A blog about New York City, my books, and my cats. Mostly.
We have an absolutely glorious program scheduled for our December concert. But for me it involves relearning a chorus from the Bach B Minor Mass that I originally sang as a soprano 1 and will now sing as a soprano 2. It was hard to begin with! Now it’s fiendish. Oh my poor brain. But good for my poor brain.
It was “Clear the Shelters” day (animal shelters) on Saturday. This is the line outside the ASPCA where I work. More cats were adopted than dogs. I love both equally, but just saying. Cats. Number one pet in America. It was a great day, seeing so many animals get homes.
I can’t remember the last time I saw someone working with a view camera, let alone an 8 x 10 one! This was across the street from my apartment. Once again, I had a wave of nostalgia, about the days when I worked with a 4 x 5. I don’t want to go back, I love the ease of a small camera, but still. The level of attention required to work in this format was probably good for my brain and my artwork.
When I was very young, maybe toddler-aged, I had a nightmare about floating speakers in the sky. I remember it all these decades later. Not why the speakers were so terrifying, or what was coming out of them, maybe voices saying scary things? I only remember that the speakers were in the sky and they scared the hell out of me.
But every day when I go into the subcellar of the ASPCA, I see this speaker outside of the elevator, the same kind of speaker that frightened me so, and today I feel only affectionate nostalgia for it. I kinda want to steal it and hang it in my apartment.
Except a voice will probably come out it saying, “So we meet again.” [Evil chuckle] “Now, as I was saying …”
Don’t you miss a president who values science and scientists? (As if there weren’t a billion other reasons to miss Barack Obama.) But here is Obama with Thomas H. Haines, the co-author with Mindy Lewis, of the book, A Curious Life, which chronicles the story of how he went from an orphanage to the founder of the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, a medical school designed to bring in low-income and minority students. In other words, and I can’t believe I have to say this, someone who find solutions that elevate people instead of calling them less than human, and that address other problems of the world and life at the same time.
“A remarkable story of one man’s epic rise from humble roots to the highest echelons of science and academia. Not just a beautifully told tale of perseverance, courage, and altruism, but a love letter to the city that gave the author his shot and the fascinating artists, activists, and scientists in his circle.” — Ed Boland, Author of the New York Times Bestseller The Battle for Room 314
You can buy it here.