The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time...

Dear, I'll have a surprise for you if you can bring me 2 pounds of rabbit meat.

What they don't tell you about graduating is that you're never fully free.

I never thought I'd do so much paper work in my entire life. Regardless, I'm done with school, finally. Resumes are up online, I'm in FCI's job placement system, and I've put in my two weeks with my clients.

Now I guess all I have left to do is wait. But that's the hard part isn't it?

[Private Luke, Richie, David, Eleanor, Audra(any friends I may have forgotten).]

Tonight is my last night at L'Ecole; anybody feel like a late night get together to celebrate?

[Added later.]

I get to be demanding since this is my day of victory. We'll be gathering at the Fat Cat on Christopher Street, I'll be getting out of work around 12:30 am, so I should be there for 1. First round of drinks is on me.

"The artist's job is to be a witness to his time in history." I don't know why it is, but there is always something distinctively more surreal about an artist or writer dying than when you lose somebody proximally and emotionally close to you. I've only dealt with Rauschenberg through galleries and books and artifacts of his lifetime, through a brief meeting with Johns when I was only fifteen and still too young to realize the magnitude of that moment. I never met him and I still feel profound loss. It's an oddly sinking feeling. I bet the MOMA will be packed today.

Happy Birthday, Sir! What time did you want supper?

I can't recall how many times I've heard this song, and I'm just now realizing that Piazza, New York Catcher by Belle and Sebastian is about Mike Piazza of the Mets. [Private Luke and Elisa.] Could one of you please explain this "white sausage/gravy and biscuits" to me. Is it a breakfast food? Dinner? Do you have a recipe?

One more week and then I'm done forever with screaming French chefs, managing nineteen year olds, coddling those same new kids when they chop off a fingertip, aquiring debt, and spending hours redoing mise en place.

Now the question I have left, is what in the world am I going to do with it all?

[Private to: Eleanor, David, Luke, Seith, Jonathan, Richie.] Because fo the LaGuardia power thing, I'm stuck in Logan International for another three hours until they get a new flight in for me. I could drive home faster. If one of you isn't necessarily busy for the rest of day, and it's within reason could I bother you to stake out in my house for the UPS man? I'm expecting a delivery around four, and it's the sort of thing I really don't trust being tossed back into the truck to head back to the center. I'll handsomely reward you with a meal of your choice once I return for your vigilance.

[A series of false starts as she struggles to word this properly.] There is a dead raccoon and a very happy puppy in the doorway to my patio. Can somebody please take care of this?

I wonder, how would the ancient Nubians and Augustus feel about the god damn Met setting up a fucking members' luncheon on the Temple of Dendur?

It seems a bit early, but the robins are back and already starting to nest. Though with Ondine making his home inside, this generation seems a bit confused as to where the great white demon has gone. It's nice to know spring is on its way. [Private David] Thank you for walking with me. [/Private David]

[....]

"Rachael Ray Cooks for Your Pets" has replaced Good Eats, this will not do. At least now she's finally cooking on par with her talent.

It would figure that as soon as I am finally capable of leaving my house and having a good day off, we get hit with a Nor'easter. The wind has already torn up the crocus that had begun to sprout and it knocked Ondine's igloo into my neighbor's yard. At least I've gotten caught up in work, and school for the most part so when the weather finally does clear I can hopefully have the time to enjoy it and maybe head out to Connetquot or Purchase. I just hope it's soon, because all of this grey is getting to me. ( Conrad ) ( David ) ( Eleanor )

Somebody should go punch winter in the face for me.

I'll pay in food.

( 100 questions )

[Started and re-started a few times due to sneezed pen jerks, or other bouts of nastiness.] I ran out of ginger tea. If someone would be so nice as to maybe pick up and drop off a box for me, I'd gladly reimburse them?

I'm not sure how the apartment search has been going, dear, but I just wanted to let you know that Ms. Roberts my NoHo client is going to be subletting her apartment for the rest of the year while she is out in California for business.

I'm sure you already know this, but you know how I can get with my worrying.

There's been a severe outbreak of meningitis around the area, my neighbor just had to bring her little boy into the hospital(I have her daughter while she's there) and apparently it's worse around the pre-k level kids. I just wanted you both to know in case the information wasn't passed on, I looked into it and they're making exceptions to their previous age restrictions on the vaccination because of this.


Caden; you had to get the shot before dorming, right?

I've received an inheritance of fun things to experiment with in the kitchen from Mr. Fisher.

What do you say to one of our dinner parties soon?

I will be holding an impromptu Puppy Bowl IV Party at my house for those of us not entranced by big sweaty men. It is a non mandatory pot luck, and entry requires a picture of ones favorite cute animal. If anyone is interested in attending, do comment for directions.

They had the New York Blood Center RV parked outside of SVA the other day, so I went to donate blood only to find out that I'm ineligible as it hasn't been a full year yet since my last tattoo. Which I suppose I understand, but there are some rules on this here pamphlet that just simply baffle/make me laugh.

Amongst the more curious, if not outrageously obvious ones were:

-Travel to an area of the world where malaria is a problem.
-Blood transfusion.(Why would you gift blood if you've just gotten some?)
-Had sex with(understandable) or lived with someone who has hepatitis.
-Have had sex with anyone listed in these five categories: "have used illegal drugs with a needle, even once", "are a man who has had sex with another man since 1977, even once"(But 1976 is ok?), are a hemophiliac(this is sexually transmittable?), have ever had a positive test for HIV, and- "are a man or woman who has had sex for money or drugs any time since 1977"(Again, why this year?)

I think what annoys me most is that with there current desperation for blood, they are still discriminating against homo/bi-sexual men, but that's an entirely different cause I don't feel like getting into today.

So how is everyone else today? Hopefully nobody caught a cold running about in there underpants?

( Blocked from Elisa Miller. )