Monday, April 26, 2010

Damn it, I need a PA

A personal assistant, yes. Not because I am important (I am not important), but because by the time I finish working, going to class, and riding the subway all day I have just enough time left over to answer emails and put more things in my daytimer. In other words, forget studying or reading or writing these damn conference papers, or even getting all my mundane little tasks done. Yeah, that's what I need, one of those PAs like the ladies on the Upper East Side or West Village have. Return these library books for me. Update my cv and find me the email address for the editor of the Times real estate section I DON'T CARE HOW. Drop this picture off at the framer's and drop this cheque off at the landlord. Finish this fee board application and buy my sister a birthday gift (by the way, you're late, her birthday was April 8th). And, of course, pick up more diet coke and ramen.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Takin' it from the streets

One night after a few glasses at Loup, on my way to the subway home, I came upon an abandoned coffee table on 13th street. Beautiful, solid wood construction and just like new. I carried that table up and down stairs, through subway turnstiles, onto the 1 train and off again, and up two flights in my building, where I knocked on my neighbour's door (well after midnight, I am sure) and asshhkked her if she wanted it. She did!

The other night after a nighttime stroll my friend and I came across an abandoned Billy bookshelf on Chambers street. It was covered in dust but in surprisingly good condition, and the former owner had even gone to the trouble of bundling the shelves with twine. I pulled all the shelf pegs out and stuck them in my pocket, and we carried it off into the night. Some twenty blocks later, my neighbour had a new bookshelf, too.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

He's standing right behind me, isn't he?

Things continue to happen in twos in New York.

I brought my mom and her friend Cathy, who were in town visiting me, to Loup, and explained that this was our after-class haunt (and hence where my mom got me a $100 tab as a Christmas gift), though celebrities sometimes pop up here, perhaps because it is so low-key. Just then Michael Douglas walked by and took a seat at the table over my right shoulder. (Which means he would have got a good view of when the bartender came over to give us props, hehe.)

Saturday I "tabled" (vended) all day at the Anarchist Bookfair, with my publisher-friend who was in town for that reason, and at some point we ended up engaged in conversation with a passerby about what a clown Zizek is, har har har, until I realized that he (Zizek) was standing at our table perusing our books.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Hot dog guy and coffee cart guy are friends!

My coffee guy had to move his cart across the street because of the tearing down of the New School Graduate Faculty building (a matter of some controversy, if you recall). Now his cart is right next to my hot dog guy! I actually don't visit my coffee guy so much anymore (I get free coffee at work, which accounts for some 90% of my job satisfaction), but I'm up to about two hot dogs a day.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Passover vs. Easter

Sarah is one of my favourite Jews, not least because she will invite all of us to her seder and give us photocopied Haggadah handouts so we can participate.


She is a vegetarian, so this is her version of a shankbone:


Apparently Passover is a whole week long! We closed it out (same guest list) with a big, ham-centered Easter dinner cooked by yours truly (I forgot to take a picture before we decimated the banquet).