the place for people who love places

half-baked idea of the day:

new york as "the place for people who love places" ...

new york is such a great place, and therefore populated by people who love great places and that is why people get so preoccupied w/ it. which is to say, new yorkers are not obsessed w/ nyc because it is a great place per se, but because people who care about places concentrate here. many new yorkers would probably be obsessed with any place they live if they happened to live there ... but it just so happens they concentrate here ... because its a great place to live ;) ... ok, so maybe its circular logic.

i always love that convo about like "whats it like out there" re: any city or region. like when you meet someone from somewhere and just talk about place generalities ... like, "ya, california is nice. the weather is great. but the people are fake". it is so not of the internet era .. i mean we are in the age of free information transfer ... you can instantly know anything no matter where you are ... but the info of what its actually like to be in a place cant be teleported

what up my n-word

The most interesting article I've read thus far on the City Council's "n-word" ban focuses on activist and poet Felipe Luciano. He says,

"I used the word nigger to defuse its negativity. When Puerto Ricans call each other the Spanish word 'negro,' it reflects feelings of love." ... Luciano says he understands "the impulse to put up a united front against words that marginalize and stereotype. But morally condemning a word without looking at the substantive problem simply applies a Band-Aid."

I completely agree with that sentiment. ya know if you think about it, and think who this "ban" is really affecting, the ironic thing is that it could actually be construed as a racist policy. Luckily it is a symbolic gesture only. But who's actions are being banned?

Pol and Poet Wouldn't Support N-Word Ban [nymag.com]

tv on the radio, on the magazine (on the blog)

mini-controversy brewing at the village voice about their recent cover -- which TV on the Radio's very own Martin Perna wrote in to condemn.

TV on the Radio Guy Calls Our Cover Racist [villagevoice.com]

ok,,, clearly its not intentionally racist. maybe it is unintentionally so. but the question is, does it matter?

we are a bunch of humans on this planet, going about our business ... if someone jumps onto the subway before me and i cant get on, will i be pissed? ya. will i consider it a human rights violation? no. point is we all live in our separate worlds, that are overlapping and interconnected. it is impossible to go through life and not step on any one else's toes. "Jain monks walk barefoot and sweep the ground in front of them to avoid killing any insect."¹ Are we to all take this degree of sensitivity in every aspect of our lives? This obviously offended some people -- clearly Martin Perna at least -- but it would be hard to say it has any other damaging results. I don't think it will encourage or perpetuate any racial hate, division, or violence -- won't provide any set-backs for anyone "committed to social justice and healing America of its sick racist condition." So Mr Perna you are entitled to your opinion and feelings of offense but I suggest you recall the Stylistics lyrics that "people make the world go 'round."


1 - Jainism, wikipedia

>>>PS1derful!!i!

guys, PS1 is great, but you probably already knew this. After 4 1/2 years in NYC I finally made it out there on Sunday for a great opening. Actually, the opening was good-not-great. My favorite thing I saw was the James Turrell room. amazing. (pictured below.) As far as trendy scenester arty NYC parties go, this totally beats Deitch in all the best and worst ways. can't believe I just wrote that.


PS 1-derful

seamus enjoying the james turrell room

from miu to you

If Miuccia Prada can go from being a mime (yes, a MIME) to what she is now then anything in this world is possible. I mean ... its just a testament to like the power of human volition and the fact that there is no such thing as a wrong path in life.

This was such a surprisingly good interview. She talks about issues of class and dignity and how that is lacking so much today as compared to past eras. And it touches on so much that is great and awful about New York.

The Woman Who Loves Men [men.style.com]

the subway fold

I found out about the Wall Street Journal's new size today while listening to Studio360 on WNYC. In the segment, so-called "design guru" Chee Pearlman made mention of "the subway fold" -- a term I had never before heard, but, I realized, a technique I had several times tried. So I went to googling for a how-to. It was much harder to find than I thought. I finally came across a decent explanation in, of all places, the New York Times. In the June 13, 2004 edition of the "F.Y.I" write-in Q&A column. It is now, unfortunately cloistered away in the Times's pay section, but I subscribe and so decided to reproduce the explanation here. For you. My dear readers reader.

Subway Origami

Q. One morning on a crowded New York bus, I watched an elderly gentleman fold The New York Times in a manner I had never seen before. He never brushed the person next to him. It was almost like watching a ballet. Ever since, I have been in search of someone who knew how to fold the paper this way, to no avail. Any advice?

A. There are many who, like you, lament the decline of what is known as the subway fold.

According to The Times's Newspaper in Education program, the key is to first fold the newspaper vertically, from top to bottom, to create a crease down the middle. If you are reading the front page, fold again horizontally to create a quadrant. Flip and fold as necessary to read each portion of the page.

To jump to an inside page, open the top corner to that page and peel the front half back, so the paper remains folded vertically. If you want to read the center columns, peel back the inside once more, creating two lengthwise portions. Then fold again into four parts.

Keep your elbows close to your body. And stand clear of the closing doors. MICHAEL POLLAK

Small Street Journal [studio360]

NYC living ... a day in the sunday styles

Where to have power breakfasts with creative professionals:
Breakfast Is Late, So Business Is Good [nytimes]
Me to this article is like a moth to the flame. I'm simultaneously so engrossed and so nauseated. My initial gut reaction was that this must be the work of Jenifer 8. Lee (of "Man date" fame) -- but sadly no.

house envy, life envy:
Art Above and Below, With Life in the Middle [nytimes]
These "habitation" stories always make me so jealous.

And round it out with the story of a crazy yoga romance:
VOWS, Colleen Saidman and Rodney Yee [nytimes]
Who says Asian men are de-sexualized in this country? (You might only get that joke if you see a picture of these two together. google it.)

maira kalman

I've been interested in Maira Kalman's work for a little while now. I like the style and tone of her drawings and poems, but some of the stuff I find really really cheesy.

But I have to post this little slideshow today because that shot of the old woman with the "Sol Moscot" sign in the background is on the corner that I walk through to and from work everyday. That just made this seem even more relevant to shit I've been thinking about lately ...

Completely [nytimes blogs]

Some New Yorkers NOT Cultish Gourmands!

[Quick aside: Is it the most wonderful time of the year again already?? I walked in to Cosi (excuse me, "Così") this morning and they have already loaded up their "Holiday" music mix unfortunately. ugh.]

Anyway, I read about this Ghetto Gourmet business a couple weeks ago and bought tickets and, despite it being featured on Daily Candy yesterday, I'm still really excited to attend this Friday.

But who is New York magazine kidding with that headline? Are there any New Yorkers left that still need to be converted to "Secretive Cultish Gourmands"???

Secretive, Cultish Gourmands Aim to Convert New Yorkers [nymag]

the mary tyler moore posting

(As in, love is all around no need to waste it. ok as far as titles go that's a stretch, but then again so are all those leggings the girls are wearing these days.)

yes, this post is about love. sort of. not really. actually just me walking in the spider-www's

Everyone loves Cory Arcangel. jeez.
But ya know what? I think I do too. And that's not anger, its just jealousy. The Super Mario Bros clouds piece sounds amazing. I have to go check out his current show.

Everyone loves 37 signals. But that doesn't mean you should go stalking them. This Web2.0 thing is getting a leeetle beet scary.
Stalking 37 Signals [stanhansen.biz]

Urban Lobster gets no love from anyone. (Somehow a flier for this place ended up at my office. "Urban little neck clams"?? no thanks.)
Urban Lobster Makes Me Crabby [gridskipper]

LES locals get no love from Schillers.
Schiller's, I hardly even know you any more. [gridskipper]

And I'm not sure exactly who or what this Kathy Fagan woman loves, but this is a nice poem about it that my brother sent me. hmm ... still chewing on this one.
"There's just one little thing: a ring. I don't mean on the phone." — Eartha Kitt. By Kathy Fagan [slate]

Tuesday evening : New York City edition

... spent today reading a bunch of NYC-focussed stuff for some reason.

I've always loved this building ... from the day I moved into the neighborhood. Before I moved actually -- as I looked at a place right next door when I was searching for housing.
11 Spring Street [wooster collective]

This Times account of a protest at an UWS Victorias Secret is a really nice NYC slice-of-life.
Memo to Future Protesters: Don’t Block the Lingerie [nytimes]

Reading the Village Voice story of the above got me thinking about this term I've heard a few times now. Interesting little meme.
freegan.info

And another NYC scene.
The Last Night of 184 Kent: 'Vague Fist Pumping,' Beer [curbed]