don't read this unless you want to be embarrassed for me

tonight i was invited to a sort-of work event as part of "a night of glamour" in celebration of giorgio gucci's new cognac (umm, ok.) but. BUT. we think it was a manufactured event for the real housewives, because i saw the following:

* jaclyn take a photo of her husband (chris?) and ashley at a table next to me
* kelly and sonja taking press photos (i had to scoot past kelly at some point so if my butt makes it in i'll be excited)--p.s. kelly is miles tall and very pretty
* alex and ramona talking in front of the cameras, cheating out and everything for their "real conversation" (plus i made eye contact with ramona, so, whee!)
* someone check in under the name danielle staub (not actually her; like i'd miss my chance to pull out her extensions)
* simon telling people that he was a housewife (they kind of didn't get the joke, but asked for a photo anyways)

but BEST: i had a conversation with dina manzo! we were in line for drinks when she walked up, and i told her that she had been my favorite (true) and she thanked me and then i said that i was sad she had left the show, and she told me she was sad that i was sad. then i asked if it was hard to watch it now, and she said she tries not to watch, and i said that made sense and i wished her luck. (um, crazy pants, right? also, lady is pretty and petite!)

also, this is by far the most embarrassing post i've ever written but i also got to taste too much of that celebrated cognac so let's blame it on that, shall we?

my best celeb sighting yet!

the scene: i am walking quickly down the street, and end up behind two slower-moving young men. they stop and i move to go around them as they turn to go into a store and we nearly run into each other.

me: oh sorry, excuse me.
michael cera: oh, excuse me.
me (taken aback): oh, um, sorry.
jason schwarzman: oh, sorry.
me: oh, sorry, um, excuse me.

so basically, i had an awkward conversation with two of the more-famous awkward-character actors of our time. and yes, we all looked each other in the face and made eye contact. (my mom asked.) awesome. also, they both looked like the characters they usually play. cera was in a plaid button down tucked into slim jeans, and schwarzman was wearing a suit. and he had a mustache.

now that both s and i have had random interactions with michael cera, my sister thinks we should invite him to the wedding. he's on the list after the obamas.

slinking back in, tail between my legs.

so this little blog baby has been neglected for some time, no? apologies all around, but i've been cuh-razy busy this summer, including:

- a get-away to montauk, where we got ENGAGED (!)
(thumbs up for weddings!)

- visits nearly every weekend from family and friends
(eating our way around the city with guests--this was at co)

- major work events (including a promotion and the departure of two of my coworkers)
(the goodbyes are killing me!)

- some wedding planning
(didn't pick this one. duh.)

- trips out of town (upstate new york, d.c.)
(miss you, spitfire lake.)

consider this my (maybe) comeback.

this is an old memory.

my friend erin just blogged (on her sweet mommy blog swonderland) about catching someone propose in a driveway as she went past, and it made me think of one of my favorite new york memories.

christmas of my freshman year of college (when i was at nyu and didn’t know what to do with myself), my friend chelsey wanted to go see the tree at rockefeller center. we took the train uptown and looked at the window displays, and gazed at the tree and went to watch the ice skaters. while we were standing there, a couple came up to us. “can you take our picture?” the man asked, and we agreed, and the woman went to stand against the railing as he showed us how to use the film camera. before joining her, he leaned in and whispered “and can you take a lot? i’m going to propose.” we squealed as quietly as possible, and instructed them to say cheese. “take another!” the woman shouted. “just in case!” and i happily snapped away as the man pulled out a blue tiffany’s box and got down on a knee.

i still think of them sometimes. i was so thrilled to take those photos that i hope they showed off and maybe occasionally still look at. it felt so magical, being asked to help someone propose to the person they love, in rockefeller center with the skaters and the windows and the tree. there is something so sweet about love in the city.

so this is embarrassing.

this evening i saw simon, the husband of alex mccord (a real housewife of new york city) in the neighborhood. i guess i vaguely knew that they lived in or around the heights but i never really thought about seeing them. though i've seen maybe two episodes of the show, i totally recognized him, which i'm kind of ashamed to admit (and i refuse to call this a celebrity sighting.) but the new york times loves the housewives franchise (especially the new jersey-ites), so i guess i'm in good high-low company.

a night with the "hi-def yo-yo ma"

note: this was originally published on my museum's blog. i have pulled portions and added a few details.

hold on,
one strong,
and you’ll never be alone,
each day, each night,
we pray our dreams take flight,
cuz i need you, and you need me,
and together we stand for unity.

so goes the hook of “the forum”, a song off of dana leong’s latest album, milk & jade. the artist and his multi-talented collaborators celebrated the CD release at symphony space on friday, march 5 with an audience filled with fans and friends. it was a night that rejoiced in unlikely unions, the chance for long-time listeners and first-time initiates to enjoy leong and his unique blend of hip-hop, jazz, electronic and classical music. dana leong in concert is unlike any other musician i have seen—he is incredibly inventive, weaving his personal history (classically-trained cellist and trombonist, of chinese and japanese descent) with his artistic influences (jazz and pop greats, local NYC MCs, film and fashion), to create a new kind of performance. with a foot propped on his electric cello, he bobbed and moved, occasionally grabbing the mic to emphasize a lyric or reaching to hit his laptop to introduce a new electronic element to the sonic landscape. his biography includes a mention about his work with artists including dafnis prieto, ryuichi sakamoto, DJ spooky, wynton marsalis, yoko ono and kanye west, and i think this best describes him: if all those amazing and disparate artists got together and had a baby (just go with me on this one), it would be dana leong. he is more than one influence, he is more than one style, he is even more than one instrument (and somehow manages to play many at once.) he unites cultures and musical styles in a new way, and makes it wholly his own.

his guests that evening were equally talented. hagar ben ari (who performed live but is not on the album) rocked out on the bass for much of the evening, and added a wistful solo to the opening of “opus one ‘why i cry’”, a hauntingly beautiful song about the tragedies of human life. it is rare that electric bass is played as a melodic (rather than strictly rhythmic) instrument in concert, and it made me wish for more of that. as a former cellist, i recognized some of her technique and was jealous of her skils. core rhythm, the anchoring MC of the evening, is leong’s most frequent collaborator on milk & jade projects, and their chemistry is apparent. it is a pleasure to watch fellow musicians enjoy each other’s work and processes (core rhythm spent much of the night nodding his head and pounding his heart when not rapping), and these two clearly work well together. core rhythm’s lyrics are clever and deep at the same time, and while it can be tough to decipher those lyrics in a live show, the audience got a copy of the words in their programs, which helped quite a bit. the guest rappers were a somewhat weaker bunch in person, though it gets better on CD. as a total "america's best dance crew" nerd, i also thoroughly enjoyed the popping and locking of dancer tommy “hypno” chan, who did a fantastic and fun robot to a song that combined human and technological sounds for a truly modern performance. dana closed the show with a cover of "a change is gonna come" by sam cooke, with his trombone singing the melody. it is a testament to his training and his artistry that i had tears in my eyes; his trombone sounded like a human lament, and it made for a powerful end to the show.

i was lucky to get enough tickets for myself, s, a friend and my mother, who was in town for the weekend. we all loved the show, despite being of different ages (and musical persuasions.) i look forward to hearing him again. symphony space, by the way, is awesome. it looks like it may have been recently renovated, but it is a beautiful space, and a great, intimate place to hear a concert. too bad it's so far up on the west side.

happy new year!

february 14th marked the first day of the lunar new year, a holiday i have been celebrating over the entire month (and will continue to celebrate) with the museum. events and programs at work and in other venues have abounded, and i was lucky to attend the met's recent event in honor of the new year, which included delicious food, strong drinks, and (best of all) a private viewing of mastering the art of chinese painting: xie zhiliu (1910-1997).

the show is truly epic--it spans decades of the artists life and work, including early studies as well as their final finished products. the studies are always my favorite. as a student of art history, i am interested in the pieces themselves, but i am also completely fascinated by the process. what inspired them? how did they learn their skills and artistry? how was that applied to this piece? there was a study of birds' feet that particularly captivated me, as xie zhiliu had spent hours and hours observing and illustrating the incredible detail of the scaly skin and long talons of the toes. to then see those same feet in a painting gives me such joy--it's like i know a secret about the artist and his work.

my other favorite part of the exhibit were the seals. chinese artists sign their pieces using seals (called chops) that are at once both their name and a representation of the self--xie zhiliu used different chops over the course of his life. many of them were truly lovely, and often very clever in translation. again, it's the element of getting a look behind the curtain, a look at the artist as a person and not just a master, that i really enjoyed.

there is a lot to see (and it is somewhat tucked away upstairs) but it is well-worth a trip to see his studies and seals. i was so grateful to be included in the event, and get a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the met and a master at work.

*if you are interested in lunar new year events, check out explore chinatown's calendar of events. the main parade is next weekend, so there's still time to celebrate!