That look on his face.

[Polaroid SLR680SE + PX680 Color Protection film]

List no. 7 :: Whatever

1. The temperatures and the birds singing make it feel like spring is here, but there are very few signs of green or blossoming trees. That part makes me sad.
2. I love that the birds are so entertaining for the cats. They can't catch them, but they love watching them. And watching them makes the cats have "fast head." Yep. Love it.
3. Saying to me that "it was meant to be" or "it's God's will" or "these things just happen" does not bring me comfort. Might be true, but still, not comforting.
4. Could everybody just stop going on about being mindful? That word is so overused right now and for some reason it annoys the hell out of me.
5. Most everything that I want to write, I am not ready to write here.
6. Or it is an angry statement that may or may not involve the word "fuck" and I probably should just keep it to myself.
7. I'm tired of being disappointed which probably means I need to reassess my expectations.
8. It's hard not to think there is something wrong with me because I keep failing miserably at so many things.
9. But in my heart of hearts, I believe that I am a good person. I am kind. And considerate.
10. And maybe I already have all that I need in my life.
11. At least for now.
12. I am well aware that I am not a good writer. It does not mean that I do not write from the heart.
13. Rejection hurts. Period.
14. It's okay to be sad. Even though being around someone who is sad seems to make most people uncomfortable.
15. I really wish that people would just be honest. I am so tired of people saying things that they don't mean or don't plan on doing anyway.
16. I am also aware that I kind of suck at this list thing, but I don't care. I'm still going to do it.
17. I can tell you that I am very much looking forward to seeing two of my nieces on Friday.
18. As for today, I am glad to be feeling the most normal that I have felt in a week. It's such a relief.

Sometimes I get mad at myself.

[Polaroid Automatic 250 + Fuji FP-3000B film]

Taken the same day as "sometimes I made myself crazy."

List no. 6 :: 6 things

[Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 SE + PX70 Color Shade BAPE CAMO]

1. Really digging this BAPE film.
2. This is an instant shot of a digital shot so I'm not even sure what to call it.
3. Go ahead and roll your eyes.
4. Ended up taking a whole bunch of instant shots of digital shots on my computer. Go figure. A precursor to fun with the Instant Lab?
5. Looking forward to the days of fresh cut zinnias from the yard.
6. Assuming that I am even able to grow anything this year after a total lack of moisture all winter.

NYC :: Day Three

Our third morning was just about the same as the previous two mornings: tea, coffee, bagels. The only solid plans for the day were to return to The Impossible Project Space to meet Anne and to (hopefully) get together with some old friends in the evening. In all honestly, as much as we were enjoying the big city, we were also ready to head back home.

Since being in the city, we had either walked or taken a cab everywhere we went. But on this day, we decided it would be best to take the subway downtown. We walked over to Madison Square Garden and of course could not find the right entrance. (This was rather frustrating for both of us since we used to take the subways everywhere.) We ended up walking around the little park for awhile, watching the squirrels and looking up at all the buildings.

We finally made it to the right entrance and headed down to catch a train. Almost immediately, we saw some dude lick his MetroCard before using it which totally grossed us out. Next, a giant rat went scuttling down the tracks. Ah, New York. And to think that we both used to take the subway to and from work daily. We weren't anxious about being down there, but I don't think either of wanted to touch anything at that point. No matter, we survived the ride and made it back to The Impossible Project Space and finally got to meet Anne, aka polaroidgirl, aka the most fabulous person in the world. This trip to NYC would not have been complete if we had not gotten to meet her.

We hung out there for awhile and then headed back up to Chelsea. I think we ended up getting off the train at Union Square and sort of wandered west and up for awhile until we hit a Vietnamese restaurant, Omai, that the gallery folks had recommended to us the previous day. Best decision ever. The food was so good. We started out with the crispy spring rolls which were perhaps the best that we have ever had. I don't remember what Will had, but I had the Pho which was pretty incredible as well. We wandered around a bit more after lunch and then totally lamed out and went back to the apartment. We were tired and waiting to hear from friends and it just seemed like the best plan at that point.

That evening we still didn't have a solid plan with our friends so decided just to head down to the East Village and have a drink while we waited for a call. Of course we got down there and totally blanked on bars. We were just about to go into one place when our friend called. We were standing on a corner and as he and Will talked, they determined that the friend was walking straight toward us. Talk about good luck and timing. So we ended up heading back to his place to hang out for the evening. He and his wife recently had a baby and we were thrilled to be able to meet her. It was a mellow evening of friends, pizza and beer. Perfect for our last night.

For a shorter version of our trip and some of my Impossible film shots, check out my Analog Travelog on the Impossible Blog.

[All photos in this post were shot with an iPhone4 + Instagram.]

List no. 5 :: Things that Rocky eats that are not food.

1. Plastic
2. Tape
3. Styrofoam
4. Ribbon
5. Dustballs
6. Stuffing from the chair

NYC :: Day Two

Another leisurely morning at the apartment with bagels from Murray's, this time with bacon, egg and cheese. Oh my god, so damn good.

We had a pretty loose plan for the day, mainly consisting of checking out some galleries around Chelsea and walking the rest of the High Line. If time allowed, we figured we would head up to midtown or Central Park and wander around.

When Will moved to NYC in 2001, he started working at the Gagosian Gallery on W. 24th Street so we headed there first. I can't even remember what show was up at the time, but we figured we'd check it out and see if any of the folks from our days in NYC were still there. As it turned out, two of Will's closest co-workers and the friend that he hooked up with his job when he left were still around. So instead of looking at art, we ended up talking to them for a long time. It was nice to catch up and hear some art gossip, including what really happened in that area during Sandy. (I never heard anything about Chelsea and the art galleries in all the news we watched so it was kind of a surprise, though not a surprise that we didn't hear about it. If that makes sense.)

[Polaroid Spectra + PZ Color Protection film]

Will spent a lot of time at the Gagosian, working and hanging out during art openings. Oftentimes, after I left work in midtown, I would meet him at the gallery and wait for him to finish up. As a result, I spent a fair share of my time there as well. It was particularly nice to see exhibits when there was no one else around as well as inside access to some of the back rooms that weren't so open to the general public. And that's where I went during the black out in 2003. I think Will and I had cell phones by then,  but I recall not being able to reach him so when we got let out of work, I walked from midtown to Chelsea. Then, after meeting another friend, we all walked back to Brooklyn.

Anyway, I am going off on tangents here. Suffice to say that being at the Gagosian brought back a lot of memories. The stories that Will can tell about that place. It's pretty crazy.

By the time we left there, we were getting hungry, but before finding a place to eat, we walked along the High Line until we reached the end. It was a gorgeous, sunny day so there were lots of people out. And lots of good light for instant film photos.

[Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 SE + PX70 Color Protection film]

We had asked the gallery folks for some restaurant recommendations and ended up at The Chop Shop. It was good, and really, it was just nice to have decent Asian food. There are places here in Santa Fe that people rave about, but Will and I have been underwhelmed by most of them. (Picky much?) After lunch, it was already late in the afternoon and we were feeling worn out, so rather than dragging ourselves uptown, we headed back to the apartment for a nap. (I know! We're boring! But we vacation in a way that we both enjoy so it works.)

As luck would have, the Impossible Project NYC Space's holiday party was that evening so our plan was to go there and meet up with some of our New York friends. We also thought we might get to surprise another friend who was doing a reading in the East Village, but that didn't work out. So instead, we headed to Fanelli's Cafe again and had a quick beer at the bar before hitting the holiday party. (Yeah, we really ended up liking that place.)

The Impossible party was a good time. It was nice to see some of the folks that work there again, plus I got to meet one or two friends from Twitter. My friend Brad had said he might stop by and I kind of thought he wouldn't make it so I was delighted when he showed up. One of my favorite parts of our time there was being able to hang out with him. (We hadn't seen him since 2004 or so.) And it really meant a lot to me that he made the time to stop by and see my photos in the exhibit.

[Spectra Photo Booth + PZ680 film]

More of our friends showed up and it was a lovely time. We chatted and took photos in the Spectra photo booth. It was really hard for me not to geek out about cameras and film and all things Impossible. Twice I found myself showing a friend all the different films (the American Woods had just come out) and explaining the different types of cameras. And, "Ooh, look! This is the large format film." I would have no problem being a salesperson for the Impossible Project.

Eventually it was time to leave and we all needed dinner so we ended up at The Lucky Strike, mostly due to its close proximity. I can't even remember what I ate there. I do remember being horrified at the cost of beer though. I know it's NYC and all, but 7 or 8 bucks for a BOTTLE of crappy beer...come on. I think I might have had a burger. Or a chicken sandwich. Not such a memorable meal, but we were definitely in good company.

[Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 SE + PX100 UV+ Silver Shade test film]

Eating dinner after nine o'clock? So not the norm for us, but in New York, it seemed totally normally and the only way to actually have dinner with other people. Santa Fe is pretty cosmopolitan for its size, but most of the nicer restaurants are closing down by nine o'clock. Life moves at an entirely different speed here. It is the "Land of Mañana" after all.

For more of my Impossible photos from our trip, check out my Analog Travelog on the Impossible Blog.

NYC :: The First Day

It seems sort of ridiculous to write about our trip so long after the fact, but it's something I've been meaning to do since we got back, so I'm going to do it. (For a shorter version and more instant film shots, please check out my Analog Travelog over on the Impossible Blog.)

We only had three full days there, but nonetheless, we had decided to relax and go with the flow rather than try to be out and about from morning until night. Of course I was dying to go visit The Impossible Project, but since they don't open at the crack of dawn, we decided to have a leisurely morning. I made a cup of tea while Will went out for his coffee and bagels from Murray's.

I was so happy to have one of these in front of me again. There just is no such thing as a "real" bagel here in Santa Fe. Revisiting this picture just makes me want to be there again.

So we noshed on our bagels and then got ready to head out. Before we hit the streets, I wanted to check out the rooftop garden so we took the elevator to the "penthouse" floor which was really just a cover for the 13th floor as there was no penthouse. The views did not disappoint and I took a photo of one of the water towers, the first water tower photo of many from our trip.

[Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 SE + PX70 Color Protection film]

The weather was pretty nice while we were there. We had to bundle up a bit, but it wasn't all that cold which made it slightly easier to shoot instant film. From our apartment, we headed over to Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building. The city didn't feel quite so overwhelming as it did the night before. I was just so excited; I could hardly believe that we were there, walking around, and that later in the day, I would finally be able to see The Impossible Project NYC Space in person.

[Polaroid Spectra + PZ600 UV+ Silver Shade film (03/11 batch]

We also made a quick stop at the Ace Hotel. We stayed at the one in Palm Springs a few years ago and really enjoyed it, plus there was a small showing of Impossible photos in their gallery that I wanted to see. And, of course, the photo booth.

Next, we headed down to Union Square, then over to Fifth Avenue and Washington Square Park.

[Polaroid Spectra + PZ600 UV+ Silver Shade film (03/11 batch]

I went to NYU for the first two years of college and lived right on the park so being back there always brings back a flood of memories. We hung out there for a bit and the headed down to Houston Street and over to Broadway. It felt good to be walking around and it made both Will and I very nostalgic about our time in NYC.

And then, finally, we were at The Impossible Project NYC Space. A dream come true for me.

They're on the 5th Floor, but I didn't want to take the Hellevator, as it is so fondly called, so we took the stairs. I think I sprinted up all five flights.

And then we were there. And it was pretty damn awesome. It was so great to meet people that I know from Twitter and/or Instagram. And, of course, it was amazing to be able to see two of my photos hanging on the wall as part of the "Out of the Blue" exhibit.

We hung out there for awhile and then left to find some place to have lunch. We ended up at Fanelli's Cafe on Prince Street. It's a cozy spot and I had a damn good BLT with french fries.

[Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1 SE + PX70 Color Protection film]

We wandered around Soho for awhile to check out some shops, but I really didn't have the energy - or the funds - to do any serious shopping. I did enjoy our stop at the Converse shop and could not resist buying a t-shirt there. That was my only NY purchase besides film and other goodies at The Impossible Project.

We wandered back up to Washington Square Park and then over to the West Village, because it's an area that I know well. At this point, we had been walking around for HOURS and we were feeling pretty exhausted. But we kept walking, heading up and over, up and over, until we hit the High Line and walked back to Chelsea. It was time for a rest before heading out to meet a friend of mine from my NYU days.

[Polaroid Spectra + PZ680 Color Protection film]

After I left NYU, I went back to New York to visit my friend, Brad, pretty regularly for the next 15 years or so. He's lived in the West Village since he moved out of the NYU dorms so when we discovered the Cowgirl Bar in 1992 or so, it became a regular spot for us. Later, when Will and I lived in NYC, it became a place we frequented as well, mostly when we wanted margaritas and nachos. (There's one in Santa Fe as well, but they are not related and we don't like the one here all that much although it is a very popular spot with most locals and tourists.) So that's where we met up with Brad. Just like old times. Brad and I were both flabbergasted when we realized that we had been meeting up there for  the past 20 years. Talk about feeling old. Twenty years!

[Polaroid Spectra + PZ680 Color Protection film]

We had a great time catching up with him and consuming a plate of nachos all too quickly. Eventually we headed back to his place since we had never been to his current apartment.

Another beer and then it was time to head back up to Chelsea. But first, we all need some more food in our bellies so Brad took us to have late-night pizza. We could not have had a more awesome day.

Tulips on the table.

[Polaroid SX-70 Model 2 + PX70 Color Shade film (12/11 batch)]

List no. 4 :: Cars I've had.

1. Red Chevy Luv truck (c. 1985) 
2. Light Blue Chevy Luv truck w/ a long bed (c. 1986)
3. Dark Green Volvo sedan, four doors, don't recall the model (1990-1993)
4. White VW Golf, four doors (1993-2006)
5. "Phantom Gray" Toyota Matrix (2006 - present)

First three vehicles were all used; fourth was a college graduation present and the best car ever; fifth isn't so bad either.

***

[Polaroid SX-70 w/ ND filter + PX600 Black Frame (10/11 batch)]

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

These words are from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and started off my horoscope from Rob Brezsny yesterday. I find them very fitting for this time of year in Santa Fe.

Early this morning.

3:30 AM: Startled awake by the sound of a cat puking next to my head. Groan and turn on light. Watch cat puke on our bottom sheet. Will tries to remove him from the bed, but he starts puking again. We watch again. Leave to get paper towels to clean up the puke. Return to bedroom and start wiping up the puke.

Will: “Aren’t we just going to take the sheet off?”

Me: “Oh. Yeah, I guess that would be the smart thing to do.”

Head back to the kitchen to throw away used paper towels. Hear Will moan: “Oh my god.”

Return to bedroom to find that cat has also puked on the floor near the bottom of the bed. All over the jeans and socks that Will has left there. Not a drop of puke on the carpet. It’s all on the pants. And inside of the socks.

Will: “How did he manage to puke IN my socks?”

At this point, it is hard not to laugh. It’s now almost four in the morning and the cat puked in Will’s socks. In his socks.

We find more puke near the bedroom door. And a little bit more in the kitchen. What the hell? The cat went on a puking spree.

As all of this is happening, the cat is wandering around, kind of watching what we are doing, but also trying to find things to eat on the floor. I catch him walking out from behind the water heater, licking his mouth. He must have found a tasty dustball back there.

He returns to the bedroom and starts licking the dust off the top of the heater. We tell him to stop. He starts licking the wall.

Why does this cat like to lick up dust? This habit is probably what caused the puking spree in the first place.

We finally get a new sheet back on the bed and reorganize the top sheet and blankets. The cat is now wandering around meowing. He is hungry because he puked up his dinner.

I pick him up and put him on the bed. Turn off the light. He lays down between us and purrs. Then he starts licking the pillows. What a weirdo.

Me: “I can’t believe that he puked on your pants.”

Will: “I can’t believe he puked IN my socks!”

We giggle a bit and go back to sleep.

[I usually don't cross post, but whatever, for some reason I posted this over on Tumblr first. Tumblr is mostly favorites and reposts, but occasionally I do post something of my own. In case you were wondering.]

List no. 3 :: Favorite rock shows.

1. PJ Harvey at Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC (2004)
2. Arcade Fire at Webster Hall, NYC (2005)
3. Patti Smith, Pittsburgh 
4. AC/DC at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh
5. Sleater-Kinney at Mercury Lounge, NYC (2005)
6. The Mekons, NYC, Pittsburgh, Chicago
7. Motley Crue at Post-Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh (2006 or 2007)
8. Waco Brothers at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ (2002)
9. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at Golden West, Albuquerque (c. 1994)
10. Smashing Pumpkins at Club Luna, Santa Fe (1993)

(A hard list to write and it could change based on my memory because I am sure I am forgetting something that really blew my mind. Also, this list does not include all the smaller bands that I've seen over the years and really loved. I could easily include just about every Oneida, Dirty Faces, JBB, Anita Fix, Working Poor and Oakley Hall show that I've ever seen. As well as every time I've gotten to see Jon Langford and/or Sally Timms.)

Sometimes I make myself crazy.

[Polaroid Automatic 250 + Fuji FP-3000B film]

Oh yes, I do. I took this photo back in November of last year when I was struggling with a lot of anxiety about a variety of things, though namely it had to do with flying for the first time in many years. A week or so before we were supposed to leave, Will got sick, then I got sick and we ended up postponing our trip for a month. It was the right decision, but it was stressful and I questioned myself a lot. Plus I am the one in charge with making and changing reservations and all that fun stuff so I had to deal with all of that as well. And my head turned into a worry machine. "What if..." a million different things and it was a constant barrage of thoughts. The same thoughts. Over and over and over. OCD thinking is what it is and it sucks. 

I know, you might be thinking, "Well, just stop thinking about whatever it is. Let go. Move on." Unfortunately, it's not always that simple. At least not for me.

Sometimes taking self-portraits helps me deal with emotions or thoughts, because taking pictures is something that I love to do so it distracts me even when I am trying to express what is bothering me through the photo. I have to think about the shot and the light and I suppose, in a way, it turns me into an observer for awhile.

So, on this particular day, I had had it UP TO HERE with myself and so I set up the camera and took pictures. This one is multiple exposures, three, I think. I sat down, posed, took the shot. Tried to sit down in the same place, posed, took the shot. And so on. And when I peeled it apart, I found it to be a really great depiction of how crazy I was feeling. Wanting the noise in my head to just stop already. 

After a pack of film and many self-portraits, I actually did feel better. Sometimes camera therapy is the best therapy.

(And for the record, I am totally not that skinny. It just looks that way because it is multiple exposures and my body overlaps itself in such a way that it makes me look way tinier than I actually am.)

Words To Shoot By :: Together

[Polaroid Automatic 100 + Fuji FP-100C film]

The latest Words To Shoot By is live! Check it out.

Weekend.

[Polaroid Automatic 100 + Fuji FP-100C film]

I've been pretty tired all weekend, but I've still managed to get things accomplished which is nice. Friday afternoon, I knit for an hour and watched the season premiere of Southland. Then I decided to play around with making instant film transparencies and emulsion lifts. (Ben aka Bozowizard has been doing some lovely transparencies and it inspired me to do some experiments myself.) The transparencies look so easy, but they can be tricky. I started off with a color photo and proceeded to make a mess of it. I overheated it so the emulsion got bubbly and the photo I chose was really too dark to use in the way I was thinking anyway, so I gave up and used it for an emulsion lift instead. I tried one more transparency with a mistake photo and kind of messed it up again so I gave up and focused on emulsion lifts. Now those are a lot of fun and I have better luck with the process. It really just requires a bit of patience. I am hoping that, with practice, I can do something more creative with the lifts, but so far, I've just done the basic lifts. (I suppose this would all be more interesting if I had photos to share!)

At any rate, I really got caught up in the process and Will ended up being ready to go out before me! We just went up the street to our usual pub for beers and dinner. It was packed out and not entirely enjoyable (due to the noise level and being cramped at the bar), but we ate and had a beer with a friend before heading home. Our friend joined us at the house for awhile and I played records while we talked about music from our youth.

Saturday morning was freezing, but I went out for my usual run before getting started with the day. While running, I found some inspiration for tomorrow's Words To Shoot By which I thought I was going to skip. After lunch, it warmed up so I headed back to the park. The sun felt nice, but it's still too cold for instant film and I was a comedy of errors, trying to juggle cameras and stuff photos into my jacket and under my arm to stay warm. But I managed to get what I envisioned, more or less, so it wasn't a total bomb of a photo adventure. 

Word on the street is that silver shade films are easier for transparencies so I shot a couple while I was out. I let it sit for a few hours and then tried another transparencies, and sure enough, it worked! Definitely easier and I think I'll stick with silver shade for the time being when it comes to transparencies.

Right now all I really want to do is shoot instant film and it is frustrating because it's too cold to do much outside and I am lacking in ideas as well. This past week, I ended up using a whole pack on some tulips because I was so itchy to take photographs. And they are nice photos, but we all know how many flower photos I have so I don't want to do too much of that to get a fix. I also have a lot of expired film that I need to use before it gets too funky. So I need some warm weather and a plan.

Saturday evening, after a day of mudding walls and digging a ditch, Will was craving a steak salad with a side of green chile cheese fries. So back up the street we went. Our place was even more packed than the night before, but after a short wait, we managed to get a table in the back so our dinner was somewhat peaceful. This going out to dinner all the time is such a bad habit, but neither of us ever feel like cooking lately. (For the record, tonight we're having leftover pizza. Homemade pizza. And salad.)

This morning I felt even more exhausted than the previous morning, but I pushed through it and even made myself go on a run. I don't feel like I ever full woke up though. Sunday is my chore day so I did all kinds of fun vacuuming and mopping. Then I watched a bad movie and did some knitting.

And now here I am, wishing I could tell better tales of my weekend instead of this play-by-play way that I write. But I am not much of a storyteller and I just felt like catching up here. My intent to blog more often and to write in my journal everyday has completely fallen by the wayside in the last few weeks. 

Really all I needed to tell you is that I've had a nice weekend and I'm enjoying the hell out of all this photo stuff, mistakes and all.

List no. 2 :: Pets that I've had.

1. King - a German Shepherd my dad had when I was first born.
2. Butterball - my brother's hamster that mysteriously disappeared the night before we got Tigger.
3. Tigger - not our first family cat, but the first one I remember well. We got him when I was around 4 and he was with us for 19 years.
4. Retton - named for Mary Lou Retton. He was a super sweet orange cat and we were crushed when he disappeared.
5. Bandit - he didn't last with us very long. I think he was peeing in the house. My mom gave him to a friend.
6. Amaretto - named for the liqueur. He was a tough cat, an orange tortoise shell and lasted for 16 years. 
7. Page - named for Jimmy Page. She was a calico and so so sweet. She disappeared when I went away to college.
8. Dani - a black lab/Chow mix. She became my mom's favorite pet.
9. Kashmir - named for the Led Zeppelin song. He was a sweet gray kitty who loved to play fetch. He once disappeared for two weeks but then showed back up one night when I was home from college on Thanksgiving break. He also lived to be 16 or 17.
10. Jed - named for the Grateful Dead song, Tennessee Jed. He was a black, fluffy bad ass and quite the adventurer. He moved from Albuquerque to Pittsburgh with me. I had him for ten years before he chose another owner. It was a complicated situation and it still breaks my heart to think of him.
11. Maggie - named for Maggie Cassidy (a novel by Jack Kerouac. She was a sweet white kitty with a black spot on her head. And her life was way too short.
12. Rocky - initially named Lulu (for Louise Brookes), we changed his name to Rocky when we discovered he was actually a boy!
13. Simon - Will got Simon in North Carolina before we met, but he's mine now too.

[My parents were actually not big on having a lot of pets and would have been content with one cat, but I was always bringing kittens home. And they told me not to bring the puppy home, but I did anyway and they thought she was so cute, they decided to keep her. Most of the cats and Dani became my parents' responsibility when I went off to college. When I left home, they still had Tigger, Amaretto, Page and Dani. Page disappeared my freshman year and Kashmir joined the family the following summer.] 

Hello.

[Polaroid SLR680SE + expired 600 film]

This is one of my favorite self-portraits. I took it during our stay at Hotel Andaluz.

Sunset.

[Polaroid Spectra + Polaroid Softtone film]

I often wish that we lived on a hill or somewhere with an unimpeded view. We live in the middle of town, which is actually quiet convenient as I love being able to walk places, but it makes it hard to see a full blown sunset.

And really, I don't mind this small view that we have because when the light it is incredible, it is incredible no matter where you are. But I have to admit, I would really love it if those damn wires didn't run across the middle of the photos I take of sunsets. (I tend to take a lot of photos of this view, especially during the winter months when I am not shooting much of anything else.)

The light was incredible this evening and as I walked up the street to the pub, the sun was at back and bathed everything in front of me with a lovely orange glow. Walking at that time of the evening always feels so peaceful to me.

----

I hope everyone enjoyed Valentine's Day in one way or another. My day was nothing special, but we have a lovely evening at home. Will grilled steaks and asparagus, and we turned a leftover baked potato into a twice backed potato. We shared a bottle of wine and topped it all off with fancy chocolate truffles with a hint of almond flavor. So good. And then I made him watch Overboard with me just because it was on.

Today I work at the gallery all day which I am not terribly excited about even though I know it is good for me to get out for the day. I've been at home A LOT the past few weeks. But this time of year is a slow time for tourism in Santa Fe which means not a lot of people stop in the gallery and it makes the day pass very slowly. I prefer having lots to do versus sitting around waiting for something to happen. No matter, I'll make the best of it, and who knows, maybe something exciting will happen.

This weekend we actually have plans for both Saturday and Sunday evenings which hasn't happened in a long time. I am sure it will all be fun, but I suspect it will also wear me out.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

First night in NYC.

Since we spent most of the day traveling, when we arrived at Penn Station, all we really wanted to do was get the key to our rented apartment, drop our bags off and find a decent place for dinner. I didn't each much all day so I was starving. And very excited that we made it to the Big City!

I've spent a fair amount of time in NYC since I was about 17, and I've always loved being there. I don't recall ever being particularly overwhelmed by it, so I was rather surprised with myself for feeling slightly overwhelmed as we walked out of Penn Station onto Seventh Ave. Granted, I was tired, but still, it was like, "Whoa!" I had been so busy being anxious about flying, it never even occurred to me that I might have some anxiety about being in the city again.

Will felt the same way. We used to live there so it wasn't anxiety about getting lost or anything like that, it was just way more people, moving quickly, than we are used to here in sleepy Santa Fe. It made me feel like a small town girl and I have to admit that I didn't like it so much. Feeling that way, I mean. I don't think I really realized how different our lives are here until we were back there.

So I had that little revelation and then I was just excited, trying to take it all in. Our place was located in Chelsea so we just headed down Seventh Ave., picked up the key to the place from a doorman at another apartment, and then walked a few more blocks to the apartment. We really liked the place. No frills, but it was clean, comfortable and spacious for New York City. We had some room to spread out which was nice. And the building was secure and quiet. Perfect.

Next up, food! Shockingly enough, I did not research restaurants before the trip so I had nothing planned out. I figured we could just wing it and get recommendations from friends. We set out with the intention of just walking around until we found some place interesting, but I was too hungry to really deal with too much walking around so we ended up heading to The Half King. It did not disappoint.

When we lived in Brooklyn, Will worked at the Gagosian Gallery and so spent many lunch hours at The Half King. And sometimes I would meet him there after work for a beer or dinner before we headed back to Brooklyn. So it's a familiar place to us. When we walked in, it sorted felt like walking into our regular pub here. And our waiter was so nice. He didn't roll his eyes at me once even though I kept talking too much and asking too many questions, something I do when I am overly tired and hungry. I ordered the buffalo burger and I was so blown away by it. It's the best buffalo burger I have ever had. Anywhere. Even at home. So. Damn. Good. I wish I could there right now. Seriously.

After dinner, we were really too tired to do anything else. But just walking around Chelsea was so nostalgic for us, especially for Will. He remembered all his favorite places to get coffee or buy cigarettes (yes, we smoked back then) or eat lunch. And we both remembered walking down certain streets a lot. Little things that you don't really think about and then when back in that place, it all starts coming back. In a good way.

We laughed because before we went back to the apartment, we ended up in Whole Foods. I mean, of course we did, how could we not set foot in a Whole Foods for an entire day?! (I am joking, but we do go there a lot here.) We needed water, beer and kefir. The water and kefir were easy enough. The beer, well, we were shocked to find such a lame beer selection. I guess they don't have a lot of space to devote to it, but still, we expected more than average selections in a city so much bigger than our own. But no, not so much. We ended up with an overpriced six-pack of Sam Adams which seems to always end up being our go-to beer when traveling. I guess if we want a good beer selection, we best go to the Northwest on our next vacation.

We did spot this "Hipster Ale" which was just too hilarious. Hipster Ale. In New York. Of course. We may have even tried if it hadn't cost some ridiculous amount like $16.99. 

Made it back to the apartment and settled in for the night. The apartment had a huge picture window which was awesome but for the fact that people in NYC don't seem to believe in proper curtains. We put down the blinds, but there was still so much light. I require the darkest of dark for my beauty sleep. But knowing this about myself, I had packed my eye mask cover thingy so it was all fine.