Breakfast at Tiffany's

Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!
--Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

I've only seen Breakfast at Tiffany's once, I think, and don't remember much about it, but I do remember this exchange, which I love. I've been thinking about home and security and belonging quite a bit of late, and I was thinking of what my Tiffany's equivalent would be.
--The olive bar at Wegmans
--Stewardson's living room
--the creek behind my aunt's house, particularly in the summer when everything is hazy and calm
--my grandmother's dining room at Christmas
--the benches by Seneca Lake

The themes that emmerge are water, family, and friends (and Wegmans, of course). Which sounds about right. And not, apparently, Brooklyn. I think because my roots there are still a bit tenuous.

Where are your Tiffany's? What do you do when you have an attack of the mean reds?

Guest Blog, Or Why it's Nice to Have Talented Friends II

I enjoy the Olympics, but more in a "I can watch this while cooking dinner/knitting/doing homework (not anymore, HA)/folding laundry" way instead of avid-fandom. Enter the author of this next guest blog, who I met for the first time 4 years ago during the Olympics (we were living in the same first-year dorm. Ah, memories.) I soon realized that she would become one of my best friends, and would tell me about skating for the rest of my life. Enjoy! Regretably, I am a delayed poster, and Men's Finals have finished, but do watch the videos. Some of the costumes are beyond fab. And--Ice Dance starts TONIGHT!!!
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Anyone who has conversed with me beyond greetings made in passing knows that I am an avid fan and follower of figure skating. Consequently, every four years when the Olympics roll around in February I’m typically inundated with commentary and lecturing rants regarding the performances from those who only watch figure skating once every four years; this is annoying. Not to be misinterpreted, I love discussing, watching, and explaining figure skating to the casual or non-fan. I do not, however, enjoy being talked to lectured on who will win, who should have won, who is a terrible skater, figure skating is not really a sport, USA should always beat Russia, etc… This is not preaching to the choir, as that statement assumes the preacher is akin to the choir, this is more George W. Bush teaching a nuclear physicist how to properly pronounce nucleosynthesis. Luckily, the birth of modern technology and the Internet has been incredibly beneficial to the figure skating community; cultivating places for hardcore fans, skaters, judges, and coaches to come together.

Nonetheless, I’ve become accustomed to the varying questions the casual every-four-years viewers ask this time of the year and typically don’t mind (truly some are quite amusing). This quadrennial has resulted in a very new and exciting figure skating query, guest blog! It was slightly difficult to decide what to write about as the sport has four disciplines and a myriad of teams and skaters within each. Similarly, skating often is accompanied by complicated back-stories and drama, notable figures with a host of connotations, nicknames, manic uber fans, and a complicated scoring system - almost all of which would take too long to explain. So, I’ll provide a brief run-down of who to watch and expect to see near the podium of the two most interesting disciplines this Olympics: Mens and Dance. Plus, my all time favorite figure skating picture game: jumpface!

Mens

This is by far the deepest breadth of skating talent and contenders I can ever remember in the Mens discipline.

Stephane Lambiel (SUI) Stephane is one of many “comebacks” this season, returning after taking a year off and relaxing his frequently injured knee. He is one of the few true artists on the ice; only a visionary would skate to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons wearing zebra print – and he won the Olympic Silver Medal in 2006 for it. Beyond his artistry and fluid skating, he is without a doubt one of the greatest male spinners figure skating has known. Prepare to be astounded by his contorting sit and blurred scratch spins, but don’t be surprised to see him take a spill on the Triple Axel.

Must Watch Stephane Program: Flamenco

Brain Joubert (FRA) Joubert is always good for a laugh, his innate understanding of great choreography is hip thrusting and generally pornographic moves translated to the ice. Don’t be fooled, however, he is an amazing technician and could easily jump his way to the top spot on the podium. He is likely to go for AT LEAST two Quads in his long program.

Must Watch Joubert Program: The Matrix

Nobunari Oda (JPN) Japan doesn’t have much of a legacy for Mens skating, but they are sending three very talented skaters to Vancouver. Nobu is young and will easily keep skating to Sochi in 2014. His Charlie Chaplain long program is probably the best long program of the season. He is a little guy with a big personality, and loves to show that off by skating in character. He actually looks like one of those gem trolls, but in a good way.

Must Watch Nobu Program: Super Mario Brothers

Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) He was sorely missed last season, out the entire year due to injury, and has had a rough year coming back to the ice. Two years ago I would have easily predicted him on the podium, now it’s a wait-and-see situation regarding his conditioning and ability to overcome injury. Despite his recent struggles, Daisuke can always be counted on for superb originality, insane footwork, and crazy hair.

Must Watch Daisuke Program: Hip Hop Swan Lake

Honorable Mentions:

Evgeni Plushenko: Plushy is returning after winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 2006 just to piss off figure skating fans everywhere with his non-existent choreography, blonde mullet, and arm flailing. If there is a lock for a podium spot it’s this man, who upon his first competition this season after four years of being away, ended his Short Program early to throw his index finger at the judges and mouth “number 1”. He is the greatest jumper the sport has known, and the proud creator of the sport’s most embarrassing exhibition, Sex Bomb.

Evan Lysacek: He is the reigning World Champ (which never bodes well at the Olympics) and the USA’s best hope for a medal. He is a solid skater, but a total idiot. You’ll notice him from a mile away, he glows neon orange and black from all the fake tan and hair grease. I have death in my soul that he will not be wearing his nipple costume from earlier this season.

Dance

Dance is known for politics, even the casual fan knows of the 2002 scandal, so typically the podium is either completely predictable (fair or accurate is another story) or completely up for grabs. This year is up for grabs. Additionally, there is the shocking possibility of a North American sweep of the podium with B/A, D/W, and V/M. [editor's note: ice dance teams often have their names combined into something catchy; think Brangelina.]

Belbin and Agosto (Belgosto) (USA): They’re the USA’s most decorated ice dancers of all time, and have revolutionized the sport in the US. They medaled in 2006 with the Silver Medal (breaking history), and will try to do better this time. I only see them winning Gold or missing the podium entirely for fourth. Tanith is the queen of perk and is basically a life sized Barbie. Plus, she has a great “O face” (O for Orgasm, a staple of Dance).
Don’t be distracted by her beauty, Ben is a fantastic dancer and the stronger of the two.

Must Watch B/A Program: Let's Get Loud

Khokhlova and Novitski (La Khok) (RUS): Welcome to acrobats on ice. Jana Khokhlova has stupendous flexibility and shows it off. Known for their strange choreography, they’ve just recently changed their Free Dance to Firebird and this costume.

Must Watch K/N Program: Night on Bald Mountain The final 20 seconds cannot be missed, the bicycle lift is legendary stuff.

Kerr and Kerr (GBR): John and Sinead Kerr are a brother and sister team, which squicks out some, but they refrain from romantic programs. They’ve always developed some of the greatest program concepts (ice skating aliens from outer space comes to mind) and Sinead is badass enough to do a reverse gender lift (the woman lifting the man).

Must Watch Kerrs Program: Scottish Highland Yes, he does wear a kilt!

Delobel and Schoenfelder (Delschoes) (FRA): Their first competition this season will be the Olympics, and much secrecy and excitement surrounds their programs. Isabelle gave birth about 3 months ago (the pregnancy being the reason they’ve been off the ice), so lets just say they haven’t been training their usual amount. They look to be in great form regardless, and are known for their superior skating skills and edges.

Must Watch Delschoes Program: Bonnie and Clyde

Honorable Mentions:

Davis and White (USA): If you can get beyond the fact that Charlie is a mass of blonde curls and Meryl’s eyes are seemingly impossibly too far apart, you’ll enjoy them. They have what many consider the best Original Dance of the season to a Bollywood Medley; a YouTube sensation over in India. They are the current US Champs, a podium threat, and a young team with a bright future ahead.

Virtue and Moir (CDN): Tessa and Scott will be on the Vancouver podium, I promise you that. Which position? I don’t know, but it could very well be Gold. They have great chemistry with one another and even to the untrained eye come across as very flowing and smooth across the ice. The down side? Many will ZZZzzzzz to their programs.

Dominina and Shabalin (RUS): I don’t know how many times I’ve uttered the phrase: “God I hate DomShabs”. [editor's note: she really does say this a LOT.] Certainly my least favorite team, and only because they are classically over scored as of late. Maxim’s knees are shot and they’ve missed the majority of this season due to his surgery. You will see a lot of national media coverage regarding this team with their controversial aboriginal Original Dance (Australia was not amused by their costumes, music, and choreography). Also note their use of suspension belts in the Free Dance, cheating perhaps? Don’t be mislead by my hating; they could possibly end up with Gold (in which case I will burn Utica to the ground).

And now for the grand finale!

Photographers LOVE to take action shots of figure skaters; it’s easy to imagine that mid jump is typically not when one looks their best. Even more amusing, is the media’s tendency to always choose those candid shots to accompany published articles. Skating fans call this “jumpface”.

CAUTION: THIS CAN BE GRUESOME

Stalkerazzi

Good morning starshines! Quick update, but two of my bests from college are here (sublet hunting!!!!!! Brooklyn is about to get a WHOLE lot cooler) and we have been having a fun weekend. We were in New Jersey for V-Day, and got to see another friend (and more importantly, her cat) and hang out, which is always good. Plus there were "Twilight" Sweetarts involved, which is always hilarious. Incidentally, if you still attend WS&H, you BEST have gone to the Vagina Monologues, which are always amazing and which I miss tremendously.

Anyway, it is Fashion Week here in ol' New York, and while I was bedridden (pathetico) on Friday, my friends got to see some cool people. I was able to see Naomi Campbell (missed the phone throwing, ha ha) and Kelly Osbourne, but missed Sarah Ferguson, Posh Spice, Diane Von Fustenberg, and Alan Cumming. Granted my list of must-see celebs is fairly different than most (think: AS Byatt, anyone remotely connected to Colin Firth, COLIN FIRTH, Stephen Fry, anyone on QI, anyone in Mad Men, anyone in any PBS Masterpiece Theater production, etc.) but it's nice to know there are some "famous" folk about. And it was funny seeing all the craaazy fashions outside Bryant Park.

And, one of my friends got interviewed! (15 minutes of fame, try not to let it go to your head L). Check it out here. She's the one in the red coat looking mighty cute.

So we are off to lower Manhattan and maybe Staten Island, and then The Great Apartment Search 2010!

Case Files of the Uninsured

It's been a surreal few days. A week ago I was in Atlanta, having lofty conversation about lofty things, and getting fed little goat cheese and roasted tomato sandwiches. 4 days later, I was in the Caribbean House Health Center in Brooklyn, soon to be en route to the ER. What happened, I hear you asking? Here is a break down. (And no, I'm not allergic to art history, Atlanta, or southern hospitality. Although people saying "hi" to me on the street did sort of freak me out. I'm such a Brooklynite.)

Anyway.
--I have been having some breathing problems since...Thanksgiving...but only when I'm in NYC. It feels like chest constrictions and my heart rate speeds up. The past few weeks this has been coupled with some sinus pressure in my head and throat. Tuesday night it suddenly got the worst it's ever been, while I was walking home from the museum, so I decided to finally do something about it.
--Wednesday morning, I went to the CHHC, which I picked because I don't have health insurance, it is about 3 subway stops away, and offers a sliding scale for treatment. Wednesday was also the start of "the blizzard" so there was no school, and a lot of places were closed (pharmacies, for one, I later found out.)
--so, the CHHC. It was clean, felt safe, and the people were friendly. Not much foot traffic, because of the snow, and only one doctor made it in, but I got seen fairly quickly. They deduced that I was not having a heart attack (and I had my first EKG! Wooo!) but decided I should go to the ER, as they didn't have x-rays. I said ok, but refused an ambulance, as the hospital was only 5 blocks away. I paid $40 the visit and went on my way through the snow.
--To my knowledge, I have never been to the ER before this week. So this is actually pretty exciting, I guess.
--And I can tell you all that the Kings County Hospital ER is surprisingly nice, too. This might be because there is a separate psychiatric ER, but I got into triage within 5 minutes, had to wait another 45 minutes (which I'm assuming is not terrible for an ER) and then got called back. Granted, the room I was placed into was effectively the storage closet for all the crutches and cast-supplies. But my physician's assistant was good, thorough, and my cousin came (giving up her snow day!! Sorry Melis, I owe you BIG) so I wasn't by myself. Which was really good. Because by that point in the day, I just wanted to go to Jamestown and have my parents take care of me.
--The verdict? My EKG (second of the day! my skin still hurts from having the electrodes ripped off) was normal, as was my thyroid test, chest x-rays, and my heart rate was normal-ish. They asked a lot of questions about my stress level, which I suppose could be influencing this, although it doesn't seem very likely to me. They deduced that it could be an untreated sinus infection, which is causing the head pressure, clogging my throat, and causing my heart to work a little faster. So I got hooked up with some antibiotics and a prescription for prescription level sudafed ("take it or sell it" said the p.a.)
--When we got outside it was still snowing, snowing, snowing. And people on the street were hilarious about it. Everyone was excited like they were little kids, it was great.
--I spent yesterday in bed (well, on the couch, really), surly because I was missing a Kiki Smith show, sore from getting poked with needles, and bored. Although I did watch 5 episodes of The Wire, so that was pretty excellent. And I could stare out the window at the snow removal, and feel like I was in Rear Window (minus a lobster dinner.)

Now, some analysis about the experience:
--I was the only white person at the CHHC, which includes the doctor and nurses.
--I was the only white person at the ER, not including the doctors and some of the nurses. Both my physician and physicians assistant were white. The physician also looked a LOT like my pediatrician, which as mom can attest to, means that he looked like a gnome. Or leprechaun.
--My cousin pointed this out, and the thought had occurred to me as well--the treatment and attentiveness I was shown could very well have been because I was white. And lucid and washed. For example, I said that I wasn't pregnant, and they took my word for it (granted I did get asked about 900 times). If I were 18 and African American? Might have been a different story.
--Being uninsured is a scary thing. I can testify to the fact that the health care system in this country is very, very broken, although I'm not sure how best to fix it. I do know that there is a serious race inequality about it, and a serious class inequality.
--I didn't see any gun shot wounds (thank goodness) as it was mostly older people, with a few younger, mostly male patients with broken bones. I think some of it was probably hypothermia too, from people who didn't have heat, or didn't have a home. The most heartbreaking scene was at the clinic. The only people ahead of me were a mother and her daughter, who was about 16 or 17. I think she was probably getting tested for pregnancy, as she went into the laboratory with a urine sample, and a few minutes later screamed. Not a happy, "I'm having a baby" scream, but one of anguish, one of "something terrible has happened, and I don't know what to do." A scream that made me want to put my arms around her and say that all would be well, although she is a child herself. And I couldn't promise her that all will be well.

It was quite the day. I am lucky to have had health insurance for so long, and to be (normally!) so healthy. It makes you think. It also makes grad school seem startlingly irrelevant.

Villa Villekulla

People who know about awesome books will recognize this post title as the name of Pippi Longstocking's house. (Never read Pippi Longstocking, or any of the assorted books featuring her? Do so immediately. Or better yet, read them to an 8 year old. I promise my non-existent money that they will like it.) Anywho, the reason I called this post Villa Villekulla is 1) because I thought my grandmother would like it, since she's the one that read Pippi Longstocking to me (hi Mormor!), 2) because Pippi's house had personality, in that the windows sometimes looked like eyes, and 3) because I saw the weirdest/saddest house today, window-eyes and all.

I have been out of town for a few days, and was walking to the grocery store this morning, and went by a row of rowhouses, of which there are many about these parts. There must have been a fire in one, because the windows on the first two floors were all boarded up. I truthfully would not have noticed this, probably, except that people were standing on the other side of the street, staring. So I stopped, and here is why they were staring: the back of the house must have been knocked off or demolished, and so on the top floor just the front brick facade of the house was left, and you could see the sky through the unboarded windows. It totally looked like some surrealist painting, or this amazing photo that my friend Karen took a few years ago in Geneva:
It looked like one of those fake houses you see in old Westerns, where it's a cardboard front that has been propped up. And that is what it invokes: ghost towns, decay, blight. All while the sky shimmers through the gaping windows and light bounces off the charred bricks.

I've been thinking about houses/apartments quite a bit lately, and one of my favorite procrastination games is to think about what photos I've taken that I want to blow up and frame when I have a place of my own. I tried to find out more about this fire, but couldn't (even the internetz failed me). And then I started to think: these houses are all connected, so were the other residences ok? How many people lived in it? How long had they lived there? What did they lose? Are they all unscathed? Why did the fire start? Or really, was it even a fire? Was it just demolished in a non-malevalent way? And chances are good I will never know, since the records have already faded away, if they ever existed. Which is odd, since it's only 3 blocks from my apartment. Sometimes I forget how many people are in such a small radius...and how many of those people I will never meet, or even see.

To add to the uncertainty, I just tried to find out the origin of the phrase "the eyes are the windows to the soul," and I can't find that out, either. Guesses seem to range from the Bible to Immanuel Kant, to Cicero, to Arabic proverbs. If anyone knows, do tell me. :)

Opera or Soap Opera?

As loyal readers of this blog know, I like opera, and my cousin and I went to see Carmen this week. I also happen to like a certain soap opera, which is the kind of thing that I tend not to publicize. However, I got to thinking about Carmen and General Hospital, and saw some comparisons in the realms of character archetypes, backstabbing (ha! literally and figuratively), and jealousy. Here's how the two stack up:
(Edward Gorey, The Blue Aspic)

Beginnings
C--Georges Bizet, premiered March 1875 in Paris, was critically panned. Revived in Vienna in October, to a much better reception (Bizet had died by that point, at the age of 36. Sad). Currently the fourth most performed opera in North America.
GH--premiered in 1963 on ABC, originally a half-hour length, and then shifted to an hour. According to wikipedia, Princess Diana used to watch the show, and sent 2 bottles of champagne for the producers in honor of Luke and Laura's wedding.

Settings and Sets
C--Seville, Spain, 1830s. This new production has updated to around the 1930's, I would guess. The sets for this production are amazing. A lot of rotating stone walls and red accents, which is fairly simple but looks great. The costumes are subtle, for the most part, although Carmen's dress in the final act is glorious--long, black, lacy, with a red line down the side. The curtain also is black with a jagged, red lighting bolt down the center, which is a nice touch too (Carmen being the lightening bolt that sets everything in motion, or on fire. Whichever cliche you prefer.)
GH--Port Charles, New York, present day. It is set mostly in the hospital (duh) and then a few people's homes, which tend to all look pretty similar, at least to me. The sets have obviously changed a bit in the past 30 years. (I told you the sets were cool! Courtesy of the NYTimes)

The Femme Fatale
C--Carmen, of course! Her femme fatale-ness is the whole point. She's too hot to be controlled, and too much of a temptress to live. Like the bull that the torreador entices and then kills, Carmen has to be sacrificed for society to continue unhampered. I hate this message, but it's a good plot for drama.
GH--most of the women, with their multiple marriages, bad mothering skills, and catty ways. Elizabeth is kind of taking the cake this year, by cheating on her fiance with his brother. There are many other examples. However, most of the bad guys, are just that--guys. Claudia Zacchara is the only woman I can think of that is (well, was) truly dastardly. Other than those random nurses that occasionally poison their patients.

Violence
C--Carmen and the bull are the only two fatalities, and Carmen and another cigarette girl do get in a fist and hairpulling fight. The soldiers are creepy and are certainly capable of violence, but it's not really shown.
GH--oh, lots. Considering one of the main characters is a mob boss, there are a lot of whackings (usually not by him, usually by his hired guns.) Add in the occasional car crash or poisoning (see above) and that is the gist of the show.

Racism
C--there is definite tension between the gypsies (Carmen is one) and the lighter-skinned Spanish. It is implied that Carmen is so wanton because of her gypsy ways.
GH--are there even any minorities on this show?? I guess there is one African-American nurse. That might be it though. So...racism, in a way?

Religion
C--surprisingly little. More concerned with tangible things; I don't think Don Jose was too worried about eternal damnation when he kills Carmen. Don Jose's original, pious girlfriend, Michaela, is set up as an obvious foil to Carmen.
GH--there is a priest (the same priest) who shows up for all weddings, funerals, christenings, etc. It is at these gatherings where violence (see above) often happens, as the town is then in a collective group. Sonny Corinthos (the mobster) spends a lot of time in the hospital chapel, as he is usually in the hospital waiting for news on someone he shot/some relative that got shot in his place/some victim of a hit gone wrong.


(ah, L'amour est un oiseau rebelle/que nul ne peut apprivoiser. Sonny knows it.)

Worthy of Accolades
C--as mentioned, the setting is amazing. The Carmen and Don Jose we saw both had colds, but honestly, I couldn't really tell. It's a weird opera in that there are only a few main characters, but with a lot of crowd scenes, and I thought the crowd scenes were exceptionally good...how you get that many adults and children to work together like that is beyond me.
GH--is it realistic? At all? Well, no. But give it an A+ for gumption.

Any opera/soap opera crossovers?
C--on the dramatic front, the original singers who were supposed to be Don Jose and Carmen had to be rearranged because they were married in real life and were getting a divorce. So the Met kept Don Jose and brought in 2 other Carmen's for the first few performances. And the NEW Carmen got amazing reviews (we couldn't get tickets for her performances).
GH--Lulu Spencer and Dante Falconeri recently went to the opera on a date. I actually missed this episode, so I wasn't sure what opera they went to, but after typing "lulu dante opera" into google, I have learned that they saw Puccini's La Boheme. I am both impressed and disturbed that other people were wondering about their opera as well...

Yes, it is sort of hard to compare the two genres--one is centuries old, rife with history, grandeur, glamour, and gore, and the other is, well, sort of silly. But they are both tremendous fun.

Also, I believe the reason that I cannot remember German verbs or when Mannerism ends and Baroque begins is because my brain cells are too occupied trying to figure out which Quartermaines and Cassadines hate each other, and why.

For even MORE irreverence, check out the orange from Sesame Street singing La Habanera here. I'm pretty sure Frank Oz is the one singing.