Is it a Vase or a Vaze?

Kokopelli Vase, N. Vallo, Acoma, NM

Kokopelli is a mythical figure in Native American culture who is often depicted as a humpbacked flute player with feathers on his head. The name Kokopelli is thought to come from the Zuni and Hopi word koko, which means God. This artwork was acquired at Indian Market in Santa Fe. This festival was a big draw that drew my parents all the way from Dallas. This work’s intricate design is more beautiful in real life than this photo can possibly show. 


We had a couple of wins yesterday. We managed to reclaim the majority of dad’s savings from its estate limbo. Work continues to reclaim it all, but we are slowly making progress. Once his money is in our hands, I can distribute it to my bros. Our other big victory was more ephemeral. Frankly, we were left reeling after the realtor’s aesthetics coordinator visit, and it was for the silliest of reasons. She wanted to see a king-size bed in the primary bedroom, where Anne and I are currently sleeping. Even though we could buy a new bed and have it delivered for just a few hundred dollars, the waste involved with this strategy kind of stuck in our collective craw. That sleepless night we were lying awake in bed devising alternative plans. We figured that we could move the two twins from downstairs, shove them together to make a faux king and then haul the upstairs’ queen downstairs in their place. Easy-peasy. The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised when the realtor called and proposed the exact same plan. I know that it is silly to be niggling about such small stuff as the price of a cheap bed, but as I told our realtor that’s just us. However, now we have to move two beds.


Dan is overjoyed with the results from yesterday’s NYC mayoral election that all but installed Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor. He was crowing this morning about the almost autocratic levels of support that he had garnered in Dan’s own precinct. Gone are the days when New York can no longer have nice mayors.

Crazy Elon

I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy

I’m not saying that it was DOGE, but it sure followed their MO. All last year, Dan worked on Wall Street, building the set for Will & Trust, an immersive theater project that was being produced by the same group that had produced the highly successful and long running Sleep No More. This new set spanned six floors of an old bank building. It then came as a shock and surprise when without warning this play folded on Easter Sunday. The only notice given was that tickets would be refunded. Employees discovered this closure when their work emails stopped working. No further explanation was given. So, rumors abounded, but facts were nonexistent. It is a mystery. Currently, Dan is now working on another as yet cannot be named immersive theater project, but instead of having to troop to work somewhere else, he is working from home. He is tasked with making half-a-dozen specialty items for this new show. 

Working at the Laundromat


Dan has been working at a laundromat this week. Sure, it was loads of fun working there while it lasted, but I think this job has about run its cycle for him. I just hope it won’t leave a permanent stain on his resume. I must admit that I have gotten a little agitated over this. Maybe, I should just rinse and recycle this for later, but I do not want to be seen throwing in the towel. I won’t sweat it, because I can always just bleach it out later. This is my idea of a clean joke.

Earlier this week, Dan texted the first photo to the family group chat. Yeah, we have one of those too. It shows him high above Brooklyn’s busy streets. I immediately asked him, is that safe? The ladder he is on is precariously balanced atop some scaffolding. He replied that it depends on how much you trust his knot-work. Which, I did not find all that comforting:

Sergeant Horvath: If your mother saw you doing that, she’d be very upset.
Captain Miller: I thought you were my mother.

Saving Private Ryan quotes aside, Dan was repainting the laundromat’s sign. I asked him if it was movies related, but he said no. He was doing this work as a favor for a friend-of-a-friend, but as it turned out, while he was up on the ladder, the place was scouted for a Hollywood director. He is almost done and is now waiting on stencils for its phone number.

Training Time

We rode the G-train and while waiting for our train one of the new subway trains pulled up. Audible oohs and aahs greeted its arrival. One of the old trains eventually stopped for us. I like riding the subway, “It is an opportunity to meet new friends.”