all rooms (2 bedrooms, one kitchen, bathroom and one enchanting multifarious dining/entrance chamber) have windows towering over the smaller lodgings all around. the biggest windows look out over our fire escape over the roofs into the opulent former police station, now long since converted into condos for people such as madonna and cindy crawford. quite a change from being ben stiller's neighbour, as i am now, or so i learned today.
just found out today that after two weeks of intense searching, one very wise mulberry street landlord accepted me and my brandnew roommate k. to be the new tenants of this very cute building in the heart of little italy. starting next sunday, i will sometimes appear behind the windows on the upper right hand side and wave at the silly tourists paying way too much for their petty pizzas.
long time no post, many things have happened: i saw vincent gallo jam with sean and yoko, saw the real hedwig at a screening of tarnation, had lovely visits from the home continent plus a very bad cold that had me in fevers, coughs and kleenex for about three weeks, a classical concert, including the original version of 'all by myself' at carnegie hall, and finally a trip to the sunny side of this continent followed by a fascinating voyage into the american west at a fulbright conference in the lovely if beige boulder, colorado. I have compiled a short sequence of bits from emails to elucidate on my recent whereabouts:
"oh fuck, just got an email saying i'll have to prepare a short
presentation on my country for a high school visit in boulder ('please
bring pictures, items or clothing to help you in this presentation')
i'll have to explain about drugs, euthanasia, gay marriage, and
fucking windmills, passing around black licorice (i should bring some
stroopwafels...). the burdens of being a fulbrighter..."
"after a day of dead meat on a stick (a yearly easter meat sculpture contest for which me and my friend matthew entered a lamb and potatoes version of the facehugger of the original 'alien'), we're in the middle of a rainstorm and
the widescreen view of the bay and the golden gate has been engulfed
in mist. the bette davis marathon ('all about eve' with a lovely young marilyn and the chilling 'whatever happened to baby jane?') is soon to be accompanied by some
pad thai. yesterday was sunny, i saw my first whale and a beach full
of elephant seal wieners (aka pups) all in all im very entertained"
"i have read three whole books (philip pullman's gloriously atheist trilogy "His dark materials), rejoice
the sun is out and my disease is slowly passing from my system, rejoice
miss our routines, friday night dinner, one dollar margaritas
silly, silly, roommates, silly
i will see all soon, and will bring tales of
mountains and flowers, bridges and blingbling
these are a few of my favorite things"
"sun enough
more shopping
one book later (Scarlett Thomas wonderful, if slightly preachy popco)
made some gingeryhoneycarrotsoup with spicypepitas and toastedraisinbread
more shopping
apparently there are tennis courts at the hotel so we are encouraged to bring our rackets
hell no
enjoy weather, rejoice"
"spent my morning at a louisville middle school
where me and belgian fulbrighter stephane charmed some 12-year-olds
(they got their principal to ask for our adresses)
many smart people here at the conference, also many nerdy types
sample dialogue:
"so, did you look new york before you moved to new york,
or did you dress like that after?"
tonight will be the crowning moment of this conference,
a home hospitality dinner with real americans
i, like, just cant wait
honestly
yesterday evening, after the whole bla bla future leaders of the world thing
i sat in the smoking lounge with three norwegians, one of whom studies African American studies
the bar is called time after thyme, get it...
two iowa housewives asked me to be their spy, flirted with me, bought
me drinks (southern comfort), and asked me where they could get some pot.
am reading james baldwin in between, very nice and quite good, the ending is a little too 'revelations' for me though
'this afternoon me and the elfin belgian are skipping a lecture to go into 'town'
then ill go to a lecture, tomorrow the mountains, a 'historic'
'steakhouse' and more lectures"
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