Stacy Horn

I stumbled on a wonderful movie yesterday called Paperhouse. It was strange, fantasy-dream-like, but dark, and I googled it afterwards. First, I didn’t realize it was as old as it is, it was made in 1988. Then I read that one of the two kids who starred in it never acted again, and the other committed suicide when he was 20. It was a particularly upsetting thing to hear after having just watched the ending of the movie.

The Wikipedia entry about what he was suffered from was vague. I’m guessing from this line that it was schizophrenia: “an acquired psychological illness in his late teens precluded him from continuing his acting career.” It’s just so sad.

UPDATE: I may have guessed wrong. From the Wikipedia entry for his second and last movie, Taxandria: “In the interim, Elliott Spiers, who portrayed Aimé Perel in the film, became gravely ill from the side-effects of an anti-Malaria inoculation, which caused a decline in his mental health. As a result, he was unable to complete the voice-dubbing required for his character and, consequently, the voice of Aimé Perel is that of another actor. On Saturday 15 January 1994, while a patient of the psychiatric department of the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, North London, Elliott Spiers took his own life[2]. It remains unknown whether his death was a premeditated act on his part, or a consequence of involuntary actions brought on by his mental ill-health[3].”

You have to look up to get the best architectural details. This is across the street from my temp job.

I had the worst seat in the house last night at the Loser’s Lounge! I was at the back right corner of the stage, so I was behind all the performers. AND, a piano blocked my view so I could only see the bottom half of everyone. I was basically staring at people’s butts all night. It was the best Loser’s Lounge though, everyone was at the top of their game, it was amazing. I don’t know if there’s a show tonight, but if there is and if there are tickets, GO.

This is the view I had. Insane, right?? I watched Joe McGinty play piano. He did this hand over hand thing which I always loved doing when I played piano. Actually the only time I did it was when playing Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, my absolute favorite piece to play (tied with Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag).

If you go here the guy is doing it at minute 2:15. It’s fun! It feels a little like you’re dancing at the keyboard.

I swear to God, every library book I need is stored offsite. I have to request them and then wait until they’re brought to the library. I’m not complaining, I’m glad they have them, plus they come with your choice of blueberry muffins or fries.

I’m writing about this hauntingly beautiful piece of music by a Spanish composer named Tomas Luis de Victoria. It was written in the 16th century, and I want to try comparing my life to the seminary students in Rome who first sang it.

By the way, I’ve meant to say that I love the quotes they choose to use at the end of every Criminal Minds episode. From this week. “There’s no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox. It’s not really true, chance circumstances can squash a determined soul like a bug, but I agree that it’s mostly true. Or kinda true. Or sometimes true.

Another shot of those cops on horseback.

Last night I passed through Times Square on my way to a Tufts alumni event (that’s where I went undergraduate). It was for journalism grads, but they opened it up to anyone working in media and I’ve written books, and done the occasional piece for NPR, I count!

It was warm out and so there were a lot of people milling about way under-dressed. I gotta believe that most of these people are not New Yorkers. I’ve never heard of going to Times Square to hang out.

And yes, if there are cops on horses in my field of vision I’m going to take a picture of them.

Damnit. I have to leave for my temp job. No time to say anything. I was going to post about the words to a 14th century motet by Philippe de Vitry titled Rex Quem Metrorum. I wrote them down last year and they’re so weird I must have gotten them wrong:

“It must be proclaimed openly at the meeting-places, the abominable madness of these ages, the demented frenzy of dogs, launched on the world by the eternal Satan …”

My plan was to look it up and write about it. Some other time!

You know that billboard I keep posting pictures of? It’s on Park Avenue and turns out my temp job is a bunch of blocks uptown from it.