Last night was the annual Christmas Secret-Concert put on by the Budapest Festival Orchestra. It's a tradition that every year, the orchestra puts on a show around Christmas without announcing the program ahead of time. Judging from the number of empty seat (I could not locate any) it's a well recieved show and people are into the idea of going to listen to some surprise music. Ivan Fischer, the founder and principal conductor of the orchestra, is really well known in music circles around the world, they are invited to perform all over the world - he mentioned that the whole orchestra was traveling to China the following morning where they were invited to give a New Year's concert. He is also known to be playful, good-humored and very passionate about what he does. In a way, I think he tries to make classical music fun and easliy reachable for everyone.
When he took the microphone at the secret concert, he cracked a couple of jokes and then announced that he would be taking the audience on a tour with the orchestra. What that meant - as we learned throughout the performance - was that they were going to play pieces by composers around the world, pieces that the orchestra had played all over the world. The first one was tied to their upcoming trip to China. He said that the Chinese had asked them to play this piece at the New Year's concert because it would surely be a huge success. The title of the piece was "Ode to the red flag". This was followed by an interesting Japenese piece narrated by a 10-or-so-year old Japanese girl dressed in a beautifully colorful kimono. Then there was a Japenese-written Viennese waltz, a French piece from the 20's written for a smaller orchestra that was really funky with a sax and jazzy style. This was followed by some traditional Latin-American songs sang by a charming Brazilian lady who seemed to be good friends with the conductor.
By this point, I was starting to suspect and interesting theme. As if the whole show was a huge fuck you to the current xenophobic atmosphere in Hungarian life, media and politics. If the curent prime minister, Mr. Orban had been present, he would have gotten up to try to stop the performance at the first piece, I am pretty sure, as soon as he had heard the words "ode to the red flag". Not to mention the rest of the repertiore. There was not a single piece by a Hungarian composer played that evening. "What a disgrace to the national values of our country" - some might have cried out!
After a piece by Stravinsky titled "Tango" during which two members of the orchestra got up to dance the tango, there came the main attraction of the evening: Ravel's Bolero. It is such a fun piece of music! The audience broke into applause as soon as they heard Fischer announce the next piece. It starts very slowly and quietly. Then more and more instruments join in. A couple of minutes into it, I noticed that a large drum-looking object placed on the floor in front of the orchestra started moving. Soon, a young dancer emerged from it. From Barbados, she had long braids, a very athletic body of a dancer and she had on very little clothing almost exactly the color of her skin. To say the least, her dancing was rather erotic. She had a long white scarf wrapped around her to begin with but that came off quickly. Towards the end of the piece, when the music was starting to get real loud and crazy, she danced up to the conductor's podium and started literally grinding with Mr. Fischer, from behind him. Then, to make the whole thing even more ridiculous, she wrapped her white silk scarf around the two of them, he tied it at the front and they started grinding together, exaggerating the conducting movements. At one point, they turned around so that she was facing the orcestra, conducting them, while we could see the huge grin on Mr. Fischer's face. He surely wasn't focused on that Bolero anymore. In the big finale, he raised his arms to the sky and she feel on the floor behind him while they were still tied together with the white scarf. What fun! I certainly have never enjoyed a classical concert more than this one. And as a plus, even if it wasn't intentional although I doubt it could have been anything other than, I loved that it was a celebration of arts around the world, of humanity as a whole, of music as it reaches everyone regardless of race, age or national origin. Kudos to Mr. Fischer and the Budapest Fesitval Orchestra!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Demolition of democracy?
It' never a good sign when a small country such as Hungary makes it into the world media too often. During the past week or so, there have been several troubling articles, some appearing in The New York Times, the latest of which warns of the "demolition of democracy". There has been a downward spiral ever since the spring of 2010, when the current, rather nationalistic, right-wing party took power in parliament. The problem is, even though only 52% voted for them in the elections, the way the parliamentay districts are set up, they ended up with a 2/3 majority in parliament. This basically means that all decisions can be made without any discussion. As long as at least 2/3 of the members of the parliament vote for a particular law, it goes through. It' easy to see how this can be a problem. Especially when the ruling party will do nearly anything to stay in power. For example, they are about to change the entire constitution of the country without the opposition having any say at all in it. Part of that new constitution would be re-drawing the election districts in a way that almost guarantees that no other political party will ever defeat them in upcoming elections. Another point in this new constitution will be the change of the official name of our country from Republic of Hungary to simply Hungary. Not only will this cost a lot of money - changing signs at the borders alone will cost millions of Forints, which, when a country is in huge economic troubles, seems like an idiotic waste - but it might also be the beginning of something very scary, slowly starting to move away from the ideas of a republic towards god knows what exactly. To many, changing the name symbolizes going back to old times (pre WWII times) and many people feel that that should be the directionof country instead of trying to intergrate into Europe and share the progressive European values such as the freedom of speech and a free and fair media.
This brings me to the media issue. On Tuesday, just as I arrived in Budapest, the Media Council made a decision to deprive the most popular opposition radio station, Klubradio, of its frequency. In addition, one of the most popular online news portals, Index, was banned from the parliament. These were just two of the many decisions, which angered a lot of people - liberals and conservatives alike - who still believe in a free press and freedom of speech. Both decisions were clearly motivated by political ideals and are aimed at silencing opposition against the ruling party.
For someone who has lived in the United States for over 10 year - and for other people who believe in the protection of these basic democratic rights - this is just outrageous. I do not live under the illusion that the US media is completely free, independent and unbiased. Of course not. No media is. But in most places in the first world, there is strong protection of freedom to speak and print against or in favor of whatever political party or ideal. Everyone in the US knows about the NYT-WSJ rivalry: one is considered a liberal while the other a conservative paper, whatever the definitions might be. The same is true about radio stations, and TV news oulets. While I can't say I often look at the WSJ, it absolutely needs to exist - and in any case, it's probably a lot more neutral than what conservative media would be in Hungary. There absolutely has to be a balance, and equilibrium. There needs to be discussion. People need to be able to read both sides of stories. Those who want to at least.
When this was announced on TV a few days ago, I was watching with my parents. They were both moslty silent. There wasn't much to say. This is a dictatorship, they simply announced. The next day, some journalists on a talk show airing on a liberal TV station spoke about their fears that they might be the next ones to get shut down. It's not easy to imagine such things happening in the US, but it's incredibly easy to do this kind of thing in a system where every national council, such as the Media Council, is led by people close to the ruling party. They beomce puppets in this game. Radio stations are shut down based on fabricated reasons. These same journalists decided to organize a demonstration for the following day in front of the building of the Hungarian National Radio. My Mom said we had to go. This was one of the most shocking things I have ever heard from her. Both my parents are very peaceful people. They don't want to get involved in politics either. But my Mom said: "Enough is enough!". She asked me if I would go with her. A few minutes later, there were already articles online - most strikingly on facebook, posted by several of my friends - urging people to go out onto the streets. They said "we cannot stay silent anymore".
So on Thursday afternoon, my Mom and I got on the metro to go to this demonstration. An older couple sat opposite us on the train: they didn't have any bags or purses with them and I have to admit I also noticed a quiet intellectual air about them. My Mom turned to me and whispered "I bet they are going where we are goingt". When we actually saw that they were indeed going where we were going, I was a little shocked. Not because of them, but because most people in the crowd that was heading towards the square in front of the bulding owned by the Hungarian national radio station were older, my parents' generation, with their friends and families, like it was a trip for afternoon tea. The affair was completely peaceful and rather quiet for how angry a lot of people were. There were well known actors, historians, philosophers, journalists, writers, and they all called for more people to come out to the streets, to stop being quiet, to start resisting. They recited revolutionary poems - of which our country has many - talked about what democracy should mean, why a free media is absolutely necessary for that and why things had to change. I got pretty emotional at point during the speeches. I also felt a little out of place, a little bit like a hippocrate who has long ago abandoned a sinking ship and came back to see what's happened, hoping that nobody will notice that I am not on the ship anymore.
What will happen if nothing changes is anybody's guess at this point. But the next day, with some people my age, at a birthday gathering, the issue came up again. My friend whose birthday we were celebrating said something shocking. She thought this might be her last birthday spent in peace for some time. For someone in her early 30's in a country that hasn't experienced war or any really turbulent times in decades (definitely not in our lives), that is a statement that should be taken very seriously. The issue is, the way I see it and the way a lot of young and progressive people see it, that the leaders of this country, who now have a lot more power than what is comfortable in a country claiming to be a republic or a democracy, are trying to distance themselves from the West. From the EU, from the US, from integration and globalism. They think - and this is absolutely deliusional - that Hungary can sustain itself without foreign aid, investments, loans, etc. With propaganda similar to what Hitler used in the 30's, they had convinced many people that anti-globalization and this distancing ourselves from the West are the way to save what they claim is Hungarian, national identity and whatever else they want people to believe. Unfortunately, this type of brainwashing usually works, because the crowds in any country want to be convinced and want to believe that they don't have to do anything or give anything up and things will just magically be better, even great. However, now that the democratic institutions are slowly being undermined by the current governing power, the world seems to have noticed too. I suspect that the EU is not going to let a country remain one of their member states if that country violates some pretty basic principles they believe in: the national bank is no longer independent of the government, there is barely any freedom of religion or speech left with a tightly controlled media.
What it really comes down to though, is the people. However bad the economy is, whatever is going on with the national bank and the media, the main question always has to be about the people. And sadly, as I have observed, things are much much worse now than they were even a few months ago when I last visited. I recently met doctors who haven't received a paycheck in months and are still working (why? don't ask!), I already mentioned my friend who is concerned about the end of peace, the older generations are comparing this era to the early 50's, during which people were living in fear constantly, and which eventually led to the revolution of 1956. A lot of people are struggling, others are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their life savings, their social security checks, benefits, etc. What I see today is that everyone is afraid of something and everyone is worried about the future. Contantly. Young people can't afford to dream, to follow their own paths becasue they are constantly struggling to make ends meet. To the point where a young medical resident has to get an additional job to support just herself and ends up working several days and nights in a row, just to pay the bills. What do you think will happen in the 40th hour she spends in the hospital? Consequently, a lot of young and talented people leave, while those who would like to stay find themselves in impossible situations.
There is so much more to say here but I am depressed enough already. Also, I have no idea what the solution could be, if any. Hungary is small and insignificant enough that the world might simply not care. Even though I live in a very different world, one which I can call carefree and comfortable, I worry about whta's going to happen here. This is still my home in a way, still where a lot of people I love and care about live. What will happen with the dreams of all the young people here? What will happen to my parents? What will happen to my niece who was born 10 days ago and will have to grow up in a place like this? I have no answers but I have a very distinct feeling that things are about to take a turn for much worse. And then what?
This brings me to the media issue. On Tuesday, just as I arrived in Budapest, the Media Council made a decision to deprive the most popular opposition radio station, Klubradio, of its frequency. In addition, one of the most popular online news portals, Index, was banned from the parliament. These were just two of the many decisions, which angered a lot of people - liberals and conservatives alike - who still believe in a free press and freedom of speech. Both decisions were clearly motivated by political ideals and are aimed at silencing opposition against the ruling party.
For someone who has lived in the United States for over 10 year - and for other people who believe in the protection of these basic democratic rights - this is just outrageous. I do not live under the illusion that the US media is completely free, independent and unbiased. Of course not. No media is. But in most places in the first world, there is strong protection of freedom to speak and print against or in favor of whatever political party or ideal. Everyone in the US knows about the NYT-WSJ rivalry: one is considered a liberal while the other a conservative paper, whatever the definitions might be. The same is true about radio stations, and TV news oulets. While I can't say I often look at the WSJ, it absolutely needs to exist - and in any case, it's probably a lot more neutral than what conservative media would be in Hungary. There absolutely has to be a balance, and equilibrium. There needs to be discussion. People need to be able to read both sides of stories. Those who want to at least.
When this was announced on TV a few days ago, I was watching with my parents. They were both moslty silent. There wasn't much to say. This is a dictatorship, they simply announced. The next day, some journalists on a talk show airing on a liberal TV station spoke about their fears that they might be the next ones to get shut down. It's not easy to imagine such things happening in the US, but it's incredibly easy to do this kind of thing in a system where every national council, such as the Media Council, is led by people close to the ruling party. They beomce puppets in this game. Radio stations are shut down based on fabricated reasons. These same journalists decided to organize a demonstration for the following day in front of the building of the Hungarian National Radio. My Mom said we had to go. This was one of the most shocking things I have ever heard from her. Both my parents are very peaceful people. They don't want to get involved in politics either. But my Mom said: "Enough is enough!". She asked me if I would go with her. A few minutes later, there were already articles online - most strikingly on facebook, posted by several of my friends - urging people to go out onto the streets. They said "we cannot stay silent anymore".
So on Thursday afternoon, my Mom and I got on the metro to go to this demonstration. An older couple sat opposite us on the train: they didn't have any bags or purses with them and I have to admit I also noticed a quiet intellectual air about them. My Mom turned to me and whispered "I bet they are going where we are goingt". When we actually saw that they were indeed going where we were going, I was a little shocked. Not because of them, but because most people in the crowd that was heading towards the square in front of the bulding owned by the Hungarian national radio station were older, my parents' generation, with their friends and families, like it was a trip for afternoon tea. The affair was completely peaceful and rather quiet for how angry a lot of people were. There were well known actors, historians, philosophers, journalists, writers, and they all called for more people to come out to the streets, to stop being quiet, to start resisting. They recited revolutionary poems - of which our country has many - talked about what democracy should mean, why a free media is absolutely necessary for that and why things had to change. I got pretty emotional at point during the speeches. I also felt a little out of place, a little bit like a hippocrate who has long ago abandoned a sinking ship and came back to see what's happened, hoping that nobody will notice that I am not on the ship anymore.
What will happen if nothing changes is anybody's guess at this point. But the next day, with some people my age, at a birthday gathering, the issue came up again. My friend whose birthday we were celebrating said something shocking. She thought this might be her last birthday spent in peace for some time. For someone in her early 30's in a country that hasn't experienced war or any really turbulent times in decades (definitely not in our lives), that is a statement that should be taken very seriously. The issue is, the way I see it and the way a lot of young and progressive people see it, that the leaders of this country, who now have a lot more power than what is comfortable in a country claiming to be a republic or a democracy, are trying to distance themselves from the West. From the EU, from the US, from integration and globalism. They think - and this is absolutely deliusional - that Hungary can sustain itself without foreign aid, investments, loans, etc. With propaganda similar to what Hitler used in the 30's, they had convinced many people that anti-globalization and this distancing ourselves from the West are the way to save what they claim is Hungarian, national identity and whatever else they want people to believe. Unfortunately, this type of brainwashing usually works, because the crowds in any country want to be convinced and want to believe that they don't have to do anything or give anything up and things will just magically be better, even great. However, now that the democratic institutions are slowly being undermined by the current governing power, the world seems to have noticed too. I suspect that the EU is not going to let a country remain one of their member states if that country violates some pretty basic principles they believe in: the national bank is no longer independent of the government, there is barely any freedom of religion or speech left with a tightly controlled media.
What it really comes down to though, is the people. However bad the economy is, whatever is going on with the national bank and the media, the main question always has to be about the people. And sadly, as I have observed, things are much much worse now than they were even a few months ago when I last visited. I recently met doctors who haven't received a paycheck in months and are still working (why? don't ask!), I already mentioned my friend who is concerned about the end of peace, the older generations are comparing this era to the early 50's, during which people were living in fear constantly, and which eventually led to the revolution of 1956. A lot of people are struggling, others are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their life savings, their social security checks, benefits, etc. What I see today is that everyone is afraid of something and everyone is worried about the future. Contantly. Young people can't afford to dream, to follow their own paths becasue they are constantly struggling to make ends meet. To the point where a young medical resident has to get an additional job to support just herself and ends up working several days and nights in a row, just to pay the bills. What do you think will happen in the 40th hour she spends in the hospital? Consequently, a lot of young and talented people leave, while those who would like to stay find themselves in impossible situations.
There is so much more to say here but I am depressed enough already. Also, I have no idea what the solution could be, if any. Hungary is small and insignificant enough that the world might simply not care. Even though I live in a very different world, one which I can call carefree and comfortable, I worry about whta's going to happen here. This is still my home in a way, still where a lot of people I love and care about live. What will happen with the dreams of all the young people here? What will happen to my parents? What will happen to my niece who was born 10 days ago and will have to grow up in a place like this? I have no answers but I have a very distinct feeling that things are about to take a turn for much worse. And then what?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
A day of Apples
Today was a perfect Sunday. A perfect day in fact. I like to think about the day I just had in the evenings. Today though, I thought about this at about 4pm, just how perfect it felt. So I thought I should record it, for times less perfect in the future, to remember. Or for times more perfect, also to remember.
I woke up finally feeling like I had had enough sleep. After a few days of holiday parties, eating and drinking, an early race on Saturday, I took it easy last night, no alcohol, no big dinner, just some babysitting for one of my colleagues' little girl who is just an adorable baby, really amused by things like buckles on toys and Greek cartoons. I now speak Greek at the level of a 1.5 year old and know everything that happens in nearly all episodes of Heidi. Nonetheless, it was a rather relaxing evening. This morning I woke up energized. I had plans to run with Rachel, we quickly set a time and place to meet, I had my cup of coffee and piece of toast with nutella before heading out. I almost decided to turn around as soon as I was out the door. It was the coldest day of the year yet! At 10am, in the wind, in just a couple of layers of running clothes, holy shit, I thought about quickly going back upstairs and calling Rachel before it was too late. It turns out she had the same plan. But in the end, we both decided that since we had already made plans to meet, we HAD TO go. That's one of the important reasons it's crucial to have a running buddy in the winter!
By the time we met up half an hour later, it was much more bearable to run in the cold. We chatted while we ran around the reservoir in this bright sunny December morning. At one point we saw a guy who looked to be a very good runner run the other way, and he waved and said good morning as he passed by. I asked Rachel if she knew him. Nope. She thought it was because it was cold outside, so people who were actually out running are respectable runners who deserve a "Good morning". I thought he must have been from outside of New York. Later on, we saw him again, then with a group of 4 guys, all very fast. They all said hello to us. Wow, are we still in NYC?? I had to head home after a lap and a half around the reservoir; my legs were pretty sore from yesterday's 15K and I stopped having any feeling in some fingers.
A hot shower, warm clothes, and it's suddenly like the day is about start but knowing that I had already run is such a great feeling. It makes the whole day feel so productive. I met up with some friends a little later: they wanted to come to my neighborhood to have a Senegalese lunch. I had heard that there were some pretty good Senegalese restaurants around here but I had never been before. The place they originally wanted to go to was closed: failed the health inspection. The few blocks just West of my place are West African as far as I can tell, and so it wasn't difficult to find another restaurant, called Kilimanjaro. We weren't sure what it was, but once we poke our heads in, a very nice young woman greeted us and ushered us in. It was warm and there was a table right next to the radiator so we took it. It was a very simple little restaurant, no real menus, just a card with some dished printed on it. She brought some tea and juice and then explained that they only had 3 dished today. There were 5 of us, we figured we would just get one of each and see what happens. The dishes were gigantic and absolutely delicious. Rice, meat, fish, veggies, spices, some stuff I couldn't identify, oh well, it all tasted very good and we couldn't even finish it all and oh my god, the whole thing cost $8/person! I can't remember the last time I ate in New York, or anywhere else, for $8! For so much food I was still not hungry 5 hours later! I gotta go back there sometime.
I went back home, made another cup of coffee, put in a movie, got my laptop and iPad out to the living room and did a little work. Then read a little, finishing the Steve Jobs biography. I loved loved it! Never though I would but that's what happened, it was almost 600 pages and I breezed through it in 2 weeks, with much else to do and another really good book that I am reading. In many ways, it inspired me. Jobs himself was a total asshole, by all means, I have no illusions about him, but there was something about him, about his genius, his insight, his products, his influence on our day-to-day lives that I could not get over, In fact, I went to the Apple store on 5th Ave yesterday - there is a whole chapter devoted to Apple stores in the book - just to walk through it, after having read that chapter, to look at it with a different perspective. Of course, on a Saturday afternoon, it was just nuts, impossible to walk through it, but that's just the point. It's a phenomenon. Whether we like it or not, it's become part of the culture. I admit I went to Best Buy after and bought a SmartCover for my iPad, which is super over-priced yet so cool, something that Jobs largely designed, something so simple and easy to use it's hard to argue against getting it. It's also a very pretty blue :)
While I was reading, my roommate's parents came over - they have been staying with us for a few weeks, or months, I can't remember now, but they are super nice so in any case, I don't mind - and I enthusiastically talked to them about Jobs for a few minutes, we had a glass of wine and some cheese and then I was off to my book club. Steve Jobs was the book for this month. Over some more wine, more cheese, we had heated discussions about whether it's more important to be a nice person or someone who truly makes a difference in the world, some even more heated political debate - some of my friends seem to think that Mitt Romney will be the next president - and a lot of catching up with good friends. After more than necessary amounts of wine was consumed, I decided to come home to try to pack. Only, when I got here, a cup of hot chocolate infused with Brandy was waiting for me and now it seems like packing might have to wait till tomorrow.
A few weeks ago I was accused - quite correctly - with being perpetually in motion. I have a hard time relaxing. I am not the kind of person who can stay at home all day and feel satisfied by let's say watching TV or just relaxing on the couch. I do stuff. Even when I don't have any plans, which is rare these days. It's great fun, always experiencing stuff. I wouldn't have it any other way. Today felt like my most relaxing day in a long time. Doing things I love. Seeing people I love. I might be ready for some sleep soon.
I woke up finally feeling like I had had enough sleep. After a few days of holiday parties, eating and drinking, an early race on Saturday, I took it easy last night, no alcohol, no big dinner, just some babysitting for one of my colleagues' little girl who is just an adorable baby, really amused by things like buckles on toys and Greek cartoons. I now speak Greek at the level of a 1.5 year old and know everything that happens in nearly all episodes of Heidi. Nonetheless, it was a rather relaxing evening. This morning I woke up energized. I had plans to run with Rachel, we quickly set a time and place to meet, I had my cup of coffee and piece of toast with nutella before heading out. I almost decided to turn around as soon as I was out the door. It was the coldest day of the year yet! At 10am, in the wind, in just a couple of layers of running clothes, holy shit, I thought about quickly going back upstairs and calling Rachel before it was too late. It turns out she had the same plan. But in the end, we both decided that since we had already made plans to meet, we HAD TO go. That's one of the important reasons it's crucial to have a running buddy in the winter!
By the time we met up half an hour later, it was much more bearable to run in the cold. We chatted while we ran around the reservoir in this bright sunny December morning. At one point we saw a guy who looked to be a very good runner run the other way, and he waved and said good morning as he passed by. I asked Rachel if she knew him. Nope. She thought it was because it was cold outside, so people who were actually out running are respectable runners who deserve a "Good morning". I thought he must have been from outside of New York. Later on, we saw him again, then with a group of 4 guys, all very fast. They all said hello to us. Wow, are we still in NYC?? I had to head home after a lap and a half around the reservoir; my legs were pretty sore from yesterday's 15K and I stopped having any feeling in some fingers.
A hot shower, warm clothes, and it's suddenly like the day is about start but knowing that I had already run is such a great feeling. It makes the whole day feel so productive. I met up with some friends a little later: they wanted to come to my neighborhood to have a Senegalese lunch. I had heard that there were some pretty good Senegalese restaurants around here but I had never been before. The place they originally wanted to go to was closed: failed the health inspection. The few blocks just West of my place are West African as far as I can tell, and so it wasn't difficult to find another restaurant, called Kilimanjaro. We weren't sure what it was, but once we poke our heads in, a very nice young woman greeted us and ushered us in. It was warm and there was a table right next to the radiator so we took it. It was a very simple little restaurant, no real menus, just a card with some dished printed on it. She brought some tea and juice and then explained that they only had 3 dished today. There were 5 of us, we figured we would just get one of each and see what happens. The dishes were gigantic and absolutely delicious. Rice, meat, fish, veggies, spices, some stuff I couldn't identify, oh well, it all tasted very good and we couldn't even finish it all and oh my god, the whole thing cost $8/person! I can't remember the last time I ate in New York, or anywhere else, for $8! For so much food I was still not hungry 5 hours later! I gotta go back there sometime.
I went back home, made another cup of coffee, put in a movie, got my laptop and iPad out to the living room and did a little work. Then read a little, finishing the Steve Jobs biography. I loved loved it! Never though I would but that's what happened, it was almost 600 pages and I breezed through it in 2 weeks, with much else to do and another really good book that I am reading. In many ways, it inspired me. Jobs himself was a total asshole, by all means, I have no illusions about him, but there was something about him, about his genius, his insight, his products, his influence on our day-to-day lives that I could not get over, In fact, I went to the Apple store on 5th Ave yesterday - there is a whole chapter devoted to Apple stores in the book - just to walk through it, after having read that chapter, to look at it with a different perspective. Of course, on a Saturday afternoon, it was just nuts, impossible to walk through it, but that's just the point. It's a phenomenon. Whether we like it or not, it's become part of the culture. I admit I went to Best Buy after and bought a SmartCover for my iPad, which is super over-priced yet so cool, something that Jobs largely designed, something so simple and easy to use it's hard to argue against getting it. It's also a very pretty blue :)
While I was reading, my roommate's parents came over - they have been staying with us for a few weeks, or months, I can't remember now, but they are super nice so in any case, I don't mind - and I enthusiastically talked to them about Jobs for a few minutes, we had a glass of wine and some cheese and then I was off to my book club. Steve Jobs was the book for this month. Over some more wine, more cheese, we had heated discussions about whether it's more important to be a nice person or someone who truly makes a difference in the world, some even more heated political debate - some of my friends seem to think that Mitt Romney will be the next president - and a lot of catching up with good friends. After more than necessary amounts of wine was consumed, I decided to come home to try to pack. Only, when I got here, a cup of hot chocolate infused with Brandy was waiting for me and now it seems like packing might have to wait till tomorrow.
A few weeks ago I was accused - quite correctly - with being perpetually in motion. I have a hard time relaxing. I am not the kind of person who can stay at home all day and feel satisfied by let's say watching TV or just relaxing on the couch. I do stuff. Even when I don't have any plans, which is rare these days. It's great fun, always experiencing stuff. I wouldn't have it any other way. Today felt like my most relaxing day in a long time. Doing things I love. Seeing people I love. I might be ready for some sleep soon.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sunday Jazz at Marjorie's
A hidden gem at the border of Harlem and Washington Heights: every Sunday afternoon at 4pm, Marjorie Eliot invites friends and strangers into her home where she plays a nearly 2 and a half hour long jazz concert.
My good friend Anna had done her homework before coming to visit me in New York last month; she found all kinds of fun and quirky things to do, particularly in Harlem. Marjorie's jazz concert was one of them. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, after having brunch at this little cafe I newly discovered just around the corner from my apartment, we took a long walk up to 160th St. That walk was already worth the time. We passed through a handful of different neighborhoods with completely different feels to them. The lower part of Harlem, where I live, is now very mixed, with lots of middle class families - both black and white - living in the area. As you walk north, things get a little poorer at first, maybe even a little sketchy for a few blocks, but then near 145th st on the West side, it's a whole new neighborhood with nice stores and little cafes, beautiful buildings and a gorgeous view of the Bronx on the other side of the Harlem river. To get to Marjorie's, we had to walk up a big hill up where the island of Manhattan narrows to only a few blocks in width. It's a lovely area with lots of greenery, playgrounds and families.
As soon as we entered 555 Edgecombe Ave, we were shown to the parlor apartment no the 3rd floor by the doorman. A girl in the elevator with us mentioned that Marjorie used to be her piano teacher. The door to 3F was decorated with newspaper clippings and flowers and we were immediately escorted in by a friendly older lady who turned out to not be Marjorie. We were shown to a couple of seats near what must be the kitchen. There were chairs set up in the living room, hallway and kitchen of the small but comfortable apartment. On the walls everywhere were pictures of famous African Americans, mainly musicians, but also of Martin Luther King, Jr and the President. Newspaper clippings from The Times writing about the Sunday afternoon jazz concerts. Christmas decorations. There was a smell of incense. Marjorie is a tall, slender, very fit - almost ageless looking even though she must be near 70 if not more - lady. She was wearing a simple blue dress and high heels.
She started playing the piano suddenly one moment and soon she was joined by a much younger gentleman who started singing along. Mainly love songs. Then the saxophonist came out. He was really good, as far as I could tell. Then a frail looking older man showed up with a bass that was at least twice his size. He had a distinct limp. I was worried the instrument might crush him. But of course didn't and he played beautifully. There was also a young trumpet player in the little band. People kept arriving too. Some were obviously regulars, friends of Marjorie's. They greeted her personally, with hugs and kisses. Some were tourists. Some looked like neighbors who had just come from upstairs in their pajamas. Some people might have come from a fancy Upper East Side lunch. It was an incredible mix of people. In front of us sat two Italian girls, and later on a Portuguese guy sat down next to them. By the end of the concert, they were exchanging contact info and talking about meeting up later. It was that kind of atmosphere. Everybody was connected by the music, by being in Marjorie's apartment, by being welcome there, by being New Yorkers, even if just for the day.
At about halfway through the concert, the musicians took a break. I took the opportunity to go to the bathroom, which was just in the back of the apartment. I saw that there was a bedroom back there where the musicians came out of, but it must have been Marjorie's bedroom. Her bathroom was also full of personal items, a place where someone obviously lives. When I got back to the living room, Marjorie and some friends of hers were serving cookies and juice to everyone there. We gave small donations, but the whole affair was completely free.
I still cannot believe the openness, the welcoming atmosphere that I experienced that afternoon. We were invited into someone's home, someone's life, as if we were longtime friends. There was a sense of love in the air, to be extremely cheesy. It didn't feel like 2011 New York City at all. Nothing in that apartment was motivated by greed or money or anything beyond a love for music and a love of people, all people who want to enjoy music. I had the distinct feeling of having traveled back in time for a few hours. I left feeling like I was a part of something bigger. Humanity maybe, the best of it, which is not always how I feel among people.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
What happens in the lab...
Inspired by these blogs:
(Not as funny if you have never worked in a lab)
You know you're a lab rat when:
You open the toothpaste with one hand.
You wash your hands before and after using the washroom.
When you hear tween, you think of the surfactant not the age group.
For you, media is something which increases your culture.
You can identify organs on roadkills.
You have a callus on your thumb.
You use the word "aliquot" in regular sentences.
Sometimes you momentarily vanish from social activities because of a timepoint.
You've never worn a clean lab coat.
You don't fear rodents, rodents fear you.
You say "orders of magnitude" in regular sentences.
You flinch when you hear the word "significant".
Showing up at 10AM and having a coffee is a productive day.
You can't stand god-like physicians, while secretly wishing you had their job.
You're very good at diluting things.
You're also very good at transferring small amounts of liquid between containers.
You are fed up of people saying alcohol, when they mean ethanol.
You hear the word ‘Molar’ and teeth are the last thing on your mind.
You say “conjugation” instead of “sex”, and "pili" sounds dirty.
SOB is not an insult, it's what you grow your bugs in.
You say "mills" and "megs".
No-one in your family has any idea what you do.
You can make a short film in power point.
You consider a green laser pointer to be science bling.
A falcon is not a bird....
And you have 5 of them with different types of water.
When your fruits go bad and you get fruit flies, you can't help but check their eye color.
You own Invitrogen t-shirts and actually wear them.
You think that Drosophila geneticists have a good sense of humor.
You refer to your children as the F1. (I hope I never get there, but I do have conversations with my mice sometimes... and nope, they never talk back, which is the best!)
You've suffered carpal tunnel from the pipetman.
You've used kimwipes as kleenex.
A timer clipped to the hip is not only practical, but dead sexy.
You've played Battleship using tip boxes.
The front pages of Science is your light reading.
You think the following is a quality insult: "I've seen cells
more competent than you!".
The scent of latex reminds you of work, not play.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Found
How cool is the internet sometimes! Bruno - as it turns out his name is - found my reposting of his video of the NYC marathon, commented on it too and turns out that we were indeed in the same corral at the start. Everyone and everything is connected. Check it out!
And for some reason I think it's strangely appropriate that I started reading Steve Job's biography today. No matter what people think about him - because some people have really strong feelings about him - it's undeniable that he was an interesting character with a fascinating path in life.
And for some reason I think it's strangely appropriate that I started reading Steve Job's biography today. No matter what people think about him - because some people have really strong feelings about him - it's undeniable that he was an interesting character with a fascinating path in life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)