boozen

well, I am not going to drink for awhile - better to say for an undetermined amount of time. The last two times I drank - granted I consumed a mass amount both times - i blacked out - and once became violent. Which I can not even fully realize what happened - I am not a violent person by any stretch of anyone’s imagination...I literally have sat for hours thinking about how me – yes, little old 5’7” - 125 lb me could be violent. I have never understood those folks that stop drinking for periods of time…maybe even found it lame…but now I sit here in my skin and am saying that I am doing such a thing. I actually feel afraid to drink….and that is the scary part. I do not want t hurt people - especially those I love.

and my very best friend frm high school is getting married in July!!

today

got lost in the NE.
did not have a warm enouigh coat on.
had a great cup of coffee that i forgot to pay for...oops
getting the Atlas District part of the fringe....slowly but surley
did my taxes...got $$ back
went grocery shopping...food!
consolidated my student loans...saved $$$
and it is only...6:30!!

bought a piece of art

photo by Tim Tate recovered by Jonn Gann

I bought a piece of art last week. A piece entitled inspiration. It is by Sean Hennessey. I really felt like this piece...big theatrical light buld…then the word work up top…really represents how I live my life… I will not receive it till feb 11…not sure where it will go at home or the office.

1958 7th and Florida Ave, NW

eggs?

I never know how long eggs are good for..when I ask this question...no one gives me the same answer..so, here is some information I found on a British website.

First and foremost of course is the use by date on the carton/box, eggs when purchased should have at least two weeks use by date, preferably three to four. This will depend on the dating structure of the company, I suggest you purchase from the same 'brand' and become familiar with it. They may only put a two week use by date on for example. But eggs that are within a week of their use by date are best used for frying, boiling etc but not for baking.
Inside an egg (at the rounded end) is a small air pocket that is barely noticeable when it has just been laid. But as the egg gets older the air pocket increases in size, this also displaces the egg yolk within it. Ever noticed when you boil an egg that the round end is flat or even dips inwards? That is the sign of a stale egg. Also when fried the white of this stale egg will run all over the pan instead of retaining a tight shape.

So how can you tell before you crack the egg open? Place the egg in a glass of cold water

A fresh egg will sit horizontal at the bottom : these eggs are suitable for baking (but preferably not meringue) and will maintain a good tight shape when fried or poached and the yolk should stand quite high with a good semi circular shape

As the egg increases in age and the air pocket gets bigger it will tilt upwards slightly: these eggs are suitable for meringues, baking and will maintain a reasonable shape when fried or poached, the yolk will be flatter in shape
An egg that sits vertically is stale: these eggs are not really suitable for baking, are best used for scrambling or omelets, will not maintain even a reasonable shape when fried or poached, the white will spread and the yolk will be quite flat. When trying to separate, the yolk will probably break as the egg white that surrounds it will be weak
An egg that floats should be disposed of (carefully!)

Actually, an egg has to be really really old to go bad. Or be exposed to heat. Eggs that are properly refrigerated and stored can last for several months before going "bad." An egg with that much age on it would probably fit into the #3 category, above. I do know that, during World War II, people in New Zealand sent fresh eggs, encased in tins of lard, to their cousins in England who were enduring the blitz. That transport sometimes took many weeks.

this is some puppet magic: jerome murat
note the set with the dail hands... :)

Kirk Varnedoe

Back in March 2003. I came to DC to visit this guy I had met in a bar in Philly (that is a short story that needs no retelling) none the less during that visit I ended up at the National Gallery and heard Kirk Varnedoe's lecture on "Why Abstract Art." For those of you that do not know...I love art history...actually could care a fuck all about history until I starting learning it through art...so, i get kinda giddy for these sorts of lectures. This lecture was AMAZING. I sat on the floor in the back listening to this man that i had never heard of talk about art from Picasso to Pollack (this was the last in a series). Varnedoe was such a great speaker…and what he was saying about abstract art hit me…I mean I like it – I do…but it is hard for me to justify or explain well it to someone who hates it or does not see the purpose of it. Varnedoe died of a brain tumor shortly after I saw him speak…they had a great story in the New Yorker about him shortly after that…he was an amazing man with real passion for art and life…really free with his life..

The National Gallery has just come out with a video and book set of all of his lectures. I have not looked to see how much this might be…Varnedoe was one of the foremost experts on post modern theory…and the way he talked about it was so straight forward…not all academic.

You can read the preface to the book: HERE it is written by A. Gopnick.

Once I had moved here I told this to my new boss at the time Anne L. Corbett. She then told me her husband Sam Sweet had Varnedoe as an advisor in grad school…small world.

Welcom 2007! I am back from what turned out to be 12 days away from DC. I needed this break from this place....but am a exhausted from my travels. I greet this new year off kilter a bit. I have been stung with untruths that have left a welt. Despite all of that I feel a tinge of breath and hope with what I have to accomplish over the next 12 months. I believe in real human connection - this is what I strive for in every moment and interaction- those that grow in honesty and light. I am blessed with wonderful opportunities that I am allowed to explore…and dear friends.

Now I must go sleep so I can greet tomorrow with energy.