Owl in box

Read all about it here.

Winter hat

This would be a perfect chapeau for me. I could even see myself wearing a linen-y version in the warmer months.



But I think Narciso just made them for his runway show out of recycled buckets or something. Harumph.

Invisible man

You might have already heard about this guy and seen his work, as I wouldn't be surprised if these images have been zinged around to everyone via email at lightning speed lately (Thanks, Judy!), and if when you saw them, you thought, "No way," "Must be Photoshop(R) or some kind of trick photography," "WTF?" and/or "I STILL think it's Photoshop." But no. This guy is the real thing.



From the Telegraph UK: "35-year-old Liu Bolin, from Shandong, China, manages to camouflage himself in any surroundings, no matter how difficult they might be.



Liu works on a single photo for up to 10 hours at a time, to make sure he gets it just right, but he achieves the right effect: sometimes passers-by don’t even realize he is there until he moves.



The talented Liu Bolin says his art is a protest against the actions of the Government, who shut down his art studio in 2005 and persecutes artists. It’s about not fitting into modern society. Despite problems with Chinese authorities, Liu’s works are appreciated at an international level."

Go ahead, Google(TM) his name. You'll see a lot more jaw-dropping images.



I think they're kind of creepy. But in a great way. I mean, imagine if you walked by and this guy, above, stepped away from that wall? Wouldn't you think part of the wall had suddenly decided to go wherever you were going? I'm all for anthropomorphic nuttiness, but I'd definitely be running down the street screaming my head off if that happened to me. (And then I'd be totally humbled and embarrassed later, when I realized my gaffe. "Oh man! That was that crazy artist dude!")



This last one is just bananas.

Get them green tomatoes

Last Friday P sent me a link about green tomatoes that were at the Union Square farmers' market, were only in season for a week, and were AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! STUPENDOUS!

So I hotfooted it over there and found this one booth run by a crazy couple. The woman was completely blotto drunk seeming (who knows? perhaps she'd been slurring her words, unable to count money, and making nonsensical jokes since birth). Her husband was wandering around quietly behind her, stacking vegetable crates, etc., a totally sober enabler guy. They had two of the crazy kind of dog pictured running in circles around each other and barking, until the husband finally put them on leashes. But that didn't stop one of the dogs from leaping at the green tomatoes repeatedly for awhile (pictured).

They did taste interesting. But I don't know. When this week rolls around next year, will I have "PURCHASE WEIRD VERDANT TOMATOES!" on my calendar? I doubt it. (P might, though.)

A couple days later I happened to eat a really delicious red grape. I surmised that red grapes must be in season, and after a little research, discovered that Concord grapes were indeed in season! So I bought a big bunch of them from the 10th Street and 2nd Avenue farmers' market. But I soon realized that I must have had a different kind of grape, because Concord grapes aren't really for random munching. So I didn't know what to do with them. I ended up convincing Paul to help me make a Concord grape-based recipe, which resulted in a weird dinner that tasted like sausages, brussel sprouts, and potatoes in grape jelly sauce. I would have posted a picture of this meal, but I find the photographic evidence disturbing.

I think when it comes to food, I am much more of a "bring me a plate of something delicious" kind of person than a "I shall discover and seek out my dinner" one. And it's always good to learn something new about yourself.

Neil's obituaries

From The New York Times

NASH -- Cornelius C.

Neil Nash, 48, died on September 9 after years of a heroic battle with brain cancer. Neil's legacy is one of kindness and inspiration in the face of his battle. For the past 16 years Neil fought and triumphed over numerous run-ins with the disease, constantly turning the medical community on its head while keeping his own. Neil was a real New Yorker and lived in Manhattan most of his life. He loved the city and was often the very embodiment of its struggles and triumphs. As a close friend states, "A big part New York City's beauty is that it often feels so fragile and so grand at the same time. Neil Nash was the same; he was always grand and epic even during the hardest times." For the last 10 years he was an acclaimed project manager who oversaw a wide array of projects in New York and throughout the U.S. Neil helped manage several large institutional restoration projects after hurricane Katrina, as well as building high-end residential projects throughout New York City and a prominent soup kitchen and social services agency in Brooklyn. A statement from close friends reads, "No matter what Neil was going through personally he always maintained an optimism and willingness to help others, laugh out loud, and be the most stylish guy in the room. His sense of humor, rigorous honesty, and openness always made Neil a magnet for great conversations and connection with everyone he encountered." Cornelius is mourned by his wife Martha Brophy, his children Jedidiah and Campbell, his sister Juliana Nash Stenerson, his mother, Juliana vanderVloed Nash, and a huge family and circle of friends too numerous to mention.

From The East Hampton Star

Cornelius Campbell Nash, 48

Surrounded by family and friends, Cornelius C. Nash died at home in New York City on Sept. 9. Mr. Nash, who was 48, had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 1993.

“Being a father” was his most heartfelt achievement, his family said. Jedadiah and Campbell C. Nash are his 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.

He is also survived by his wife, Martha Brophy of New York City, his sister, Juliana Nash Stenerson of Amagansett, his mother, Juliana van der Vloed Nash of New York City and Amagansett, and by a niece and a nephew.

Although he was a consummate New Yorker, Mr. Nash had spent summers in Amagansett since his early teens and “loved Indian Wells Beach more than anything.” As an adolescent he enjoyed surfing and “hanging out with his herd of friends” there.

Around that time he helped his parents renovate Moose Brown’s old house next to the American Legion Hall on Montauk Highway, which they had bought in 1976. He also spent a couple of years in Miami Beach, where he worked as a partner in a fine-cabinetry company.

Mr. Nash went on to become a project manager for D.B.I., overseeing a wide array of endeavors in New York City and throughout the United States. He helped manage large institutional restoration projects after Hurricane Katrina and worked on luxury residential projects in New York City.

He had also been an event planner for James McNabb Associates; his last job with that company involved doing work during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

He was born on May 1, 1961, in New York City. His father was James C. Nash, who died in 1998. He attended Stuy­vesant High School in Manhattan as well as the University of Rhode Island, where he was on the crew team, and the City University of New York at Hunter College.

He and Martha Brophy were married on Oct. 17, 1992, the year before his cancer, a pineal blastoma, was diagnosed. His doctor did not expect him to live even a few months, but his condition was stabilized for 10 years.

“Neil was like a tall oak — sturdy, strong, upright, resilient,” his family said, as well as “intelligent, rational, egalitarian.”

Funeral arrangements were private. Donations have been suggested to the pediatric brain tumor unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, P.O. Box 27106, New York 10087-7106.

Thanks, Neilwaukee.

Merril Markoe's Quick Draw McGraw

Merrill Markoe is such a genius. She responded on her blog to the whole David Letterman thing, which, I don't know if you've watched the clip of him turning his creepy tale of extortion and lechery into a ba-dum-dum comedy routine and had the same HUH? and EUW reaction I did, is "As you can imagine, this is a very emotional moment for me because Dave promised me many times that I was the only woman he would ever cheat on." (She had a decade-long relationship with him, and they created the original "Late Night with David Letterman" together.)

I thought that was really funny and must be very accurate. But also, she posted this little piece of artistry that she made: "it's that German expressionist episode you may not remember. Not everyone knows that Peter Lorre did a guest spot on Quick Draw McGraw." Enjoy.