Spent too much money
At Union Square Green Market
to cheer myself up.
November 2nd
made true with apple cider
and a fresh made pie.
Nearby a band played.
For a second I re-fell
in love with New York.
Tag: fall
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Haiku Wednesday
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French Writers (And I) Love To Be Sad
This post is in response to my friend Christina who asked for an update on my life and to show her NY in the fall.
I feel so nostalgic in the fall, but I think that’s actually a pretty universal feeling.
At the very beginning of the semester in my French lit class we were studying French Romanticism, and this line by Étienne-Pivert de Senancour (super long name) is something I still think about when walking through piles of leaves and drinking peppermint hot cocoa:
“Quand la mort nous sépare de tout, tout reste pourtant, tout subsiste sans nous. Mais, à la chute des feuilles, la végétation s’arrête, elle meurt; nous nous restons pour des générations nouvelles, et l’automne est délicieuse parce que le printemps doit venir encore pour nous.”
I’ll let you put it into google translate (in other words, I’m not super confident in my translation skills). My personal interpretation of what Senancour is saying is that when we die, everything continues without us–life goes on. But in autumn, when the leaves fall and everything begins to die, we remain and get to watch as spring comes again. It’s kind of like we get to experience death, without actually dying.
Kinda dark, but he was a Romantic, so I get it.
The hot cocoa I drink while thinking about French romantic writers. (Pretty sure what I was actually thinking about at this moment was how I had sat on a partially wet bench..)
And speaking of nostalgia, we’ve been studying the King of Nostalgia in my French lit class this week: Marcel Proust! Although I think what he experiences when eating madeleines and drinking tea is so much more than nostalgia. It’s a lighting strike of feeling, so strong that he shudders from the sensation. I’ve never had a Proustian experience from tasting something, but I do get the same flash of remembrance when I smell grapefruit perfume (thanks to that really sweet Bath & Body Works spray that Lois used to wear in middle school) or the smell of a certain type of mold (the kind that grows in really old Honda Civics).
The nostalgia that comes with fall is different than this. It’s slower, less specific. More melancholy.
(Me.)
But I love the fall, and the feeling of melancholy. This article, “The Case for Melancholy” does a really good job of explaining why sometimes a little sadness can feel good. It’s something I’ve been thinking, and writing, about a lot lately because it’s a newer development within me. I used to shy away from all things sad, even my clothes (remember when I wore pink every day?) were a protest against sadness. But the more I study literature, the more I realize that sadness is a part of humanity that’s vital for creativity. (The beginnings of this transition can be seen in this blog post I wrote Freshman year. So young, so naive.)
Super intense old dudes in the park playing with RC boats–their own form of nostalgia.
I think what I’m getting out of writing this blog post is that I love my French lit class. Every time I leave that class I have a world of new things to ponder.
How does the fall make you feel?
XOLily
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Fall Break Photo Diary
Just when we are beginning to stress out, NYU gives us a fall break. It’s amazing how one day off can make that much of a difference, but normal two-day weekends are just too short. It’s nice to have some free time in New York, because there are always things to see and do.
The weekend started after work on Friday, when I had basically planned to watch TV and eat candy corn all evening, but got pulled into the pouring rain by my friend Catherine. It was worth it to see this cool folk duo play at the Bitter End.
Jesse & Jeremy. I loved their cover of “Jolene.”Afterwards, the rain had stopped and Catherine and I headed to her place, where she has an amazing view of the East River. We made cookies and drank wine. There really is no better way to spend a Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Judy and I got up early to go to yoga (Ok, not early… more like 11am, but still. It’s Saturday!) which turned out to be cancelled. So we got lunch & coffee at the B Cup Cafe in Alphabet City.
One of my favorite places.After a long amount of time spent chatting/lazing about, we headed to the Whitney Museum in Chelsea. It reminded us a lot of the Centre Pompidou; there was great modern art and a beautiful view of the city.
Oui? Non.In Freshman year, because we were in Europe, a lot of our friends went traveling over the fall break, but Judy and I decided to stay in Paris and see things/eat food. It was one of the first times I remember spending a lot of time with her, and so it seemed right to spend fall break together again eating food and seeing art. I really miss Paris sometimes–the city, but also the specific time, circumstances, and people of that year I spent there.
Cool sculpture balconies.Yesterday some Original Paris People and some New New York Friends celebrated our Third Annual Canadian Thanksgiving, another tradition that started in Paris. Our cooking abilities have improved greatly over three years. (Or I should say Judy’s have, because she cooked an amazing spread with only the help of me and Noah mashing potatoes with our fists.)
Legit dinner party status. We accidentally color coordinated our outfits.And finally today, on my day off I am getting to the things that need to be done… groceries, overdue library books, etc. But it’s not the worst thing in the world because of my fulfilling weekend. I also have something to look forward to: Emily’s coming next weekend! Gonna be wild.
Happy Monday, everyone!
XOLily
Lily Haight 