2 DO

for the next two months, life is REALLY going to suck. academically I do not believe I have ever had so much on my plate, pressure that is. this is the last stretch before grad school, if I get accepted. getting accepted is lastly conditional on:

-how I do on my general GRE october 13th
-my research grant proposal due october 22nd (please SSHRC give me $17 500)
-how I do on my subject GRE november 13th
-not screwing up my full-time course load this semester (maintain high GPA)

I may explode. I also apologize to any and all friendships I am currently neglecting.

making a second appearance

gizmo had a little something to say. see his first appearance here.

so this happened

I was downtown around 10am yesterday and this was happening. a huge chunk of ste-catherine street was blocked off, as they were laying down grass.  then the benches and trees came, alongside giant speakers playing the sounds of birds. people were doing yoga on the grass. it was interesting. apparently David Suzuki was in town. 

Staci

"Staci Kufsky, Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 2010.
Volunteer working as an aid and careworker for a clinic that does home based care visits for patients in critical condition with HIV/AIDS."

end of summer vacay: hamptons and nyc

spent most of our time kickin' it at the beach, since after all it is the backyard. this is a photo of emma flying a kite; an old bud of Adrian's who's company I enjoyed very much. 

the kite, in mini, top right. that thing went up as high as the planes, as emma proclaimed "... he payed $400 for this contraption." 

spent a day in montauk, did some boating and good food eating. this dish was the best: grilled shrimp tacos garnished with mango, pineapple and red pepper. watermelon drink on the side. 

we went scavenging in Adrian's basement on the rainy day of the hurricane. no one goes down there, to my disbelief; it is filled treasures, literally. for example this 1869 unopened bottle of Bual we found. cabinets full of personal letters, photographs and document of Sara and Gerald Murphy (see last post). old Louis Vuitton luggage personalized to Gerald Murphy. all sorts of nick-nacks, really. 

we also attempted scavenging the garage, but there is just so much in there it is near impossible to get around. it is similarly filled with treasures beyond belief, a couple of which Adrian's mom was kind enough to pass onto me: an antique lamp and candle holder, both lovely additions to my bedroom. in there are antiques from the 1920s that would make any collector pull their hair out if they knew them to just be sitting around in a basement or garage: bureaus, tables, lamps, a Louis Vuitton wardrobe, picture frames, mirrors... sigh. 

following photos I took the liberty of taking in their lovely home: 

 

every single room in this house has breathtaking charm. with a constant breeze and sounds of waves roaring from the ocean, it is safe to say it is one of the most delightful places I have ever set foot. 

speaking of delights, Adrian's mother threw him a small belated birthday bash. very sweet, both the festivities and cake. 

my favorite: but a wee little Adrian. literally a poster child, he was aired on two tv segments in childhood: making fake snot with the author of a children's science book, and playing on the beach with nurf guns.

  the tale of hurricane earl: so while we were in east hampton, we had one day of bad weather. there was a hurricane on the atlantic that did not hit us directly, however did stir up some serious waves at the very least. we went out venturing, and most definitely payed the consequences; at least I know I did. about a half hour walk on the beach brought us to a point where these large rocks you see above are found. all was fun until one of those giant waves wiped me out, fully clothed, dSLR in hand. I was tumbled around the rocks, swirled in sand by the under-toe, and came back out fully drenched, without shoes, covered in heavy sand, and bleeding. the storm starting to kick-in at that point, and we had to run back, twister-style, to safety. the waves were then up to the dunes, and I had to run bare foot in them until we reached Adrian's house. I was in shock throughout the whole process to say the least, but in the end it was the perfect adrenaline rush and made for a highlight of our trip. the camera in is reparation as we speak, fingers crossed.

these photos are from our two day mid-week trip to nyc: 

we stayed with a friend of Adrian's who has an incredible loft right in the middle of SoHo. I would post pictures, but do not want to be too invasive. I have settled for this one window shot I could not resist, a view from the outside hallway. 

taking the subway was also interesting, different than our metro system here in mtl. more scary and complicated.  

shopping! a central part of our trip. 

the guggenheim is by far the most interesting building I have ever been in. with no stairs, this circular spectacle was quite the site to say the very least. I wish I could have taken pictures of the view from the top, but cameras were not aloud. up on the columns "dust to dust, ashes to ashes, earth to earth". 

"you will either fail, 

or you will find a way to succeed" 

got a couple tattoos. like them a lot. 

finished it off with a pic-nic in central park. 

I wish I could have taken pictures of every single moment, both in east hampton and nyc. the trip was absolutely fabulous. I met some more of Adrian's old friends, we had wonderful meals every single day, and spent tons of time at the beach. on our last night, we sat and watched fireworks by the ocean to a clear starry sky; followed by a fire, brews and friends on the beach. 

then we were off on the ferry the next day, homeward bound. 

a big thank you to Laura (Adrian's mom) for her generous hospitality. 

Adrian's great grandparents

Fun fact: Adrian's great grandparents Gerald and Sara Murphy (also see The New Yorker and Wikipedia) were a pretty big deal back in the 1920s. Gerald Murphy is still known to this day for his art, which is featured all over the world including currently at the MOMA in NYC. Socialites of their time, they were friends with Picasso, Hemingway and Fitzgerald; to name but a few. Picasso, so fond of Sara, painted her in his work. 

Some of Gerald Murphy's art:

Watch, 1925

Doves, 1925

Wasp and Pear, 1929

The stylish couple themselves:

Cap d'Antibes, 1923

Their East Hampton home:

Though this house has now since been burned down, the smaller house you see in the background to the right which served as the servant quarters still stands. The smaller house more formally serves as Adrian's home, where his mother Laura Donelly (recently mentioned in the August issue of Vanity Fair for her delightful talents as chef) still resides. Not distinguishable in this photo, this property is on an ocean front.

A painting of Sara by Picasso:

Femme assise en bleu et rose, 1923

Also see biographical works: 

wknd getaway

working at the ymca has brought many good things, and mostly people; to my life. John and his sister Jenny were ever so kind to have us come stay up at their cottage. all of those there had one thing in common: we have all worked or are still working at the y. I could never express how grateful I am to know such incredible people, and spend such beautiful summers. 

first it must be said we were the best car to drive up. Staci, Chris, Brody (though you cannot see him here, he is sitting on Staci's lap), and myself played some pretty radical car games and listened to all the coolest (not limited to latest) tunes. 

'lots of great food!

the cutest ladies!

(oh, there is Brody, also cute

... or as Ryan would say "perrrrfect")

reverse-jenga drinking game

everything about this was the best.