the best times to spot animals is early morning and late afternoon, and night time - essentially when its not hot...) thus we were to set out at 5:30 every morning to begin the hunt. we climb aboard our rugged land rover vehicles separating into what would be our car companions for the remainder of the drives...have you ever spent 12-15 hours a day for two solid days with the same set of strangers? it is a true practice in tolerance. certainly by the last day i was losing my capacity to let bygones be bygones and i believe i remarked at one point to the thirty-something new zealander who was incessantly rattling on and on about seeing a cheetah (of which there are maybe 300? in the park and rarely seen) "you and your cheetah are going to drive me mad!" it was not my finest moment.
our guide for the day was named elvis. apparently krista and i attract remarkably named guides in our travels. we drive into the 'proper' park and almost immediately in the near distance we see our first large animals- an elephant, a rhino, and a trio of water buffalo. all hanging out in this bachelor pad off the side of the road. everyone is thrilled. the drive continues and eagle eye elvis manages to spot pretty much all the animals a person would want to see: giraffes, a leopard, rhinos, lions (one pretty close by!), herds of water buffalo (up to two hundred in one), more elephants with babies in tow, freshly birthed impalas (including a laboring one), hippos also with babes, a crocodile, vervets (winner of the all time cutest creature ever), zebras, sable antelope (a rare sight), wild dogs (also extremely rarely seen), warthogs, and baboons galore.
we noticed the guides would stop and chat with other guides comparing sightings and offering tips. k& i decided they were playing a game of sorts to see who would find all the animals in a day. we won.
also- it was an exercise in survival on the drive since somehow the temperature drops a good ten degrees on the vehicles. and it already had cooled off considerably from our first afternoon, maybe to the 60's?
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
safari! day one
ok so safari. i took in an immense amount of information about many many things. i will try to share the best. first things first the details of camping...we were at kruger
our safari company, bundu maybe is the name (it had many names), leases land from the mopani's (i think) who were evicted off the land in the 1960's(using apartheid laws) when kruger wanted to expand its borders. they moved just outside the fence and they still live there today... it looks like a sprawling township. in the 90's with the new government they gained the land back but instead of moving back they left it as a parkland and here's where the company i used comes in- in addition to leasing the land they also offer training and employment for the community in various disciplines including guide training. so our camp was 10 minutes inside the gate and consisted of a large wood frame tent that served as a lounge/bar/dining room, separate housing for the staff & guides, maybe 15 tents set up on wooden platforms that housed two cots for the guests, bathrooms for boys and girls (deluxe for camping some would say- concrete slab floor, 2 flush toilets, 2 showers with hot water,a sink. but it was pretty open with only tent flaps as walls. i.e. bugs and things could freely roam. i am still doing seat checks for bugs. once i found a large lizard in the sink who refused to budge, i opted out of giving him any sort of push. and i must confess i didn't experience the showers. yes that means going over a few days without bathing, but i like to think of that as getting back to nature and possibly making myself smell more like a wild animal. maybe? anyways the thought of something showering with me was more than i could take and our quarter to five wake up calls didn't give alot of time to primp either.
our arrival day was hot, enough so that we went for a swim. (yep that's right, our camp had a pool. nothing too fancy though. and filled with smallish bugs...) and that's when i discovered the single most frightening animal ever, at least for me. resting gently in the grass but not moving was the largest grasshopper i have ever seen. shiny black plated exoskeleton with some red on its head and easily as large as my hand. yipes! it was dead thank heavens. i have an unreasonable fear of crickets and slightly less of grasshoppers (which is why i choose to call it a mammoth grasshopper...even though they claim it was a king cricket. f.y.i. it's not i looked it up and i saw a dead king cricket in the hot tub. they too are large, but not so large.and not shiny black. i have yet to find a picture of this bug and maybe that's for the best.) more on him later.
that evening we took a sundowner drive though our area of the park (saw a rhino in the distance,some daikers, and lots of birds) drove up a rock and enjoyed drinks while the sun went down. on our drive back to camp after it got dark the spotlights came out. and so did the bugs who flew in swarms to the light. i had forgotten to think about any bug other than a mosquito. silly me. there are many bugs and critters in camping, even nice camping. and i don't like camping. i remembered this at that moment too. we get back to camp and find dinner is being served down the hill at the fire pit. since there is no electricity, the fire and small gas lights are our only light. which is admittedly a fair amount, but not enough to see if you are eating a large beetle or not with your pasta primavera. (again, italian.) i was starving and didn't really care if i ate extra bugs - it might have done me good protein wise. it was the proceeding walk from our tent to the bathroom where i had quite a fright. krista and i had a deal- i would check the tent for snakes (her biggest fear) and she would look for bugs. it worked well, but failed to include a plan for outside. i was leading with the 'torch', aka flashlight, when down from the tree above me, and a foot in front of me slides down a massive spider (also about the size of my hand- later inquiries lead us to believe it was a rain spider) who pauses eye level then scrambles down to the ground and scurries towards me. frozen, i refused to go forward and walk into a web. the spider was secondary to the fear of its web. somehow krista talked me though and then of course we had to come back. she in front this time with the light. at almost the same spot on the path, light reflecting off its shiny plated exoskeleton was another of the mammoth grasshoppers. this is when real fear set in, as i knew i had to go past it, but then the reality struck...i was surrounded by them. i believe i said to krista "they're everywhere." which she informed me the next day was the most afraid she had ever seen me. i have no idea how i made it back to the tent but i do remember doing my snake check. i christened that path to our tent 'the path of doom', very indiana jones i thought. looking back i was more like the blond lady he has to rescue constantly, which would make krista indiana jones? hmm...
our safari company, bundu maybe is the name (it had many names), leases land from the mopani's (i think) who were evicted off the land in the 1960's(using apartheid laws) when kruger wanted to expand its borders. they moved just outside the fence and they still live there today... it looks like a sprawling township. in the 90's with the new government they gained the land back but instead of moving back they left it as a parkland and here's where the company i used comes in- in addition to leasing the land they also offer training and employment for the community in various disciplines including guide training. so our camp was 10 minutes inside the gate and consisted of a large wood frame tent that served as a lounge/bar/dining room, separate housing for the staff & guides, maybe 15 tents set up on wooden platforms that housed two cots for the guests, bathrooms for boys and girls (deluxe for camping some would say- concrete slab floor, 2 flush toilets, 2 showers with hot water,a sink. but it was pretty open with only tent flaps as walls. i.e. bugs and things could freely roam. i am still doing seat checks for bugs. once i found a large lizard in the sink who refused to budge, i opted out of giving him any sort of push. and i must confess i didn't experience the showers. yes that means going over a few days without bathing, but i like to think of that as getting back to nature and possibly making myself smell more like a wild animal. maybe? anyways the thought of something showering with me was more than i could take and our quarter to five wake up calls didn't give alot of time to primp either.
our arrival day was hot, enough so that we went for a swim. (yep that's right, our camp had a pool. nothing too fancy though. and filled with smallish bugs...) and that's when i discovered the single most frightening animal ever, at least for me. resting gently in the grass but not moving was the largest grasshopper i have ever seen. shiny black plated exoskeleton with some red on its head and easily as large as my hand. yipes! it was dead thank heavens. i have an unreasonable fear of crickets and slightly less of grasshoppers (which is why i choose to call it a mammoth grasshopper...even though they claim it was a king cricket. f.y.i. it's not i looked it up and i saw a dead king cricket in the hot tub. they too are large, but not so large.and not shiny black. i have yet to find a picture of this bug and maybe that's for the best.) more on him later.
that evening we took a sundowner drive though our area of the park (saw a rhino in the distance,some daikers, and lots of birds) drove up a rock and enjoyed drinks while the sun went down. on our drive back to camp after it got dark the spotlights came out. and so did the bugs who flew in swarms to the light. i had forgotten to think about any bug other than a mosquito. silly me. there are many bugs and critters in camping, even nice camping. and i don't like camping. i remembered this at that moment too. we get back to camp and find dinner is being served down the hill at the fire pit. since there is no electricity, the fire and small gas lights are our only light. which is admittedly a fair amount, but not enough to see if you are eating a large beetle or not with your pasta primavera. (again, italian.) i was starving and didn't really care if i ate extra bugs - it might have done me good protein wise. it was the proceeding walk from our tent to the bathroom where i had quite a fright. krista and i had a deal- i would check the tent for snakes (her biggest fear) and she would look for bugs. it worked well, but failed to include a plan for outside. i was leading with the 'torch', aka flashlight, when down from the tree above me, and a foot in front of me slides down a massive spider (also about the size of my hand- later inquiries lead us to believe it was a rain spider) who pauses eye level then scrambles down to the ground and scurries towards me. frozen, i refused to go forward and walk into a web. the spider was secondary to the fear of its web. somehow krista talked me though and then of course we had to come back. she in front this time with the light. at almost the same spot on the path, light reflecting off its shiny plated exoskeleton was another of the mammoth grasshoppers. this is when real fear set in, as i knew i had to go past it, but then the reality struck...i was surrounded by them. i believe i said to krista "they're everywhere." which she informed me the next day was the most afraid she had ever seen me. i have no idea how i made it back to the tent but i do remember doing my snake check. i christened that path to our tent 'the path of doom', very indiana jones i thought. looking back i was more like the blond lady he has to rescue constantly, which would make krista indiana jones? hmm...
things i learned in africa
i am back home again, where it is freezing and so delightfully new york. thank goodness for new york (in spite of the awfulness of returning to all the rules and regulations imposed on us here...flying in africa was a dream, i wasn't i.d.'d once on our flight from cape town to jo'berg-which didn't make me fearful in any way, no long lines, no massive security checks. if only all flying was that easy.) ah well such is life.
so here's some more of the random things i learned:
so here's some more of the random things i learned:
- at congo caves (where i learned that all caves are the same) there was this tidbit on a diagram of the evolution of earth..."early man arrives at mid-day december 31st" yep. just that, no year or anything, on a pie chart. i thoughly enjoyed the mid-day arrival.
- peacocks follow krista and i on our travels. i am considering them to be a good luck charm from now on.
- champagne champagne, champagne. our tasting/tour has througly wooed me over to champagne for everyday. i sing its praises. only the best. also i know i learned more about the actual creation of it and such but i fear it may be a sense memory and i'll only recall the information when a glass is in hand.
- and i have to add that i did also eat thai food, so not just italian....
- i need more mineral baths in my life. in the cold rain. in the mountains. in africa.
Friday, November 30, 2007
so little time and so much to say
about to embark on my long journey home- and i do so wish i could stay longer. i read that africa gets into your blood like malaria and you can't get rid of it, you want to stay even though you'll always be an outsider and never understand it. i don't think i've pick up malaria (the g&t option was foiled as the only gin in africa is gordon's, and it's undrinkable...) since it was quite cold the skeeters were scarce.
quick highlights from safari & jo'berg:
saw the big 5, and sooo many more. i was a couple meters from a lioness.
our guide was named elvis. he was a good luck charm. he caught a bird that flew into our truck with his bare hands. this significantly impressed me.
bugs are big. really big.
chimps are cute when they are little (actually all forms of monkeys are cute when they are small)but grown ups are scary. one threw a rock at us. a big rock.
toured a township in joberg- soweto, where desmond tutu and nelson mandela live/d. took a walk and were immediately swarmed by children. all little boys. i love love love little boys.
i have yet to eat any african food. everything is italian when we eat out. how is this possible?
i have another list of what i've learned to post, but all my things are in a cage here at the 'ritz backpackers' (don't let the name fool you) so i will have to post when i return. something to look forward to, no?
quick highlights from safari & jo'berg:
saw the big 5, and sooo many more. i was a couple meters from a lioness.
our guide was named elvis. he was a good luck charm. he caught a bird that flew into our truck with his bare hands. this significantly impressed me.
bugs are big. really big.
chimps are cute when they are little (actually all forms of monkeys are cute when they are small)but grown ups are scary. one threw a rock at us. a big rock.
toured a township in joberg- soweto, where desmond tutu and nelson mandela live/d. took a walk and were immediately swarmed by children. all little boys. i love love love little boys.
i have yet to eat any african food. everything is italian when we eat out. how is this possible?
i have another list of what i've learned to post, but all my things are in a cage here at the 'ritz backpackers' (don't let the name fool you) so i will have to post when i return. something to look forward to, no?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
back in cape town
after an early start we headed to franshoek, another wine town for a cellar tour of cabriere-famous for its sparkling wines and sabering of the bottles. sabering is essentially slicing off the cork & top portion of the glass with the back side of a saber. apparently i to can try this at home, using many assorted devices ( a coffee spoon, a butcher knife, another glass....really?! i'm considering an attempt at my birthday....) it was very informative, but certainly the best part was the sabering. krista held the bottle while he loped the top off ans it shot off like a rocket. we were then treated to our first of 5 glasses. at the other places we could sip and spit or pour out what we didn't want. here our only option was to finish the glass before you could refill with the next one. all this before noon. and before lunch. krista abstained, as designated/only driver on our trip...i encouraged at least one tiny sip a few times. certainly after the third i was beyond giggly. the bubbles really do go straight to my head. and its sooo delightful. i do have to admit the tour improved greatly by that point. only the finer things in life for me my friends. we bought two bottles of the blancs de blancs (@ 80 rand each, a little over ten dollars) which i am looking forward to uncorking tonight at our fancy pants hotel. quite the step up from last night.
a small tragedy i have to report- we hoped to make it back in time to visit the vintage stores today but both were very much closed. i am retuning with out having set foot in one. i will try not to dwell on this matter. it was a great loss, but on the positive it is helpful for the budget. but budgets be damned! also no spelling check here so bear with me.
a small tragedy i have to report- we hoped to make it back in time to visit the vintage stores today but both were very much closed. i am retuning with out having set foot in one. i will try not to dwell on this matter. it was a great loss, but on the positive it is helpful for the budget. but budgets be damned! also no spelling check here so bear with me.
Friday, November 23, 2007
wine country
we made it to stellenbosch. this is the worst hostel yet....loud, smoking, trance listening hippie employees. oy. i managed to sleep through the night. somehow.
we toured four?five? wineries today on a tour called 'vine hoppers' whose logo is a grasshopper. funny. our guide, his name is long forgotten-maybe toff? was great. i coached him into a head stand at one of the last wineries and that really cemented my desire to become a yoga teacher....he was a bit of a hippie. refused to wear shoes. i liked it. we visited the cheetahs. i rubbed the side/belly of one. i hate to say it but i was disappointed. too built up, too commercialized, just not there. yes, it was great, i'm glad i did it. but next time i'd go for the babies.
again the landscape is incredible. pictures will come when i return as there is no way to upload them here...another item for the things i've learned- winery farmers collect vintage jaguars. i could totally be a wine farmer- i've always wanted a 1970's jag- if i believed in adding to my carbon footprint that much. we have great shots from the farms-one with the cars. i am still eating like never before, and loving every minute.
also yesterday we stopped at the hot springs in 'waterbath burg' fan f-ing tastic. the highlight of the trip. 'manky' green water 46 degrees centigrade celsius...in the cold cold rain, greeted by a peacock, my life is amazing.
we toured four?five? wineries today on a tour called 'vine hoppers' whose logo is a grasshopper. funny. our guide, his name is long forgotten-maybe toff? was great. i coached him into a head stand at one of the last wineries and that really cemented my desire to become a yoga teacher....he was a bit of a hippie. refused to wear shoes. i liked it. we visited the cheetahs. i rubbed the side/belly of one. i hate to say it but i was disappointed. too built up, too commercialized, just not there. yes, it was great, i'm glad i did it. but next time i'd go for the babies.
again the landscape is incredible. pictures will come when i return as there is no way to upload them here...another item for the things i've learned- winery farmers collect vintage jaguars. i could totally be a wine farmer- i've always wanted a 1970's jag- if i believed in adding to my carbon footprint that much. we have great shots from the farms-one with the cars. i am still eating like never before, and loving every minute.
also yesterday we stopped at the hot springs in 'waterbath burg' fan f-ing tastic. the highlight of the trip. 'manky' green water 46 degrees centigrade celsius...in the cold cold rain, greeted by a peacock, my life is amazing.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
things i've learned in south africa
- the landscape looks like everywhere i've been and nowhere else i've ever seen. our drive from cape town to wilderness (or wildernis) established that, the drive from knysna to outdshoorn cemented that.
- baby ostriches are cuter than you could ever imagine. we saw a group being herded to the barn at the end of the day and they are very excitable. a few had a collision and fell down. we have it recorded. also the adults are bony to sit ontop of. which i did. a little boy (maybe 10?) and german, rode one and he was quite excited at first but as soon as they let it run he held on for dear life and cried out "ahhhh....maman! maman!" it was impossible for us not to laugh uncontrollably. also our guide's name was runsley titus.
- caves are the same in every country.
- kinder joy is like kinder surprise times 1000. the best candy ever. also american candy falls flat in any country comparison. here there is: cadbury chocolates, kinder (my fave), and these funny candy bars called 'p.s.' with messages like friends forever or you can make it. also fortune telling candy bars. every time we go i buy 5 candy treats.
- i eat much more past the international date line. it happened in paris, and really happened here. i have to have snacks all the time and i still eat full meals. likely three times what i eat back in ny.
- krista is a good left side of the road driver. i am a good navigator.
- it is hard to convert rand to dollar in my head.
- ostrich eggs have 25xs the cholesterol chicken eggs do. one egg feeds 12 people. it tastes lighter than a regular egg.
- wine is cheap.
tomorrow we leave for the wine country and stellenbosch. we plan to stop at a hot springs along the way to soothe our aching car traveled, not enough yoga bodies. and more incredible mountain passes along the way.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
fly by the seat of your pants
this is how we have decided to experiecnce s.a. cape town was a bit of a whirlwind,we rented a car- krista is driver, i'm naviagator a switch from the norm) only one minor incident involving a hubcab and the curve... then off to the pennisula and table mountain reserve (cape of good hope!) stunning, haven't seen views so amazing since the carribean... but this was way better. someday i'll post pics. we stopped by for a brief penguin visit (terribly cute) and then spent the rest of the day driving to wilderness. that's the town. it took maybe 5-6 hrs, through the most incredible shifting scenery. i haven't found the words to describe it yet. but i will soon. we spent the night at a hostel in the mountains by the beach and awoke for a lovely breakfast (we eat the same thing every day, lovingly prepared by krista -oatmeal & fruit, i only have instant coffee here, sans the occasional latte break- the boys who work there are a trip, today they called me princess, i mean how did they know?!) we drove to knysa for a 4 hour adventure (more later) then on to outdshoorn- through more mountains, like i've never seen. i am very thrilled about this place. our hostel is lovely, there are however rolling brownouts that add to the adventure here and lots of wine (from woolworth's, where we do most grocery shopping....odd) help pass the dark moments. tomorrow we're off to the caves here and possibly petting cheetahs, maybe a waterfall, and ostrich farms. we're staying here another night and then off to stellenbosch for two nights instead of one.
we couldn't ask for better weather, or scenery, people have been divine as well.
this is brief but i have to dash. love to all. happy thanksgiving- i forget its this week, right?
we couldn't ask for better weather, or scenery, people have been divine as well.
this is brief but i have to dash. love to all. happy thanksgiving- i forget its this week, right?
Sunday, November 18, 2007
cape town
i made it. 22 hours or so on a plane, 80% sleeping... i had to make a mad dash to catch my connection in jo-burg, and krista and i made a small scene with our excited hellos, but i am beyond delighted to be here. already i have consumed a few anti-malarial g&t's danced to a ska band in a club where i thought the floor would collapse,awoken to church bells, visited the waterfront, a craft/flea market, walked through the gardens where the museums & parliament are (as well as a small aviary...), taken a mini-bus, gone to table mountain,was brutally stung by sand on a windy beach and enjoyed 'sundowners' at cape bay while watching the sun go down in the company of my dearest friend. i am beyond thrilled.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
next stop south africa!
i leave in a couple days...it's still very much a figment of my imagination at this point. it will be such a welcome departure from new york and its current routines, not to mention my absolute delight at spending two weeks with krista after a prolonged absence.our planned itinerary:
nov 17 &18 - cape town
nov 19 &20- rent car, drive 5ish hours to knysa, stay at 'southern comfort western style horse ranch' (!)
nov 21- drive to dijembe (maybe?) and spend the night
nov 22- drive to outshoorn -- i look most forward to this place, its the home of the ostrich farms from the great feather boom of the late 1800's and subsequent crash in 1914. its very interesting (see link above...)
nov 23- drive to stellenbosch, home of many a winery.
nov 24- back in cape town, where we are staying in an 'art hotel' called daddy long legs in the 'protea' room (our first choice was the freshroom- we have a history of polka dot motel rooms, i'll try to put up a pic for reference)
nov 25- fly to johannesburg and on to kruger safari
nov 26-30 - safari @ kruger
nov 30- fly home
its going to be a doozy of a trip. can't wait.
Friday, November 2, 2007
what it's about
beauty. its all about beauty.
last night i was able to have the supreme pleasure of seeing sufjan steven's BQE at BAM. i had no set expectations really, wasn't too sure what exactly to expect, and wound up with my second best musical experience ever. i'm attempting to make that happen more in my life: no expectations. lately i've been learning it leads to greatness.
but last night. sigh. the man has a gift for making music. watching the movie, seeing this hideous roadway de-constructed visually and reconstructed bit by bit into something aesthetically pleasing, pulsating with this collective swell of music that was unmistakably sufjan. i sat there in this giant space completely full of people and i truly think every single one was at rapt attention. giving. maybe this is part of why it was so amazing? that much energy collectively presented to one thing- there's power in that, and love. it flowed and jerked and screeched and flowed again. there was pure noise. at those moments i considered the unusually high levels of dopamine that surely must have been coursing through my brain attempting to ascertain the pattern, decipher the musical language. (thank you radio lab)i caught a shot of my local hardware store in the midst of the clips. i wondered how long he's been filming these clips. how one shot of the dividing line in the road leads to a rhythm or a tempo perhaps. it makes a person want to create all over again and again. i want that music set to my life. and hula hoops that are lit like the tail/headlights- hilarious. i gotta work my hula-hooping skills.
i wanted it to last longer than it did, which is always a sign of success, and then lo and behold apres intermission was 'sufjan sings the hits'. ha ha score! how often does a performer play all the things you want to hear? i was shuddering with delight. his lyrics create lovely stories. the stories i love most- little bits of a day that somehow left a mark on you forever. i attach alot to songs, to periods and people in my life. i get to relive that memory when i hear a song- and there are certain performers that when heard live make it all the more real. its why music makes me ache so badly. its makes all your body give over to it, release things you tucked away.
its just pure beauty.
last night i was able to have the supreme pleasure of seeing sufjan steven's BQE at BAM. i had no set expectations really, wasn't too sure what exactly to expect, and wound up with my second best musical experience ever. i'm attempting to make that happen more in my life: no expectations. lately i've been learning it leads to greatness.
but last night. sigh. the man has a gift for making music. watching the movie, seeing this hideous roadway de-constructed visually and reconstructed bit by bit into something aesthetically pleasing, pulsating with this collective swell of music that was unmistakably sufjan. i sat there in this giant space completely full of people and i truly think every single one was at rapt attention. giving. maybe this is part of why it was so amazing? that much energy collectively presented to one thing- there's power in that, and love. it flowed and jerked and screeched and flowed again. there was pure noise. at those moments i considered the unusually high levels of dopamine that surely must have been coursing through my brain attempting to ascertain the pattern, decipher the musical language. (thank you radio lab)i caught a shot of my local hardware store in the midst of the clips. i wondered how long he's been filming these clips. how one shot of the dividing line in the road leads to a rhythm or a tempo perhaps. it makes a person want to create all over again and again. i want that music set to my life. and hula hoops that are lit like the tail/headlights- hilarious. i gotta work my hula-hooping skills.
i wanted it to last longer than it did, which is always a sign of success, and then lo and behold apres intermission was 'sufjan sings the hits'. ha ha score! how often does a performer play all the things you want to hear? i was shuddering with delight. his lyrics create lovely stories. the stories i love most- little bits of a day that somehow left a mark on you forever. i attach alot to songs, to periods and people in my life. i get to relive that memory when i hear a song- and there are certain performers that when heard live make it all the more real. its why music makes me ache so badly. its makes all your body give over to it, release things you tucked away.
its just pure beauty.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
it's about themes.
everything has one. that's what i believe in this life.
it guides the way to dress, the way to move in a space, the way to write, the way to live. it is possible to choose what your theme is and even to change it willy nilly, at the drop of a hat. or upon discovery of said hat... perhaps best attempted with a deep breath.
sometimes your theme chooses you. i find that often with clothing. the incredible french made vintage button down that i found at a street sale up on 104th st for $5; that shirt demanded an edith piaf theme. all the way down to the over consumption of wine and appropriate life struggles. another day, the beat poet in transition, created itself less obviously. a bit of hodgepodge choosing and some stereotypical elements- but it felt right. it was the perfect theme. and i am in transition, constantly. someone asked me what the transition would be into next, and i was at a loss. that's not how it works - i don't really know what the transition will be or if it will even be pertinent to today's theme. "beat poet in transition" is kind of like the title to a work of abstract art. the themes somehow congeal upon awakening in a new day and are mostly stand alone concepts...i am particularly fond of adding years to them as well: junior editor, seventeen magazine, 1982 ; wellesley professor 1973; new yorker magazine fashion columnist 1971....and then of course the odd ball one like champagne taster, it just was nothing else.
how do other people get dressed? quite the mystery.
it guides the way to dress, the way to move in a space, the way to write, the way to live. it is possible to choose what your theme is and even to change it willy nilly, at the drop of a hat. or upon discovery of said hat... perhaps best attempted with a deep breath.
sometimes your theme chooses you. i find that often with clothing. the incredible french made vintage button down that i found at a street sale up on 104th st for $5; that shirt demanded an edith piaf theme. all the way down to the over consumption of wine and appropriate life struggles. another day, the beat poet in transition, created itself less obviously. a bit of hodgepodge choosing and some stereotypical elements- but it felt right. it was the perfect theme. and i am in transition, constantly. someone asked me what the transition would be into next, and i was at a loss. that's not how it works - i don't really know what the transition will be or if it will even be pertinent to today's theme. "beat poet in transition" is kind of like the title to a work of abstract art. the themes somehow congeal upon awakening in a new day and are mostly stand alone concepts...i am particularly fond of adding years to them as well: junior editor, seventeen magazine, 1982 ; wellesley professor 1973; new yorker magazine fashion columnist 1971....and then of course the odd ball one like champagne taster, it just was nothing else.
how do other people get dressed? quite the mystery.
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