Iam puppy sitting for 5 adorable dogs at the moment-- including 3 newborn puppies. They're half Yorkie and half Maltese and they are the precious-est. I snuggle with them in my neck and they give me kisses. They give each other kisses too. Goooooo....so cuuuute. Happy Monday to you!
Happy third birthday to my favorite human, the one and only Miss Tigerlily. No one on Earth makes me as happy, as easily as this crazy girl. I was with her on her actual BIRTH day, and I'm wishing we could hang out an invite some fictional characters to a tea party on military time today. But alas, duty calls. Rain check, Tigs! Hope your costume for the day is extra wacky!
First of all, I think it's obvious that Tigerlily needs pretty much all of this. But look at this amazing Latvian line of children's clothing, Aristocrat Kids. The product photos look like a little modern update of Olga, Tatiana, Maria & Anastasia. The website will greet you with the soothing sounds of birds chirping-- perhaps in the garden of the Winter Palace. I want to dress children in this. OMG, Baby Fever. I have to stop now. Have a lovely Wednesday! (Thursday? Oh, man. I don't even know.)
No one and I mean no one gives me as much unadulterated joy as Tigerlily. I don't think about anything else when I'm with her. I experience no existential angst. If she wants to hop, we hop. If she wants to race, we race. Drive boats? We drive. Spin? We spin. She is my favorite person.
One really good reason not to cut funding for PBS, Mitt, is their awesome series, Sound Tracks featuring (among others) the fabulous Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis. I have previously written about her awesomeness when her song, "Tha Mo Ghaol Air Àird" was featured in the BRAVE trailers. You don't put your soul up to the mercy of "The Market." Art is our soul. The less we appreciate it, the less we're fulfilled. I'll go down with the ship on that one because I don't want to live in a world that doesn't set aside time and space and money for art for its own sake. I think a lot of why it's hard to feel fulfilled in modern life is our turning away from appreciating art on a regular basis. Lots of things don't make money, but keep us full of life. Children for one. Or maybe we should send them back to work. That's in line with the same Dickensian England style attitude that I just can't get behind. I want to live in a world where someone thinks to put Wynton Marsalis, Youssou N'dour and Of Monsters and Men in the same show. I want always to remember that it's a big world and America is just one piece of it. I want to be able to experience Scotland even when I can't be there and the music of Senegal even if I never go. The Market only lets us have what we know we want. PBS or an entity like BBC gives us what maybe we didn't know we wanted. Big Bird, sure. Julie Fowlis, singing with her baby on her lap, hell yes.
Thanks to my friend Caroline, I've been scrolling through Vivian Maier photos for days now. As far as photographer stories go, hers is pretty up there. Often called the Mary Poppins of photography, she was a nanny and caretaker both before and after she picked up photography in just two years. But never made a real career of it. Many of her negatives were found after death in an old storage unit, where she had stockpiled found items through her years in New York in the 50s and later in Chicago. In her older years, she was completely broke and was taken care of until her death my three of her former child charges who pooled together. Who you let take care of you in your life and in your death is a fascinating subject for me. And so are all Vivian Maier's photos. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. And thanks to the Maloof Collection for bringing them to the light of day and putting together this amazing book of Vivian's work. I'm all about it. All photos by Vivian Maier, Property of the Maloof Collection.
Being back in NYC with the heat and humidity made a trip to a classic old time soda shop a necessity. After a day of babysitting the adorable Penny, we (Penny, Penny's mom Bob and I) decided to take ourselves on down to Brooklyn's adorable Farmacy. New York is known for its egg creams and soda floats and Farmacy takes the whole thing to a new level. Our pal Bryce Nice mixed me up one of their best: The Violet. It's a soda float with vanilla soda and black raspberry ice cream. Ugh! Perfectly refreshing and not too sweet. Other flavors I was tempted by: The Betty Boop- chocolate soda and vanilla ice cream, The Purple Haze- chocolate soda and black raspberry ice cream, and The Strawberry Fields- strawberry soda and ice cream. Let it be known as well that this place has shelves and shelves of dill pickles. One of the things I'm happiest about now that I'm back in the USA is the return to a world with dill pickles. I was also thiiiis close to leaving that place with about 5 jars of pickled okra. If you should find yourself round Carroll Gardens way, you should stop in at Farmacy. I think it might be my new babysitting Penny tradition.
In the great tradition of the Tigerlily Classic Rock photo series, here is the second in what I hope will become an extensive new photo series, Tigerlily Appreciates Great Art at a maturity level far beyond her years. We already have, Tigerlily and Modern Painting. And now, I present you with Tigerlily Reading Kafka. What can I say? She's advanced. Hope you're having a super Tuesday.
With all the work lately on Nicholas & Alexandra, I haven't been paying much attention to our first born. But that doesn't mean all has been quiet on the VOTE! front. This past weekend, The Broadway Workshop presented a student version of the show with local New York performing arts students.
I was obviously in London, but Steven was there to see it and said it was delightful. I'm looking forward to the watching party we'll have when I make my return to NYC. In the meantime, I have loved scrolling through the photos and knowing the exact moment from the show the photo is capturing. I doubt I will ever get sick of listening to kids sing those tight harmonies, or getting to know the young people who participate in the show.
Some of them are all grown up now and doing amazing things. And if I were the real Ms. Fowler, I'd be giving them all fuzzy little feathers and telling them to fly the nest. But the cherubs from Bloomington, St Andrews, Houston and now New York are always going to be my little baby birdies no matter where they go and what they do. It is enormously gratifying to work with students. Whatever else happens in my career, I'm glad that the first thing was working with young people and I hope that whatever else happens, I keep getting to work with students.
And, bonus: speaking of harmonies, have you seen this a capella version of The Beach Boy's "Wouldn't it Be Nice"? Just another reminder that tight harmonies trump almost everything else and make life way more fun to live.
My favorite weirdo kid is two! I was so crazy yesterday with meetings that I didn't devote the proper attention to the wonderful milestone that is another year of life for the kid I feel is somehow a little bit mine. Happy Birthday, Tigerlily! (Sorry this is a day late!)
I will never stop telling you and anyone who will listen what its like to watch someone being born. How peaceful it is, in spite of all those movies we've all seen with people screaming. I love that Tigerlily's birthday is so close to Mother's Day. And that my memories of her coming into the world, the idea of Emily as a mom, of me taking my place as the kind of surrogate mom that I myself was so fortunate to have a few of-- these new ideas are eclipsing my feelings of loss and sadness that have always marked that holiday for me.
Emily says Tigerlily is a first-rate weirdo. And I say that's just her destiny. And ours. Thank you Miss Tiggs, for being born and giving me a glimpse of how great it is be a mother. Even if its just an eccentric Auntie-Mother a few times a year.
Next week, I'll launch my annual Valentine's Day Crush list, but for now, I'm rolling you into this weekend and looking back over the productive week that was. Good times. Things are happening. I move in less than three weeks. Holy Mutha. Take me to the links.
It's probably been a really intense 24 hours for you, huh? Well, just in case you're already on the internet (I hear babies have a really serious affinity for touch screens these days) it's your aunt Ryann here to tell you a few things.
1. You have an unbelievably cool mom. She will make you feel at ease all your life. I know this for a fact because she's been making it cool for me to be myself for 20 years now. 2. Even though I'm far away, I feel like I already know you. I felt the same way about your brother. 3. You came at such an interesting time. I really & truly feel like you're a good omen. And a sign of excellent things to come. 4. Going back to your mom, just pay attention to how good she looks up there...right after having given birth to you. I'm telling you, girlfriend has a gift. 5. Know that whenever I am blue, or feel bad about myself, about the world we live in-- whenever I feel like certain things are futile, or...what is point of anything?... I remind myself how you exist. I remind myself of the way friendships echo off each other and result in.... you.
One day, we will meet and I will be really weird and probably really loud. You'll think I am your weird Aunt Ryann, but I won't mind and I will tell you the story that started with a blind date neither of your parents really wanted to go on and a text message to my pink phone the next day: "I heart Joel."
In the meantime, here's the lullaby I'd sing you if I were in Texas. It's the song I'd sing to my own kids. So tonight, it's for you. I wish I was there, but James Taylor does an okay job too.
Hey. Tiger here. Calling to wish you a Happy Holiday season. I'm extremely advanced for my age, so I can already operate most technological devices, including iphones, vacuums, and my Aunt Ryann's blog. Do me a favor and have the best Christmas Eve you've ever had. Peeeease? Ok, Ok, Ok.
Being around all my friends' adorable kids is pretty much the best Christmas time present I could imagine. (And thanks to my new lens-- it's so pretty!-- I can photograph the living daylights out of them without needing actual daylight!) The side bonus is that I also see these kids' parents & the rest of the folks I've been pal-ing around with for the past 20 ish years. It's a brilliant, warm feeling to be around the people you never have to explain anything to. It's my favorite part of the holidays. Class of 2000 annual Christmas reunion, Commence.
But if you're bored, waiting for your own holiday reunion to commence (so much down time around the holidays. Sigh.) here are some links for you.
Prestonpans has a bit of a split personality. As you exit the motorway and head through town, you first encounter faux-American housing developments, but right after that, bam!, historic Prestonpans with towers, 16th and 17th century castle strongholds and wonderful wonderful Northfield House: home to our friends and our young charges for the day, Jamie & Alice.
Iona and I both agree that babysitting is better with two people: you don't have to do baby talk ALL day, and when one is having a meltdown & needs a nap, the other can tend to the sane child. Basically keeping the one to one small human to large human ratio = good.
We had a blast running around the garden, jumping on the trampoline, watching Alice's plushy cheeks and big toothless grin and exploring on a sunny Autumn day.
And since I was lucky enough to most frequently be in charge of the more low-maintenance kiddo (it alternated) I also got to check out some of the amazing art at Northfield House and architecture on our walks-- including Hamilton House, Preston Tower (also once home to the Hamilton Family) and Preston Cross. Preston derives from Priest Town and has been home to monks, salt mills and the site of 1745 Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans. It's only 8 miles outside of Edinburgh-- take a spin past it!
At the risk of this being the absolute dorkiest thing I've ever posted, can I just say, this baby dancing pygmy goat is so cute I can't stand it. I'm going to give myself a pass because I live in Scotland and nature and animals and things are part of the deal. Clearly I've been susceptible to the charms of whimsical farm animals lately. The video of this little guy (named Quaver) and the subsequent dubstep remix is my midweek pick me up. Can I have one for Christmas, please?
Today, I am missing my favorite little person, Miss Tigerlily. Last night, I downloaded all my photos from my trip. The hundreds I took of Tigerlily made me laugh and made me hate that I can't hang out with her everyday. See you in December Tigger Monster!
It's been ages since I've hit you with some giggles from the TL monster. Oh man, she's cute these days. She sings and dances and has whole conversations with you that she thinks make sense, but really don't. And when she does speak English, she's singing Happy Birthday or telling you who her boyfriend is and singing one of his biggest hits. Carley Nunn and Kristen Delbosque, I have a feeling the following might appeal to you.
This kid is just pure joy. I dare you to resist her charms.
You know what my favorite word in the English language is? Earnest. I present it to you now in video form. I'm still skeptical that our cast can fit into one room all at the same time. So cute. And soooo many of them.
