19. go on a tour of the Capitol (32x32)

Lee invited me to go on a tour of the Capitol last Christmas and we seriously only just got there two weeks ago. Just goes to show that like Jacob said, I don't do anything with any urgency. really.

As a Washingtonian, I think it's my prerogative to avoid all things having to do with normal touristy things in DC. I bet people who live in the Berkshires don't drive 25 miles an hour on the highway like "Peepers" during Autumn. Similarly, I have never been inside the Nation's Capitol building. But I have always been curious, so I took a lunch break and walked down the halls that Mr. Lincoln, Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Boxer, and Mr. Obama have walked. that was pretty surreal.





I went into the room where the Dred Scott Decision was made erroneously.



I also came to the conclusion that the Capitol needs a better curator because those statues look awkward. Every state gets to show two statues in the building so it looks like... for real, it looks like the scene in Return to Oz when there are all those creatures turned to stone... AND the scene from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I guess witches like stone trophies.

9. re-enact a scene from the Miracle on 34th Street (32x32)

Initially, I wanted to re-enact the fountain scene from the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, because it is the most memorable to me. However, in the spirit of the season, and because I came to NYC on a Monday when the Metropolitan Museum of Art is closed, and because Alley has a book of 1,000 Things To Do in New York Before You Die, we decided to re-enact the waiting in line to see Santa at Cole(thinly veiled "Macy")'s scene from The Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies.



I remember my mom reading from the edition illustrated by Tomie dePaola and I remember watching the Natalie Woods black and white version in the days leading up to Christmas.



To be honest, if I were a little less shy, I may have explained to Santa (after only a 30 minute wait in line... which is a miracle in and of itself) that I have a 32x32 list and that coming to see him was part of my wish list. But I got flustered. Alley asked him for a kiss and I asked him for some trainers. wtf. I should have tugged on his beard. I should have made Alley speak in Swedish to see if he could speak Swedish. Or I could have used sign language like in the book to prove that he really was Santa. In the end, I got the proof: the trainers which I couldn't find at the specialty running shoe store in Connecticut in the shoe department. Wish fulfilled!

24. attend Salmagundi club function (receive token). (30 x 30)

On my father's side of the family, I am somehow related to a man named Irad Hawley, which if you ask me, is a great name.

Okay, so I intended to just look this up, just to read up on Irad... and my day has been swept away in a time vortex.

My great-great-great-grandfather, Irad Hawley, married Sarah Holmes and they built a wonderful house at 47 Fifth Avenue, NYC, NY. They had 8 children (Lucy Ann, Maria Louise, Judson Elisha, Chauncey Irad, Daniel Edwin, Addison Holmes, Henry Eugene, Sarah Lavina - all great names [except Chauncey]). My great-great-grandfather, Henry Eugene, was born in 1838 and was married to Elizabeth Jane Lockwood in 1862. He was a partner in a merchant company, Carter, Hawley & Co. They had four children (Elizabeth, Edith Judson, Sarah Sadie, Henrietta Eugenie). In 1897 Sarah Sadie married Dr. Thadeus Halstead (my great-grandfather) who was an orthopedic surgeon in New York City. They had two children Halstead Hawley and Ogden King. My grandfather, Halstead Hawley went to Yale, which is why he was not drafted into the army during the first world war. He married Muriel Battey (daughter of Donald Elerby Battey and Muriel Crawford [He married Muriel Crawford September 17, 1915, daughter of John Crawford and Mabel Nast {granddaughter of Thomas Nast}). My father was the youngest of their three sons, Matthew King.

The house that Irad and Sarah built is now where the Salmagundi Club resides. The Salmagundi Club originated in 1871 as a sketch class in Johnathan Scott Hartley's studio and purchased this mid-nineteenth century brownstone house in 1917 as its second home. It was cited in 1957 for its architectural distinction by the Society of Architectural Historians and the Municipal Art Society.

Originally formed as the Salmagundi Sketch Club in 1871, the Club adopted its present name a hundred years ago after Washington Irving published his potpourri of wit and wisdom called "The Salmagundi Papers". The name also serves as the club dining room's famous "Salmagundi Stew". For a more complete history of the artists, read the exerpt from Alexander W. Katlan's book, "The Salmagundi Club Painting Exhibition Records 1889 to 1939: A Guide to the American Exhibition of Oil Paintings and the Annual Exhibition and Auction Sale of Pictures."


About The Salmagundi Club

Founded in 1871, the Salmagundi Club is one of the oldest art organizations in the United States. Housed in an historic brownstone mansion in Greenwich Village, New York City, the Club offers programs including art classes, exhibitions, painting demonstrations, and art auctions throughout the year for members and the general public.

The Salmagundi facilities include three galleries, a library, an elegant period parlor, and a restaurant and bar with vintage pool tables. All facilities are available for special events and private rentals.



The Club owns a collection of over 1,500 works of art spanning its 140 year history and has a membership of nearly 850 artists and patrons. Its members have included important American artists such as Thomas Moran, William Merritt Chase, Louis Comfort Tiffany, N.C. Wyeth and Childe Hassam. Today the Club builds on this legacy by providing a center for the resurgence of representational art in America.

Alley and I traipsed down to the Salmagundi Club on Monday (after going to sit on Santa's lap at Macy's) and to attend the 104th Annual Thumb-Box Exhibition. There were some really wonderful pieces on display, my favorite was this pastel of a china teacup and a lemon slice by Barbara Groff.


Alley is an amazing illustrator, founder of Dutch Kills Theatre, and is also a model, maybe she'll join the club! I wanted to buy a tote, but they didn't have any left so I bought a t-shirt instead and I'll put it in a memory quilt... whenever I get to making a memory quilt for my own shirts.

1. donate hair to Wigs for Kids (32x32)

As part of the 32x32, I cut off the mermaid hair and donated it to the Wigs for Kids organization! Originally, I was going to wait until I got back to LaLa to cut it off with Gretta after the winter, but then I started thinking that there's a kid out there who needs some hair this winter way more than I do!



Sarah's agreed to do the fix after everything is cut off, but I invited a bunch of friends to come over last Saturday help.

I had seen pictures on the interwebs: you braid it up into little bits all around and then put a rubber band near the scalp and another at the end of the braid, that way it doesn't unravel when you snipsnip.

Apparently, no one else is as intrigued by cutting off hair as I am! It just seems like something we've always been told not to do ourselves and to leave to a professional; and that cutting off our own hair symbolizes some sort of grief or emotional turmoil. So, I wanted to offer everyone an opportunity to do something kind of forbidden without the emotional hangover because it's for a great cause. My sister joined me and Sarah via Skype and we did it!

15 inches to Wigs for Kids



and a work appropriate version of the aeon flux hair...



If you like this hair cut, give Sarah a shout!

making the next list: 33x33

It's that time of year when I review the last list, see what I can get done in the next few months and make my holiday/birthday gift requests. Let's review though what has been accomplished over the past three years, because holy shit, it's a lot!

(and thanks hyperbole and a half for this joke...)

(30x30) 2. go on a dog-sled trek in vermont. (Complete)
(30x30) 3. quit smoking cigarettes. (Complete)
(30x30) 4. see Mission of Burma live. (Complete)
(30x30) 5. go sky-diving. (Complete)
(30x30) 7. figure out my weight, in "stones." (Complete)
(30x30) 8. Finish ONE tom robbins book. (Complete
(30x30) 9. finish 1 quilt. (Complete)
(30x30) 10. learn to knit socks, make Mary Zwarg socks with wool from Colorado. (Complete)
(30x30) 11. read Catch 22. (Complete)
(30x30) 12. go to Barbados, snorkel. (Complete)
(30x30) 13. and drive a scooter, come home alive(Complete)
(30x30) 14. learn to hula dance (Complete)
(30x30) 16. go water-skiing (Complete)
(30x30) 18. eat sea urchin. (Complete)
(30x30) 19. ride a bike from my house to mom's and back in one day. (Complete)
(30x30) 20. try living gluten-free for a month. (Complete)
(30x30) 21. meditate/yoga at least once a week. (Complete)
(30x30) 22. drink suggested amounts of water daily. (Complete)
(30x30) 23. broaden my communist horizons, attend something inspired by a marxist. (Complete)
(30x30) 24. attend Salmagundi club function (receive token)
(30x30) 25. join a professional association. (Complete)
(30x30) 26. make a mobile. (Complete)
(30x30) 27. take a metal-welding course. (Complete)
(30x30) 28. kiss an elephant, a real live elephant. (Complete)
(30x30) 29. play an entire game of tennis, keep score. (Complete)
(30x30) 30. finally attend Halloween party as Rogue from X-Men. (Complete)
(31x31) 1. Knit all the things (Complete)
(31x31) 2. Read ONE Vonnegut novel (Complete)
(31x31) 3. Go to the opera (Complete)
(31x31) 4. Crochet a doily(Complete)
(31x31) 5. Get my palms read(Complete)
(31x31) 6. Serve home-made pierogis and golabki to someone other than family. (Complete)
(31x31) 7. Increase flexibility to do a turtle pose (Complete)
(31x31) 8. Go to a professional sport’s game (Complete)
(31x31) 9. open an etsy stall (Complete)
(31x31) 10. drive an antique car (Complete)
(31x31) 11. complete a 10K, donate $1000 to livestrong charity (Complete)
(31x31) 12. Allocate 35% of net income to personal debt (Complete)
(31x31) 13. Finish quilt #2 (Complete)
(31x31) 14. Join activity association, like a tennis club. (Complete)
(31x31) 15. play dominoes with dirty old men. (Complete)
(31x31) 16. Go bowling at the White House (complete)
(31x31) 18. Visit a state never visited before (other than Montana and North Dakota)(Complete)
(31x31) 19. go sailing (Complete)
(31x31) 20. Knit an adult size sweater or cardigan. (Complete)
(31x31) 21. Have a birthday party (Complete)
(31x31) 22. Touch a spider, a big hairy spider. (Complete)
(31x31) 23. Write and illustrate a children’s book. (Complete)
(31x31) 25. hike the Appalachian Trail (Complete)
(31x31) 27. watch top 100 AFI films (Complete)
(31x31) 28. grow mermaid hair, go to the mermaid parade on Coney Island(Complete)
(31x31) 29. International Yarn Bomb Day (Complete)
(31x31) 30. complete Nation’s Triathlon (Complete)
(31x31) 31. Move out of my mother’s house. (Complete)
(32x32) 1. donate hair to Wigs for Kids (Complete)
(32x32) 2. establish Needles to Say (Complete)
(32x32) 3. complete a century ride (Complete)
(32x32) 4. close out corporate bank account, open up checking at a credit union (Complete)
(32x32) 5. go play seal/otter/walrus (Complete)
(32x32) 8. go on 3 blind dates (complete)
(32x32) 9. re-enact a scene from the Miracle on 34th Street (Complete)
(32x32) 10. vote (complete)
(32x32) 13. Send a message in a bottle (complete)
(32x32) 16. Fold a 100 origami cranes and give them to someone special (Complete)
(32x32) 17. smell a coffee plantation (complete)
(32x32) 18. go to a silent meditation weekend retreat (Complete)
(32x32) 19. go on tour of the Capitol (Complete)
(32x32) 21. make garden needles, knit a blanket with +10 strands of yarn (Complete)
(32x32) 22. Complete a half marathon (complete)
(32x32) 23. read something by David Foster Wallace (Complete)
(32x32) 24. make an anonymous donation (complete)
(32x32) 25. improve race time on another triathlon (Complete)
(32x32) 27. eat something I can't pronounce (complete)
(32x32) 28. raise an anxiety-provoking amount of money for a good cause (complete)
(32x32) 29. knit a blanket with +10 strands of yarn (Complete)
(32x32) 30. blow kisses to all highway patrol cars (Complete)
(32x32) 31. steal a choir suit and run around singing, clapping, and praising (Complete)

Left over from previous years:
(30x30) 1. go see Kandinsky's "thirty" in Paris
(30x30) 6. take sailing lessons for a tiller boat.
(30x30) 15. learn to play the russian marche by mozart
(30x30) 17. go to one lecture per university in DC consortium.
(31x31) 17. Keep to a budget with a 10% margin of error.
(31x31) 24. Go ice-skating in Canada.
(31x31) 26. Climb a water-tower without permission.
(32x32) 6. dye & spin my own yarn
(32x32) 7. watch all the alfred hitchock movies
(32x32) 11. go to Lee's college graduation
(32x32) 12. Be a member of the audience in a TV show
(32x32) 14. Run to the top of the Statue of Liberty
(32x32) 15. Go geocatching
(32x32) 20. finish trunk projects
(32x32) 26. swim across the Long Island Sound
(32x32) 32. sit in the gallery during a Supreme Court trial

... I think the 33x33 might be a catch-up list...

3. go to the opera (31x31)

Children in the Mist: A Horror Opera


From Michael Beeman's article July 14, 2012:
Children in the Mist follows a plot-line familiar to anyone even loosely acquainted with King’s writing: the average inhabitants of Anywhere, Maine, are visited by the supernatural when an ominous mist rolls in from the sea. The townsfolk shore up at the local grocery story, the setting for much of the opera’s action, and wait for the mist to clear. It doesn’t. They panic. Soon the townsfolk find themselves fighting each other as well as the supernatural creatures that begin attacking them from the mist at night.

The crew finds inventive ways to use light, darkness, and obfuscation to create atmosphere in a spare set (But no mist! None!). The shrieks come mostly from the stage, but each is answered in turn with a hearty laugh from the audience (a note to horror opera producers: half a corpse is more terrifying than a full corpse any day). Although audiences of Children in the Mist are unlikely to leave clamoring for further operatic adaptations of King’s entire catalog, they will have to admit they had fun watching innovative Riverbend Opera Company’s clever mash-up.

... we left during the first intermission... the only reason we stayed that long was for Alexandra Friendly,


wife of my buddy from highschool, Oliver, and bff of my bff, Alley. They could give a theatrical critique which I don't have the expertise. All I know is Alex was awesome and the dude who played the shop-keeper was so amazingly over-the-top. maybe that's what opera is supposed to be?

10. vote (32 x 32)

TCB, baby.