“May, if life is sheer toil, a man
Lift his eyes and say: so
I too wish to be? Yes.”

–Hölderlin

This contraption, courtesy of Drew, the local coffee meister, was welded out of copper pipes. Does the trick.

Pretentious, or worth waiting for? Some of those African coffees can be pretty volatile on the tongue, bouncing all around. That said, I’m willing to wait until the Stumptown Ethiopian is done juuuust right at my local place. And they’re workin’ on it.

My first cup, completed. Hey, it’s a process.

Here’s a few unrelated cups by which I’m keeping count of the days. The loner cup.

The keep it going, what time of morning is it anyway, cold cup.

the artsy Renaissance angel napkin cup (1 example, and i have many).

And, finally,

the meet-your-friend in Chelsea cups (La Colombe!). Hey, I do actually share, sometimes.

In honor of the fact that my double espresso of Intelligentsia Coffee is still not working (WHY, oh why must America have more daylight??) I am going to tell you about March, art, and how busy I’ve been.

Would you like to read four of my reviews in Art in America this month? Pick whatever keeps you most awake: Don Dudley (finish-fetish/Minimalist); Paul P. (fetishist, nice finish); Conceptual photo trickster Elad Lassry, and painter Suzanne Caporael.

"Pillow" by Elad Lassry.

If reading reviews wakes you up, you’re a better man than I. Please tell me your secret.

According to the Editorial in this month’s Glamour magazine, women artists still make less money than men. Hmm. Who wrote that? (thanks to Walter Robinson for all his help; art economist David Adler, too).

Last month, the W+G News and Arts ran a/the/my long interview with an amazing artist, Andrew Ohanesian (pictured above), whose practice is, I am convinced, the future of sculptural stuff everywhere.

A few days ago, Anthology Film Archives screened the movie “Brooklyn DIY” by director Marcin Ramocki. The New Filmmakers Series. Hello Joyce Pensato! Hi there, Mike Ballou! (yours truly, talking head, starred, but no photo of that. sorry.)

Peter MccGill is, like, one of the most influential, blue-chip photography dealers around, anywhere. Read my Profile of him in the March/April PhotographMag. Then get your butt out to the big photo fair, AIPAD, starting on Thursday, and see the Brotherhood of photo dealers from around the country converge on the Park Avenue Armory (best place for coffee in that nabe is “Sicaffe” btw).

I had an amazing studio visit with artist Sheila Goloborotko, a cross-trainer, a social organizer. Last week, at Muriel Guépin gallery (in her current show), I talked to a bunch of kids from the local Montessori school in March about how to write an art statement, collaborating with Sheila.

Remember Art Fair Week (um, last week)?? Here’s the Fair roundup I did for TimeOut New York, if you want some 20-20 hindsight. (I stand by what I said about the Independent—it did turn out to be a totally amazing fair, very well hung.)

I also went to Pittsburgh, and gave a 4-hour writing workshop at a lovely photo gallery/non-profit org called SilverEye. photos soon. really nice community of artists.

I know I’m leaving something out. That said, I need to get back to work. Days a wastin’.

We interrupt all this musing on the nature of representation in the visual arts (blah blah blah) to make an important Coffee Culture announcement:

Intelligentsia Coffee is now being served on Henry Street, at Naidre’s former location. I was so stunned, I didn’t even bother to note the new ownership’s name.

Though served in an over-large cup (who sorta cares? smaller ones, we are told, are on order), my macchiato was still fine, and delivered some heart-speeding rushes later on, in addition to good taste and texture while drinking.

Okay, the place is still clearly getting its bearings (not the prettiest cuppa ever). But,

it used to be that you couldn’t get a good espresso pull to save your life anywhere in Carroll Gardens.

Until now. Yes, I am still stunned.

]]> http://www.sarahschmerler.com/brooklyn/intelligentsia-spotted-in-carroll-gardens/feed/ 0 http://www.sarahschmerler.com/brooklyn/overheard-in-corner-coffee-bar-sacriledge/ http://www.sarahschmerler.com/brooklyn/overheard-in-corner-coffee-bar-sacriledge/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:33:11 +0000 sarah http://www.sarahschmerler.com/?p=2044 …namely, the barista asking the poor guy behind me if he didn’t mind getting his coffee [only 2/3rd filled] topped off with decaf.

Seems she hadn’t made enough “regular” coffee, and thought it would be more expedient just to substitute.

As though the cup determined what went in.

He was stunned speechless, as were we all.

My KeepCup (ordered outta Australia) with its superfine food-grade polypropylene keeps goin’ strong though.

They call it the “first barista standard reusable coffee cup.”

Good cup. Hold that caffeine, baby!

Aaagh. Scary.

that said, zero hipsters. zero laptops. just the gentle non-snow falling in front of the funeral parlor. On to CVS, where I could increase my beauty, should I desire, and revel in more slick marketing.

About 10 seconds of the Hits of Yesterday and Today inside the store were enough to let me see my folly. I had avoided hipsters; but I had sunk, low, low, into something much worse.
America runs on…convenience.