Stacy Horn

Nora sent me a link to pictures from Obama’s visit in the Ottawa Citizen.

We both liked this picture of people on a giant snowball trying to get a better view.

Meanwhile, I’m still hard at work trying to learn the hardest part in the hardest piece of choral music ever, the fugue in the Credo section of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

First I had to learn the runs.  But when I try to do them at the speed we’re supposed to do them, I stop sounding like I’m making music.  It’s physically impossible, I tell you.  Once again those must be robots or computers or aliens singing on the recording I have.

Plus, I have a headache.

And I’m stressed out about my book.

And Buddy is having bowel issues, poor thing.

And American Idol is screwing with their voting practices.

But Obama is my president and Canadians are great, so there’s that.

I’m posting for the fabulous Susie Bright, who is in town for three events for her new book. In one week. (That would kill me.)  One is tonight, and I’m cutting and pasting from her blog.

Susie Bright Night:
“In The Flesh” Erotic Reading Series

Thursday, February 19th, 7:30 PM

I’ll be celebrating my new fancy baby, X: The Erotic Treasury with authors Paula Bomer, Ernie Conrick, Martha Garvey, Nicholas Kaufmann, Tsaurah Litzky, Maxim Jakubowski, Marcelle Manhattan, Lisa Montanarelli, Chelsea Summers, and host/curator Rachel Kramer Bussel.

Note special start time (for February only): 7:30 pm. Doors open at 7. Arriving early is highly recommended.

Happy Ending Lounge
202 Broome St.
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue)

These don’t look so interesting on the hangers, but they’re cute.  This first top I got from H&M for $23 (I think).  It was too long, but I’ve learned from Tim Gunn to not expect perfection off the rack, and to use a tailor.  When we pinned it up even the tailor went, “Nice!” This is my “nice” top for dressier appearances.

I got this vest from Loehmanns for $29 and the tshirt from Hanes.com for $16.  I had them send, like, five different styles and only one was truly flattering.  I will wear this with nice jeans and hopefully new, brightly colored sneakers, and I’ll dress the whole thing up with a necklace and earrings. This is a more casual outfit.

This last shirt is very deceptively simple.  I got it from Banana Republic for $39.  It’s a lot for what is essentially a tshirt, but it’s very flattering and looks dressy.

It’s so discouraging. I just saw some Rush Limbaugh chant against Obama.  I try to console myself with the fact that there have always been loud, ugly, destructive people like this and yet the world has slowly, so slowly gotten better.  People fight change and they fight it hard, but change still comes.  I wish I didn’t get so upset when I see such displays like this, though.

This is on the side of a building on the next block from me.  It looks sepulcher-like, doesn’t it? It must be just a pretty way of noting when the building was built.  I love the head above.  Still, isn’t there a way we could x-ray it or something to make sure there isn’t a body behind there?  (Kidding.)

Oh wait, I meant to post about American Idol, not politics!  I’ll get to it later, I guess. I hate the way they’ve divided up the groups and this new voting procedure.

Where did the morning go?? I haven’t even eaten yet.  So tired.  Already.

I know what I’ve been meaning to ask. I’ve got a bunch of very long train trips in my soon-ish future and I need good train books.  A good train book basically means I don’t have to think too hard, although I don’t mind some thinking.  But escapist, vacation books are what I’m after.

I was just at the Strand, browsing, and I forget what I came up with.  Oh, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, something about zombies that Howard pointed out that looked funny.  That’s all I can remember.

So!  Suggestions?  Oh wait, here’s a list I’ve been putting together:

Life of Pi
God of Small Things
The Underneath, Kathi Appelt
The Monster of Florence
My Stroke of Insight
Dreams from My Father
All the Kings Men
The Grapes of Wrath
The Little Drummer Girl
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
Night work
Flat Earth News
Quantum : Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality
Nothing to Be Frightened Of
The Gone-Away World
Enders Game