2 picture + poem

Having a Coke with You

is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles

and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them

I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse

it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it

-Frank O'Hara

photo

4 Mandy's Unemployment Survival Guide

It's been almost two months that I've been home and looking for work, which I realize is not all that bad in this economy of ours. However, it's taken me about this long to come up with a routine for myself and find outlets that allow me to stay relatively sane. Below are some of my tips on how to survive any bout of unemployment.



1. Set an alarm
One of the few perks of unemployment is that you get to sleep in...right? While that was lovely and luxurious at first, it eventually made me feel slothful and unproductive. Do yourself a favor and set an alarm for a reasonable hour; you'll find your days will be a lot longer and you'll have plenty of time to scour job boards, write cover letters and take regular screaming breaks.


2. Network
It's way more fun than sending your resume into the unresponsive stratosphere of online job sites. It kind of makes you feel like you're getting somewhere, and you'll meet cool people who like the same things you do.




3. Exercise
Take advantage of the fact that you're not tethered to a desk from 9-6 (yet). Go to the gym or go for a run whenever you feel like you deserve a break; it will significantly increase your mood and make you feel productive even on the most dead-end of job-hunting days.



4. Get a part-time job if you can
A restaurant, baby-sitting or retail job is a great way to give your life structure and cash flow. If you can't, volunteer. For money, sell your stuff on eBay, Etsy, or at a local thrift store.



5. Take the night off
My dad always says, "Your job is to find a job." So give yourself a certain amount of hours of work everyday, and then give yourself the evenings off. Meet friends for drinks, cook dinner, or lie in bed and watch all three seasons of "Parks and Recreation." For example.



6. Be open to everything
Take all the advice, suggestions and leads that you get. You never know what might come your way.


1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

1 Tuesday Tune

It's a Passion Pit kinda week.

3 Simpler

I spent this past weekend at my friend's country house in Upstate New York. My phone had no service and it was the most peaceful couple of days I've experienced in a long time. We woke up to a rainy Saturday, read our books in the screened in porch, ate homemade jam, then put on our raincoats and went for a walk in the woods.



This morning I skimmed through 300 unread blogposts in my reader, purely out of a strange sense of duty. It's a beautiful day and I've yet to go outside. Something tells me I need to pull myself away from my computer, from my phone, for longer than just a weekend.

1 Family, pond, hammock, willow tree

That little guy is my cousin, Sawyer. He's pretty much the cutest thing since sliced bread.

The handsome fella with the wiffle bat is my little brother.

Thanks for your advice on cameras, everyone. I'm excited to take the plunge!

3 Nutter butter

Peanut Butter & Co's Tumblr is a completely genius marketing ploy. Also, just imagine you had a job at a peanut butter sandwich stylist.

All these guys below (and most on the blog) are vegan.

The Fig-Ure It Out: Smooth Operator peanut butter, fig jelly, figs, and caramel kettle corn on whole wheat bread

The Guava Lava: The Heat Is On peanut butter and molten guava jelly on Hawaiian bread, topped with chopped peanuts

The True Blue: White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter with blueberry preserves and fresh blueberries on raisin bread

The Peachy Keen: White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter, peach preserves, sliced peaches and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar on honey oat bread

The Blackout: Black bread with Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, black cherry preserves, blackberries, and chocolate chips (which we will imagine are vegan chocolate chips)