Grandma's House: A Tour

With my new schedule, I have Mondays off, so recently I visited my parents and borrowed their car to see my grandmother. Here are a few snapshots.

Even though we usually go out for a huge amount of deli food at Buddy's, she always feels the need to feed me when we return to her house. My favorite things to eat there are sliced green apples and refrigerated Chips Ahoy cookies.

When I was growing up, I thought this ceramic sculpture was the most beautiful thing in the world.

A photograph of two sisters: Her biological mother (left) and the mother who raised her (right).

A letter to my great-grandfather after he emigrated to America. It reads:

Dear Mr. Glass -

I had the pleasure of presiding at the term of Court which admitted you to the privileges and obligations of American citizenship and I want to drop you this little line of congratulations and good wishes.

I know from the report of the Government and from my observation of you that the country has gained a good and loyal citizen.

I am enclosing a copy of the oath of allegiance, which is recited in our schools, and I hope you will put it in a conspicuous place, because we will all be better citizens through knowing it by hear and reciting it frequently.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Frank S. Gannon, Jr.

And a picture of my baby cousin Sam, for good measure.

Things I'm Thankful For

Childhood books, green apples, Amy Poehler & Tina Fey, the feeling of my town in autumn, good health, the fact that I like my job, public transportation, my family, travel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, people being kind to one another.

The Internet, The Whitney, my year in China, my wonderful grandmother, the state of Michigan, good friends (near and far), Clueless, singing along to songs in my mom's car, The Mountain Goats, old typewriters, subcultures, gay art-scene bloggers, certain parts of Judaism.

Romance, popcorn, having Barack Obama as president, dancing, my baby cousin Sam, home movies, financial stability, my education.

And lastly, America. It can be a perplexing, awful, racist, sexist, hypocritical place, but it's also beautiful, mesmerizing, diverse, and thrilling. I am thankful to live in America. I am thankful that I am free to publish this blog. And I am thankful for my readers. (All six of you.)

Welcome to the World!

A really amazing baby was born a few days ago. My new little cousin, Samuel Marcus.

So handsome, right? I can't wait to meet him.

Summer Snapshots

Pizza from Nicky's

Sophie in Mamaroneck

Katie's Birthday Brunch

Paintings in the Attic

Naomi in the Lower East Side

Gayle's Brilliant Idea

Hanne in the East Village

A Double Stalking in New Paltz

Treasure Trove

Sophie and I went through a folder of all our old things and found some gems:


Now, I know I look impossibly adorable in this first-day-of-school photograph, but don't be fooled. I was a vigilant letter-writer and when I wasn't pleading with my parents to let me go to acting school, I was letting them know of my extreme disappointment in them. In my defense, I think I was going for the German spelling of "good." You know, for extra emphasis.

Wedding Bells

This past weekend I went to (and participated in) my cousin Jen's wedding. It was really fun, even if I found being a bridesmaid a bit overwhelming. There was a ton of love in the air and you could just feel how much Jen and Odie adore one another. My sister sobbed throughout the whole thing, making me feel like a total robot - but I shed some tears during the parents' speeches. Something about the relationship between parents and children is what gets to me. That's why I always cry at the end of "Riding In Cars With Boys," my favorite cheesy Drew Barrymore movie.

In addition to seeing two lovely people start a life together, the nicest thing about the wedding was an opportunity to spend time with people that I normally don't get a chance to see: great aunts and uncles, second cousins, relatives from the other side of the family. Sometimes I forget how nice it is to feel connected to people for no reason other than blood and marriage. There's something permanent and unchangeable about it.

Jen and Oded

My dad looks at the chuppah my aunt made

BFF: My grandmother, Bern, and Jacob, the ring bearer

Bridesmaids

Zaluskis!

Retro: My grandmother & grandfather in 1949