Stacy Horn

The Wild Bird Fund told me to call this week about my bird except they’re not returning my calls. I expect it’s bad news, but I wish they would just tell me.

Someone was feeding the birds in this park at Bleecker and 7th Avenue. Her caretaker came at me saying “No senora” and other things I couldn’t understand. I gathered she didn’t want me taking a picture of the woman feeding the birds, so I edited her out. But for the record, in the picture it looks like the woman was smiling at me. Maybe she recognized a fellow bird lover.

Because yesterday did! Uh-oh. I just went to take a shower and there’s no hot water. Not an auspicious beginning. Sorry everyone I meet today.

When people complain about blogs and tweets and say things like “who cares about all the minutia of someone’s daily life,” they’re talking about posts like this one, I’m afraid. Well, here’s more minutia: I plan to find and listen to the pieces that my choral society is going to sing at our holiday concert.

Giovanni Gabrieli: Jubilate Deo
Palestrina: Missa ‘Ascendo ad Patrem’ (Kyrie and Gloria)
William Billings: The Shepherd’s Carol (Shiloh)
Leonard Bernstein: Missa Brevis
Arvo Part: Magnificat
Randall Thompson: The Peaceable Kingdom
Carols with organ

I’m familiar with and love The Peaceable Kingdom. Excited about the Palestrina! Palestrina never sucks.

A fire alarm went off while I was at the NYU Dental School yesterday. No fire in the end though. After waiting a couple of hours I was told that they couldn’t do the work I needed on my tooth and to go elsewhere.

Stupid world. The UK, the financial markets. Ugh, ugh, ugh. It’s a “don’t turn on the news” day. By the way, speaking of “it’s a madhouse,” did I mention I loved Rise of the Planet of the Apes? I quite enjoyed it. Movies instead of news, I say!

My friend Chris sent me this stunning, sparkling picture of a butterfly. I imagine she took it in her garden. I woke up and opened my email while drinking my morning coffee and saw this. A very nice way to start the day so I’m passing it on to you.

Every time I go there I love the feel of the Bronx. It’s like half city/half country, although it’s not really very country-like I guess. But it feels that way. Walking back to subway I saw a house for sale. It needs a lot of work, and it’s on a busy street, but it was surrounded by abandoned gardens. The Secret Garden in the middle of the city. This shot was the garden to the right, but there was also greenery in the front and the other side.

I want it. I want to take my computer and coffee out into this garden every morning to work. I’d leave the essential wild feel of it, and maybe just add to it. So, ah, rich people out there handing out money to buy houses, and I know there are a lot of you, please buy this house for me. Thank you in advance.

I’ve decided to give tretinoin a try. Every article I’ve read about the various non-drastic things you can do to look better (younger) say that all the various claims are bullshit except this, and topical vitamin c (and I’m starting to hear more about peptides).

It can take anywhere from two months to six months to a year before you see a difference so I guess don’t expect to hear about results any time soon! My doctor has started me out on the lowest dose—.25%—and we’re going to try that for two months. I’m just getting generic tretinoin and the tube I got cost $26.99. I’d be curious to hear what other people are spending. That doesn’t seem too bad to me.

I’ll report back first in October.

Tomorrow I’m going to call the Wild Bird Fund to see how my bird is doing. I put him here on top of a floor lamp while the landlord guys were fixing the door to the bedroom. If they ask me to take him back while he heals at least I’ll be able to close the door to the cats.