.

The monument is for Giacomo Matteotti, he was a Socialist leader who was assassinated in 1924 shortly after his book: The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination, was published.

At this monument there are five headstones from 1972, 1999, 2004, 2009, and there's another where the date is unclear. All of these headstones carry the same idea: He was assassinated and in memory of.

~ This is a post for two reasons.

Speaking out isn't an easy thing.

And the next is a question, not a complaint. Why are there five plaques that state the same sentiment?

rome's central park

2011-09-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Central Park of Rome encircles a lake.

If one were hovering above this park it could pass as a face. The mouth is a small stepping bridge where people feed the ducks. The left and right cheeks are grassy areas. The left and right ears are grassy areas. A path separates the cheeks from the ears. The first bridge is the fuzz between a nose and lip. The second bridge is a pair of glasses. The water from the lake is the spirit. The building that is on top of the head is a hat. The dimples sit around the mouth, just as the temples sit behind the handles of the glasses.

8/17/11 Wednesday 9 a.m.

Sun gleaming at the bottom of the glasses.

Cats are eating from pine green plastic trays on the left ear.

A woman who appears to be 52 years is kayaking on the spirit in a yellow kayak. A man who appears 43 years has a hat on and a shirt off. He steers a white kayak.

A woman who wears sunglasses and loose clothes is walking a middle aged Fraiser dog along the left cheek. Could I do that when that time comes?

The wooden chair is no longer at the left temple. It’s gone.

There is a woman on the right ear who is grumbling to herself on a park bench.

Ducks are waking up at the right cheek.

8/18/2011 Thursday 11 a.m.

At 11 a.m. on the right the sprinklers go off.

At noon church bells ring without song.

The grumbling woman may live here.. She has short graying hair that’s more neat than not. She wears black pants and a long sleeved gray shirt. She carries her black shoes… She attempts small talk with a skate boarder boy who appears to be 8. The boy’s mother gathers her son to her by calling him by his name. They walk towards the right ear.

A man who sells roses evaluates the bunch in his right hand at the right cheek. He picks off the wilted petals. He waters them by holding the stems under a sprinkler.16 minutes later a couple purchases a rose. I am happy. I wish him a flower stand.

8/19/2011 Friday 7:40 p.m.

Church bells ring this song: Daa- an – dah dah dah dah dah dah dahhh – dah dah dah dah dah – dahhhn -- at 19:46.

Families bring their children to feed the ducks at the mouth. There are 4 ducklings among 38 adults. This includes 6 white ducks with red beaks and black feathers at the top of their heads.

The water isn’t gleaming under the fuzz.

All over the face: Joggers, lovers, and families.

Ducks keep the kayakers company on the spirit.

At the left eat workers from the Philippines, who sell things near the park stand in loose huddles. One huddle is mostly men aside from an older woman. Another huddle is gathered around a marble park bench. They use the bench as a table for a card game. One person sits on each end of the bench, the others sit around the bench on red plastic foot stools.

The cats are sitting on the left ear. They face the sunset.

8/20/2011 Saturday 6:30 p.m.

At the left dimple children of 3 or 4 years are at the playground with their parents.

A couple explores the spirit by pedal boat.

Balloons in the shapes of animals are being sold at the mouth’s left side.

9 kayaks on the spirit. One of them seats four.

At the right temple there is grafiti on a wall: “Non e un gioco”

Locks on the fence under the glasses, 2 of 6 have rusted.

A naked boy on the right ear. Is he 2?

There’s less movement, but the sun still gleams under the fuzz.

8/21/2011 or 8/24/2011 11:16 p.m.

The spirit looks thick without the movement from the fountains.

A white duck is asleep on one leg, on a wooden plank, on the right dimple facing the spirit.

Teenagers are sitting together in groups on the right cheek.

The man who sells roses is having a walk on the right cheek.

There are ducks who are still swimming in the spirit.

The moonlight gleams under the bridge. (Or glasses.)

A man standing at the edge of the spirit. His shirt is pushed up. He is not sucking his stomach in.

8/22/2011 Monday 9 a.m.

At the left dimple there are no children at the playground. 3 older persons on a bench near the playground. There is one woman between two men.

A deflated soccer ball and an open lipstick near each other on the surface of the right dimple.

The grumbling woman is asleep on the grassy right cheek. Her black hoodie is a bedroom.

There are 6 joggers and 4 fast walkers moving along on the right cheek.

Two locks are secured to the fence under the fuzz. One reads: “29/02/08 Alessandro & Silvia.”

The garbages are overflowing.

The health club behind the left dimple usually has the radio on. At the moment there’s: ‘Brown eyed girl.’

The garbage men wear mismatching orange pants and shirts. One uses a snow shovel to fill a plastic bag with garbage in close range to the left ear.

8/23/2011 or 8/25/2011 5:20 p.m.

The sun gleams under the glasses.

Garbage from next-door’s aquarium construction is sealed off at the side of the base of the glasses. Will they leave it there?

Some ducks with yellow beaks are at the mouth.

A woman and her toddler feed the pigeons while the ducks watch, also at the mouth.

8/24/2011 or 8/26/2011 6:24 a.m.

Aside from the ducks the spirit is still.

A man in a suit exits the park via the left dimple.

The left dimple has an entrance to a passageway below ground level. There is a street lamp and an iron fence around it.

A male jogger runs on the right cheek. He wears gym clothes with black leather shoes.

A female jogger follows soon after. She wears makeup with black spandex bottom and top. Her unnatural blonde hair is braided.

Ducks are dotted on a hill on the right cheek. They face the spirit as usual. A nun, a sister, with rosary in right hand abruptly stops to watch the ducks. Every duck flies.

Red rose pedals were left on the right temple from the previous night.

Two guys are smoking on the right ear from under a white sheet where they lay on a bed of grass. Or are there two white sheets? … It isn’t polite to stare.

The sun gleams at the pillars of the fuzz.

On the right temple two men are using boxes for privacy. They could only been seen from the opposite side of the lake due to the shielding bushes.

A woman with a fanny pack and a purple visor is feeding the cats! The cats eject themselves from the left cheek, from their hiding places, when they hear the ring of her bike bell.

The brain must think. The mouth must eat.

leaving Lilliput

2011-08-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Please read the following as if they were true: I'm 9 years old -- I'm 15 years old. I'm 21 years old. I'm 27 years old. I'm 34 years old. I'm 40 years old. I'm 56 years old. I'm 72 years old. I'm 89 years old. I'm old.

Now let's turn to these lines that I have been hearing until now:

I'm too old for that hair cut. I'm too old to learn another language. I'm too old to make new friends. I'm too old to change careers. I'm too old to go back to school. I'm too old for a divorce. I'm too old for a trip to Egypt. I'm too old for a karaoke night. I'm too old to miss a parent. I'm too old to accept help from anyone. I'm too old to be in this position, I should be there, and further there. I'm too old to eat 15 cookies for breakfast. I'm too old to be in a close-up photo. I'm too old to pursue that thing I haven't been able to forget. I'm too old to dance around on my front lawn... What will the neighbors think? (Who cares what the neighbors think. You don't like talking to those jerks anyway.)

~~~

Dear Home: About this word "old."

Quantos anos voce tem? From Brazilian Portuguese to English: How many years do you have?

Quel age avez-vous? French to English: What age are you?

Quanti anni hai? Italian to English: How many years do you have?

~~~

Dear Everyone and All:

I would like to say that for me the only thing that gets old is milk. Why are we paying the bills for these words that keep getting passed around? Who told you that you're too old? Did someone pull you aside and lightly put it to you? I hope not. If someone did, I have to sadly say that person isn't helping.

In regard to change: Nope I can't say that it's never too late because at some point it will be. But why trim down possibilities and freedom ahead of time? That's like pausing a movie at the most important part. (Every part is the most important part.)

About the next thing. The next thing is scary. It's a challenge. And it wouldn't be the next thing if it weren't. It's going to make you cry. It may make you say curse words. .... But what else is there?

~~~
Thank goodness for old milk. 'Cause what would we do without cheese?
~~~
p.s. I: I'm speaking to myself about this too.
~~~

Susie

2011-08-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

As of late I've noticed a woman seated on a low wall half a block away from the colosseum who sells these handmade animal figures that are made of palm tree leaves. So far her orgami-like collection consists of frogs, scorpions, birds, and turtles.

I'm not sure how many times I walked past her until I made the decision to stop. I chose a bird. A small crowd materialized at the moment of this transaction.

During the walk to the line B metro, people kept looking at the clear plastic bag that was housing this crafted bird as if it were winking. .. On the metro an 80 something year old man spent several minutes attentively looking at the purchase.

My question: Why aren't there more customers?

hop on!

2011-08-10T01:41:00.000-07:00

"Bortolucci," a shop in Rome that sells wooden objects such as hair brushes, pencil holders, and clocks has this wooden motorcycle in their doorway. They are asking 6, 500 euros for it.

I think it's that amount because because it would be too difficult to say goodbye.

2011-08-10T00:45:00.001-07:00

Ricardo

2011-08-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon at 12:37 Ricardo the horse stood in front of the Pantheon attached to a carriage without an owner in sight. Schools of persons were walking over to pet him, or take a photo with him, or to look upon him with curiosity.

The owner returned with a bucket of water. When Ricardo finished drinking he shook his head from left to right. It seemed he was trying to loosen or lose the metal steering clamp from his mouth, in doing so a long pink tongue spilled out and wagged in the wind.

Before leaving I asked the owner for the horse's name. Then I asked what Ricardo was doing there. The response: "He's working. .. He takes people around the center." Myself: "Is he here everyday?" The Owner: "He works one day, he sleeps one day." .. I processed and said thank you.

~~~~

That was two days ago. Today there was another horse near Piazza Di Spagna. There was a crowd around this horse since she wasn't on her feet. There were two men trying to help her up, but she was unable to rise. ..

I didn't ask what had happened. What would they say if I had? That she tripped on a cobblestone? That there were too many people around? That it was heat exhaustion? That the horse doesn't sleep every other day? For me there is no other way of looking at it than: That horse had no business in being there, nature belongs to nature. And basta.

~~~~

On this note I will have to end the hypocrisy of eating meat at some point. I'm starting to think I'm doing something very wrong.

"Echo" at Madison Square Park

2011-07-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

Although "Starbucks" is still keeping everyone awake and the Statue of Liberty never tires from holding onto her torch, change is ny's favorite pair of socks.

Indeed shops open, shops close. Indeed, park benches and resting areas/relaxation areas are blinked into being without any post-it notes that say, "whaddya think?" The downtown building murals keep changing... And even the homeless eventually move on.

With that said, there are two changes I would like to highlight. The current sculpture that's featured at Madison Square Park (Until August 14.) that seems like an illusion, and the "Corner Shop Cafe".

When I first saw "Echo," the sculpture by Spanish artist, Juame Plensa, I thought it was a representation of the varying cultures that can be found in New York. Then, while still there at the park I read the sculpture information which stated that "Echo" was created in the likeness of Plensa's nine year old neighbor from Spain.... I prefer that explanation rather than my own theory.

After reading what the New York Times said about "Echo," I jotted down two lines: She is "the nyph of Greek myth, condemned by Zeus to repeat the words of others." And, "Many times we talk and talk, but we are not sure if we are talking with our own words or repeating just messages that are in the air." (Both quotes are from Plensa.) The second quote continues, but let's leave it at that for now.

The "Corner Shop Cafe" was a place that had mis-matching tables, a chandelier that was made from some poor animal's antlers, red curtains that had some sort of pattern on them, and framed pictures on the walls that didn't seem mass produced.

Although the menu is the same the "Corner Shop Cafe" is now sporting uniformed tables. Is it because "many times we talk and talk, but we are not sure if we are talking with our own words or repeating just messages that are in the air." ? There was always a wait to eat at csc, especially on Sundays for brunch. So why have we changed it?

~~~~

Nah, don't boycott. I can't stay sad for long and neither should you. The Creme Brulee French Toast is a must if you have a thing for sugar. And if you go, I have one request... Leave an unsigned note that says, "Sometimes I miss what passed."

the ferrari

2011-07-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken yesterday. (26/07/2011 at 2 something.) .. It wasn't there today. I guess that's just how it goes.

Zigmat

2011-07-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Zigmat is a Spanish flavored electronic rock band that rose up out of Brooklyn.

Their latest song is: Beautiful Takes The World. It’s a song about shallow waters or about being caught up with materialistic needs. Which I'm sure that no-one can relate to.

Although the parents of Zigmat’s lead singer and instrumentalist, Monica Lionheart wanted what everyone's parents want for their children, reasonable trousers that are usually accompanied by financial security, Monica decided to say no to beige and yeah to the ambition from within.

After graduating from Boston’s Berklee School of Music, Monica moved to Brooklyn where she met fellow alumni, (Whom she hadn’t met until that night.) Stephen Yonkin, a bassist who was also trying to put together a band during that period.

For that next year Monica and Stephen combined ideas, wrote music, and made plans/goals. The result of that year proved that hard work pays since Zigmat released their first album, Sounds of Machine in 2008, as well as being singled out by a Brazilian music producer after playing a set at an East Village bar, Nublu. “It was like from a movie,” said Monica Lionheart about that evening.

That set in the East Village lead to a school of opportunities like a contract with Brazilian record label Ultra Records, another contract with Spanish record label Actua, and a Grendene shoe commercial starring Gisele Bundchen. Along with those checks on the – I did that – list are a slew of television and radio appearances and song pickups.

Since Zigmat became a band they went through a few members, but the two pillars that hold their act together, Stephen, who produces and plays bass, and Monica who is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer have remained. When other hands and minds are needed individual musicians are invited on.

When Monica Lionheart was asked if and how Zigmat has evolved since 2006 her response was, “We’re older now, we’re a little more sophisticated with the technical stuff and we’re aware of what matters more.” Monica also contributed her personal experience since 2006, “When we started I was the in your face girl, the girl who can’t be stopped. I still have a little debris from that chip on my shoulder, but these days I feel smoother and relaxed.”

Indeed Zigmat is currently re-visiting Brooklyn. Those who missed them at the Celebrate Brooklyn show on July 8^thcan hear them at Nublu on Oct 4th or Oct. 18th. For further concert dates and locations visit their website.

Also, Monica has started a solo project, for more information on that go say hey to MonicaLionheart.

the day i went to the br consulate i saw

2011-07-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

iphone photo

Three good things happened in nyc the other day.

I

In Bryant Park two children started to cry after a father screamed, "No!" There was a young boy who appeared to be five years old and his brother who appeared to be two years old. The older brother might have been carrying his little brother, or perhaps he had bumped into him since the younger brother was holding his mouth and the older brother was holding his knee after their father screamed, "No!"

After the initial shock. The older boy delivered his brother to their mother. Then the older boy walked sheepishly over to his father and buried his face in his neck. The father rubbed his back and said a few unheard things. When a few moments had passed the older brother said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He said it through his tears to his brother who was crying like any two year old would cry after a fall or a bump.

The Father took the older boy for a walk so that things could settle. They returned several minutes later. And when the older brother took in that his brother was still crying, the older boy started to cry again.

How many brats are out there who don't connect the dots like that little boy did? They were tourists. But since New York is the place where everyone visits, this counts as a ny event.

A business looking man dropped his blackberry. A man who was delivering food noticed, retrieved the phone, and handed it back to the man in the suit. It all seemed like one movement.

III

There was a man leaning up against a wall. He didn't have any instruments or anything that would hint to a show, yet he had a box at his feet with a sign sticking out of it that read: "Tips." I thought: Tips for what? Then I laughed.

a resume

2011-07-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in awhile because my head has been so full of thoughts, ideas, (Yes, those two are different.) and something else.

Now I'm ready to report: I am no longer frustrated. But I was.

I did college. I did a fruitless year of searching for something to grow with. (How does anyone get 2-5 years of experience from the beginning? Which jerk am I supposed to bother? Those two questions reappeared throughout the previous year a lot.) I did visits with Pace career counselors that said things like:"Did you try googling for jobs?" Wow.

Who's to blame? Me? I did take an internship for a magazine I had no interest in. I did it because I thought anything was a start. And it would have been a start if I had taken the position that had opened up, but I couldn't because I don't like lifetime movies.

So here we are at blame. ... I'm starting to think I should be confronting the Resume. A bulleted list of a life is stale. Indeed, there's also a cover letter, but we all know that's -- I am a super-human who can write with my toes -- horserasdish.

So this is it, a real resume.

The Qualities Of Jane F.

I can roller blade in Manhattan while holding a laundry basket full of clothes.

I can write clear sentences, edit, and proofread.

I can organize and conduct interviews.

I can travel alone by plane, or bus, or train. I can stay in hotels and walk around foreign cities alone. I can eat in restaurants with a book. It makes me feel like I'm doing something I'm supposed to.

I say funny things.

I can ride a horse.

I can have a three hour conversation with a stranger then leave without having the need to exchange contact information 'cause sometimes a three hour conversation is just meant to be that. I will always remember this, is the idea.

I can make friends pretty much anywhere, being interested is the key, not falsely, really. And as for the friends I have already: I have a strict belief in those talented people. ... It's love, not dove.

I can follow trails on a hike. Of course I took a hiking class. Of course.

When I see someone crying on the street I follow them until it seems they're okay. Each time I do this, I tell myself to speak to him or her. ... But is that wanted? I'm not sure. (Side Note; If you walk around NYC for a day, you will see at least one person on the verge of breakdown. In order to spot this, you've got to step outside of yourself, which isn't the easiest.)

I can play chess well. If I lose I become quiet and angry.

I understand Brazilian Portuguese since my Mother is from Rio. I watch novellas with her when I can.

I write poems, yet not as often as I should.

People say I'm whimsical,
that I live in ah surreal world.

How can I respond to that?

But say: So do you

As an amateur, I take good photos, all the photos on this blog were taken by me. (The exceptions are of photos of other poets who have sent their mug shots over.)

If I had a dog I would wash him twice a month and I would always tell him that he's handsome.

I can make pasta. I've actually made up my own recipes. That I will not be disclosing.

I also know how to make croissants and creme brulee, among other things. And I'm good at experimenting with varying tastes. (Coconut Black Beans: not good -- Coconut Collard Greens: are very good. ... The Trick: 1/2 tbls of coconut oil.)

I have ideas about all types of things, all the time. Example: When I got to Dean & Deluca, the one inside the New York Times building -- I looked around and thought how I would design it. Currently it looks like a science lab, or how one would hope a science lab would look like. I would make it more colorful, more stay rather than go. (Next Example) I thought of working at different shops every two weeks in order to write about it. How do the businesses work? What goes on? Who are the employees? What are they like? .. But no-one took to it. I guess the idea was too out there. (Next Example) I met a man who couldn't read or write, he had no interest in learning. He was jobless and he enjoyed the outdoors. So I told him to go work on a farm..... I think the idea was overwhelming for him -- But the thing is, he probably could have. I was very upset when I got home that afternoon because being stuck somewhere stinks..... Yups, I can write pages of ideas 'cause they never take a break, even when I wish they would.

I am adaptable. If there aren't any cranberries for the cranberry sauce, I'll use goose berries.

I have a firm handshake.

I have an okay fashion sense. I think this cause strangers are always stopping me to ask where I bought the such and such item. Someone's farewell to me was once, "Take care of those shoes!" ?

I finish every book I start on principle. It took me five months to finish 'War and Peace.' But I did it.

I'll think I'll stop here. Right?

These days, my interests have been changing. My goals have changed. I think I'm starting to lean towards food and it's cousins.

About writing: Business as usual or unusual will continue on this blog. And if I submit to freelance work this summer I will not be sending the resume they probably already dread.

p.s. If you like this resume idea, send it around. I wonder if we could open a can with this.
p.s. II .. I sat in that chair in the photo above.

three hours at the MACRO

2011-05-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

The MACRO Museum, the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma, has a few things worth talking about.

'While Nothing Happens' is an installation that arrived at the Macro in 2008. The installation which was made up of fabric, wire, and varying spices, and perhaps a little paint as well, was created for the MACRO by Brazilian artist, Ernesto Neto. .. In regard to the visual concept, the piece looks like a drop dripping, like something that's evolving, or blossoming into something other. As for the smell, yes the installation has a strong scent of mixed spices. And although smelling the spices was met with discouragement, it was possible to detect nutmeg and paprika. .. Unfortunately the spices weren't listed on the informational note nearby. (?)

What was listed in the informational note were things like: This represents the unification of the world bla --Reading it was like standing at the edge of town looking at a sign that read, Welcome To The Township Of Dribble. They were words that anyone could say about anything. Or better, they were words that other people would want to hear. O the frustration.

The Piccolo Animismo, was made by Arcangeelo Sassolino, and it'll be at MACRO until June 12th, 2011. As seen in the photo there was a tube connected to this piece. The purpose of tube was to deliver and vacuum out these violent bursts of air, which it did successfully. .. When the air went on, it created a booming sound that could be heard all over the museum, that muted out every thought that wasn't related to that steel box. (It made me say aloud: "Ooo there's a devil in there.") Also, when the air went on, the walls creaked and expanded where it could, making it seem like all the structure needed was to be told one more time and something would break.

When looking and hearing this piece, one can could think up a number of theories. The anger of the world, or that lazy neighbor who refuses to mow their lawn. That's how it goes, meanings get split by minds, if the meanings aren't carefully looked after. .. Which is why the informational notes are important. How else are we to know what's being communicated? That is if the artist wants the meaning out there.

Indeed reading the contributed details behind Sassolino's piece was useful, and it was nice to see the quote from Sassolino himself: "'Everytime I'm on a plane, I wonder how much stress the wings can withstand knowing sooner or later any material is bound to collapse as a result of mechanical stress.'" So, "'Why not push these limits of matter against matter -- of air against steel; pressure on metal; tons of weight on the weldings -- and why not stretch the limits of the matter by bringing out the unforeseen as form and sound? Sounds are often produced by friction, impact and the yielding of materials. Sometimes even the most impassive blocks, things you'd never suspect turn out to be lyrical.'" How many of us have also wondered, I hope they wings don't fall off, O my God they're shaking! It's completely relatable and rational.

Moving onto Antony Gormley's drawing space. Although there were a number of drawings on the walls by Antony, it was difficult to focus on his drawings since he's primarily known by his work with iron. Hence the photos of the iron people who seemed to be molded by their daily circumstances. .. It was evident that the person on the left is in fact a person, but it took a moment to see what the other was, which was nice, which was catching.

Opinion: I could say I have a favorite, but that wouldn't be fair. And ssometimes I like my own interpretation of things, when I can decide on one, which is why I left Gormley's information unread.

Personal Note: I'm currently in the US to solve a Visa hiccup... But I've got so much Rome material backed up, that I'm going to continue to write it, along with whatever is going on here.

Very Best,

Jane Feige

Naples

2011-05-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

Galleria Umberto

What outsiders say about Naples: There’s good pizza, coffee, and watch out for the pickpockets.

What Italians, the non-Neapolitans say: You’re going to Naples? Why you like garbage?” Or, don’t trust the Neapolitans, they are funny and false.

Perhaps there is an amount of truth to these generalizations, but the point of travel is to see past or through those ideas, to see that the pizza from Naples is set apart because the Neapolitans use more dough than Rome, Venice, and other regions of Italy when making pizzas. The coffee is strong, but Naples is not the only dot on the globe that serves strong coffee. And indeed, there are piles of un-tidy trash around, especially near the train station, (There are many deserted shoes, singles not pairs, spending time on the streets near the train station for whatever reason?) but the garbage is the spark of a conversation. The story behind that is that the politicians/mobsters (Mobsters is to be read in a hushed tone.) prevent the garbage from being taken away because the Italian government keeps depositing money into Naples’ bank accounts trusting that Naples will use the money to clean the mess up. Yet, the garbage continues to have a presence within the city.

Onto other things that some travel guides don’t recollect.

Wandering the streets of Naples is much like walking through halls of stranger’s homes due to the personal items of clothing that are hung out to dry on clothing lines above head, or on window sills.

In regard to wandering, one must be alert because the mostly helmet-less moto drivers do not stop at side street intersections. They slow down and tap on the horn, which in turn creates a friendly beep sound that is nearly undetectable when it’s competing with the other general noises and voices of the city.

Which voices? The Neapolitans are constantly outside talking to each other about the weather, or bread, or someone’s ill Nona. And when they’re inside their houses they continue to converse with each other through towels and wet socks with others on the street from their windowsills. “Get four eggplants!” --- “Okay!”

Indeed, Naples has an energy. If the energy were a person, he/she would be that person who tells a funny story with their mouth full of food. Or, that person who is willing to shout over the person beside him/her in order to be heard, not negatively, more like -- Everyone’s talking at the same time, so if I talk louder someone, anyone will have to hear a least three words I say. Let’s say it’s a mix of those two.

(Left) Anancino (Right) Mozzarella

When it comes to food Neapolitans like to experiment with frying, they commonly fry things like pizza dough, macaroni cakes, cattò di patate (balls of mashed potatoes), buffalo mozzarella cheese, and their version of the arancino (Balls of rice, cheese, and tomato sauce. Yes, there are many ways to prepare this.)

As for the last observation, there are an uncountable number of people who live in the center of the city who have converted their garages into studios or extra rooms. Which is technically illegal. Which brings this back to the garbage. Perhaps the Neapolitans just have creative ways of saving money? There’s nothing wrong with that.