Jim Jones, The Woodstock Cult and the Death of America with the Big Z

Every generation reaches a peak, and for the unlucky bunch of knuckle-draggers at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the “Rally to Restore Sanity” is probably as close to the summit as any of us will ever get. We will never walk hand in hand on the mountaintop with the snow leopards, and once this shindig is all said and done, there will be nothing left to do but sit back and drink the Kool-Aid. Or, more specifically, the grape-aid, but in times like these, we’ll have to make do with whatever artificial fruit drink best holds the muscle relaxers and cyanide. Beggars can’t be choosers, and once this dance is done, the pinnacle of our generation will have passed and the storm clouds will begin to gather over our country like the shifting darkness of a mid-Western storm that presages an F-5 tornado.

ATLAS SHRUGGED

 "Achieving life is not the equivalent of avoiding death..."

-- Ayn Rand

The day before I checked out Emily Dickinson, I headed to the perfect town to investigate cemeteries -- Valhalla -- to skulk around Mount Kisco Cemetery. I went for Sergi Rachmaninoff, but I decided to stick around for Ayn Rand. I will post the Rachmaninoff photos later, but I'm really happy with the Rand photos, so I'm throwing them up first. I think the first photo is one of the best I've ever taken. Enjoy...

LETTERS TO EMILY

A venture to the grave of Emily Dickinson with friends Jessica Ankeny and Melissa Faliveno. Poor planning on my part meant that we arrived at a house that was closed. Yet somehow it seemed oddly fitting, that we were denied entry into Emily's world, as if she were still alive and too withdrawn to greet some long-traveled guests.

Derby in the Burbs

Race Between Jammers, Providence/Steel City

Even without being in school anymore, it seems as if September is still the time of learning for me. Last week I was lucky enough to visit the Met for the first time as part of Caitlin Thomson's project, A Month at the Met. Yesterday I met up with another great SLC writer, Melissa Faliveno, to check out some roller derby. Suburbia Roller Derby of Westchester was hosting the East Regional Tournament, bringing together 12 teams from Montreal to Carolina, with the top three heading to Chicago for Nationals.

NEVER MY MADAME

 

Photo courtesy: metmuseum.org (all others by S. Pause)

First she was just a figure moving toward me in the distance, among a great many others doing the same thing. A second later she was a girl. Then she became a pretty girl, exquisitely dressed. Next a responsive girl, whose eyes said “Are you lonely?,” whose shade of a smile said, “Then speak.” And by that time we had reached and were almost passing one another…

      -- Cornell Woolrich, Manhattan Love Song

 

First trip to the Met, Part II

This is the second set of photos that I took on Sunday. Later tonight I'll have an essay that I wrote about a very special painting. Be sure to check back! And don't forget to check out Caitlin's blog:

A Month at the Met

First trip to the Met, Part I

My friend and fellow SLC writer Caitlin Thomson is doing a project called "A Month at the Met." She is visiting and writing at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art every day in September. Today she was kind enough to let me join her. I'd never been before, and I couldn't think of a better guide. I'm writing a piece for her blog, which I'll also post here (probably tomorrow), but for now I wanted to start showing off the photos I took. I will also post a second blog with more photos tomorrow. Security confiscated my tripod, but I still managed to get some decent shots of works inside. Be sure to check out Caitlin's blog: 

A Month at the Met