Friday, March 30, 2007

What I did on my day off

laundry
Premier run
bike ride
Kundalini yoga/visit
made matzoh ball soup
made garlicky carrots and burdock
park walk
mended cloth cover for couch
drank wine
picked out poems for Sunday's reading
made lesson plans for next week
stared down barrel of that wicked work week
talked to Joe in Germany
washed dishes
washed hair
bartered off some medicine bottles for salve
watched The Miracle Worker
called about getting bike shelter made
enjoyed The Wondermints ("Cellophane") and Laura Nyro ("Gibsom Street")
wrote seven lines of poetry

plus the usual:

web
email
chat
chores

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

This is Awesome!

11AM Lest the Keepers of the Books Wreak a Terrible Vengeance

Homeless guy #1: Damn! I just got kicked out of the library! Damn!
Homeless guy #2: What did you do, man?
Homeless guy #1: I don't know. I don't know.
Homeless guy #2: Aren't you drunk?
Homeless guy #1: Well, yeah. Also, I might have been looking at dirty pictures on the computer.
Homeless guy #2: Aw, that's not so bad.
Homeless guy #1: And they said that I was being disrespectful to the librarians.
Homeless guy #2, freaking out: No way, man! You can never, never disrespect the librarians! Always respect librarians! What were you thinking? Are you an idiot?

Outside Boulder Public Library
Boulder, Colorado


Overheard by: Librarian on break

Overheard in the Office


Sunday, March 25, 2007

Fools on Parade

Kristianne Meal and I will be doing a duo-reading at Nietzsche's (248 Allen Street in Buffalo) on Sunday, April 1 at 5 pm. Come and join in the silly, the foolish, the spontanous, with the musical backing of the amazing Anne Phillipone. It's free. Think Spring!

Monday, March 12, 2007

The Schvitz

I finally found a bath house in Buffalo.

When I travel, I seek out a few things: foods I can't get in Buffalo, like Ethiopian cuisine, bookstores (especially used), and bath houses. To me, a place with a jacuzzi , sauna (and steam, but definitely sauna) and cold plunge is heaven.

I've been to bath houses all over the world. NYC's Tenth Street Russian baths, Kabuki and Osento in SF, Sauna Deco in Amsterdam (hands down, the winner), a little Korean place in Chicago, and more. When I worked at UCSF, I'd often spend an extended Friday lunch hour in the gym's sauna. Though this was essential to my sanity, I don't prefer an athletic atmosphere.

I like the variety of bodies, the wet air, the wringing out of the pores, the heat, the salt, the opportunity to lose oneself in a ritual which touches every culture.

Tonight, I went to women's night at Buffalo's own Russian-Jewish baths, The Schvitz, on Kenmore Avenue near Starin. $20 gets you towels, locker, robe, and an evening's access to the facilties. Though I had a short visit, my muscles are loose, my sinuses clear, my spirit calm.

***

I needed that deep heat. I've been working nearly every day (4 gigs in total) and on Sunday I devoted about 10 hours to the project of painting my bedroom, a pale yellow called moonlight. I'm a clumsy painter, and my shoulders and hands ache, but it looks nice. I also grocery shopped, hennaed my hair, made granola, and basically dervished all day.

This week: teaching every day. Expect a crispy little poet on the other end of this week.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Jeff Vincent Benefit

Tyler sez:

Jeffrey just had surgery for a collapsed lung: this means that he had a small chunk of his left lung cut away and then the lung was "glued" it to his chest wall in the hopes that it will not ever re-collapse.

Jeff's recovery has been a little bumpy but he is finally on the upswing. Still, he will be out of commision for a good 4-6 more weeks. To raise a some $ in the mean lean time, he is having a silent auction (which can be quite fun BTW) for (damn near all of) his work at Kepa3 gallery on March 9 (5-9pm).

This is going to be the opportuntiy to get some really great art
while directly helping out a friend in need.

There will be screenprints, drawings, pastels, paintings and a few dolls. Everything will be starting at very low minimal bids.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylerlove/409372835/


Celia sez: I'll be there, and I'm telling whoever I can.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Ooh!

My dreams have come true: The Buffalo News has finally redesigned their website. It's readable, and there's content! This alone is an improvement.

Life is work, these days, with some shivering in between. The cold feels cruel.

The Musician is on the wing and I miss him already.