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Sun, May 4
Rooftops
Spent a lot of time on rooftops today. I had a hankering for waffles, but for some reason got them confused with banana stuffed french toast. When I told J that I wanted french toast for breakfast (again, I was thinking waffles, but said french toast, ah the tragedy of being misunderstood!) he suggested the Gramercy Hotel rooftop. We sat high above the city, scattered among the Eurotrash, in a gorgeous garden setting that made it feel very much like May instead of this crap March-like weather we've been having. Oh, and the french toast was out of this world. Get this: Peanut butter, bananas, and strawberries in syrup. All together. On a plate! I loved how quiet everything was, and how the only other voices I could hear were those of the newlywed couple on our left and the distant clinking of glasses from the party going on on the other side of the roof. It was a nice change from our usual weekend favorite--Joe's Diner on 3rd. I love Joe's (they are the only place that really knows how to serve bacon: Extra Crispy!), but it is not the place to go for relaxation.
In the afternoon I ran uptown to meet my family at the Met rooftop to see the Jeff Koons sculpture exhibit. Ashley was proud of herself because the whole trip to the city to see the Koons was her idea--and she got it from clicking on a cool icon on her google home page this morning (the wonders of the internet!). She and her friend Hannah took lots of fun pics of their reflections in the sculptures, for which the late afternoon light was perfect.
Back inside the museum on the 2nd floor, I tried to explain a little bit about Impressionism to the girls, but when I showed them a Matisse the girls were not...um...impressed. "It looks like a kid could have painted this," Hannah said. She pointed out the "yucky brown color" on an armchair in the painting, and the "squiggles" that the artist left in pencil (probably from early stages of creating the piece). I tried to defend it, and explain that this was revolutionary--painting such flat figures--and it was at the time and that no one would have dared to create such a piece until artists like him came along. The girls nodded their heads like they were listening. Then I looked at it through their eyes. Hm. If I hadn't studied art history, or the art that preceded the Impressionists, then sure, my sister and her friend had a point. It DID look like a kid could have painted it. Yeah Matisse, get some skills man!
Actually I did have a pretty culturally enriching weekend. Yesterday I went to hear Catherine Millet speak at the Alliance Francaise because work got some of its employees free tickets to the PEN World Voices events. I was surprised that she didn't speak English and needed a translator, but it was pretty cool because I got to brush up on my French skills. Unfortunately, they didn't talk much about her book, "The Sexual Life of Catherine M" as much as they discussed French arts, the "Plastics Movement", and politics. I took a nice little nap. I would have liked to hear her talk about her escapades in Les Bois de Boulogne. But I'm excited because she spoke about her next book which is all about Jealousy. Perfect pre-wedding reading!
Tonight I fell asleep on the couch at 9pm, then woke up cranky at 10 demanding J what he was planning on making for dinner. See, I am spoiled. He usually is the dinner person, so I was literally at a loss of what to do when it was nearly time for bed and J was still on the computer working and that hot dog I had at 5 o'clock was long forgotten. I need to brush up on cooking skills. At least I am an A plus cleaning woman!
Off to bed to face another work week. Happy early Cinqo de Mayo!
Posted by lexzog at May 4, 2008 11:33 PM
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