This Week By the Numbers

Last Friday I had a remarkable revelation. Between that evening and the following Friday I was going to sleep in six different beds.

I spent my last East Coast weekend traveling to Virginia for a wedding. The couple is closely connected to Menno House and a whole group of assorted New York Mennonites were making the trip. Friday night I took a bus to Philadelphia with my friends Lindsay and Ben and we stayed the night at Lindsay's parent's house. On Saturday we drove down to Harrisonburg, Virginia and spent the night with seven other people in a hilariously rustic cabin. On Sunday it was back to New York. I'm leaving tomorrow and will take two different trains during my journey. On Friday, I will sleep in my bed at my parent's house.

This also means that between last Friday and this Friday I will have been in 15 different states. The wedding trip took us through New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. The train will take me through New York and Pennsylvania again, and then on through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

*About the picture: before the wedding reception someone decided that it was terribly necessary to spell out "Menno" with our bodies. No alcohol had yet been consumed at this point.

Thesis Approved!

Remember when I said I wasn't sure that all my thesis stuff would get done before I left? Well, soon after that post I heard back from my advisor, we met, I made some revisions, and on Monday my final draft went before the committee and was approved! It all happened so fast!

It still doesn't mean I'm 100% done though. My advisor has to look over the final draft in order to catch any lingering errors, then I have to print it out in triplicate on fancy paper, and then turn it in to an office at FIT for binding. The big question now is whether or not my advisor will get it back to me in time to make the copies before I leave, or if I will be shipping them from Seattle. Once the copies are turned in (and the binding fee paid), the slow FIT gears will start turning in the direction of printing and mailing my diploma.

But I think I can consider myself a Master of Arts now. On monday night I wore my Master's hood to house dinner.

But I can't stop long to chat....I am leaving NY in less that a week! Too much stuff to do!

This is no time for naval gazing

This week I started a post about things I will miss in New York, deep thoughts, blah blah blah. But then I realized that the Miss Universe pageant just happened which can only mean one thing:

TIME AGAIN FOR THE MISS UNIVERSE PARADE OF RIDICULOUS NATIONAL COSTUMES

If you are new to this, let me fill you in. In a totally irrelevant and un-scored portion of the competition, each contestant is supposed to have a costume that represents their country. While there are some who strap on a version of their national folk dress (Portugal went that route this year), there is also a strong trend to just go full-on showgirl (Trinidad and Tobago presents a classic example). In the confusion over whether to go traditional or slutty/showy, it seems that everyone just decided to play it safe and pick something completely insane.

So what joys did this year hold?

Well there were plenty of showgirls with feathers. Honduras completely half-assed it but Panama showed up with so many feathers that everyone else just cowered in fear. Just look at the terror on the face of St. Lucia.

Speaking of feathers and wings, Curacao cut to the chase and went as a bird in a sequined jumpsuit. She looks depressed by her life decisions.

Venezuela was all "I like the wing idea, but can it be more lizard-y?"

"Hey guys! Remember those trapped Chilean miners? How everyone was gripped by their story of survival? Isn't it moving how I have paid tribute with my bubble skirt and thigh boots?"

There was also a strong trend of crowns (Philippines , Netherlands) and various kinds of princesses. Guam went as a mermaid princess. Lebanon and Denmark went as 5 year olds at a princess themed birthday party.

It is good to see that Project Runway season 5 disaster Suede is getting work in Great Britain.

Ukraine is trying to work it, but there is something depressing about her sad little skirt of balls.

Romania came dressed as a vampire covered in toilet paper.

Tanzania wants us to know that her country is uncomfortably pointy.

Thailand has hypnotic boobs.

Turks & Caicos definitely made hers that morning.

Nigeria and Puerto Rico tie for this year's Lady Gaga award.

The following countries are on notice for cheating and just wearing a dress: Finland, Croatia, and Estonia. Belgium at least kept it interesting by making it an ugly dress. Serbia wore separates.

The US has gone down this route in the past, but this time it was Canada's turn to dress up in Native American stereotypes. Look, if you want to go the historical route and your contestant is white, dress her in ridiculous white people clothes. Take a cue from France.

Like France, the US also went the ridiculous historical route. But in typical American fashion, had to incorporate more flags, more skin, and a gigantic hat. USA!

Ok, so I think what happened with Russia is that she was going to wear a bikini, but just before she was about to go on stage her grandmother rushed over and covered her in gigantic scarf.

On the other hand, I have no clue what is going on with Czech Republic or Hungary.

Ok, so were there any I liked? Well, I'm not sure about that axe thing, but I think Botswana looks kind of fun. Vietnam too. But the winner has to be Egypt. Take note future contestants: the best route is to start with a historical reference, and then just think like a drag queen.

Actually, that is good advice for us all.

I survived!

Still here!

The storm turned out to be not so bad (at least in Manhattan), and the most intense thing that happened at Menno House was that we took shifts in the night to empty out the buckets that were catching water. But no new leaks appeared and the basement only flooded about an inch—a seeming miracle given Menno House’s dubious condition. Hopefully madam New York doesn’t have any more nasty tricks up her sleeve.

Now....humidity!

I now have less than a month left in the big city. As you might imagine, I am dividing my time between a to-do list of things to do and see, and preparations for the move. I’ve already shipped several boxes and designated certain items to be left behind (sorry, cheap IKEA comforter). My thesis is in a more uncertain state than I hoped, but it is mostly due to how busy my advisor is and how slowly the mechanisms turn at FIT. I’m done with it as far as I’m concerned, but chances are I will not be an official M.A. before I leave. My dream of putting my graduation regalia back on and taking some “this is for real” pictures will have to wait.

This photo is a LIE!

Yesterday my college friend (and Friend*) Becca visited from Philly and we went to see the off-Broadway revival of Rent. We got tickets via the pre-performance lottery- where you put your name in and they do a drawing for the winners. Normal seats cost $65 and up, but the lottery winners pay $25. The catch is the seats are usually less desirable. In our case we sat in the center of the front row, which despite a bit of neck craning, was sort of awesome. At intermission Becca asked how I was enjoying the show, and I responded that it was a pretty accurate portrayal of my life in New York.

*Quaker joke

Yep. Like looking in a mirror.

Obviously, I was kidding. While yes, I live near the East Village with a bunch of young people, that is basically where the comparison ends. One thing I find overwhelming about New York is how many very different New York experiences are happening at any given time. For every bohemian doing drugs in their modified industrial loft, there is an Upper East Side matron twirling her pearls and pampering her fluffy dog. They type of people who believe New York is the center of the Universe also usually believe that their New York is the real New York. This is a big reason I have never felt I can claim New York as my own – it is just too big and too complex for me to feel confident that I understand it all. Seattle is certainly not homogenous by any means, but I'm a lot closer to understanding it.

For example, I understand that everyone but me loves camping.

Disgusting.

Before you can return to Seattle...

Congratulations Clara! You get to move back to Seattle because you got a sweet job!

Awesome!

But first, you must pass these trials three...

Um...ok.

You will have an incredible weekend in New York in which you spot TWO celebrities. Now you will never want to leave.

Nice try. Seattle is still the best.

Next up... EARTHQUAKE

Please. Like I haven't seen one of those before.

Then... HURRICANE!

Wait, really?

YES.

Shit.

Soaking it in

Since committing to move back to Seattle, my life seems to have acquired an additional rosy sheen. Any time something goes wrong, I can just shrug and think, “well, I’m leaving soon.” And any time something goes right, I soak it in and feel blessed to have had the opportunity to live in New York.

As far as things going wrong, Menno House has become a bit of a disaster zone. Last Sunday we had downpours of rain all day long (it was the most rainfall in a single day ever recorded in NYC) and some of it started gushing through the walls. When part of the wall was removed to survey the damage, it was discovered that there are areas of the brick exterior that are just stacked bricks- no cement or mortar between them. I’m hoping to move out before the place collapses entirely.

On the happy side, I had a wonderful New York morning on Saturday. On my walk to the grocery store I saw actor Vincent D’Onofrio. He has been in lots of movies, but for several years has been the star of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. When I first graduated from college I spent the summer jobless, slightly depressed, and addicted to television. One of my new favorites was LO:CI and I became slightly obsessed. When my life improved I realized it was sort of cheesy and over-the-top, but I still have a fondness for it. I saw him just around the corner from Menno House and we waited for the light together. I looked right at him to confirm he was who I thought he was. He looked back and I smiled a smug “I know who you are but I am not going to bother you” smile.

I’m on kitchen duty this week so I had to go to Union Squre to drop off the house compost. When I got there, I was confronted with the bizarre sight of hundreds of runners and bikers going up and down Park Avenue. At first I thought it was a race, but no one was wearing numbers or matching colors or anything. I found out that this is a thing that New York does in the summer: closes a street to traffic and lets pedestrians and bikers enjoy it for a few hours. So I changed into my running things and took advantage. It was surreal and delightful to run down Park Avenue, passing famous buildings and looping through Grand Central Station. Just as I was thinking the experience couldn’t get any better, I looked to my right and saw Bill Cunningham with his camera at the ready. You may not know who he is, but if you watch the documentary about him, you will fall in love and be so jealous I saw him. He didn’t snap a photo of me, but it was a thrill just to see him.

Big News

Dear readers, I have some pretty big news for you: At the end of September I am moving back to Seattle!

I was fully planning to spend another year in New York City, but I was just offered a job that I couldn't turn down. In October I will be returning to MOHAI to work as a collections assistant and as the person in charge of the costume and textile collection. The job will allow me to exercise a lot of the skills I learned in school (proper storage! research! object handling! mannequin dressing!) and I'll get to do it all in my beloved home town. Since starting my thesis work on JDB, I've realized how little knowledge is out there about fashion in Seattle. Along with all of my day-to-day duties, I plan to turn myself into the region's top authority on fashion history.

I've also decided to return to Seattle the way I left: by train. This week I bought a ticket to make the reverse journey that I made two years ago. Which brings me to an important question- should I continue my blog? I started this site with a tale of my trip to New York, and it has mostly been about those adventures. Blogging about my return journey seems like a good end point. I could also just change format or maybe title for the blog. I'm not really in love with either the url or the title, and neither really reflects what it is about. So if you have an opinion on the subject, let me know!

In any case, I will certainly continue writing through the return train trip. So stay tuned for tales of packing and the scramble to finish my thesis before I leave town!