1.
Winter is coming and I hate winter. But I am coming around a little more to the idea of liking fall. For most of my life, I’ve been staunchly against fall, citing the fact that it is a sad harbinger of winter, and the end of summer, and the season where everything dies. But the past few years I’ve started to feel I’ve just been repeating what I’ve always said, instead of being honest about my changing views. Fall is kind of nice. I like wearing longer pants and hoodies. I like crunchy yellow leaves. So yeah, another example of allowing myself to evolve here. Granted not on any sort of major topic, but I wanted to make it public: sure, I like fall.
2.
Work is going terrific!!! I am back to working in Harrisburg and no longer doing my crazy commute. I work (approximately) 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. I’m having a blast! I’ll have a more detailed password-protected blog about it within the next week, but I wanted to give that quick update.
3.
My favorite painting of all time is John Sloan’s “Sixth Avenue and Thirtieth Street”. The reasons are many. First, Sloan is my favorite painter overall: his pioneering “ashcan” style–which denotes his muted color pallet, a brush technique that was representational but bordered on abstract, and choice of subject matter–speaks to me and to my view of the world. This painting in particular (which I’ve included below) hits me on a gut level. The titular streets are in the “tenderloin” district of New York City, which is another way of saying the poor or “slum” area. In this work, Sloan chooses to show us this area in broad daylight at a busy intersection. We are looking at a corner business that is perhaps of some disrepute–a brothel or perhaps a burlesque theater? There are some finely dressed folks around, but they are not the same kind you’d find down by Central Park. The focus of the scene is on a woman in distress; she is in nightclothes and carries a pail, is obviously upset. Most scholars of this painting suggest this woman is drunk and is emotional. The passersby–especially the two finely-clad young women nearby who could not be more different than the drunk woman–look on with judgement and perhaps even amusement, but no one in the scene seems to have empathy or concern for this woman.
There is a lot more that could be discussed about the painting. Sloan did not waste a centimeter of the canvas (a quick for instance–Sloan’s decision to place the drunk woman at the bottom of the canvas, rather than center her, leaving him space to paint lots of sky, whereas he could have provided more surrounding context of the city instead; an interesting topic of discussion, that one).
4.
I have made some mention on Facebook that I have begun running, and even signed up for my first 5k (this coming Saturday)! I’m super excited but also currently undergoing a substantial amount of worry as, just 3 days ago I did my longest outdoor run yet and have had some very minor signs of some stress fractures in my shins the past few nights. Now, these symptoms are very minor and it is 100% possible I am inventing them. Any way you slice it, I am running the 5K this Saturday and will keep training this week on elliptical machines to avoid high impact work, and should probably know after the 5k (because my body will tell me) if I have to take a break from running and maybe evaluate my running style, etc, moving forward. But I want to be a runner super bad so even if I have to take a significant break and make some adjustments, I’m on it. On a side note, the running has really been a key factor in helping me get close to my goal weight: before the weekend I was 144 (goal is 140)…the weekend saw a lot of eating so I’ll know where I’m at when the dust clears on Tuesday :)
5.
Police kill innocent black people with an alarming frequency. You don’t have to eat animals or their secretions in this day and age. America should be a country that welcomes immigrants. Respect women’s reproductive rights and the rights of their bodies. Resist any and all attempts to make our culture white, male-oriented–including the language you use. Climate change is real. There is no need to wear wool or leather in this day and age. Do whatever you want when The Star-Spangled Banner is playing, including eating food, walking to the bathroom, keeping your hat on (I mean really) or sitting or kneeling. Fund art programs, NPR, Meals on Wheels, and Planned Parenthood. Oh, and in Major League Baseball, the designated hitter rule continues to be an absolute scourge.
Notes From the Fire 