ME + me

Since Maine and I will soon be bidding one another adieu, I thought it only fitting to bring a little bit of the state's bounty back with me. If all goes according to plan, I'll be transporting 10 lbs of MOFGA-certified organic blueberries back to Brooklyn to share with y'all.

The blueberry possibilities are truly endless ... blueberry crumb bars, blueberry pancakes, a traditional (food processor-less) blueberry pie, blueberry coffee cake (à la Audrey), lemon-blueberry sorbet.... Gawd, I send like the dude from "Forrest Gump" so I'm going to stop now.

I'll be hanging at McCarren Park on Sunday (8.10.08) afternoon with blueberries. Would love to see you! Bring a vessel with you, if you're interested in taking some home.

See ya Sunday?

The Visitor

One perk of living in NYC is how friends from all corners of the earth are delivered to our doorsteps in summertime. Although it usually happens to be the most miserable heat and humidity, it's a blast to host out-of-towners. It provides a great excuse to visit your favorite haunts, and indulgently live beyond your means, knowing that it's just for a brief stint.

When I return this weekend (!), I look forward to meeting up with a couple that I haven't seen since we traveled together three years ago in Ecuador. It was with this Dutch duo that I went diving in the Galapagos Islands and swam with manta rays! But, I have missed out on a number of visitors this summer, including our fun-loving friends Brigid and Christopher, who recently escaped Billyburg for the Malibu sun. Thankfully, I got to hear all about their return to NY from Matt, who wrote about Brigid's arrival in this hilarious one-act play.

* * * * *

O.M.G. ~ a play in one act
by Matthew McKenna

9 p.m
Although Matt is expecting his friend Brigid to have dropped her luggage in the apartment when her plane arrived in NY from LA in the afternoon, he is confused to find the keys have been picked up from the exterior mailbox, and yet no sign of Brigid in the apartment.

1 a.m.
Matt receives text from Brigid -- "I'm outside." He opens apartment door, heads into hallway, and sees her... at the top of the stairs outside our upstairs neighbor Kevin's door.

BRIGID: Wait, I thought this was your apartment...

MATT: No.... uh.... it's down here.

BRIGID: Oh shit, I left my stuff in there this afternoon! The door was open.... and now it's locked. I remembered "2nd floor" from your directions and went upstairs.

MATT: What?? Oh my god... I was wondering why your stuff wasn't sitting in my living room. Let me see if he's there. [goes up & knocks on Kevin's door -- no sound; goes downstairs & rings his doorbell -- nothing].

MATT: Hmmm.... he comes home pretty late sometimes -- maybe we could leave him a note?

BRIGID: Well... I have stuff I really need tonight, like Breathe-right strips & earplugs, and I have to work on my computer tomorrow....

MATT: Oh. Well, he works at Barcade around the corner -- let's go see if we can find him there.

[We go. We ask the bouncer inside -- he tells us Kevin has already left. We walk back home.]

MATT: If I had to guess, I'd say he's out with friends... shoot.

BRIGID: Curses... of all the mistakes.... you don't think he threw my stuff out, do you?

MATT: No, no, he's a really nice guy... he may not have even noticed that some random luggage was sitting in his kitchen.

BRIGID: Living room. I left it in his living room -- I thought the place looked surprisingly like a bachelor pad... If only there was a window or something...

MATT: A window.

BRIGID: Yeah, I mean, I've already been in there once, right?

MATT: Yeaaah... but that was by accident. I don't think it works that way...

[We walk to the back of the house & look up at his windows for signs of life.]

BRIGID: See, he has a fire escape that looks easy to climb up. And then I could just pop the screen off, and be out in 2 seconds.

MATT: Uhhh... I really don't think that's a good idea. I don't even know him very well... and that's sort of -- burglary. I'm really uncomfortable with that idea.

BRIGID: But it would be really quick and I really need that stuff tonight.

MATT: I really can't let you break into my neighbor's apartment -- my landlord lives right there... he could easily kick me out of the building.

BRIGID: I'm just trying to get my stuff back...

MATT: I know -- you're putting me in a really awkward position, though. I mean, Kevin could be there for all we know... and that would be a whole 'nother kind of disaster.

BRIGID: Hmmm....

[We walk slowly back to the front & go back into the apartment.]

MATT: I could go get you some Breathe-right strips from Sunac down the street and.... I don't know....

[Matt goes outside and tries the doorbell one more time. And miraculously -- hears a rustling sound upstairs.]

MATT (excitedly): Kevin? Kevin? It's Matt, your neighbor...

[Kevin eventually manages to open the door and peeks out, groggy with sleep and clothed only in boxer shorts.]

MATT: Oh, man, I'm really sorry -- my friend accidentally dropped her luggage in here today, thinking it was my apartment.

[In a leap & bound, Brigid is up the stairs and in his dark, sweltering apartment looking around, apologizing profusely.]

KEVIN: Yeah -- I was wondering about that -- I figured things would explain themselves.

BRIGID: Thank you so much -- you really saved me. New York Stories, huh?

[We breathe a huge sigh of relief downstairs again with bags intact.]

BRIGID: Whoa, man, it's a good thing I didn't try to get into his apartment.... thanks for getting all legal on me.

MATT: I'm glad things worked out. Disasters averted.

.the end.

New York, I Love You....

One of my summer projects was to physically inspect 24 reels of 16mm film that was recently acquired by the archive. Salvaged from a New Hampshire dump, the donor was uncertain of the film's content. So, I was able to live the life of a detective and film archivist, learning more about this family with each new can. Ultimately, I was unable to crack their entire story, but I enjoyed crafting plenty of possible family narratives. Below is a beautiful example of film decomposing, which depicts "my family" in New York in the early 1930's...

Blueberry Pancakes

I nearly forgot! Recently, I also whipped up some pancakes, using picked-with-my-very-own-hands wild blueberries. I usually love a light, buttermilk pancake, but prefer to integrate a portion of whole wheat flour. I feel this recipe does a good job of keeping the 'cakes light yet giving them a little more substance.

(adapted the Tassajara buttermilk pancake recipe)

1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. white or pastry flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk + 1 T lemon
1 egg
3 T. butter
berries

mix all the dry guys. then add wet. heat butter over low-medium heat. use ladle to form pancakes. keep them separated: add berries once the batter has been added to the pan & not before, so as to protect the lil' berries from too much heat and keep the operation neater. makes about 20-24.

Notes: They were definitely tasty. I always forget, though, that when a recipe calls for melted butter, one must wait for it to cool -- adding it too warm/hot will actually start to cook the egg. Be warned! Also, I didn't have any baking powder, so I just skipped it, which I think compromised the texture. Next time, I'd definitely separate the egg...adding the yolk to the dry mixture and then whipping the white until peaks form and then, gently, adding the egg white to the mixture. A dash of vanilla is nice, too. Yum!

My Numbered Days

The week has been so fun & exhausting. Not only did I host visitors, but I also participated in a Summer Symposium that delivered over 30 film archivists and historians to our tiny port town. This year's theme, City & Country, seemed particularly in sync with my own life of late. For an academic "conference," it felt really comfortable and provided a ton of opportunities to casually chat with many of the scholars we've read in class. Trying not to spurt lobster juice everywhere when cracking the tail off a lobster at the big dinner was the hard part. Ah, Maine...

Now, it's hard to believe my little stint is wrapping up. I can count the days that remain on just two hands! I now find myself plagued by questions impossible to answer: did I take advantage of my time here enough? Did I savor the smells and sounds of the country? Did I really explore the rich film collection that's housed here to the fullest extent? Will I ever finish my internship project that's dragging on and on? I dunno. All I know is that I've really enjoyed my time, but find myself itching for the inspiration that's inherent in city life. Once I'm back in the land of concrete and steel, I know I'll crave that smell of pine and the feel of the cool ocean breeze.

All About the Fend(i)s

It was the best of times, and then it was the worst of times for a visit from Alana. The rain had not poured so hard in all my weeks in Maine, and the lightning was seriously out of control. But, we had one another during the tornado watch and it was crazy to see the bay illuminated by bolts of lightning throughout our restless sleep.

The next day, our plans to do summer-camp-kid-things could not be realized during the storm's tumult. So, we embraced Maine's best indoor activity: thrifting. We hit up a couple stores, the best of which was the Belfast Goodwill. At the day's end, we had purchased 3 belts and 5 pairs of shoes, the most noteworthy of which were a pair of early 80's Fendi pumps that Alana literally walked away with for $2.99. I picked up a pair of red loafers and these t-strap Hush Puppies sandals:


Our time together was pretty legendary, vacillating between 4th grade slumber party and Foodies Gone Camping. We jointly prepared a dinner of Maine scallops with garlic scapes, tomatoes and capers, accompanied by quinoa and red chard. Post-dinner we attempted to ward off our increasing fullness by just drinking more beer out on my deck. Crafty Alana then tailored our newly-purchased wolf-printed t-shirts, reinventing them from boxy bores to official cutewear. Bret beware! We capped the night with some ice cream eating and fell asleep to the dulcet tones of Paul Rubens in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure."

High but Dry

Color me ecstatic. Two visitors in one week! A gal really couldn't ask for much more.

A lightning and thunder storm last Friday wiped out our water supply here in Cabinville. My friend, Erin, who traded in SF for some East Coast adventures, landed here in Maine just in time for my drought. She wanted to spend some time in nature and ended up getting more than she signed up for. We didn’t let it get us down or hold us back – no siree, Bob. Our laundry list of weekend activities reads like a list of my all-time favorite Maine things: strolling through the farmers market while nibbling samples, leisurely coffee-sipping at the Co-op, hiking to the top of Blue Hill, riverside lobster roll-eating, and a nice, long scenic drive for ice cream. Oh, and wine sipping while watching a movie on my 12-inch Powerbook -- can't forget that one. There are few people I know who can relay stories and anecdotes as descriptively (and entertainingly!) as Erin. It was such a treat to have her here, as we usually only get to spend time together in Telluride.


It was Erin’s enthusiasm to swim Sunday morning that lured me into the 50-degree bay for the first time. She’s a crazy and strong swimmer (sooo not me) who’s accustomed to cold water swimming. Though chilly, the water is super clear and super calm. It was beautiful and a far superior way to bathe than in my outdoor, spider-infested shower.


My next cabin guest arrives in just over an hour! Alana has signed up for some QT with KT here in Maine. She and I have one (somewhat failed) canoe ride under our belt from last summer's adventures on the North Fork. I'm hoping we'll get the chance to reinvent ourselves as kayakers this time 'round.  Oh, and the plumbers resolved the water issue so we'll even get to brush our teeth.

Pitchfork

I'm really bummed to miss out on this summer's Pitchfork Music Festival, which starts today. Last year, we had such a good time hanging out with friends and family in good ole Chi-town. And, it's just so damned cheap! I would love to see Fleet Foxes, my latest obsession, live. Sigh....


Using Imeem, Pitchfork has put this nifty set of playlists featuring songs from this year's line-up. [Oh, and y'all have met Imeem, right? It's the place to go and make & share playlists, and basically listen to any/every song. I guess it's legal cuz it's streaming and not downloadable?]