Saturday, March 25, 2017

Day 190: Hopefully y'all will still like me when I'm 23...

Hello dear readers! I'm so sorry for the delay in this post--my family was in town, as promised in my last post, and so when I wasn't at work, I was showing them around Vienna, eating lots of delicious food (not on my dime), and celebrating my birthday! (Hence the Blink-182 lyrical reference in the title of this post--not a whole lot of songs about being 23 out there, are there?) 
My brother was here! I missed him for sixth months and then he got annoying after five minutes. So... basically normal!
Mom snuck a paparazzi photo of me and my brother walking along the street. I'm pretty sure we were doing Batman voices when she took this.
Parents got me a great gift from Prague: a golem! My parents were sure I wouldn't know what it was when I fished it out of the bag, but since I'd previously been to a show on the golem mythos in Berlin, I did know what they vaguely looked like. It's such a cute little golem! He lives in my coin purse and protects me.
Once I knew my family was going to be here for my birthday, I immediately took a look at my schedule and made to plan a spectacular, action-filled day--basically, how many museums could I drag my brother to using my birthday as an excuse, and how much food could I shove in my face because birthday calories obviously don't count? Turns out the answer in plenty, though I was a bit disappointed when I began to make the plans because my birthday fell on a Monday this year, when a lot of arts venues in Vienna seem to be closed. So I had to get a little creative in my planning, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves! 

First, we met for brunch at Pure Living Bakery in the seventh district, which I previously been to with my roommates. After everyone's eyes almost fell out with shock at the pure amount of sugar on the menu, we enjoyed our breakfasts of pancakes and yogurt parfaits and bagels and coffees. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in the restaurant, so we got the VIP treatment. Next we went to the Belvedere Winterpalais in the first district, where we saw "The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined," a pretty wacky and out-there display of fashion inspired by older royal models. My favorite piece was by far the ornate coat from the Viktor and Rolf Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.
My cappuccino (American-style, which means large, naturally) had a cute little face!!!!!
They didn't let us take photos, so I had to write down the info and then do some googling to find the best coat ever.
http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/autumn-winter-2016-couture/viktor-rolf/
Next we went across the Danube for some Italian food courtesy of Al Pacino Pizzeria, which I really only picked for its location and because it was called Al Pacino. My family loves The Godfather, so I figured they would get a kick out of eating at Al Pacino's. I had some delicious gnocchi with meat sauce, and the rest got pizzas, if I remember correctly. Next it was just back across the river to the Kunst Haus Wien (koonst-howss Veen), which is a museum designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (free-denz-ryekh hoon-durt-vah-sur) an artist and architecture with a very unique and idiosyncratic style--the floors were deliberately uneven, and the walls were covered with his paintings and drawings, which made use of a colorful folk-art style. I would include photos, but we weren't allowed to take any (even without flash!), but there are some good photos in the link above.
Waiting for that yummy food... Dad rocking the Northwestern gear for my bro!
Ben was really inspired by the documentary we watched in the museum about how much Friedensreich Hundertwasser really loved water and liked to lie on ice and watch water flow. It was a pretty bizarre documentary and felt like it was hours long, even though it was under thirty minutes. There was also more nudity than I anticipated.
Selfie with the momay with part of the façade of the Kunst Haus.
Then after a good bit of walking, we went back to the seventh district for dinner at 7Stern Bräu (pronounced zee-ben shtairn broy), a nice, typically Austrian-style place. We almost missed our reservation because I accidentally took us inside the wrong restaurant (which had a similar name, I swear!!) and we waited there for a good twenty minutes before I realized my mistake. After dinner we meandered along Mariahilferstraße, where my brother promptly found some gelato, until it was time to go home--I had teaching at nine in the morning the following day.
I had to return some videotapes. Actually, they were DVDs. But still. This is a view from the outside steps of the library near my place!
This random building in the third district had these amazing mosaics. I wish I'd written down the address...
Next to the gelato place was a very fancy water party. That's what this place sells--fancy water. And there was a party. With a bouncer. To stop people from getting into the water party. I just lack the words.
On Wednesday, I dragged my family to the MAK (which I visited in the fall). I wasn't sure how into it my brother and dad would be, but there was enough weird arts and crafts to prevent them from being bored. The design lab hadn't really changed at all since my last visit, but because it has so much material, it definitely didn't feel like I was revisiting the same pieces I'd seen previously. My dad particularly liked one video (by artists called Honey and Bunny) that used all sorts of combinations of location and perspective to play with the idea of how we eat in a very surrealistic way.
This was a pretty cool piece of furniture. It opened like an accordion and was designed to be manipulated into differently-shaped couches!
I think Dad was watching slo-mo video art when I took this.
Here is Mom, helping Ben use a typewriter for the first (and likely only) time in his life...
While saying goodbye was of course not easy, I will be coming back to the States in a few weeks to attend a conference in San Diego, where I'm presenting a paper on (I kid you not) Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, where I examine how its medium as a YouTube series allows the creator to engage with fans and remediate these interactions into the ongoing text of the show itself. I'm such a nerd.
Slightly blurry selfie taken last night after dinner!
We are so sad about being separated for another two whole weeks. Look at all those tears. (I will miss him though--I always miss my bro.)
In other news, the last notice came in--looks like I will not be going to graduate school for my PhD this fall. I'm pretty disappointed, but not exactly surprised at this point--it seems as if PhD programs are shifting their gears to admit more students who already have Masters' degrees. I am currently exploring my other options for next year, and trying to keep my head up. I can't help but feel as if I've been dealt a pretty big setback in terms of my career. I don't want the PhD to teach--I want it because it really seems like you need one to be hired as a curator these days. But I just have to keep doing what I always do--keep writing, keep working, keep hustling until something shakes out.

Miscellany of the week(s):
  • Got to see both Moonlight, which was amazing and gorgeous, and Beauty and the Beast, which was good in some ways and bad in others. The latter movie had to deal with living up to the cartoon, which was my favorite as a kid. Belle is also my favorite princess, so of course I was going to be picky.
Photo of my Marx Brothers boys at the Burgkino!
... you okay there, chair? You drunk?
  • I also squeezed in two interviews for my project: one with the director of a Roma cultural center in Vienna, and another (via Skype) with a Roma director and performance artist based in Vienna (but currently in Berlin). I can't wait for this all to come together!
  • My brother just looked like Dopey from Snow White in this picture:
Gee, I wonder where he goes to school?!
  • I spotted this dress at Zara today, prompting me to laugh out loud in public.
Austria: "no, we've never watched The Sound of Music--it's such a silly American movie! Why do you ask?"
Me, looking at the above dresses: "... no reason!"
  • Jack Wolfskin. He solves tundra crimes. (A new pilot by Deborah Krieger, because the store name "Jack Wolfskin" is definitely also the name of a rugged dude living in Alaska who is also a detective or something. Like a Robert B. Parker novel (RIP). (Coming soon to NBC. Produced by Dick Wolf.)

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Day 177: Last week 'rent free (because my parents are coming on Monday)

Hi readers!

Once again, kind of a low-key week. More sad news from another graduate program, so I'm currently at 0-4. Not a great record for admissions or for any sports team. I've got one shot left this time around, but at this point I've starting getting into the thick of looking for other options for next year.

Still, though, I'm excited for next week, because my family is finally coming to Austria! Aside from visiting me, of course, they will be going to the Special Olympics games in Graz and traveling around a bit--I just need to remember to pawn off all the coins I didn't spend in Prague on my family so they can finally be put to use purchasing gum or chips or something. I've been in Austria for almost six months now, which is the longest I've gone without seeing my family in person. FaceTime is such a great tool, though, so it doesn't really feel like six months.

A sample conversation with my mom about how much she's looking forward to coming to see me:
MOM: Guess what happens next week?
ME: You get to see me!
MOM: Yes, but I also get to do something that I can only do in person!
ME: ... you get to do that thing where you put saliva on your finger and wipe dirt off my face!
MOM: ... yes. I'll able do that, but that's not what I meant--
ME: Or you can do that thing where I'm sitting in the car next to you and you throw your bag at me to hold on my lap!
MOM: ... really?
(The answer was that she gets to hug me, in case that wasn't entirely clear.)

As for last week's adventures: on Tuesday some Fulbrighters and other teaching assistants and I took advantage of Restaurant Week and had ourselves a nice little prix fixe dinner at a restaurant called La Véranda, which is in the Hotel Sans-Souci in the seventh district. It was certainly the kind of place I would only go to for a fixed-price meal because it was a little too fancy otherwise. And the food was pretty good, even though we did have to wait thirty minutes to be given the menu and the portions were fairly small. After bringing us many baskets of bread and a canape-type sharing vegetable dish, we got our three-course meals: the pepper-and-some of the grain appetizer, followed by risotto, followed by rice pudding! I honestly wish I had taken a photo of each dish, as well as of the menu details, but I was too busy eating to focus on documenting everything once the food began to arrive in earnest.
"Would you like something to drink?" Yes. I would like the free, cost-less tap water because I am very obviously here for the fixed-price menu and not ordering things a la carte.
We looked so fancy and such as we smiled through our growling stomach, wondering why it took thirty minutes to be presented with the menu.
This is the appetizer. It had that kind of grain that isn't quinoa or couscous or rice, but I honestly cannot remember what it is. The pepper was actually fine too, even though I'm not a fan of them.
The bathroom had a dragon sink spigot, because of course it did.
Obligatory outfit-in-the-bathroom selfie: the dress my grandma Rita tailored for me, a jacket I got for three dollars in West Philly, and leggings from H&M, which are my cold-weather mainstay item (and I have seven or so pairs of them!). 
On Wednesday, I successfully pretended to be an adult as I ran errands: I dropped off my purse for repairs, I filed my Austrian taxes, and I got the first part of my tick vaccination, which is apparently something you really need in the Viennese spring season. I then followed this dash of productivity with a well-earned nap, because once I finished with my grown-up duties, I reverted to being an infant.

On Friday, on a tip from the Fulbright Program associate, I went to a talk in the sixteenth district with one of the artists I'm researching, Robert Gabris, where he discussed his experiences growing up Roma and how the depictions of Roma in popular culture have either reflected or failed to reflect the realities of Roma life, history, and tradition, leading to widespread misconceptions about Roma that still persist to this day. The talk was in German, so I had to listen very carefully, but it was very interesting nonetheless and, of course, relevant to my project!

On the projector is one of Robert's drawings. I love his linework and shading!
Not a super big audience at the venue, which took me forever to find since Google Maps tried to lie to me!
Free drinks included wine, juice, water, and some really great strong black tea, which I probably shouldn't have had this late in the day...
It honestly didn't look this pink inside the venue in person.
Miscellany of the week:
The two kinds of trash: "Blech" and "Plastik"!
The light-up letters in the MuseumsQuartier change at night! 
This is my clothing area in the neatest state it's ever been. Hooray!
I just really liked this model's facial expression. So vulnerable! So pouty! Even though that jacket looks pretty great! (Don't pout, Mister Model!)
I have no idea who this man is, but I wish I could be this cool and have this level of epic hair. It's almost Fabio-quality.
Taken in one of my classrooms. I saw that there were logarithms on the chalkboard and, in the absence of an eraser, did the next best thing to protect my precious eyes from such disgusting math...
... I closed the wings of the blackboard to remove the evil, evil math from my sight. My students applauded my bravery and ingenuity.
Well, that's all for this missive. Next time, expect plenty of photos of my family and me as we celebrate my birthday and do other touristy things in Vienna! If my magnanimous readers want to turn their vibe-granting powers towards helping me find a job for next year, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Day 166: Apparently I partied all the time this weekend

Hi readers! Another week, another post. You know the deal by now!

Seems like this past week went by in the blink of an eye--I feel like I was just sitting on my bed to type up my last blog post, even though a lot has happened since then. Well, not necessarily a lot--the weekend was pretty chock full o' stuff, even if the week itself wasn't super exciting.

On Friday night a bunch of teaching assistants both British and American had a little good-bye party for one of our own. Although the Fulbright and USTA programs hire college graduates, the British Council's teaching assistants are actually students still in school, so this is their study abroad and are only around for one semester. The TA's apartment was actually very fancy and sleek, especially for an apartment that a teaching assistant can afford, and we drank some white wine and ate slightly flavorless cheesy puffs for a little while.
I am not sure why there were masks there, since it wasn't a costume party, but I figured I would put one on just for purposes of this photo. (I am the night. I am Gotham.)
Saturday morning I woke up as a woman on a mission: to go to the Vienna Secession and review some shows. In order to get there, I decided to meander through the flea market at the Naschmarkt (nahsh-mahrkt), where I bought a cute little enamel ring made in Vienna as a souvenir that I can actually wear all the time without worrying it'll fall off! The Naschmarkt has a flea market every Saturday as well as a permanent food market that is basically the Austrian version of the Los Angeles Grove Farmer's Market, which was fun to walk through, even though I had to dodge people shoving samples in my face left and right. If you take the sample, they'll want you to buy, and I am not one for buying expensive cheeses that will expire in two days!
It's got Jugendstil/Art Nouveau motifs--very Austrian!
Enjoy my weird (fading) writing bump on my ring finger. I think switching from writing to typing has finally made a difference (although is Carpal Tunnel a fair tradeoff? Ask me in 20 years...)
The Naschmarkt actually reminds me of the Shuk in Tel Aviv in terms of atmosphere--hustling, bustling, tons of produce and meat and cheese and drinks available.
I always end up seeing fruits I never recognize when I go to these kinds of markets. Every fruit conceivable from every country imaginable except guavas (which seem to evade me forever regardless of where I go)!
Despite the loveliness of the Secession building, the shows I saw there ultimately didn't impress me much. I'm not going to give away the contents of my review here, but the shows there didn't exactly compel me to come back anytime soon, even if the admission fee was only 4.50 euros (since my bank has a deal with the institution). I guess the problem with having permanent works in your space by artists as great as Klimt is that the contemporary works in the programming risk being overshadowed.
The Klimt mural is located on the lowest level of the building. It's underground, but manages to feel pretty airy and light even with no windows. Gotta love that gold ornamentation! Look at those forms! Ugh. I could gush for hours.
On Sunday, a bunch of teaching assistants went to Schönbrunn Palace for a picnic--two of us Fulbrighters had had birthdays recently, so we decided to have a little fun on the palace grounds. When I previous visited the palace complex, I had only gone through the side gardens, which were lovely enough, but the backyard (such as it is) of the castle is amazing--there are Versailles-esque gardens and Classical-inspired sculptures, all leading up to a giant hill, which is where we set up camp. We ate cake and Girl Scout Cookies and homemade bean dip and chips and all sorts of yummy picnic foods, and even threw around a Frisbee for a few moments before regrouping to sing "Happy Birthday." Even though the weather had been getting better leading up to that day, it did end up getting a little cold in the later afternoon--apparently to the point that my lips were blue enough for my friends to notice!
View of the castle from our spot on the hill. It was pretty clear, so we could see lots of the city!
Obligatory selfie of our picnic.
Love that Schönbrunn Gloriette!

Yummy yummy foodstuffs. By the time we took the train home, I pretty much never wanted to look at food again. 
Taken just as we were about to leave--we made it home before dark!
 Since my last post, I haven't gotten any updates on the grad school apps. I've still got two to go, and every time I get an email notification I feel my heart skip a beat out of sheer nervousness. I'm trying to think positively about it, but the odds are not great, statistically speaking. I'm also getting back into the job search, which is familiar enough from last year when I was waiting to hear back from Fulbright. We'll just have to see how it goes. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Miscellany of the week:
Warm enough for bare legs! Spring can't come a moment too soon for me.
Spotted in a comic book shop near my apartment. Since when is Batman part of the Avengers? Talk about a crazy crossover!
"Rot" means red, but I just thought it was funny that you can buy "grapefruit rot." Deliiiiicious.
"Wifeyyyyy.....just killed a man...."
Spotted: a new friend in the window. Unfortunately, it was a one-sided friendship.