Stacy Horn

I can’t believe that I lead the kind of life where I can see outstanding musicians like the Chalfonte Quartet in an intimate and beautiful setting. Last night was the annual benefit for my choir, the Choral Society of Grace Church. The Chalfonte Quartet performed Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor (aka Death and the Maiden).

The place was packed (you can’t see all the people around me, I was sitting about midway to the front and on the right, as you can see in this picture). You can’t seem them but the musicians are: Jorge Avila (violin I) Alexander Sharpe (violin II) David Gold (viola) and Kathy Cherbas (cello). Thank you for a mind-blowing performance.

Planning my day and realizing that perhaps I should have made plans a little sooner than the morning of my birthday, in which I turn WAY OLD (59). Jesus. One year away from SIXTY. Except I thought fifty was going to be unbearable and it turned out to be fine. The 50’s turned out to be just fine overall so maybe my 60’s won’t be so awful either. It freaks me out just to type it though. SIXTY!!! That is absolutely, unequivocally OLD.

I’m proud to live in a city where people line up around the block just to see a painting. (It was a Gustav Klimt portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.)

I was walking across on 7th Street to feed a friend’s cat when I came upon this impromptu memorial for the two victims on the March 26th gas explosion in the East Village. They represent the graves of 27-year-old Moises Ismael Locón Yac, an employee of the restaurant Sushi Park, and 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, who was in the restaurant at the time of the explosion.

It’s just so sad and it makes me mad. It’s terrible that we don’t all get to live out our one life, but when we lose it to something so stupid and avoidable it feels especially heart-breaking, although I guess every cause of death is stupid except “old age.” (Which is probably not a legal cause of death.)

This was actually after BEA, when I was back home in the West Village. I walked by Louie CK, and remembering him saying in an interview that he doesn’t like to be recognized on the street, I took no notice of him. But then he walked by me again, with one of his daughters I’m guessing, so this time I took a quick shot after he passed by.

Thanks to Cathy Markoff I got to do some heavy duty star-gazing today at BookExpo America, aka BEA. First, I get there and okay, I’m human. I stood and tried to imagine what it must be like to be the kind of writer who would get a great big monster banner like one of these.

Now onto the adorable Felicia Day, who I’ve loved since Buffy the Vampire Slayer and most recently as Charlie on Supernatural (sob). I am seriously going to miss that character. But come on, it’s Supernatural. Can’t they bring you back??

Next, Mindy Kaling. The Mindy Project is one of those shows I give myself as a reward at the end of a lousy day. I look forward to it, and I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Hulu picked it up. Thank freaking God. Everyone on the show is great, by the way. Everyone has a great character, great lines, it’s such a pleasure.

And finally, the amazing Gloria Steinem. Thank you for the freedoms you helped gain for me. What an amazing life on you. I don’t know if Gloria Steinem cares or not, but she’s still stunning. I’m looking at myself in the mirror now and comparing (I know she’d hate that part).

Thank you again, Cathy! I had a fantastic time!