Santacon in the 'hood

So, NYC has this annual Santa pub crawl called Santacon. It's been going on for years, and it's pretty unforgettable if you bump into the Santas on their crawl (imagine getting onto a subway car full of people in Santa outfits). I can only imagine what children think when they see the (often drunk) Santas bumming around town and being rowdy, but as an adult I think it's pretty funny.

This morning at about 11:30, I heard some loud caroling from the street and peered out the window. This is what I saw:I grabbed my camera and went down to the sidewalk. There were Santas everywhere. All genders, all shapes and sizes, in any variation of a Santa outfit imaginable, all walking towards the Brooklyn Museum steps. Some of them were handing out candy canes or presents to children. I asked two of them where they were going, and was told, "I have no idea!!!"

Two overwhelmed little girls were standing with their father on the steps next to me and got all sorts of goodies from the Santas. Their father was a little nervous about letting them open the presents they'd been handed, however. At one point a group of Santas asked the girls if they wanted "a picture with Santa," and then had me take a group photo of the two timid girls with about 5 Santas. (out of respect for the children's privacy, I'm not publishing the photo here.) It was like Halloween in reverse. (Maybe I'd like Christmas more if it were more like Halloween??)Do you think that guy on the left is an angel, or a character from Star Wars?

Labor Day weekend

I feel like we have been bracing all summer for this weekend. For most people in this country (and even this city and borough) Labor Day is about the end of summer, BBQs and a day off.But in this neighborhood, it's about the West Indian Day Parade, which is tomorrow.

The police set up barricades along our street this morning, and by mid-afternoon the vendors had already started arriving. And cooking. And selling their food.

I think the food is the best part of this parade, especially in this take out starved neighborhood. Tomorrow I'll be able to go out and buy roti and curried goat and fried fish and lassi. And it will all be just a few steps from our front door, and completely delicious.Christopher and I went on a walk this afternoon, knowing that tomorrow we'll be basically trapped indoors. Which is alright. We have a lot of work to do in here. The main issue will be the noise. It's a very loud parade (think flat bed trucks with 12' speakers covering the back, blasting as loud as possible.)

And the fun starts tonight with J'Ouvert, the kick off steel drum dance party down at Grand Army Plaza. That goes from 2am-10am (no, that is not a typo), and those going to the parade (ie the steel drum bands) like to play on their way there, as they walk down our street. At 4am.

We are prepared, and have ear plugs. I hope we can sleep through the night!

-

In other news, I am wearing maternity pants for the first time today. They are a little loose, but so comfortable. Smudge seems to have gone through a growth spurt this week, making everything I own a little tight.
I think I need to go shopping.

spring is here!

We spent about an hour yesterday at the Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom) Festival at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. We live more or less across the street from the Garden, and have a membership, which meant we were able to avoid the huge lines.

This was the line at just one of the many entrances.

It was supposed to rain all day, but it was actually very sunny and comfortable.I don't know a lot about the festival, or about Japanese culture really, but it was fun to just walk around and see whatever was going on. People (of all races, though also of a certain generation) were in costumes. And not just kimonos. It was a little like Halloween or something.I had a lot of fun playing with my camera and taking pictures of people and of the plants. Everything seemed to be in bloom. And other people were taking pictures too. By the time we reach April (or May!) we're all ready to spend some time outside and in the sun. Of course today it is raining. Maybe I have to actually finish the furniture moving project I started a month ago...

-

I promise to update soon with some new knitting projects. The problem is that I'm in a button rut. Anyone know where to get some large, affordable (but pretty) orange buttons? I went to M&J and didn't find what I was looking for. And I can't get over how expensive they are-- how can can I justify spending more than the yarn cost on buttons?

why I love living where I do

well, if you have to live in New York, that is...

change

I can't really put into words how relieved I am with the results of the election. To be honest, I'm still a little numb.

At 11pm last night, watching a hoarse Jim Lehrer on PBS, we learned that California had gone to Obama and that therefore the election was being called in his favor. Almost immediately the screaming started, sounds of celebration from our neighbors. I opened the window and leaned out, watching cars honk at small groups of revelers. It was eerily like New Year's Eve, along with firecrackers and what might have been gunshots.

I don't have any photos. To be honest there wasn't much to see where we live; it was all auditory. But in Fort Greene, a neighborhood not far from us, the streets apparently filled with celebrants. Check out the photos on this blog. I especially like the one of people mobbing the bus.

I just found this video too, from Raulism on YouTube... Dare I compare this with the Phillies winning the World Series? Two miracles in two weeks? What can possibly come next?

in the mix

So I actually went down and got some roti, and I took some photos. The crowd felt very warm and welcoming, and one woman offered to hold my place in the roti line so I could sample some pumpkin bread pudding.
This is the roti stand. Roti is sort of like a burrito but with curried stuff inside. I bought one chicken and one goat, and they were delicious though also rather spicy and full of bones.
These guys were also in line for roti. I couldn't get over their glittery heads. Isn't that awesome? (OK, I think it was probably better in person)
Doesn't this girl just look so proud of herself? I can see why!
This guy was just amazing. I think his costume is a praying mantis. It would sort of swivel this way and that above him.

parade update

Well, I must say the earplugs really helped us get through last night. I mean, we were definitely aware when a steel drum band was passing by (I think the first one came at around 2:30am) but it didn't have us up and annoyed the way it did last year.

Of course, the parade itself it really invasive and loud. I've been trying to work on my model, and the bass from the speakers outside just makes it really hard to concentrate, even with earplugs. And it's not even worth trying to turn on the radio or listen to the iPod. It looks rather busy outside; we've reached the point where there are just trucks inching by, covered with speakers and blasting music.I think I might venture out and see if there's any tasty food to be had... Should I leave the earplugs in?

parade preparation

My father asked me this afternoon if I'm planning to blog about Carnival this year. For those of you who don't live within a few blocks of where I do, you may not be aware of the West Indian American Day Parade, which occurs on our street annually on Labor Day.

Last year I was pretty psyched about it. This year I really wish I didn't have to deal with it. Part of this is because I have to rise very early on Tuesday to go to Cape Cod, and I have a lot of work to do before I leave. Part of this is because Christopher is still pretty wary of crowds, and so I know that we'll be spending tomorrow indoors. And the biggest part is I think I don't want to deal with the noise.

Last year, you may remember, we were kept awake by the steel bands playing on their way to J'Ouvert, a dance party-parade which starts at 2am the night before the parade at Grand Army Plaza. We're anticipating another night like that tonight, and I've bought us some ear plugs, which will hopefully help us sleep. Tomorrow we may still be wearing them, as the semi trucks with 12'+ high speakers blast their way down the parade route and past our apartment building.One more thing: I think it's really weird that white people don't know about this parade, which draws over a million people annually. Of course, it's really geared towards the Caribbean community. But it's also a weekend-long event that celebrates a vibrant culture, and there is delicious food and great music to boot. Is it that the organizers don't want to integrate it? or is it that the white folks don't want to mix?

summer in New York

From where I'm sitting now-- a room on the 6th floor of an apartment building in Brooklyn-- I can hear live jazz. This is one of the things I love about living near a cultural institution: there are always things going on, most of them behind the trees but within hearing or smelling distance. Last spring the smell of lilacs wafted over from the Botanical Garden. Tonight it's jazz. My own personal concert.

This summer, it seems that everyone I know is having babies. Though I have yet to meet any of them, there are three (3!) new babies in my life since June 24. Another is due in August. Talk about pressure! I've already discussed the first baby, my nephew Alden, who will someday receive the Buncha Squares Blanket. It's now pieced together and I'm weaving in ends. And then I'll attempt an i-cord edging. Stay tuned.

The second baby, Alexander, belongs to Christopher's cousin. We will meet him in August when we go to Maine. I haven't yet made anything for him. Ideas? (I take suggestions and requests. Hint hint!)

The third baby, Ellery, belongs to my college friend Faye. Faye lives in New York and is the first of my closer friends to have a baby here. Her baby shower was on June 28, and I made a baby tank top for her, since they had been contemplating moving to Texas and I didn't want to risk making something the baby couldn't wear.

I chose Evita, a pattern I found on Ravelry, and used some Brown Sheep Cotton Fine from my stash (yeah, stash buster!) I'm actually not so crazy about pink on a baby girl (too cliche) but perk of using stash yarn outweighed that. The pattern was great, though I had some trouble understanding the lace pattern. The first 2 repeats of it on the bottom were kind of a muddle, so I emailed Sarah (who had just finished the same tank) and she helped me straightened it out. On the other side I tried to make it look similar. I don't think Faye noticed.
One thing I'm not crazy about with this tank is how uneven the stockinette stitch is. I really want to blame it on the yarn (which is 80% cotton and totally unforgiving). I also really want to like this yarn, since it comes in such great colors and is affordable and would be great for more baby things.

And baby number four... I actually made a pair of Elizabeth Zimmernan longies for her back in April, but they are enormous and would probably fit a 2 year old. So I'm regrouping, also with baby pants in mind. A different color, a different pattern... once I get the blanket done I can start on that.

PS. I forgot to mention that I joined the Tour de Fleece. I actually haven't started the challenge yet, which is why it hasn't come up. My goal is to spin the Shetland fleece that Tomo and I dyed back in May. It should be simple, but I have been having so much trouble finding time to spin recently that I kept my goal small.

Knitting in Public

Today is World Wide Knitting in Public Day (aka WWKIP Day). Around the world, groups of people are getting together to knit in public places.

The group I knit with coordinated with some other local Brooklyn knitting circles and organized a get together on the steps of the Brooklyn Museum. We thought it'd be a great place to get noticed, to show people that knitters aren't all little old grandmothers. What we didn't anticipate was the heat, and the fact that we wouldn't actually get that much notice because, well, who wants to go outside in weather like this? Somehow we also didn't think much about the fact that our location didn't have much shade.Some of us huddled next to granite wall, where there was a little shade from the trees and the wall itself. Apparently the wall was also very cool. This woman on the left was very smart and brought a fan.

One highlight of the afternoon, aside from knitting with other knitterly people, was meeting MissMildred, who sometimes leaves comments on this blog. She lives around the corner from us, and also makes lovely knitted things. It was pretty cool meeting her in real life!As the afternoon wore on, the sun moved west and our shade went away. By then the whole group had moved along the wall. It wasn't the best way to get to know people, since my back was to half of them, but I enjoyed the little group near me. I was working on (a very sweaty) square for a Buncha Squares blanket, which I'm making for my sister-in-law's new baby. She is having a c-section on June 24, so time is a wasting. I think it's safe to post a photo of the blanket here, as (as far as I know) she doesn't read this blog. There are two white yarns on the border of each square, and I've run out of the off-white one. I went back to the store to buy another ball, but the color was a little pinker than what I had before. Someone on Ravelry agreed to sell me a ball in the right dye lot, so I'm waiting for that to come in so I can finish. In the meantime I'll make the center parts of the squares, and add the paler white to an edge or two.

Happy WWKIP Day!

ETA: if you are interested in hearing more about the WWKIP day at the Brooklyn Museum, here are some links (with photos of me, though it appears that I did very little knitting and lots more chatting)

strangeness

We received a phone call very early this morning, at 8am. Everyone knows that if you live in New York and don't have children, Sunday before 11am is off limits. You don't even make plans for brunch before 1pm.

It was the Food Coop. A man on the end of the line asked when we were going to come pick up Christopher's backpack, which has been there for several weeks. I had no idea what he was talking about. Christopher's backpack was stolen when he was mugged nearly 4 weeks ago, and we haven't given it much thought since then. Apparently it's been at the Coop, of all places, sitting in the office waiting for us to pick it up.

Frankly, it's a little disconcerting. As far as we were concerned, the backpack was gone forever, along with Christopher's glasses and grading sheet. The man at the Coop said that someone had found it between some cars near the Coop and brought it in, thinking that perhaps a Coop member had left it next to their car while loading up their groceries. It's really nice to think that there are honest people who make the effort to reconnect belongings with their owners. It's just strange to think that something that I associate with pain and sadness has been sitting in a place that I consider a haven of sorts.

I told the man that I'd come get it in the next week, and he sounded irritated. He said that was what he was told last time he called us, and didn't seem to believe it when I told him that this was the first we'd heard of the backpack's whereabouts.

a very late winter white

It finally snowed here in New York! I woke up this morning to the sounds of snowploughs and this:
It has of course now turned to rain. But it brought joy while it lasted.

White winter view

This is the view from our living room window. I took this photograph last February. Last summer, while visiting Christopher's grandparents in Maine, his grandmother mentioned our balcony. In fact, she kept talking about our balcony. We weren't sure what she was talking about, as we have no balcony. Then I remembered that I'd sent her this photo, which includes part of our fire escape.

Edited to add: I recommend checking out the other participants in this winter wonderland week. You can find a list of them here. (You might need to scroll down.)

Edited again to add: Mary Jane asked what else I see out the window. Other than the trees and street, if I actually stick my head out and peer I can see an art museum. We can see the Verrazano Bridge far, far away. And we see a line of airplanes flying towards and over us into LaGuardia airport.

Here's a less white photo of the view (though it was snowing, so maybe it still counts towards the winter whites??)

Happy New Year!

We had a very low key New Year's Eve last night. Our activites included seeing Sweeney Todd, an Austrian dinner at Cafe Steinhof and then fireworks in Prospect Park.

It was rather perfect, in my opinion. We didn't have to pretend that we were excited for the New Year. We didn't get drunk. We just enjoyed each other's company and where we were at each moment. And it was fun to feel like we were part of a larger party, celebrating with everyone around us. By the time we left the restaurant they were passing out handfuls of mini champagne poppers and wacky flashing lights, and everyone was very merry. And walking up to the park I felt a little as if we were part of a greater event, since we were joined by hundreds of other people headed to exactly the same place.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos (it was dark!), but it was quite incredible to watch the fireworks through the trees. Check out this photo of it here.

holiday spirit

We got our Christmas tree yesterday. For some reason, this seems like a huge accomplishment, perhaps because we've been talking about it and scouting out sellers for over a week. Christmas trees in New York are expensive, and we were balancing the wish for a tree against the need to not spend a pocketful of money.

Yesterday we looked at trees at the Greenmarket and on Flatbush Ave before we found a small seller near 7th Ave in Park Slope. He had decent trees and nothing was over $65. We found one we liked, paid for it and left it there while we continued shopping in the area. A few hours later we came back and carried it home. Our tree is about 5 feet tall, which is at least a foot taller than any tree I've ever had on my own. Christopher mounted it on its stand and I put a strand of lights on it. It is bare. We haven't decorated it, but the 6 or so ornaments that are in the box will go on quickly and I'm afraid will seem meager. Rather than go out and buy a bunch of ornaments, I've decided that it would mean more if we (I) made some. A string of popcorn or cranberries will perk it up, and I'm thinking that some Korknisse would also be welcome and quick. Elizabeth Zimmerman also has a pattern for knitted stars. I went through my boxes of yarn this morning and pulled out all of the little remnants and sorted them into piles by weight. I didn't realize that I had so many little bits of yarn and I feel a little overwhelmed by them all. But oh, perfect for some Korknisse and stars, don't you think?

autumn

is it me, or are the leaves slower at changing color this year? It's almost December and so many trees still have their leaves, and some of the leaves are actually green. We are so lucky to have these colorful trees right down the street from us.
(yes, I am procrastinating. It's 2:30 and I still haven't started cooking!)

a fall day

We had a long walk this afternoon in Prospect Park. The weather was gorgeous and the air brisk. We discovered the Audubon Center, which I'd seen from afar but never entered. It was full of children in their Halloween costumes as well as nature displays. A ranger was talking about the great horned owl which was perching on her arm.

It's exciting to me that we live so close to something so wonderful.

what I do

The play that I am currently working on is about two homeless people on a subway platform. They are visited by the Angel of Death. We need magic on stage. Making this magic happen has been stressing me out a little. I've dreamed big and now I need to make it happen.

This weekend is the last weekend before we load the set into the theater. Today and tomorrow we are building and painting the set. That is, a carpenter is building it and I am painting it. Monday we go into the theater, Tuesday we play with lights and cues and such, Wednesday we have a dress rehearsal with an audience, and Thursday we open. A lot has to happen between now and Monday. Our carpenter, aka our TD, is building the set in a storage space in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I went out there today to paint it. There was a mix up in the lumber order and a lot hasn't been built yet. In any case, I spent some very pleasant hours on the roof of the storage space, priming the walls that had been built and enjoying the view. The weather was also perfect and windy. I felt a little like I was on a boat (except that I was on a rooftop).
I'll spend the day there tomorrow, making those walls look like subway walls. Wish me luck!

abstractions

I am currently working on a design for a set that takes place in a subway station in New York. But it's not that simple. The play is about the dreams of 2 homeless people who live on the platform, and the set transforms as their imaginations shift. It's a lot of fun to design and very different from what I've done in the past.

Perhaps because my daily life involves the subway, at least 2 platforms per day, I have been looking very closely at what is around me.

Here are two unusual things I've seen in the past 24 hours:

A beet that was shaped like a heart. It looks even weirder on the cutting board.

And a Philadelphia SEPTA trolley beached in a parking lot in Brooklyn. Seeing this is a sort of blast from the past, as they were all over the place when I was growing up.

Maybe our lives are chock full of things like this, but we forget to notice them.

a video

Here's something new: I have uploaded a video. I don't actually have a video camera, but my digital has a low quality video option, and I used it to make a little video of the action outside. Unfortunately the sound isn't so great, but you can at least see some of the action.



It's not as crowded as it usually is, apparently. Near the barriers, in the full sun, I stood next to a wonderful and chatty 75 year old Jamaican woman (in the video you can see the card she was fanning herself with; I wish I'd gotten a picture of her). We watched the parade together and she filled me in on what was going on. I learned all about her trips to the Caribbean, her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her garden, her diabetes. She even talked a little about the recent integration of this neighborhood, which made me a little nervous. Clearly it made her uncomfortable too but before we changed the subject we agreed that living together in harmony was better than living apart, that we can all learn from each other.

Anyway, I'm not planning to go out again. The music comes in though; there's no escaping the bass...

(A post script: in researching the Parade I stumbled across this blog, which has some beautiful photos of it and of J'Ouvert. If you are interested in the parade I recommend checking it out.)