Archive for the ‘Landscape’ Category
In which The Gay Recluse is still morose. Today we felt so completely trapped. By our neighborhood, our job, our possessions. Oh and our stupid country. Our life felt completely artless. But then we came home and watched The Hills. And played with the cats. Soon we’ll go to bed. We wonder what it would […]
Filed under: Architecture, City Pattern Project, Conspiracy, Dream, Government, Landscape, Pessimism | Leave a Comment
Tags: John McCain, Morose, Sarah Palin
In which The Gay Recluse questions the kind of man who berates a 75-year old woman for being pro-choice. Our mother — who lives near Pittsburgh in the “swing-state” of Pennsylvania — has been going to physical therapy lately because she hurt her foot. She goes during the day, when a lot of the other […]
Filed under: Gay, Government, Health, Landscape, Law, Pessimism, Politicians | Leave a Comment
Tags: Abortion, John McCain, Physical Therapy, Pro-Choice, Republican Assholes, Sarah Palin, Schopenhauer
In which The Gay Recluse braces for the inevitable. This past week has been very depressing to us. You just get the feeling that the election is already slipping away. It’s not like we think Obama is going to save us or anything. But when was the last time we had a major candidate who […]
Filed under: Capitalism, City Pattern Project, Communism, Dissonance, Government, Landscape, Longing, Resignation | 2 Comments
Tags: Andy Warhol, God, Manhole Covers
On the George Washington Bridge Project: Special Welcome Hanna and Neil Young Remembrance Edition
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with the George Washington Bridge. The drainpipe was rattling on the house today and we had to tie it down. One thing hurricanes make us think about is that Neil Young song, “Like a Hurricane.” (Hmm, wonder why? Lol.) When we were in high school, we were […]
Filed under: Architecture, Good Rock, GWB Project, Landscape, Memory, Nostalgia | Leave a Comment
Tags: Jimi Hendrix, Like a Hurrican, Neil Young, Rockin' Out, The George Washington Bridge, Time Capsules, Tropical Storm Hanna
In which The Gay Recluse exalts in the ruins of a scalloped pediment and self-referentially quotes an earlier post. This is where John McCain will be staying when he comes to Washington Heights next week. Lol. In Washington Heights we live among extremes of material decadence and breathtaking neglect, apparent in the crumbling cornices of […]
Filed under: Architecture, Decay, Infrastructure, Landscape, New York City, Ruins, Search, Sickness, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Dormers, John McCain, Pediments, Scalloped Pediments, Scallops, Windows
In which The Gay Recluse is flat. It was exceedingly hot and after taking all those pictures we were exhausted. Suddenly we wanted to be flat! Then we felt a lot better.
Filed under: Drivel, Gay, Health, Landscape, The Gay Recluse, Weather | 2 Comments
Tags: Flat, Heat, Parables, Parking Lots
In which The Gay Recluse visits a friend’s garden. Sometimes we long for more gardening space, so that we could enjoy exploding swaths of bee balm every July. But then we would have to drive everywhere. And our head would be filled with dangerous little songs. Don’t get me wrong, i think it’s terrible to […]
Filed under: Capitalism, Disease, Drivel, GWB Project, Landscape, Language, Sickness, Stereotypes, The Gay Recluse, The Summer Garden, Travel | 1 Comment
Tags: Bee Balm, Closet Cases, Genuises, Homophobia, Straights, Suburbs, The Pixies, Wave of Mutilation
In which The Gay Recluse retreats to the summer garden. The European white birch has always been the focal point of our garden in Washington Heights. Each leaf, of course, represents a day in our past, and for this reason might seem more valuable if there weren’t so many. –The Gay Recluse, November 13, 2007
Filed under: GWB Project, Landscape, Memory, The Gay Recluse, The Summer Garden | Leave a Comment
Tags: Days, European White Birch, Leaves
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with manhole covers. Recently we were suprised to learn that cities in Florida such as Ft. Lauderdale also have manhole covers, some of which are pretty freakin’ swank. Reader CBNY sends us the following: [The first] is a little perfunctory, but I find it offers a rather […]
Filed under: Architecture, City Pattern Project, Infrastructure, Landscape, The Gay Recluse | 2 Comments
Tags: Fort Lauderdale, Manhole Covers
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with manhole covers. Location: Edgecomb Avenue and 159th Street Is this the best manhole cover ever? Perhaps it is. We could stare at this for a thousand years, on or off drugs. Whenever anyone asks me for something to put into a time capsule, I tell them […]
Filed under: Capitalism, City Pattern Project, Decay, Infrastructure, Landscape, Photography, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | 4 Comments
Tags: Andy Warhol, Drugs, Manhole Covers, Weiner Werkstatte
In which The Gay Recluse watches birds. Tonight we saw one bird in the fading sun. Which was one more than we usually see. Which begs the question: Are the birds not usually there? Or are we just learning how to see?
Filed under: Animals, GWB Project, Landscape, Obsession, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Birds, Palisades, Sunsets
In which The Gay Recluse is rendered delirious by delays. As we were waiting at the Pittsburgh airport, we were struck by the unexpected beauty of this stone riverbed. And this one, too. It wasn’t too hard to imagine that we were out west somewhere. But only if we didn’t let the scope of our […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Dissonance, Infrastructure, Landscape, Photography, The Gay Recluse, Travel | 2 Comments
Tags: Airports, Cigarettes, Gum, Jails, Pittsburgh, Riverbeds
In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with The George Washington Bridge. Today it’s off to Pittsburgh for the weekend. Travel is so much fun these days! But at least the sky is clear. We’ll miss the bridge. And Zephyr. And Dante, who would like to remind everyone: not every cat is a lolcat! […]
Filed under: Animals, Architecture, GWB Project, Landscape, Longing, Nostalgia, Not Every Cat a Lolcat, The Gay Recluse, The Russian Blue, Travel | 1 Comment
Tags: Airports, Clear, Sky, The George Washington Bridge
In which The Gay Recluse rather quickly dies of lung cancer. Chronic pollution is a lot like chronic pain. You know it’s there but it’s hard to get rid of. Particularly when everyone’s doing it! Sometimes it blows right in the window. And makes us wish we lived in Vermont. The oily black smoke of […]
Filed under: Capitalism, Government, GWB Project, Health, Landscape, Pessimism, Sickness, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Asthma, Dickens, Industrial Revolution, Landlords, Lung Cancer, Polluters, Slumlords, Views
In which The Jane Austen Watch reports on the intersection of two centuries. Today we heard from our newest correspondent, The Jane Austen Watch, who filed the following report: The roses in Astoria are in bloom, and all the local inhabitants are basing the horticulture of their small front gardens on the assumption that they […]
Filed under: Landscape, Language, Literature, Longing, The Gay Recluse, The Jane Austen Watch, Writers-British | Leave a Comment
Tags: Astoria, Blooms, England, Jane Austen, Persuasion, Pink, Roses
In which The Gay Recluse looks up and sees maps. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how arbitrary time is. Like yesterday when we were rushing for the subway (and missed it). And then stepped into the elevator at work with five other people and of course everyone pressed the button for a different floor. We […]
Filed under: Dissonance, Dream, Faith, Landscape, Longing, Pessimism, Photography, The Spring Garden | 4 Comments
Tags: Columnar Pin Oaks, Continental Drift, Leaves, Maps, Sky
In which The Vermonter, a former New Yorker who has retired to the rural life, checks in with The Gay Recluse. Recently we heard from our friend The Vermonter, who had this to say: I love manhole covers! I have been photographing them for years! Here are some favorites from a few years back… Whoas! […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, City Pattern Project, Communism, Infrastructure, Landscape, Photography, The Gay Recluse, The Vermonter | Leave a Comment
Tags: Manhole Covers, Manholes, The Vermonter
In which The Gay Recluse says goodbye to Berlin. Before we went to Berlin, we were kind of dreading it. After all, it was a work trip, which means we had to do some work. Plus, German is not our strongest language. And this eagle was not exactly welcoming, either! But then we saw how […]
Filed under: GWB Project, Landscape, Memory, Nostalgia, The Gay Recluse, Travel | Leave a Comment
Tags: Berlin, Birch Trees, Bullet Talons, Eagles, Manhole Covers, Rhododendron, Tiergarten, Work
In which The Gay Recluse dreams of a new career. Ever since we visited Prague a few years ago we have been obsessed with becoming a sidewalk builder. This obsession was rekindled in Berlin, which has lots of sidewalks made of small stones. Please! Step into our office. Could someone please hand us a stone? […]
Filed under: Architecture, City Pattern Project, Landscape, Photography, The Gay Recluse, Travel | Leave a Comment
Tags: Berlin, Career Counseling, Pavers, Prague, Sidewalks, Stones
The Gay Recluse 