The End of the Beginning

I can't believe the first year of graduate school is over. I feel like graduate school is this thing that I've been working towards forever. The point on the big stream that I've been rowing my little canoe towards for years and years and years and now that I've arrived I find out that ahead of there's a perilous waterfall, or the ocean, or something vast and a bit frightening. Something that will knock the wind out of me.

The thing about these programs and dorm living is that people come and people go. I seem to always make the most incredible friends, just in time to send them off with a going away party and my latest address. Michal is leaving, and it is no secret if you read my blog that he is my best friend here. I'm a little heart broken just thinking about it. I think the summer may be a bit hard. It's a bit amazing to realize that I only met him back on Tibet night, when was that? According to my camera, 9/11/2006 9:14 pm . Only 6 months and I feel like he knows me as well as anyone (but not my mom). (pictured: Michael on Tibet night).

I'll tell you about yesterday, which was really a perfect introduction into summer. Michael and I grabbed lunch at the cafeteria and then headed to MOMA. We had a good time wandering from room to room, and floor to floor, trying to appreciate the art. I don't think all modern art is quite for me at all. there was one piece that looked like a giant piece of bubble gum leaning up against the wall. The title "Naked Fragrance." I don't get it. There was also an inflatable sculpture of a black fan which I really liked for some reason, it just grabbed me. There was also a room which was completely empty except for a perfect cartoon-like mouse hole at the bottom of one floor with light shining from it. Tom & Jerry music was playing and from my childhood I could picture the chasing and frying pans and quick dashes into that mouse hole, but there were no visuals, so I as audience felt a sense of impending action, like Tom would walk out of that little mouse hole any minute. There were also, of course, the famous impressionists and a great deal of Picasso. There was only one photograph by may favorite, Robert Frank, which was a bit disappointing. Most of the photography, especially the special exhibit by Jeffrey Wall, struck us both as being very mundane, Michael even commented, "Why should his stuff be on the walls and not mine?" Manu had asked Michael to take a photo of a painting of America, but with no details or description, he took pictures of every map of America, every American flag, and several things we guessed might resemble America. The greatest find by far was a photograph of a naked woman's torso. It was a photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe! It's amazing to think I went all my life having never seen her vagina and suddenly in the span of a week I've seen it twice!

Having our full of the museum, we stopped for sandwiches and then headed to the A train. We took it up to 103rd and then got off to enter Central Park and look for a big grassy hill. We had the most perfect picnic with Honza and Dustin; I brought the silverware, blanket and cookies, Dustin brought Hawaiian salad, Honza brought chicken and burgers from McDs, and Michael brought soda and fruit. We ate and then sat out, periodically moving our blanket to get more sun and less screaming children running around us. Eventually Michael and I were almost pushed off the blanket by Honza's tickling of Dustin (eeer, awkward). But, all in all, Perfection. (pictured: Honza, Dustin, Michael, our picnic).