true north

I'm home for the holidays, and over Christmas eve dinner (spaghetti, Italian sausage, meatballs) my dad was talking about true north. It made me think about what it means to go home (I digress, but at Heights Arts I once saw a print of a bird flying a dotted line from point A to point B, which was home. I went back to buy it and it was GONE. I loved that print.)

If I had Photoshop here, I would just MAKE the print.

Anyway, my dad was talking about finding true north for the purpose of calling in artillery rounds when one is a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) in the Vietnam War, which he was. I'm thinking about true north in terms of finding home, orienting oneself, blahblahblah. A friend at work said to me "I think home for you is wherever your parents live." This is one kind of home- a childhood kind of home. But what about an adult home? What does it feel like when you are oriented correctly- at your personal true north?

duck!

gory picture, good duck. I need a carving knife.

I've been friends with Kate since we worked together at House of Blues, when I first moved to Cleveland. She's the first person I cooked for in my (then) new apartment, and she's continued to be a lovely guest ever since. Now she's moving across the country, and coming to dinner for maybe the last time. What's a better way to show someone how much you care than to cook for them? I decided to make duck, mostly because I never have, and I love a challenge- along with bok choy and shiitake mushrooms, basmati rice, and Ciao Bella gelato for dessert. I love roasting things, because you can come home from work, throw it in the oven and then think about other stuff while it cooks, making your house smell delicious in the process.
*full disclosure: duck is harder to make than roast chicken. With roast chicken, you really can forget about it while it's cooking. Duck is much more high maintenance. 

Better pictures of CPA window...

me (and Seth)

special thanks to Martha Stewart Crafts for creating LED magnolias

night-time

day time!

lovely shadows were total serendipity. Thanks to Deanna (at Cleveland Public Art) and her friend Seth for the great photos.

 

Winter window at Cleveland Public Art

Making of- Like a quilting bee only stringing pom poms instead

The project was begun here (all the best ideas are hatched at a bar or in the shower). A friend that works at Cleveland Public Art suggested that I create an installation for CPA's windows on w. 26th St. I thought about how to create a winter scene that made a big statement, for very little money, that wouldn't annoy the people that work in the office. After some test runs in my dining room, some help from Cleveland Institute of Art students, and some friends, the windows are up! There are some things that you (I) think about that don't quite mesh- this was NOT one of those things. So much fun, and something that I'm so proud of.

Besides getting to do something wholly creative, the best part of this project was all the help that was given to me- from the CIA girls, from CPA, from friends. One night, a week or two before I installed the project, 3 friends and myself got together for Thai food, Real Housewives of the OC, and pom pom stringing/tissue paper flower making. This is one of the things I like the best about Cleveland.

Over lunch while we were in Budapest, I tried to explain to Matt why I want to stay in Cleveland so much. I spoke about low cost of living, great food, things to do. But then I realized that the very best part of Cleveland is the sense of community. This was something I felt was missing in New York and Miami-- because the community of like-minded people here isn't large, it is close-knit and special.

a reward: classic cocktail night at my good friends house. I helped invent a new cocktail: the Kentucky Cream (Or dream, since the combination of warm water, honey whiskey, and milk put me right to sleep)

Some crappy pictures accompany this post- I'll have better ones later this week.