Stacy Horn

I’m going to the main branch of the New York Public Library (42nd and 5th) today at 2pm to join a protest co-sponsored by PEN and a new organization called Writers Resist. More information about the event is here, but there are parallel events around the country. You can check if there’s one near you here.

If you can’t be there PEN is going to stream it live on their Facebook page. I will be taking plenty of pictures, of course.

My new haircut! I don’t like to smile anymore in photographs because there’s something off about my teeth since I had all that work done. Except screw it. I’m 60. And I’m probably the only one who thinks my smile looks weird.

I added a few more people to follow and already I’ve got way too many tweets to read. So, I started removing people, but that made me wonder who I might be missing who is great. Right now it’s all politics all the time, which is important, but I need a break. Or at least other news and ideas to read about. I’d love to hear suggestions. Who is your favorite to follow?

A fun thing to do in the snow? Kinda looks like work to me.

Every year my friend Barbara and I go to the Grace Church production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. It’s such a sweet, feel-good opera. But I think the fact that I’ve been listening to this music every holiday season since childhood is a big part of the appeal for me. Innocence. I remember innocence.

They always do such a great job at Grace Church. It’s been the same singers every year, and I hope they continue to sing these parts for years to come. The only singer that changes is the child who sings the part of Amahl. This year they chose a girl! Anna Sorensen. I wish I had gotten a picture of her because she was so great. She sang beautifully, she has a boy-sound soprano voice, and her acting was the best I’ve seen in this part.

Thank you everyone involved, we had a wonderful time! If you’ve never seen Amahl and the Night Visitors before you really must try to go next year. I’m sure you can find it somewhere near wherever you live. Or, just buy the album (dating myself).

I was taking pictures of the snowstorm from my window when I noticed this new fence on the roof of a building across the street. Why did they put that up? To prevent suicides? Or falls. Oh! Burglaries?

Except, that looks relatively easy to climb. Maybe there are a lot of children in the building and this is meant to protect mostly them.

I went to Tiffany’s last week to get a pair of earrings repaired. I bought them in the 1980s, when I worked there as a holiday temp. They are the smallest of the Elsa Peretti mesh earrings, in silver not gold. They were reasonably priced at the time, especially with my employee discount, but I wouldn’t be able to afford them now. I feel like a wealthy woman owning them!

Tiffany’s is next door to Von Clownstick Tower (backstory: I still cannot bring myself to say the name). To enter Tiffany’s via the front door you are funneled into one of two lines, the other going into whatshisname’s. I avoided the spectacle by going in the side door, but then coming home I was mad at having going to go around the long way, so I went through the other line, where I had to get my bag checked. After he looked inside my backpack, the officer said, “Enjoy Von Clownstick Tower!” He said the name of course, and he was so nice I didn’t have the heart to say, “I’m just taking the most direct route to the subway, I would never, ever in a million years enjoy Von Clownstick Tower.”

There is always a crowd of people and news vans across the street now, staring and taking selfies. I still haven’t accepted that this is really and truly happening. It’s a nightmare from which we will all be awakened or rescued. I’ll be marching on January 21st.