Author: Stacy Horn

I did better this time, I was less nervous.  I slowed down, looked people in the eye more as I spoke.  So yeah.  Better.  I don’t suck completely today. (For those that don’t know, I recently starting volunteering as a tour guide for the Word Trade Center site.)  Here’s a picture of the site from within the Winter Garden.

I tried to go through my closet in a ruthlessly effective make-Tim-Gunn-Proud way, but I was not terribly successful. I’ll have to make another pass. But I did manage to pack up some clothes I haven’t worn in years and clothes that no longer fit. These will go to the church thrift shop down the street. Fine. Except for two dresses. First, this one. I bought it for my last book launch party. Although it’s hard to tell in this shot, it’s really very lovely. It’s an Agnes B. and was way out of my budget, but I treated myself. I wrote a book!  

I got to wear it ONCE. I’m glad someone else will get to have it, but still! ONCE!

Plus, the thrift shop very reasonably wants everything to be clean, and this is a hand wash dress.  I had to hand wash it!! Today I will have to iron it!! Okay, fine.

But there’s a second dress.  This one I can’t part with, even though I haven’t had an occasion to wear it in years.  I’ve also owned it for years, so really, no dress lasts forever, what do I want?  

It’s just that it’s the most flattering dress I have ever owned.  I wear it and I think I’m the prettiest girl in the room wherever I am. That’s a great feeling (and it doesn’t matter if it isn’t technically true). The dress is exactly like the white halter Marilyn Monroe wears in all those pictures of her above the subway grating, except it’s black.  I don’t know anything about sewing, but I’m taking it to a tailor and asking them if there’s anything to be done.

I had to think about it.  So yeah, what’s up for today?  One thing’s for sure: I’m going to spend a lot of time at my desk on the computer.  It’s insane how much time I spend here, day after day, sitting here.  Every day.  Here.  It never changes!!

My next book can’t start too soon for me.  Except there’s the little problem of thinking of one. Then I have to sell someone on the idea.  I’m going to have to go with the science book memoir, I think.  If I wait for the perfect idea I may be sitting at this desk forever.  (But with some sweet company.)

Finding a simple, yet flattering tshirt in my favorite color at Old Navy for $2.97. $2.97!! I’m still happy about this a day later. I’m also happy I got Buddy in the shot. Things that also have me happy at the moment:

– Choir practice is tonight and I’ve gotten better at not rushing and settling in and singing with everyone else.  I get so excited I tend to be the teeniest bit ahead instead of right in the pocket.  It makes a world of difference, it’s hard to explain, but I feel more like I am truly making music when I’m in the pocket with everyone else.

– My windows are clean, although they missed a pane and they are coming back to get it.  I’m happy that I bothered to call instead of having it bug me until I forgot about it.

– My holiday cleaning starts this weekend.  As I say every year, I enjoy this work, getting the place into clean, sparkling, holiday-ready spirit. Afterwards I will start playing holiday music and eating too much pumpkin pie.

When I was at the doctor yesterday the subject of the economy came up. We commiserated briefly about what we both had lost and about having to work until the day we died, although for me personally, I never thought otherwise, and then I turned and noticed this view.  This doctor’s office is inside the O’Toole Building, which is part of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

There’s been a big war in the neighborhood about tearing the O’Toole building down to build a bigger, more state-of-the-art hospital something. I have to admit I didn’t really pay attention to the whole thing.  The battle was lost, and the building is going down, and I just don’t care!  I’m sorry.

I always thought this building was ugly (see below) and having newer, fancier facilities sounds like a good thing to me.  But this doctor was saying that due to the economy, the new building probably won’t happen. It’s interesting how this is reverberating, and it’s far from over.  I try not to think about what it’s going to mean to me because I don’t know what I can really do about it.