Europe: A lotta lovin' going on.

I love summer. This photo of the kids from upstairs playing
reminds me of the time I saved all my money to buy a 'Slip
N' Slide'-remember those? A long sheet of yellow plastic that
would shoot water and make you slip and slide all over the
plastic. I remember my dad totally loved the Slip N' Slide. We
couldn't get the guy off that thing. The first night after I'd
bought it the whole family could hardly sit around the dinner
table thanks to our crushed and bruised ribs.

PMS'ing At The Miro Museum

We went to the Miro museum. Every day I said, 'Wanna go
to the Miro museum today? Huh? Huh?' or 'What about now?
Wanna go to the Miro museum now?' Boy oh boy did I want
to really go to that Miro museum! Finally the day came. It
was 10,000 degrees out and we had to hike a giant mountain
to get there. I rested 75 times up the hill totally out of breath.
At one point I burst into tears dehydrated, hungry and PMS'ing
saying, 'WHY ARE WE DOING THIS!!!'

To all the boyfriends out there that deal with their PMS'ing
gals may I say on behalf of all of us-we are truly very sorry.
Aside from my meltdown and a watery, smelly, overpriced
tuna salad from the museum cafe-it was great.

Some think Miro is a simpleton of sorts but I don't. Stand
under his piece Tapis de la Fundacio a massive, Miro painting
in the form of a tapestry/rug and tell me you don't feel
humble. A painting turned into a rug? That's like my
writing turned into a painting or a song turned into
a Jello mold. Ok. Maybe not a Jello mold but still.

Miro had his first solo show in 1918. His style had not yet
developed. He was still using the Cubist style of others like
Cezanne, etc. Miro hit his stride in the early 1930's. Trust
me that any deadline phobic writer you meet would be quite
inspired to hear that even Miro took twelve years to hit his
stride.

Miro says, "I feel that realism, a certain type of realism in
any art is an excellent way of overcoming dispair".

In regards to writers that inspire me by using humor as
an artistic outlet for expressing difficult situations- I'd
say he's right.

Hola!

I am back from Spain. I ate Manchego cheese. I ate pony
meat, oysters and olives stuffed with anchovies. I saw a
bullfight (more writing and photos to come from that!). I
stayed out until three in the morning drinking Cava. I dove
off a boat with a snorkel and mask into the Mediterranean
Sea. I felt like a Bond girl. Now this Bond girl is back in
Brooklyn hanging up her bikini and looking for a new job.

Returning home I feel so rejuvenated. People in Europe
reminded me that living life to the fullest is the way to go.
Live it large but simple. In Europe people take naps. They
snack-don't stuff themselves. Shop keepers close from two
to four every day and people just deal. Can you imagine
Crate and Barrel shutting down for two hours mid-day??!
It would be all over the news--flocks of hysterical New
Yorkers unable to buy their pre-packaged Mediterranean
cheese straws and lobster pot trivets for their upcoming
parties in the Hamptons.

In the meantime it's 5am and I am wide awake.
Donde esta me cafe con leche por favor?