2 Things Spoken for the Very First Time

THING 1:

Baclava is blocking the tv.

I went to Brooklyn to visit Kedrin.

Bitz joined.

Brooklyn is pretty in the autumn,

I let Kedrin know I had arrived by texting her a pic of her front door.

Kedrin made birthday sushi for us and got birthday baclava at Costco.

Part of the baclava was birthday baclava; the rest is her annual stock-up.

There were boxes of baclava blocking the tv, which we weren't even watching.

We couldn't have even if we wanted to because it was blocked by baclava.

We were thinking about trying to connect my ipad to the tv but gave up because 1) we don't know how and it is an old tv so probably can't do it and 2) there was baclava blocking the tv anyhow.

Birthday baclava and a candle borrowed from the bathtub make for the best birthday wishes!

THING 2:

I miss having covid.

Spoken by Kedrin's neighbor.

Yeah, really.

We were leaving and her neighbor was walking the dog. (Link; he is gorgeous). 
We were talking about covid and loss of smell, and how it is an olfactory vacation from all the pot fumes.

That's when her neighbor said yeah I miss having covid.

45 at Pier 26

I am 45 today.
It is very weird.

I'm old to younger people and young to older people.

I'm definitely old enough to say how the hell did this happen.........

I am solidly GenX,
Actually, I'm in a sub-generation called the Xennials because I grew up analog like early GenX but I also grew up with computers and video games like the Millennials, but I am no Millennial.

I belong to a Transition Generation.

I'm glad I knew life before social media and cellphones.

I have still never had a cavity.

Nor do I intend to, ever.

Also, I'd really love to have a midlife crisis but it seems like such a luxury.

I refuse to ever stop wearing fun colors in my eyeshadow, especially green, even though these days I mostly never even get dressed.  I do get a lot of compliments on my eyeshadow so going by that it's probably pretty ok. I will wear literally ANY color eyeshadow and I do know how to do it properly.

Speaking of which, I did get the new Urban Decay palette:

On all the days I work from home (most days) I cycle for my workout.
I also swim but not every day or as much as I should... I have to...go... to the pool... I love it but I have to...go..... there...

Anyhow I'm up to 13 miles in 30 minutes on my stationery bike and I think that's pretty respectable.

I can be weirdly disciplined at certain things, like an on/off switch... and total crap at other things.

But my daily workout is non-negotiable.
I don't even really enjoy it to be honest, but my body needs it and I can tell the difference if I am off-schedule.

Aside from general health, I need my body to have the stamina to schlepp around painting gear.

********************

So anyhow, today............

I had no plans.

Daya said happy birthday and was nice to me, although she wouldn't give me a hug.
But she was nice to me. I love when Daya is nice to me.

And of course she had dance.

I had no other plans but there was a pumpkin carving thing at the boathouse (season is over but volunteers still hang out) so I thought I should go be around nice people and do something fun.

And I also thought maybe I should do a painting down at Pier 26.

This painting took over 3 1/2 hours and based on yesterday (weather was the same today) I DRESSED PROPERLY and I WAS SO HOT OMG!!

I took my jacket off and put on sunblock.

Ridiculous.

I was really exhausted by the end of this painting.

8x10 oil

Many people stopped by to say nice things and it felt good.

Sometimes I need cheerleaders.

I have to remember the positive energy I get from NYC when I get too grumpy.

(I am a grumpy Scorpio)

Because I just painted the Pier 26 sign and my head was exhausted, I made a Pier 26 pumpkin.

I messed it up twice but whatever.

All our pumpkins.

Kedrin made an equation pumpkin which is truly terrifying and also awesome.

Someone made a "zombie" sitting on the bench... I really thought he needed flotation but no one else thought so, since he wasn't going on the dock.

Whatever, he needs flotation because he is a Boathouse Zombie.

Oh, my commute home was so stupid.

I took the F but one of the doors broke in my car.
The conductor was SO ANGRY.

Like it was his very own personal F train.

He was yelling at us like we did it.

Asked if we saw anything.

The bum sleeping on an entire bench even woke up.

The train went out of service at Roosevelt Island and he YELLED into the intercom BEAUSE OF POSSIBLE VANDALISM.

I have never seen such an ANGRY conductor!!

At Roosevelt Ave I saw a rat with a huge snack so of course I immediately texted him to Dru.

And that's how I turned 45.

1 Day, 2 Bridges, 2 Paintings, and Sid

 Sid came to visit me and we went painting in Central Park!

First Painting: Bow Bridge.

I was under-dressed.
I should have known better.
It was a stupid mistake.

I WAS FREEZING AND MISERABLE throughout all of this painting.

2 hours 8x10 oil

Second painting, Gapstow Bridge.
It wasn't as physically miserable.
I was not freezing cold.

Central Park pictures:

We made a new friend--- while I was scoping out our Gapstow Bridge location, Sid met another painter named Natalie.

She painted with us at Gapstow ridge!

You can find her on Instagram at @natalieonpaper

Facebook told me that 6 years ago today, Sid and I also painted Gapstow Bridge!

Isn't that crazy??

(FWIW I remember we were both freezing cold and under-dressed this day 6 years ago too.)

Mind Trips & Diwali

Daya had a follow-up eye dr appointment today. (She's fine.)

It is really weird seeing all the tests I have to do from an observation vantage-point.

This is the test I cannot physically do.

We still try every year.

They can mostly get it on my left eye but never really on the right eye.

It takes Daya about a minute to get both eyes perfectly.

I have been seeing my eye dr since I was in college.

YOU KNOW WHAT IS A SERIOUS HEAD-TRIP?
MY KID WHO IS ABOUT TO BE IN COLLEGE GOING TO MY SAME EYE DR.

I went to the office after.

We had so much fog the windows were solid white.

Oh man did I show up at the office on the right day.... there was a Diwali event WITH FOOD.

I LOVE Indian food!!!!

The food was fantastic.

The fog eventually started clearing up.

I need to start planning my in-office days around food events.
This Diwali event was a surprise; I dont think it was properly announced but it should have been.

Rambling Around in The Ramble

I went out this morning to do a painting before the rain really set in.
My destination" The Ramble.
I'm trying to find my first plein air spot...... so far, no success.

Maybe it changed...? Unlikely but maybe??

Here is today's painting, it took under an hour and a half... quick...

8x10 oil & raindrops

Autumn colors look pretty against the overcast sky....

Bow Bridge

Bethesda Fountain