september 15

it seems like i might be making connections in brooklyn which might be able to help me. i just got home from urbanglass, a studio and gallery that robert (the owner of the farm) sits on the board of directors for. they were having an opening for a new exhibit they titled "transitions." the art was an amazing use of glass in ways i wouldn't have expected: one person, in my favorite piece, interlaced a series of glass cubes and tree-like sculptures in an array which was unbelievable in its complexity. another etched a series of portraits of queen elizabeth i on the back of glass tubes which held two-headed, stuffed birds (the second head was added after a natural death). another made a series of glass balls which held water dyed a certain hue and all arranged in a specific pattern, while another made a series of glasses mixed with corn starch so they would change shape and color over time. in addition to this exhibit, the building housed the a huge studio which, apparently, is the studio of many professional glassblowers.


i was told, by robert, to introduce myself to becki, who is the media contact for urbanglass. she in turn introduced me to a few other employees. they all showed me around and explained some of the techniques used. but, importantly, they also told me about other arts centers in the area that i may be able to work at, and one of them told me to contact her about writing for glass quarterly, which is also run from the urbanglass studios. this is especially important now because i found out last night that i may be able to live in this apartment indefinitely. adam (who was living in the spare room) moved out while i was in vermont and michael (who i'm subleasing from) may be moving out in november. either way, jordan (my roommate) said he may be renting out the empty rooms for prices that i can afford, so if i find a job, i could make this my home. the job search is back on in earnest.


the rest of the day, on the other hand, i spent wandering around. on the recommendation of the one and only anna rindos, i went to check out a neighborhood called dumbo--'dumbo' being an acronym for "down under the manhattan bridge overpass." despite how obvious it is that the 'o' was thrown on to avoid naming a neighborhood 'dumb' the place was pretty cool. there was lots of random stores and art galleries there, as well as a record store which had a zen garden in the middle of it. but, dumbo also seemed more laid back than most of brooklyn--the obviously cool stores were more out of the way than they are in clinton hill or williamsburg, and the place generally seemed more comfortable with itself than other places i've been. it also houses brooklyn bridge park, which gives fantastic views of manhattan.


after i explored dumbo for awhile, i bought what i think is my first ever pair of sunglasses and headed to urbanglass. and now, i've found that żywiec (you really have no idea the pain i go through to get that z with a dot over it) makes a porter that's 9.6% alcohol and is sold in pint bottles for $1.75. i also just found a website that has every swat kats episode for free, so my night is set, and oh so cheap.


also, as a side note, the black cat who used to never leave jordan's room now comes and cuddles with me. he's just as cool as the grey cat. and i really should learn their names. i asked jordan once, but all i remember is that one is named fangs, and i can't remember which one.