asking as a pharmacist lol

came across this dark-but-prob-true review for tata harper hand cream (lol what am i doing)

did i mention

this quote from the glowing ny times review of suzan-lori parks’s new play, sally and tom:

“and the working out of the arguments [in the play] is, in places, lumpy and baggy, but who isn’t [sic]? In any case, lumpiness and bagginess are often part of Parks’s aesthetic. In her plays, life and especially history are never smooth.”

i have been not exactly haunted by these lines, but whatever the less harrowing version of haunted is, i have been. the idea that your play could be lumpy (!) and baggy (!!)…but still extremely worthwhile — is refreshing. it’s a great lesson for us all? i honestly did think the play was a bit lumpy and baggy and overstuffed and diffuse and yet…i’m still thinking about it.

so — worthwhile.

i also saw greg’s play staff meal and it was bonkers and strange and not totally on planet earth and i didn’t love all the actors and the previews i read try to sell it as a play about restaurants (lol? what?) BUT still i loved it, partly because of greg, partly because i laughed so much at parts, partly just because it was so different and strange.

in other news, i’m back on my bullshit watching the NBA playoffs and it’s just such a comfort. i both dread its end and look forward to it (so i can do real human things). also check out this insanely dope james harden shirt that ben got me (worn with a turtleneck, because…why not?) (also sorry for sad old tired puffy face), i thought it was from t’chaka because he keeps mailing me treats, so it was DOUBLE COOL to discover it was from ben, my basketball brother-in-arms.

and another killer poem

heartbreaker

new york gems

just got back from the most perfect trip to new york. it was honestly perfect. though i was feeling a lot of feelings about life and death and sorrow and the futility of life and finding peace with losing people. but what else is new. highlights:

• seeing SIX g-d plays (oh mary!; uncle vanya; staff meal; an enemy of the people; sally & tom; and stereophonic) (see ranking below)
• staying in a beautiful four-bedroom apartment in tribeca (EXCUSE)
• reading john and uncle vanya on the plane and finally getting over my spook street hump (gary would be proud)
• rob liking to end the night by watching tv, my dream
• getting to be on autopilot, since rob had planned every day [happy weeping emoji]
• eating so many pastries and drinking so many lattes
• getting my nails done
• scarfing down a slice of pizza before oh, mary!
• sleeping in on saturday on that heavenly bed in that cozy room
• trying the commerce inn (not quite as good as via carota but still so charming)
• my favorite night was saturday night, when i literally raced to greg’s play, staff meal, and met my sister and andrew and his friend luke, and i laughed and laughed at the play and even though it had weak spots, it sent me to another planet, which was so enlivening (especially after uncle vanya, which felt a bit stuffy). and then we went to superiority burger and greg and susannah joined us, it was just so convivial and hilarious and i LOVE going to vegetarian restaurants because i can eat anything and remember how long i’ve been dreaming of going there? (six years)
• laughing so much about wallace shawn hating staff meal
• eating pancakes with eric and dani and lee
• meeting greg and danielle’s kiddos at the park and sharing pastries (of course)
• just overall spending time with all those wonderful friends
• not seeing any visual art was not exactly a highlight, BUT it was cool to prioritize friends, which made me happy and honestly i needed that juice
• going into that diamond store in the diamond district and everything being SO ugly and it feeling like what i THINK uncut gems felt like
• going to junior’s after stereophonic
• eating too much junior’s cheesecake (in a GOOD and bad way)
• sitting on that great comfy couch and watching SNL and rachel maddow
• having genuinely lovely times with rob and susannah
• my red pants

my play ranking for no one:

1. staff meal (it really made me feel alive even though it was bananas and i didn’t love some of the actors or even fully understand parts of it) (was it just knowing greg and being willing to go on that ride with him? i don’t think so but maybe i guess)
2. an enemy of the people (SO tight, so expertly acted and staged, kinda perfect)
3. stereophonic (maybe tied for #2?)
4. sally & tom (from the new york times review: “but lumpiness and bagginess are often part of Parks’s aesthetic” — which is kind of a dis, but also it was true, it was just so stuffed, so baggy, with no real resolution, but the story was complex and thoughtful and had lots of juice)
5. uncle vanya (weird casting; needed tightening)
6. oh, mary! (just not my humor exactly, strange sensitivity about lincoln)

(didn’t take enough photos but these are still kinda good — though heavy/almost exclusively susannah)

to the substitute art teacher

this is great, courtesy of malaka gharib’s list of beautiful things

to gary

a guiding light, our library board president. can’t believe he’s gone. he never ever seemed irritated or annoyed, EVER, it’s my new goal to be like that, in his honor.

grateful for

COFFEE CHOPS
i mean coffee shops

indifference as a weapon of upward mobility

this resonated for me — “on james gray” from fran magazine:

just don’t even know how to feel right now

i got petulant with ross last night because i feel like he has total freedom right now and i’m chainlocked by my mom and so i just had to rudely COMPLAIN for 15-30 minutes about it. my stepmom isn’t doing so well on oral chemo, and it’s just a heavy background weight, PLUS my mom wants to move to a new assisted living (ok but dreading process and reestablishing connections with all the medical folks there) OR maybe she’s going to move to new jersey (better but also dreading reestablishing all the infrastructure THERE and also is it fair to put that responsibility on my uncle and aunt and when can that level of move happen?!). i just want to drown my sorrows in fancy clothes and close my eyes (forever?).