Ho, Ho, Home

Here it comes, the Christmas blog post. There are still plenty of games to be played, mountains to be snowshoed (if we could get some snow), and more family on the way, but here's the first week of Christmasness.

We went hiking with Michael's parents and the pups. It felt amazing to get out of the inversion for a little while. Personally, I think the inversion (or what the weather men euphemistically call "Haze")is the worst part about Utah. I was embarrassed when I flew in from New York, because I was sitting next to a guy from the South who'd never been to Salt Lake before. I was feeling sort of ambassadorial and telling him about the lights downtown and Park City's Main Street, the snow (I even mentioned the Winter Olympics which means the department of tourism should probably hire me)...and then we flew into a giant bog. I think I need to hire Yoda to Jedi the city out of the scummy swamp that is the inversion. See:

At least it's gone now. Get away, scum.

Moose looks fine, but Michael really flopped on this one. 

If you look closely you can see a Moose Dog wobbling around.

We fetched the tree, and decorated it. 

This tree selection might be a bit staged, since we all know Laura didn't really help carry the tree. Neither did I, but...

 We also decorated the dogs.

I took Michael out for his birthday. Those poor people with December birthdays have to share the spotlight with Christmas trees and such (and poor people who date people who were born in December and therefore have to come up with two presents in two weeks).

We went on another hike with my Dad and Michael's mom on Christmas Eve. Moose...struggled. He got lost a bit on the trail, which caused Michael to have a mild panic attack and start running up a mountain. He also totally embarrassed himself in front of Rusty and the Charlie, a dog we're babysitting, by facing the wrong way in the car. Hey, Moose, over here!

Don't Charlie and Rusty look disgusted?

I love winter hiking, with our trusty Rusty scouting out the way. In this picture Rusty is thinking, "Well, Moose is lost again. Can we please keep going up the trail." I'm realizing how much of my blog is now devoted to dogs and doggly activities. Hmmm, maybe I should just start Rusty his own blog. "Today I taught Moose how to check for ticks and stole a Cheeto from under the couch. xoxo -Rusty"

Christmas was great we opened presents, and visited all our families. We even got to Skype with Michael's little brother who's in England on an LDS mission. He's been gone for about five months, but he has an accent now. We spent the first few minutes of the phone call giggling at his "posh" new way of speaking. The people he was with kept laughing whenever he said "pants" instead of "trousers" since pants means underwear. Can't wait till he gets home, so we can make him say things like "Happy Christmas, Harry" and "I say, governor! Bang up job, that."

My parents got watches and then turned into fabulous watch models.  

 

 Moose got a studly new backpack. He ran right over to show Dad and Grandma Becky.

I got Michael a tennis racket, and he turned into a creative way to block other people out of pictures. Apparently Becky got replaced by Wilson. He got me a GPS, which is really a "let's not fight when we're lost in the car" present.

Laura got scarfed.

Tonight we went down to see the lights at Temple Square. My Aunt Barb and Uncle Dean hadn't been in a long time and Michael's family came too.

 I would like to point out what an extreme accomplishment it is to have a picture with no people in it. You'd need an solid offensive line blocking for you to accomplish that in a more popular spot.

Don't worry, he didn't propose, although bachelors were dropping like flies all around us.

Well, hope all your holidays are going well. I'm just happy that my break isn't over yet--I'm off to obliterate Michael even with his new tennis racket.

Jazz Hands

I just spent a week grapevine-ing down Madison Avenue singing "New York, New York" while a crowd followed. I spent most of my time in East Hampton at the artist's studio and museums (which is right where I wanted to be) but  I did these things in my spare time:
-drugs
-got kissed at the top of the Empire State Building at midnight on Valentine's Day
-ran through Central Park like Pheobe
-swam in the East River
-bought some fabric at Mood that really impressed Nina and Heidi
-got abused and murdered on an episode of SVU
-started singing with Patrick Dempsey and his daughter, inspiring a musical mob in the Park
-lived in the Plaza and wrote down my fun-filled adventures
-attended NYU and spent four years trying to decide between Ben and Noel
-became a Rockette, but then decided that I'd rather just work as a freelance kick dancer
-was featured on a fashion blog

Ok, I didn't really do drugs.

I've decided New York is pop culture. You can't visit in the way you can other places, because if you've watched enough Seinfeld, Friends, etc. you already know the city. I knew the street names and landmarks so well, that walking around the city felt a lot like wandering around a museum does for an art historians; you walk into a room and see a painting (or NY landmark) and even though you've never seen it before you think, "I know you."

I was so busy singing and such, but I did manage to fit in the Whitney, MET, MOMA, Guggenheim, Jewish Museum, and the MAD. Curve ball: the Museum of Arts and Design was my favorite. I don't usually like design museums and often think that furniture, etc seems thrown in to the gallery space, but this museum was great. I might be biased though, because it was the first time I got to see one of the sculptures I'm researching. After an hour, the guard asked me if I'd like a chair, since I'd been chilling on the floor. So, we moved a bench and he sat down next to me and told me about the time that Elizabeth Taylor visited. I told him about how my degree qualifies me for...his job, and that's about it. I had a great time, and I'm so glad that my research was based in New York.

 Central Park, choker-bock full of pretzel stands.

 Madison Avenue, I seemed to be the only person who wasn't shopping for diamonds. Also, fur coats? Really, people? Really?

 

Hey, I was there too. Not the most successful picture, but it's proof.

 

 Slightly disturbing installation. I met Art Vandelay there.

 Metropolitan Museum of Art. I saw the new Islamic wing, seemed worth the ten years construction to me. 

This was a random cathedral next to my hotel. I walked in on a handbell concert. Okey-doke.

 I went to East Hampton to visit the family of the artist that I'm focusing on for my thesis. They live next door to the Pollock/ Krasner House, so I went to check it out. Got some great gossip about the Pollock movie and about all of JP's girlfriends. It was like an art historical soap opera. I walked down to the cemetery, I felt like I needed a star map since there were so many artists buried there.

 I told you that you that you had to wear little booties. 

I was impressed that you could pick out individual paintings, there's Autumn Rhythm. I got to see the big version a few days later.  

 I learned about welding. Turns out that that one time I (kinda) took AP Chemistry helped me out-- metallic salts you know?

 This is my artist's studio. It was amazing to see many works in one place, and stay with his daughter and widow. It's always a little strange to work with artist's families since they tend to be a bit defensive about their family member's "legacy," but they were particularly gracious and I enjoyed hearing some of their crazy artist stories. 

 I figured I had to see the Atlantic while I was in the neighborhood. 

Here are my hosts. The lady on the right wakes up every morning and makes breakfast, drives to the post office to check the mail, and then walks a few miles on the beach collecting rocks and shells. At night she does Tai Chi while watching the Antique Roadshow (to see if anyone brings in one of her late husbands' sculptures). She's 98 years old. What an inspiration.

I had a lovely trip, but I'm happy to be home for Christmas and such. I think I was most excited to see the puppies, probably because they seem so stoked to see me. Also, isn't it nice to not have a schedule?

Have Yourself a Merry Little Research Trip

Well.... I passed my thesis proposal. "Approved as Submitted." What amazingly, lovely words. I have a million tests to grade and one paper to start and finish in three days, but one week from today I'll be in New York. My department is funding me to go to New York for 6 days for research. I'm so happy that I have my study abroad experience because I know before my France trip I would have been a little nervous to travel alone in the big bad city. Now all I think is, "Well, at least everyone will be speaking English."

I'm scared to mention the name of my artist, because google will track down my blog. Google mocks me with its power. So, let's just say it rhymes with ShmIbram ShmLassaw. I'm really looking forward to actually encountering the sculptures that I've been writing about for months.

 

I have meetings at MoMA, the MET and the Whitney. His daughter also invited me to visit his studio and stay with her for a night in East Hampton (swanky, eh?). I might get to interview his wife who just turned 97. I also get to visit the Jackson Pollock/Lee Krasner  House which is just down the street, to meet with the curators there. I've heard you have to wear little booties to walk into the studio barn. I'm stoked. I'm sure you, blog reader, are stoked to see pictures of my booties. The trip is all business and such, but I'm so glad that I'll get to see the big tree at Rockefeller Center and Christmas in New York...and wear booties. There's something so romantic about the idea of jumping from museum to museum everyday with a little city exploring mixed in, grabbing takeout and doing some writing. All this geeking our shouldn't be allowed for such a serious research trip, but I'm going to be smiling on my walk from museum to museum and then I'll put my mock turtleneck on and get back to business. I stopped reading the NY Times' "Weekend" section and the New Yorkers' "Upcoming Events" a long time ago since reading about the gallery and museum openings was always so depressing. This week, I'm going to read them all.