Books Galore

I'm lying here on the Futon in Josh and Julie's house in South Seattle and am typing to the soundtrack of a purring cat. I had to move out of my apartment today because my tenure in the lap of luxury, aka per diem, ended. I just got back here from a wonderful day, that didn't start out so well as I stood at the bus stop for about an hour and a half, waiting for the bus. What I didn't realize early enough was that the bus stop had been moved and my bus no longer passed the stop, but drove by half a block South. So I got here later than expected, but Josh and Julie greeted me with a plate of hash browns and eggs and warm tea. After failing to get anywhere with the NYT Sunday crossword, I caught a ride back to town to meet Hoby and Alma Dea at the library.

The other day at the library, Alma Dea had been sitting typing when she heard a woman singing and then she noticed pieces of red paper falling from above. Upon investigation, she found the source of the siren song and the paper: The Maze Project. The Maze Project is part scavenger hunt, part dance show, part concept. We were given a program with instructions on it that led us around the spectacular Seattle Public Library. Our version (there were several so not everyone was in the same place at the same time) had us watching four dancers on a long swath of red fabric moving to the haunting and beautiful voice and accompanying mandolin. It then took us up to the tenth floor via elevator where we were told to walk down the sloping path that runs along the exterior of the building. We were told to notice the books as we passed, and on the 4 floor journey, we did get to see parts of the library we might not have otherwise explored. On the 5th floor, we found another dancer, dancing in her white dress. One floor down, another dancer prancing in the red hallway to the sounds of the singer mimicking the sounds of the violin being played at her side. We were sure we missed many other shows, but we had to be downstairs for the finale at 3:00... a ream of red papers magically making their way down the 7 stories, patterned by the circulation of the building's weather system.

It was probably one of the coolest things I've experienced in a long time. For the official description of the show, read here:

"Can you follow the thread? Choreographer and installation artist Kristen Tsiatsios´s The Maze Project reveals the architecture of identity in an interactive performance journey at the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library. A stellar cast of artists across the disciplines of dance, music, theatre, video and installations will traverse the terrain of the library discovering and uncovering performance in unexpected places. For more information visit the Maze Project at www.themazeproject.com."

After the show, we decided to go get something to eat, so we went to The Alexis Hotel bar on First Ave called the Bookstore (a bar). We were greeted by a hilarious, friendly server (Brian) who had us in stitches. We ate wonderfully, clam soup, crab pillows, the best mac and cheese I've ever had, and a flatbread with arugala, slices of pear, and pecorino cheese.

We spent a good time in the bar talking and then wandered into the hotel lobby where they were handing out free glasses of wine. We took our wine and sat down with two older couples in the lobby. There were water colors and blank postcards on the tables, so we sat and passed the time and we painted.

Our next destination, while seemingly planned actually just emerged. We continued South on First to Elliot Bay Bookstore where we found that there was going to be a reading at 7:30. We browsed the stacks until then, got some cups of coffee and proceeded into the reading by LORD BREAULOVE SWELLS WHIMSY. Yes, you read that right. LORD BREAULOVE SWELLS WHIMSY. Author of, The Affected Provincial's Companion, Vol. 1. Here's the NYT description of the book:

"A far more civilized, beautiful life now lies within the grasp of your trembling fingertips," writes Lord Breaulove Swells Whimsy, self-described crackpot and shut-in (and charming eccentric). He's here—not so shut-in, after all—with his delightful miscellany, The Affected Provincial's Companion, Vol. 1 (Bloomsbury). "...One of the more charming treatises to come along in years...In short [Whimsy] glorifies almost every aspect of Homo Affectus...as [his] book points out, being a dandy is...about imagination, about dreaming up and acquiring and embodying a mixture of traits and clothes and habits peculiar to you. And if they seem peculiar to everyone else, well then, they had better catch up, hadn't they?" - The New York Times.

And did he live up to it.

Unfortunately, I lacked much of the intellectual context needed for much of his talk, like, for example, what exactly is Dandyism? But it was enjoyable. His droll, dry wit made us giggle and think. In sum, it seems that he is quietly (in a Dandy-esqe way) protesting the technologicalization (while I thought I made that word up, it seems to possibly be legit) of our society and is pushing for a simpler way of being (although I balked at his suggestion that we plant Bilbao trees along the streets of our big cities... ack...invasive species!!!).

Shortly after, we hopped on our respective buses, mine South, theirs West, and here I am, contributing to the technologicalization of society by encouraging you to learn about me through it.

For visuals of the day, check out my pictures on flickr http://www.flickr.com/gp/94674827@N00/C13511.