Finally

Water towers seen from my new office window.

I’m very pleased to announce that I am employed! Or at least until June. I got a long-term temp position at the Cooper Union in the East Village, so I will be working full-time there for five months. I was too nervous to post about it before it actually happened. Up until I got the badge with my picture on it, I was still afraid that some disaster would occur to return me to unemployment. But I just finished my third day there and I think things are going well. Above is the view from my office window. It’s such a relief to not have to apply for five jobs a day and stress over how many more months I can live on my savings. Plus, it’s an easy commute and most of my work involves writing, editing, and web management, which are things I have experience in and actually enjoy. A cause for celebration!

Mud Coffee=morning battery.

Also exciting is the Mud Coffee Truck that I pass in Astor Place on my way to work. They have excellent coffee that’s as dark as their name suggests, and it’s cheaper than the Starbucks across the street. A coffee this size lasts me all day. That, along with my iPod Octavius who is making a cameo in the background of the photograph, make my mornings enjoyable. And speaking of music, I added a tiny little section on the left-hand side of this blog called “Earbud Obsession” where I am going to post the current song I’m fixating on. Right now, it’s Brooklyn-based Ravens & Chimes’ song “January” which I can’t get out of my head.

Inside the Cooper Union clock.

I also got to see the inside of the Cooper Union clock that faces Cooper Square. It was unfortunately a little slow in its accuracy, but I was excited to see its gears slowly turning as it moved the giant clock hands outside. There was also an odd circular elevator in the building. I guess Peter Cooper thought that elevators were going to be circular when the shaft was added to the building, and then they turned out to be rectangular.

Mosaic in the Williamsburgh Savings Bank.

Besides that new development, I’ve been taking it easy while I adjust to a new schedule. Last Saturday we revisited the Brooklyn Flea in the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, and this time I took a picture of the huge mosaic in the main hall. I also got a Gruyere and paprika pretzel.

Man holding a crab in the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. You know, some zodiac thing.

There was a little bit of snow Wednesday morning (which you can see on top of the water towers in the first picture) and I hear we’re going to get even more this weekend. I love the snow, especially now that I live in New York and don’t have to drive. Although I’m not a huge fan of freezing temperatures, except as an excuse to drink hot toddies and wear colorful scarves. And now that I’m employed, I can afford a few more of both of those.

Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt

Skyscrapers seen from the Fifth Avenue office where I temped.

Last week, I was looking through my bookshelf for my next book to read and found Catcher in the Rye mixed in with my unread books. I honestly can’t remember bringing it with me to New York, although I must have unpacked it twice. Maybe my mom included it in one of the boxes sent from Oklahoma or I brought it in my suitcase on one of my many trips. I’m so used to it being a part of my collection that I can understand why it escaped my notice. I read it for the first time in high school, when I found all the angst of Holden Caulfield really relevant to my teenage life. Reading it again just a year ago was so different; how could I have changed so much in only a few years? And would I ever be able to write something that so clearly channels that brief perspective in youth? When I heard that J.D. Salinger died, it was shocking that he was 91, because all of his writing still seems so young. Of course, since most of the writing he did later in his reclusive life wasn’t published, I guess that’s what allowed him to be an immortal youth. And now, will all those unprinted manuscripts be published?

Stone angel seen from the same building, same angle, just super zoomed.

This Monday, I saw another author I love, Paul Auster, speak at Barnes & Noble with an editor from the Paris Review. It was part of a discussion series featuring writers talking with other writers about writing. Auster has really brooding, piercing eyes, and I’m always reassured by famous author’s insecurities. I really enjoyed the talk and it made me want to write more. I guess I write something everyday, technically, but I don’t want my dreams to become my hobbies. I’m going to try to write a short story a week, starting next week. I’m not going for length or perfection; I just need to get the words out. How else will I ever be on my way to becoming a famous recluse?

Early morning snow near Central Park on Fifth Avenue.

I’ve been temping at a boring, but low key, real estate place this week and the first two of the above pictures were taken from the little office where I ate my lunch. The third is of the snow that fell this morning while I was walking down Fifth Avenue to work. Sadly, it had all melted by the time I left the office, and there was no window by the reception desk. It’s getting cold again, and I’ve had to turn my heat back on after having it off for about a week. Maybe I will make a hot chocolate. Last night, me and a couple of friends went to Think Coffee in the East Village and I might have to drag my laptop over there for some writing. When I went into their dive bar-like bathrooms, I looked on the ceiling and among the graffiti saw this Kurt Vonnegut quote scrawled in sharpie: “Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.” Sometimes for brief moments when I see snow falling in early morning light and I look up and feel the flakes melt on my face, that’s all true.

Music and the Concrete Jungle

Sunset seen from my bedroom window.

Last Thursday I got to see Philip Glass’ free performance at the SoHo Apple Store. It was amazing and I really never thought I would have the chance to see him perform. Even if his name isn’t familiar, you’ve probably heard the American composer’s beautifully minimal scores for films like Kundun, Candyman, and The Hours. I’ve long used his repetition-based compositions as writing accompaniment. I got to the Apple Store about an hour before the performance, got a white wristband, and in an hour was led up to a small performance area. I had to stand, but had a good view of the stage. First, Glass played two of his pieces, Etude No. 1 and Metamorphosis No. 2, on the piano. Rarely is a room in New York so quiet, and it made me realize how much ambient noise is always coming in off the streets. Then he was joined by cellist Wendy Sutter, with whom he played three songs. After their duet, Glass left the stage and violinist Tim Fain played some crazy fast notes on a version of one of Glass’ Einstein on the Beach songs. After, the Glass Chamber Players, a group of six string musicians, played several arrangements. The best part of the concert, for me at least, was the last song where Philip Glass was joined onstage by Ira Glass, whose voice is as familiar as my best friends’ due to listening for years to This American Life, although I’d never seen him in person before. Apparently, Ira Glass is Philip Glass’ cousin. Ira Glass read an Allen Ginsberg poem that Philip Glass used to perform with Ginsberg, called “Wichita Vortex Sutra,” in which Ginsberg declares the end of the Vietnam War. It was an amazing and astounding performance.

Poor beheaded dinosaur in Astoria.

Friday night, I went to the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg with my roommate to see Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers. I hadn’t heard their music before, but it turned out to be a really good show. I didn’t understand a word of the lyrics howled by Shilpa Ray while she attacked her harmonium, and still got the heartbreaking cynicism of her music. I guess I would compare her music to the psychobilly Horrorpops, but much less cute, with something of Wanda Jackson’s voice.

Chocolate chip pumpkin bread from Baked.

I met up with Elizabeth and Eszter in Red Hook, Brooklyn on Saturday for some IKEA shopping. I got there a little early to explore and found the hip little bakery Baked. I had coffee and a delicious piece of chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

Erie Basin Park in Red Hook.

Red Hook is kind of an odd place. It doesn’t have any subway stops, so you either have to take the bus or a ferry. Although artists, IKEA, and the Fairway Market have recently moved in, it’s still pretty industrial and I wouldn’t want to wander around there alone at night (Al Capone got his start in Red Hook, after all). Being daytime, I wandered around the new Erie Basin Park that was built around IKEA and attempts to be educational about shipping practices while offering modern designs. I liked these wavy benches, which I guess you are supposed to lay down on during warm weather.

Inside an abandoned trolley car in Red Hook.

After meeting my friends, we went to the Fairway and indulged in free samples of raw milk cheese, green tea ice cream, and olive oil from Nyons (from the Drôme department where I lived in France). Behind Fairway, which is housed in an old coffee warehouse, is a train of abandoned trolley cars that were intended to go from Red Hook to Brooklyn Heights. That would have been convenient, but I guess the city of New York decided to cancel the project for some reason.

Statue of Liberty seen from Red Hook.

There are also pretty views of the Statue of Liberty from Red Hook, that I’m sure could make the rent a bit higher if those trolleys were going. Anyway, we explored IKEA and I bought some cheap glasses (six for $1.99!!) for my apartment. Later that day, we went to a bar in the East Village that gives you a free pizza with each drink you buy. The pizza wasn’t great, but getting a beer and dinner for $5 is not bad at all.

Athena at Athens Square Park in Astoria, Queens.

Today I took the R train all the way up to Astoria, Queens to visit Eszter’s neighborhood. We checked out the European products at the grocery stores and had lunch at a Czech restaurant. I was surprised at how many bustling stores there were in Astoria and the diversity of food options. I believe that was my first encounter with Czech food, and the potato and cheese and then fruit dumplings were delicious. I also traded my old books for some of her old clothes, so now I have some new things to wear with the bonus of clearing out my bookshelf.

I recently joined Goodreads and I’m not quite sure what to do with it. If any friends are on it, add me!