Lily Brett's Blog, page 2

The new bike share program in New York City has begun. The...

The new bike share program in New York City has begun.  The bikes look strangely out of place. They are bright and shiny and, for the moment, in impeccably pristine condition, a strange contrast to this city which gets such a lot of wear and tear.  This series of signs really made me laugh. They appeared just days after all the bikes arrived.

What does your father eat? That is a question quite a few people...

What does your father eat? That is a question quite a few people have asked. It’s natural to want to know what a healthy 97 year-old eats. I almost don’t want to admit that his favorite foods are chocolate ice cream, blocks of chocolate and hot chocolate. Here he is having an espresso after two hot chocolates at Caffe Dante in Greenwich Village when he was only 94.

This morning I explained Facebook to my father. He said he...

This morning I  explained Facebook to my father. He said he wanted to be on it. Here he is. He is a few weeks away from being  97.

I bought two slices of this rye bread baked with sauerkraut and...

I bought two slices of this rye bread baked with sauerkraut and cheese at the Union Square Farmer’s market. I bought them for my husband who loves both sauerkraut and rye bread. He said they were delicious. I love that market. Like most markets, it so uplifting. All that fresh produce and baked and pickled and preserved goods. I wish I was the rye bread baked with sauerkraut and cheese sort of eater. It sounds so cosmopolitan and sophisticated. But I am not. I am more your chocolate bread eating type.

I can’t sew. I can’t sew at all. I can’t even...

I can’t sew. I can’t sew at all. I can’t even sew on a button. I try. I carefully mark the place where the button needs to be sewn. I make sure I position the needle and thread and the button precisely on the marked spot. With great care, I slowly stitch the button in place. And then I feel depressed. The button is inevitably and always is at least half an inch from where it is supposed to be. Half an inch doesn’t sound much, but it is enough to cause a pucker or ruffle or bulge or gap in the article of clothing that the button is now attached to. I’ve given up even trying. I now ask the local tailor to sew on any loose buttons. It costs me $2 a button.
 
For someone who can’t sew, I am inexplicably attracted to all sewing accoutrements. The streets around the garment district of New York are some of my favorite streets in the city. I love the fabric stores and the trimming stores. I find them strangely relaxing. Pacific Trimmings on West 38th Street has the most wondrous range of zippers. Most people probably don’t think of zippers as beautiful. I do. And if you went to Pacific Trimmings, you would too. The zippers come in every conceivable color and size. Rainbows of  zippers hang from the walls. The store also has a huge range of trimmings, buttons, buckles, ribbons, and miles of gold chains, among other things. There are dazzling displays of sequined trimmings. Anyone who finds these sequined trims as alluring as I do must have a loud and flashy streak. At heart I must want to look like Liberace or a Las Vegas showgirl. I don’t usually buy anything. If I can’t sew on a button, I’d have no change of putting in a zipper. I just stroll through the store and marvel and dream.

I sometimes think that bad translation can say something almost...

I sometimes think that bad translation can say something almost more directly and powerfully than the correctly spoken and written language. I grew up, in Australia, with parents who, particularly when I was young, didn’t speak much English. What English they had was mangled. But direct.
 
I bought a box of what looked like cookies in Chinatown.. I bought the Aji ‘Hand Made Egg Snack’ because I was intrigued by the description on the box. On the front and side of the box it said “Best Companion For Your Afternoon Tea. Great Taste Leave You To Desire For More.” To underscore the seriousness of the message they added “Once you know the taste, you will eat it in haste.”  Best companion for your afternoon tea, That seemed pretty compelling to me.
 
When I got home, I wondered why I had bought them. I don’t really like cookies. And I don’t really have afternoon tea. I think I just like reading the description.

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tah

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tahrir Square. A series of concentric circles radiates and emits an energy that is pierced by accents in a balance and dance of anchor and release.

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tah

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tahrir Square. A series of concentric circles radiates and emits an energy that is pierced by accents in a balance and dance of anchor and release.

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tah

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tahrir Square. A series of concentric circles radiates and emits an energy that is pierced by accents in a balance and dance of anchor and release.

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tah

Saturday night I went to the opening of our daughter-in law's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery. Looking at the mostly large paintings is like looking at an archeology of culture and perception. My favorite painting, Beloved (Cairo) is based on Tahrir Square. A series of concentric circles radiates and emits an energy that is pierced by accents in a balance and dance of anchor and release.