Snapshots

— Am finally reading The Flamethrowers: A Novel and it is as good as the press it was getting. Within 2 or 3 pages, I thought, “Oh. I get why everyone is talking about this book now.” Great plot, fascinating characters, New York in the 70s, motorcycles, film-making, economic unrest. It really GETS New York, too. It is making me remember my first year here. Fantastic novel so far. Don’t have time to read much but am doing a couple of pages a night. (It’s also hilarious. There’s a description of the land speed trials out in the salt flats of Utah that is awesome, with the Italian mechanics going on strike in solidarity with the strikers back in Milan.) Gear-heads, this is a book that understands your passion.

— So my siblings have all had their babies now. Bing bang boom. Jean had hers in December, Melody had hers 3 weeks ago, and Siobhan had hers a little over a week ago. Three brand-new humans! Everyone is doing great. It’s hard for us East Coasters, because my brother’s baby is out in California so I am only getting to know him through pictures and I ache to hold him and see him in person. I was at the hospital in New York when Siobhan had hers, and Mum had come down too, so we sat in the waiting room and then got to hold our new little wee person when she was only an hour old. Profound moment. As Siobhan said on that first night, looking down at her daughter, “They’re all here now!” A full tribe of cousins in three months. Nice work, O’Malleys.

— A bit obsessed with Sam Cooke’s swinging version of “Tennessee Waltz”, and found this live clip. It MOVES. I love when the camera pulls back and reveals all the dancers!

— Picture I took down on the Hudson River waterfront the other day.

— Conversation:
Old flame: “So what’ve you been up to?”
Me: “Oh … going fucking crazy.”
Pause.
Old flame (thoughtful, looking back in time, no judgment, just thoughtful pondering): “Yeah. That checks out.”
I am still laughing.