Got Knitz?

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scarves instagrammed Even those of moderate intelligence now hate slogans that begin with “Got…”,  except on the rare occasion it’s something twisted like Got Blubber? My apologies. Sometimes I use an expression I detest.

Point is, not a bad time of year to hunker down with a few skeins during the award ceremonies and such. You don’t have to know much to knit something. You can be a perpetual hack and make only scarves — no one notices.  Then you can alter photos of them to make them look all anti-matter. But don’t use Instagram to do so if you value your privacy or intellectual property.

Tip fer ya: crocheting’s way faster.  Apparently, you can crochet at one mile per minute. Let’s just yarn bomb the earth and cover up all the garbage, fig. and lit.

When Days and Tempers are Short

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Wintry Sky

…it’s good to think on something perty. They sky is a good place to start.

A poet friend in New York years ago would end our partings (pretty much always at the bar) with, “I’m going home now, to think pleasant thoughts.” Some of us adopted his way of ending each day (not at the bar — I mean with pleasant thoughts).

When it fails, it fails miserably, but most the time it works. Get all cozy in bed with your book.  With or without another creature, it’s nice in there. Think pleasant thoughts and just…drift off.  The good news is: when the days are short, the nights are long.

Maine, in the The Magic Hour

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Is this thing on?

Wine o’clock and all is well.

Sources differ in photography and cinematography as to whether it is called the “magic hour” or the “golden hour,” when this hour occurs, and if it is, in fact, an hour.  Handy calculator here. I prefer “magic hour” because in medical terms the “golden hour” is the critical hour following a serious injury or risky birth — a notion fraught with peril most of us want no part of.

In my family it is known more widely as “wine o-clock” or, in our Midwestern contingent, “beer o’clock.”

The houses along the shore are lit up by the setting sun in a way that reminds me of the Emerald City in Oz. Beer o’clock can get you to the Emerald City.

At Fifteen Below in Rural America

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It’s all part of the fun.

At 15 below, a couple things happen. One, when you start your car, it makes the unearthly sound of metal parts that hate each other being forced to act in concert. Two, your deflated tires make for a rough ride. Third, everyone everywhere talks gleefully about how much colder it is “up on the hill” at their house, a oneupmanship of the tuffie variety.

No idea why we live this far north. Well, as one friend puts it, “Keeps the @##$0*%s at bay.” By that, she means those who dislike being inconvenienced. I think.

Any way you slice it:  tuff!

New York Botanical Garden Train Show

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bot Gardens xmas 2012Some holiday activities are better left till after.  We country mice highly unrecommend  the New York Botanical Garden Train Show during peak season,  but go now if you like trains, tiny special worlds, humidity, and perfect miniature replicas made from bark and twigs by krazy nutters — it’s a trip. This year’s includes the original Penn Station and Yankee Stadium, Radio City, Macy’s, St. Pat’s, The New York Public Library, and a bunch of bridges. Remarkable! bot bridge

Highlight: two B&T men were thoughtfully analyzing in silence one of the more ornate mini-buildings, say, 2 feet high.  Finally one guy goes to the other (insert The Sopranos accent here):

“It’s like there’s so much DE-tail, you can hoddly see it awl.”

I wept in gratitude.

If You Like to Drag Out Christmas…

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…as I do, go have a pop at Harrington House.  Terrific holiday vibe.

When I worked at Forbes Magazine one million year ago, my co-worker J would ask, “Ann Marie, wanna go have a pop?” She meant a stiff drink. (Is there any other kind?)

Another thing she’d say, every time a cop car whizzed by on 12th Street with its siren blaring, which was often:

“Ann Marie, your ride’s here.”

Holiday Pageantry on 5th Ave.

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BG Store WindowWe love the operatic pageantry of the windows on NYC’s Fifth Avenue at holiday time. It’s over the top in a visually exquisite way. Like the Euronutters out there browsing with you, who are over the top in a sartorially remarkable way. Quite the show all around.

This year’s winner: the “The BG Follies” windows, based on the fantasy shows of the art deco period, at Berdorf Goodman.

It’s a Wonderful Life

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Wonderful lifeI caught this movie one night in high school on Channel 11 (WPIX–“eleven alive”). At our lockers the next day, Pat Sue said, “I saw the best movie last night.” We felt party to a secret gem. There was even a gender-switched version with Marlo Thomas, and Cloris Leachman (Phyllis!) as the angel. Years later, the original was everywhere on TV, so it was easy to find even before VHS tapes were rentable.

I’ve seen it every year since, and bawl every time. Having lived in LA, I consider work in the Industry overblown as compared to, say, a career in teaching or medicine. But this baby did the world a great service because it makes everyone consider the inestimable value his or her own “small” life.

Sarah Will You Marry Me?

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Sarah will you marry meThis may have been, for many, the best part of a Christmasy trip to NYC. It flashed up on the information board in Grand Central Terminal, the correct name for Grand Central Station.

Not a lot of people seemed to notice. I hope Sarah did. I hope she said Yes.