One day during the pandemic when I finally made it to New York I was riding the First Avenue bus uptown and I saw a man in the back of the bus. He had taken off his mask for a moment so I caught a glimpse of his whole face (an unusual event these days). I was mesmerized by it; sculpted and stark…something primal and at the same time so elegant. When I came back home I sculpted him, letting my hands do the remembering. Here he is (with adornments):
Today a few cards I made to send to friends during the pandemic:
Today a few random photos. Something about waiting…
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Made it through the first year of the Pandemic. (Okay, I did a lot of back and forth in my journaling – not terribly chronological but within a two years or so Pandemic timeframe nonetheless.) Here is a poster I drew recapping some of the horrors of 2020. I do have to clarify – George Floyd is one of the three heads of my three headed monster but he is not a monster, what happened to him was monstrous.
Today I am going to attempt to upload two silly short videos to show you two of my pandemic states of mind.
The first is an absurdist video taken when I was deep into pandemic mania. I should explain – one time I visited an old friend and noticed that she always used her teabags twice so I started following suit. Even though the tea never tasted as good with the second time around teabags I never broke the habit. This video is very poorly shot – phone in one hand, video object in other. I call it My Extraterrestrial Flying Teacup. Pretty weird…
The second was taken by my good friend Liz at a concert by the versatile and oh so talented Mary Rowell with her bluegrass band, Slim Pickins’. I love to dance but for some reason I was glued to my seat, moving only with my irrepressible feet.
I love my hometown NYC. I usually go for a visit every few months. During the pandemic, not. I hadn’t been to the city for two years. I couldn’t stand it any longer so in the winter of 2021 just before my 70th birthday I took the plunge and rode the Dartmouth Coach to The City.
Here is my photo album love song to New York – the people, the vibe, the nature in this very urban setting. If you click on the first photo you can go from one to the next like a slideshow. Enjoy.
Today a little (matchbox) crankie I made for my daughter Laila’s birthday in February 2021, still pandemic time.
Just a quickie today…more tomorrow.
On the birthday theme – video of a slideshow for my twin brother on the occasion of our 69th birthday, 2021 – second pandemic year
Let me know if you have trouble opening this.
Sometimes my heart is so full of love or sorrow or both, that it feels as if it might burst.
Have you heard of Broken Heart Syndrome? (“Your doctor may call this stress-induced cardiomyopathy“ or “transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome”.) I first read about it in one of The NY Times medical mysteries columns. It is a condition that most commonly occurs in middle aged or older women though the article was about a man. You know how they used to call women “hysterical” if they had a strong visceral response to physical or emotional trauma? Well Broken Heart Syndrome (also called Takotsubo Syndrome) is a new take on that. It occurs after a physically or emotionally intense event. The event can be joyful or devastating or just extremely strenuous. The body responds with a “fight or flight” reaction pouring large quantities of adrenalin or cortisol into the bloodstream which causes the left ventricle of the heart to distend into an enlarged shape. It looks like a takotsubo, a Japanese clay vessel used to capture octopuses (octopi?). The syndrome was first discovered and named in Japan. It can take weeks or months but the heart usually returns to its normal shape eventually. A romantic disease.
An aside – When my mother was pregnant with us twins she used to say she had an octopus inside her…and in some ways she did – eight limbs – four arms, four legs floating around inside her. I wonder if her uterus was shaped like an upside down Takotsubo.
A POEM:
Conditions of the Heart
My father was a physician who specialized in Cardiology.
He taught me all the scientific terms for what could go wrong with the heart.
I am a hopeless romantic and so had to interpret them on my own terms to truly understand:
• Arrhythmia – An erratic heart that just can’t keep the beat.
• Atrial Fibrillation – A trembling heart.
• Atherosclerosis – A narrowing of the way in or out of the heart.
• Cardiomegaly – A heart that is too big; a heavy heart.
• Heart Murmur – A softly complaining heart.
• Ischemia – A pale heart.
• Pericardial infusion – A heart floating, unmoored.
• Pericarditis – A heart inflamed.
• Tachycardia – A wildly beating heart.
• Congestive Heart Failure – A weak heart, unable to keep up with the demands placed upon it.
• Myocardial Infarct – A broken heart, parts of which cannot get enough sustenance and die.
• A Healthy Heart (for which my father had no scientific term) –
Resilient, opening and closing where and when it should;
Beating steady and strong,
A heart that nourishes body and soul and lets another in.
The card I made for the Vernal Equinox 2020 still holds true today.
And some of my favorite Spring creatures as well:
Oh and a flower:
coppsky 