mojosmom

My summer housemate has returned to the bosom of her family in Brooklyn, at least until she returns to the University in September. I let her leave her bike in a storage area of our basement. Mira was actually quite a good housemate: quiet, clean, friendly but not intrusive, smart, and, according to Lilith, gives good tummy rubs.

I took Friday, my birthday, off work. I did some boring errands, like getting a oil change and taking Lilith for her annual check-up. But I also went to the Smart Museum of Art for the exhibit Seeing the City: Sloan's New York, etchings and paintings by John Sloan, along with some photos and letters. I had read Van Wyck Brooks' biography of Sloan several weeks ago in anticipation of the exhibit, and while it certainly wasn't necessary for an appreciation of the show, I was glad that I had done so. It gave an added depth of understanding. I must say that I prefer the etchings, and the night paintings, to the figural representations. The Museum had also set up an interactive computer program, which allowed one to locate on a map, or on a timeline, the various etchings and paintings. It also contained photographs and film of some of the locations that Sloan drew (some of the film was quite early - turn of the 20th-century). I have another book, John Sloan's New York Scene, a collection of excerpts from his letters, diaries, etc., that I think I will read before the exhibit closes in September, and then make another visit.

I had an appointment with my hairdresser in the late afternoon, but she was running very late, so I switched it over to the evening. That allowed me to take myself to dinner at a local Italian restaurant before the appointment. She gave me a cut much like Meryl Streep's in The Devil Wore Prada, but my bangs are shorter. (I do peer over my glasses like that, though, particularly during cross-examinations.)

Saturday I had planned to go to the local farmers' market, but it was raining so I didn't. But I did go to a neighborhood spa place, Japanese Spa Zen, where I treated myself to a Japanese herbal bath and an hour-long massage, another birthday gift to myself. What a pleasure! I will definitely go again, though it's a bit too expensive to do frequently. But a half-hour massage occasionally won't break the bank.

Today I went up north for dinner with friends and general hanging out. Fran's daughter had dropped by with her latest creation, Fran's sixth grandchild (2 1/2 months), so we all cooed and admired.