I went down to my aunt and uncle's house in southern New Jersey -- just outside Philadelphia -- this last weekend for a big family party. A calligraphic version of this hangs on their bathroom wall, which I read while washing my hands, committed the name of it to memory, and looked it up when I returned so that I could post it here.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
—Max Ehrmann
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Philadelphia
After many, many months in New York, last weekend I finally had the opportunity to leave this fair city and see some other sights. (Unless you count venturing into Brooklyn, Queens and Connecticut a couple of times -- every time I cross a bridge I get this giddy sense that I'm really going someplace new and different, and then feel this sense of relief when I land back on Manhattan soil.) Saturday morning I woke up at 7 am and headed to Penn Station, where I caught a train to Middletown, New Jersey. I was met by Catherine and we set off in a car on the New Jersey Turnpike down to the City of Brotherly Love. (Turnpikes and numbered exits -- ah, how the East Coast never fails to baffle me.)
In an hour or so, Catherine announced that we approaching the Delaware, famed river of George Washington's crossing so many centuries ago, where he and the troops pushed back the British Army into DEFEAT. I cackled maniacally over this triumph in history and then took this photo of the bridge leading us into Philadelphia.
The Delaware River, exactly as it looked in Washington's time.
We got lost trying to find our hotel but ended up seeing this pretty building along the way.
After parking the car, we set off on foot to see some historic sites.
A Holocaust memorial.
I oohed and aahed over the expanse of sky.
Philadelphia is home of the Girl Scouts and this sign marks where the first cookies were sold.
The Salvation Army.
Our first piece of business was stuff ourselves with cheese steak goodness. The concierge recommended we head to an indoor market. I'd forgotten that Philadelphia was in Pennsylvania and thus close to the Pennsylvania Dutch country, a part of the world where many of my fine German ancestors made their way and settled to farm. This particular market was amazing and filled with so many delicious looking cheeses, canned fruits and vegetables, honey, sausages, cakes and, of course, cheese steak sandwiches.
Cute Mennonite girls. Catherine reprimanded me for snapping their photo -- apparently it's frowned upon. We also spotted my Mennonite doppelganger on our way out, so maybe I'll be forgiven by clearly sharing some strain of the gene pool.
We then got in line for cheesesteaks.
Thin slices of meat grilled to perfection ...
... then stuffed in a white roll with provolone cheese (although the real way you're supposed to do it is with Cheese Whiz), onions, mushrooms and peppers.
Or plain.
We kept spotting all sorts of people walking around dressed up like comic book characters and found out it was because a huge comic book convention was taking place.
Here's Supergirl, belle of the comic book ball.
Also this very cool motorcycle.
We walked through Philadelphia's "Chinatown" on our way to the historic district.
Saw this awesome bus shelter ad.
Passed a Federal Detention Center right in the center of town.
There's Independence Hall at the end of the green grassy lawn.
A Quaker meeting hall.
Ben Franklin's grave.
A narrow little house.
Another important Quaker building. Philadelphia was from its inception a place of religious tolerance which explains the abundance of different churches in the city.
We made our way to Betsy Ross's house, from which a Starbucks sits across the street in an old building.
A little performance was going on about sword fighting. I guess they were trying to mimic the accents of the Colonialists but it was rather painful to hear.
Random dude.
One of the things that surprised me about Philadelphia was how many buildings were vacated and boarded up. Considering that there can't be a single piece of unused property left in Manhattan, it struck me as somewhat sad that so much of Philadelphia looked rather abandoned. That being said, as we walked through the historic district, I was also impressed by the number of art galleries that now occupy the old, historic buildings. There seems to be some sense of revitalisation yet walking around a town that looks half-inhabited is a little bit sad.
Anyways, enough pontificating. Then we came upon Philadelphia's famed Shirt Corner.
This is how I envision conversations in Philadelphia between an out-of-towner and a local.
"Where can I get a shirt in this DARN town?!"
"Why, shirt corner!"'
Then we made our way to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and Constitution of the U.S. were all signed.
Catherine observed how plain and stark the architecture is -- especially when compared to the grandeur of so many European capitals built before and after the founding of the colonies. Plain, stripped, functional, simple lines, barren of décor and inspired by the ideals of Greco-Roman philosophy, to serve as an aesthetic middle finger against the excesses of Europe.
Yet another Random Dude getting in one of my photos.
Corny, but the words of the Declaration are still some of the most inspiring today.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Not to get too soppy, but we really are so lucky to live in a country where these were the founding words of our nation's creators.
And lucky that so many people still consider it a worthy trip to make a visit to these sites.
Including me.
Then we took a little walk through Jeweler's Row.
Where I saw plenty of typography to make me happy.
We saw this building which was -- to our surprise -- built by Presbyterians. I had no idea they were into making things so lavish.
Another old building now occupied by a large American retailer. If I were going for a master's degree right now, here's the question I would attempt to answer: Will homogenisation save the American city? After all, who else can afford the rent?
We made our way back to the hotel. Some funky architecture along the way.
The other reason we'd made a trip to Philadelphia was to say congratulations to our friend Robby who was graduating from Drexel University. Catherine and I met his older brother, Jamey, at our ITC program in Barcelona; I later randomly met Robby through a mutual friend in Madrid and we figured out the connection.
In true college fashion, everyone did jello shots.
It was a fun night, made even more interesting by a spontaneous, midnight run to Atlantic City (Jamey and his wife's idea). I was rather bored but Catherine gave me $20 and I managed to win a bunch on the slots and blackjack, giving her some of my winnings and ending up with $100 or so. I am not a gambler, as the sight of people losing their money makes me start to feel queasy (not to mention the fact that losing my own makes me even more queasy -- and thus why I cashed in so quickly after winning a small amount). Anyway we made it back to Philadelphia around 5 am, slept til noon, then set out for brunch.
We ended up at this great restaurant, The Continental, where I snapped a photo of their cool interior.
Then it was a farewell to everyone and we set off back to Middletown, where we said hello to Catherine's family (who had congregated for Father's Day) and took the train back to Manhattan.
In an hour or so, Catherine announced that we approaching the Delaware, famed river of George Washington's crossing so many centuries ago, where he and the troops pushed back the British Army into DEFEAT. I cackled maniacally over this triumph in history and then took this photo of the bridge leading us into Philadelphia.
The Delaware River, exactly as it looked in Washington's time.
We got lost trying to find our hotel but ended up seeing this pretty building along the way.
After parking the car, we set off on foot to see some historic sites.
A Holocaust memorial.
I oohed and aahed over the expanse of sky.
Philadelphia is home of the Girl Scouts and this sign marks where the first cookies were sold.
The Salvation Army.
Our first piece of business was stuff ourselves with cheese steak goodness. The concierge recommended we head to an indoor market. I'd forgotten that Philadelphia was in Pennsylvania and thus close to the Pennsylvania Dutch country, a part of the world where many of my fine German ancestors made their way and settled to farm. This particular market was amazing and filled with so many delicious looking cheeses, canned fruits and vegetables, honey, sausages, cakes and, of course, cheese steak sandwiches.
Cute Mennonite girls. Catherine reprimanded me for snapping their photo -- apparently it's frowned upon. We also spotted my Mennonite doppelganger on our way out, so maybe I'll be forgiven by clearly sharing some strain of the gene pool.
We then got in line for cheesesteaks.
Thin slices of meat grilled to perfection ...
... then stuffed in a white roll with provolone cheese (although the real way you're supposed to do it is with Cheese Whiz), onions, mushrooms and peppers.
Or plain.
We kept spotting all sorts of people walking around dressed up like comic book characters and found out it was because a huge comic book convention was taking place.
Here's Supergirl, belle of the comic book ball.
Also this very cool motorcycle.
We walked through Philadelphia's "Chinatown" on our way to the historic district.
Saw this awesome bus shelter ad.
Passed a Federal Detention Center right in the center of town.
There's Independence Hall at the end of the green grassy lawn.
A Quaker meeting hall.
Ben Franklin's grave.
A narrow little house.
Another important Quaker building. Philadelphia was from its inception a place of religious tolerance which explains the abundance of different churches in the city.
We made our way to Betsy Ross's house, from which a Starbucks sits across the street in an old building.
A little performance was going on about sword fighting. I guess they were trying to mimic the accents of the Colonialists but it was rather painful to hear.
Random dude.
One of the things that surprised me about Philadelphia was how many buildings were vacated and boarded up. Considering that there can't be a single piece of unused property left in Manhattan, it struck me as somewhat sad that so much of Philadelphia looked rather abandoned. That being said, as we walked through the historic district, I was also impressed by the number of art galleries that now occupy the old, historic buildings. There seems to be some sense of revitalisation yet walking around a town that looks half-inhabited is a little bit sad.
Anyways, enough pontificating. Then we came upon Philadelphia's famed Shirt Corner.
This is how I envision conversations in Philadelphia between an out-of-towner and a local.
"Where can I get a shirt in this DARN town?!"
"Why, shirt corner!"'
Then we made our way to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and Constitution of the U.S. were all signed.
Catherine observed how plain and stark the architecture is -- especially when compared to the grandeur of so many European capitals built before and after the founding of the colonies. Plain, stripped, functional, simple lines, barren of décor and inspired by the ideals of Greco-Roman philosophy, to serve as an aesthetic middle finger against the excesses of Europe.
Yet another Random Dude getting in one of my photos.
Corny, but the words of the Declaration are still some of the most inspiring today.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Not to get too soppy, but we really are so lucky to live in a country where these were the founding words of our nation's creators.
And lucky that so many people still consider it a worthy trip to make a visit to these sites.
Including me.
Then we took a little walk through Jeweler's Row.
Where I saw plenty of typography to make me happy.
We saw this building which was -- to our surprise -- built by Presbyterians. I had no idea they were into making things so lavish.
Another old building now occupied by a large American retailer. If I were going for a master's degree right now, here's the question I would attempt to answer: Will homogenisation save the American city? After all, who else can afford the rent?
We made our way back to the hotel. Some funky architecture along the way.
The other reason we'd made a trip to Philadelphia was to say congratulations to our friend Robby who was graduating from Drexel University. Catherine and I met his older brother, Jamey, at our ITC program in Barcelona; I later randomly met Robby through a mutual friend in Madrid and we figured out the connection.
In true college fashion, everyone did jello shots.
It was a fun night, made even more interesting by a spontaneous, midnight run to Atlantic City (Jamey and his wife's idea). I was rather bored but Catherine gave me $20 and I managed to win a bunch on the slots and blackjack, giving her some of my winnings and ending up with $100 or so. I am not a gambler, as the sight of people losing their money makes me start to feel queasy (not to mention the fact that losing my own makes me even more queasy -- and thus why I cashed in so quickly after winning a small amount). Anyway we made it back to Philadelphia around 5 am, slept til noon, then set out for brunch.
We ended up at this great restaurant, The Continental, where I snapped a photo of their cool interior.
Then it was a farewell to everyone and we set off back to Middletown, where we said hello to Catherine's family (who had congregated for Father's Day) and took the train back to Manhattan.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
Best Weekend(s) Ever
Before this weekend kicks off, I thought I'd take a moment to collect my thoughts about the tremendous fun I've been having over the past two weekends. Mostly because two of my all-time favourite people passed through New York, the first being Gina with her lovely French husband, David, and David's sister and husband. I met them for a drink near their hotel on a Thursday night, then Friday we met up at Lucky Cheng's (pictures to come). I first heard of Lucky Cheng's when I was in high school and visiting New York on a weekend break from high school. At the time, the lower East side was still kind of dicey, and I remember my friend Asha's sister's neighbourhood (on Avenue A and 7th or so) being filled with sketchy looking bikers, punks, and drug addicts -- not exactly what it looks like today. When I first heard of Lucky Cheng's (this being about 1995 ot 1996), it was this super cool drag queen bar that Asha's sister believed we might be able to be served alcohol in ... and I remember four of us girls going to the front entrance but being too scared to go in. (Not scared of drag queens -- scared of being carded.) A lot has changed since 1995 and I think the crowd at Lucky Cheng's is no longer a destination of the hip and hipper but rather of every bachelorette party from Jersey and beyond. The good news is that I now never need a bachelorette party. The bad was everything else. (Actually, I shouldn't say that because the night was really fun and getting to see Gina and all the Frenchies was super fun. But it was definitely a one-time experience.) The most horrific part of the night was watching five brides and bridesmaids taken on stage and forced to demonstrate, um, their "skills" on a banana. I don't know if I felt worse for the girls or the bananas. The first four were pretty embarrassed to be thrust in the spotlight while being photographed by all their best "friends" forever, but the fifth stepped to the centre of the stage and gave a performance that I can only describe as "tip worthy." She put on quite a show which suggested at least some participation in an amateur night or ten at her local strip joint, if not being a full-fledged card-carrying member of the Exotic Dancers League of Greater New York.
Gina and Jean-Luc, unaware of what trauma will come.
Isabelle and David.
Ah, beautiful French people.
The mayhem begins.
For boys who like girls who like girls who like boys, etc., etc., etc.
No, you're not there for the food. Not like you're in the mood to eat it anyways.
After the fun at Lucky Cheng's, we digested what we could of our meals and headed to the Back Room and Schiller's for a few drinks, then said adieu. The next day I met Gina at the Natural History Museum and we had a glass of wine at a nearby bar on the Upper West Side.
Football playing during a light rain in Central Park. *AH*
Me and Gina.
That night I ventured down to Brooklyn for a house party in which the highlight of the evening was playing an '80s trivia game and dancing around to Hall & Oates. Oh, Brooklyn. You don't need no $15 cocktail and red velvet rope to have fun now do you.
I had to work Sunday, then went over to my aunt's friend's apartment for dinner. A really amazing experience -- a view of Central Park from one of the windows, interesting art everywhere, and a really captivating crowd of eclectic, interesting people.
Here's the view from work, by the way. I think it's my favourite view in New York.
The next week flew by, and my super good friend Dave Downs breezed into town, staying at our friend Curtis' place. They came over to Catherine's on Wednesday for some television-watching, then Friday we met up in the East Village for plenty of beer drinking, including the dive bar where our friend Nick Robertson's brother bartended for a decade.
D2.
Curtis.
Jeneen.
The next day, I met my friend Ellie at the Met and we took in the current exhibition on Poiret. Then we sauntered through the park (I ate yet another hot dog, I think I have a growing addiction to Central Park hot dogs ... I don't know what my problem is!) and had a coffee at a cafe near the zoo before going to her friends' apartment on the Upper West Side. They prepared us a really lovely meal of homemade pasta, salad and strawberry shortcake (mmmmmmmmmm!!!!). We left just as Saturday Night Live came on and headed down to Hotel Gansevoort to meet up with Dave, Curtis and Curtis' girlfriend, Jeneen. Hotel Gansevoort is not exactly my scene -- I don't really love lame, pretentious places that totally overcharge simply for the 'experience' of hanging out in their den of lame people -- but we made the best of it and had the most fun.
Tree in Central Park.
Ellie takes in the late afternoon sunshine.
At the Hotel Gansevoort ...
... impressing the ladies with technology.
Oh yeah, and it was Fleet Week. Sailors everywhere.
Sunday I hung out at my apartment for most of the day, then Cristina came over for a little bit of wine and we went to Soho, first to Bar Martinelli, then Felix, where we met an interesting group of Turks who'd met up in New York for the weekend. Then Dave joined me and we headed to Plan B for their weekly drum & bass night. We arrived, only to discover that the deejay was opting for hip hop instead.
"What the eff?" we asked the bartender. "Where's the drum & bass?"
He explained that a private party had booked the venue and wanted to hear hip hop instead. I discussed matters with the deejay and he slowly mixed in some drum & bass to the hip hop he was playing, and Dave and I, through sheer enthusiasm (and maybe the smallest amount of alcohol), managed to get the party started. Whooooooooo!
Sunday, I joined Dave, Curtis, and Jeneen and we went to a backyard BBQ in Long Island City. The front of the house was unassuming, but the backyard was one of the most amazing sights I've yet to behold in New York. Every last little bit cultivated with plants, trees, bushes, down to the koi pond, fish-shaped marble table, and deck. We spent several hours there, eating turkey burgers and guacamole, washing it down with summer ale, and being grateful for Memorial Day.
This past week has been great -- saw the SF Giants pathetically beaten by the Mets on Tuesday, much to my ire, and went to a work party last night. Photos of the past few weeks to come, more to be taken this weekend. Life is awesome!
Gina and Jean-Luc, unaware of what trauma will come.
Isabelle and David.
Ah, beautiful French people.
The mayhem begins.
For boys who like girls who like girls who like boys, etc., etc., etc.
No, you're not there for the food. Not like you're in the mood to eat it anyways.
After the fun at Lucky Cheng's, we digested what we could of our meals and headed to the Back Room and Schiller's for a few drinks, then said adieu. The next day I met Gina at the Natural History Museum and we had a glass of wine at a nearby bar on the Upper West Side.
Football playing during a light rain in Central Park. *AH*
Me and Gina.
That night I ventured down to Brooklyn for a house party in which the highlight of the evening was playing an '80s trivia game and dancing around to Hall & Oates. Oh, Brooklyn. You don't need no $15 cocktail and red velvet rope to have fun now do you.
I had to work Sunday, then went over to my aunt's friend's apartment for dinner. A really amazing experience -- a view of Central Park from one of the windows, interesting art everywhere, and a really captivating crowd of eclectic, interesting people.
Here's the view from work, by the way. I think it's my favourite view in New York.
The next week flew by, and my super good friend Dave Downs breezed into town, staying at our friend Curtis' place. They came over to Catherine's on Wednesday for some television-watching, then Friday we met up in the East Village for plenty of beer drinking, including the dive bar where our friend Nick Robertson's brother bartended for a decade.
D2.
Curtis.
Jeneen.
The next day, I met my friend Ellie at the Met and we took in the current exhibition on Poiret. Then we sauntered through the park (I ate yet another hot dog, I think I have a growing addiction to Central Park hot dogs ... I don't know what my problem is!) and had a coffee at a cafe near the zoo before going to her friends' apartment on the Upper West Side. They prepared us a really lovely meal of homemade pasta, salad and strawberry shortcake (mmmmmmmmmm!!!!). We left just as Saturday Night Live came on and headed down to Hotel Gansevoort to meet up with Dave, Curtis and Curtis' girlfriend, Jeneen. Hotel Gansevoort is not exactly my scene -- I don't really love lame, pretentious places that totally overcharge simply for the 'experience' of hanging out in their den of lame people -- but we made the best of it and had the most fun.
Tree in Central Park.
Ellie takes in the late afternoon sunshine.
At the Hotel Gansevoort ...
... impressing the ladies with technology.
Oh yeah, and it was Fleet Week. Sailors everywhere.
Sunday I hung out at my apartment for most of the day, then Cristina came over for a little bit of wine and we went to Soho, first to Bar Martinelli, then Felix, where we met an interesting group of Turks who'd met up in New York for the weekend. Then Dave joined me and we headed to Plan B for their weekly drum & bass night. We arrived, only to discover that the deejay was opting for hip hop instead.
"What the eff?" we asked the bartender. "Where's the drum & bass?"
He explained that a private party had booked the venue and wanted to hear hip hop instead. I discussed matters with the deejay and he slowly mixed in some drum & bass to the hip hop he was playing, and Dave and I, through sheer enthusiasm (and maybe the smallest amount of alcohol), managed to get the party started. Whooooooooo!
Sunday, I joined Dave, Curtis, and Jeneen and we went to a backyard BBQ in Long Island City. The front of the house was unassuming, but the backyard was one of the most amazing sights I've yet to behold in New York. Every last little bit cultivated with plants, trees, bushes, down to the koi pond, fish-shaped marble table, and deck. We spent several hours there, eating turkey burgers and guacamole, washing it down with summer ale, and being grateful for Memorial Day.
This past week has been great -- saw the SF Giants pathetically beaten by the Mets on Tuesday, much to my ire, and went to a work party last night. Photos of the past few weeks to come, more to be taken this weekend. Life is awesome!
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