No, I didn’t kill myself because no one was bidding in the auction of my daughter’s first painting, although, I must confess, the irony of killing one’s self because of an unsuccessful bid to raise funds for a suicide prevention charity does really appeal to my sense of humor. No, I was just on vacation in New York City. Linette had to go for work, and I tagged along with the baby. We had a great time, although we didn’t have a chance to see everyone, and everything, we’d hoped to… like the Darwin exhibition at the Museum of Natural History and various readers of this blog. There just wasn’t enough time… Which leads me to the main point of this blog entry.
I want to, from this year forward, spend one week a year in New York City with my family. I don’t know how we’ll afford it, but that’s the goal. Maybe, I’m thinking, a wealthy reader of this site might step forward and offer some kind of arrangement whereby the Maynard-Lao family house-sits for them every year when they vacation in Monte Carlo, or wherever it is that wealthy families go off to when they leave the city. (We don’t have much to offer in return, but we’re generally very clean, well-mannered and respectful of the property of others. We can also walk dogs.) The other option, as Linette and I discussed over a box of cannoli this morning, is that we somehow transition ourselves into careers where others would need to bring us to New York on occasion. After giving it some thought, I’m pretty sure that my best bet is in publishing. Linette, given the fact that New York is also home to the American fashion industry, has chosen the goal of becoming a plus-size model. So, tonight, I’m going to begin work again on the ongoing “children’s book project” as Linette gnaws her way though alternating sticks of butter and cream cheese.
OK, here are a few highlights from the trip:
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Glad you made it out here and I totally understand the busy-ness. Hell, I live here and can’t keep up with all the people I want to see and things I want to do.
If you ever feel like hitting an air mattress, y’all are welcome to our living room. Hell, maybe we could even lend you the whole apartment (dog included) if we happen to be out of town (you know, like, in Michigan). ;)
I’m jealous. Next time you’ll have to go to the Whitney, it’s my favorite.
Yeah, we wanted to go to the Whitney Biennial, but couldn’t find the time. Daniel Johnston has a few pieces in it this year, so we were particularly interested. No time to do it though.
And, thanks for the offer of the air mattress, Scott. I appreciate it.
This just in from Howard Dean:
You could become some kind of science expert and be flown to NYC all the time as an expert witness. That’s what a friend of mine does. Some law firm flies him there a couple of times a year.
“Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.” -Edvard Munch
So, good luck trying to harness that creative energy, Mark.
Yeah, it’s a sad story. The guy was pretty messed up. And, you’re right, I don’t want to tap into his creative energy. I’d just like to know more about his process. At least to me it looked as though he wasn’t too concerned about the possibility of alienating his fan base by trying new things. I guess you could say his output was erratic, but I kind of appreciated that. He seemed to always be trying something new.
My friends Anthony and Betsy were also there. Anthony had just bought a graphic novel by Kim Deitch (a brilliant artist and a nice man); the “Gandy Goose” comic I got at the flea market featured characters created by Kim’s father Gene — in fact, that’s why I got it. (Gene Deitch shook up Terrytoons in the ’50s with lively modern stuff like “Tom Terrific” and “Clint Clobber” — he’s a cartoon great!)
The Hungarian liqueur was “Unicum,” a thick, dark brown, herbal, bitter, intoxicating concoction a friend brought me from Budapest. It doesn’t taste like Kozy Shack.
I hope Mark isn’t suffering from anal leakage again. I hope those pierogis helped; they’re binding.