Ruminations from the Gallery

I'm taking a break from hours of reading in the National Gallery library to blog. oh how the tables have turned. it feels dirty to blog during work hours, but i suppose its the same difference as taking a coffee break.

having worked in an office for three full days, i now feel v. sorry for the people who come into Starbucks on their coffee breaks, because in just a few minutes they have to go back to work. the contrast couldn't be sharper. Starbucks is all noise, all action. the temperature fluctuates wildly if you're steaming milk or opening the dishwasher. there's always someone new to see and talk to. but in the office the people don't change and neither does your small talk. the air is always the same frigidly climate-controlled temperature. and no matter what you're doing, all you're doing is sitting around.

it's not that i'm bored exactly. some of what i read is v. interesting. the project has hooked me now, so that one part of my mind will be constantly ruminating on Andy Goldsworthy, the issues of his art and its criticism, until months after my role in the project has ended. but i guess what i'm slowly realizing here is the extreme difference between mental and physical stimulation.

on a totally different topic, this is my friend Eva's last weekend in DC. she's taking my place in the great city of New York, and it's hard for me to imagine life here without her. however, two other childhood friends, Sammy and Leah, have just arrived in DC for an indefinite stay at their parental abodes. this weekend i also have a carload of college friends from New York coming down to visit. what is this feeling? its like i'm a beach watching the renters and weekenders come and go.

okay, this has wound up being pretty morose. i think its time to go harass a librarian. spaeter.