Miss · Fae's · Adversaria

in reverse order













pictured and not: random mailboxes, (the very best) housewarming party (ever), Smith Street Bastille Day, out-of-town visitor, waiting for godot with nathan lane, Brooklyn Flea, aerialists, unlimited mimosas at brunch, and a secret.

also, how many people have a picture of themselves and their landlord, let alone a coconut?

(kohlrabi adventures coming soon)

ps. buy my zine!

As many of you already know, I spent a the later half of June creating a new zine. I finished it just in time for the NYC Zine Fest, only making photocopies a few hours before the doors opened at the Brooklyn Lyceum. The first run of the zine completely sold out at the fest. A pure delight, but it did mean that it took me a little while to make new copies to share with all of you. The wait is over, you, too, can get your own copy of Imaginary Windows no. 4.

This issue is a perzine about my bicycle, gender, inheriting stories, amazing art, Brooklyn, recipes, and my heart. It's been many years since I put out a copy of IW, and I must say, I feel that this is my best zine ever. I'm so proud of it.

*40 pages, quarter size / Cost: $2 (paypal fees added, alas)
buy now with paypal:

international orders:

or you can send $2 concealed cash & $0.44 stamp to: PO Box 350, NY, NY 10013 (FYI: I only check my po once a week)


nevers and I tabling the NY Zine Fest a few weeks ago
image by sr_alecthompson

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So, my landlord is nancy drew.

After I came down to find Petal gone, I called the cops. My landlord informed us that there is video surveillance of the building. it was something: more than most have when a bike gets stolen. He had to call the company to get the tape. Everything is digital now, after all. The reason that my landlord has video is that he owns the bodega on the corner. This business also means that he has a pretty good feel for this part of the Brooklyn. Starting that sad Saturday, my landlord began asking store patrons: "Hey. Do you know anyone with a green bike for sale? I know this girl. She just loves those old bicycles. A girl bike. She'll pay anything." People often come in trying to sell him things, so he knew who to start questioning. He'd been calling me pretty regularly to give me updates. We were still waiting for Friday night's video to be reviewed by the surveillance company. On Monday, he calls, but I don't pick up. I was making zine photocopies and figured I'd just call him back. He leaves a message: "Some guy, eh, maybe he has a bike like you like, you know. come look." He calls back, again, and I figure I should pick up this time. He'd gone to the back of the bodega to phone me: "Come now, get here now. Your bike is here. Call the cops. Have them meet you." I get in a car and give the driver $10.

When I walk into the bodega, Petal is inside, by the door. "That's my bike!"

I pick her up and take her home.

It's no small miracle.

I am tabling at the NYC Zine Fest today and tomorrow, at the Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope. 12 - 7 both days. You can find all the information here: http://www.nyczinefest.org/

There's a new zine, it's true! I will have all the info here on Monday. It's my first issue of Imaginary Windows since 2005. I want to write more about the process of making a new zine, but for now, I have to get ready to go to Office Max to make photocopies.

If you live in NYC, please come by the fest and say hello. Oh, and be the first to get your hands on the new zine.

question: what do you do when you buy a dresser and the drawers smell musty?

answer: make quick sachets

1) crush some lavender to release the scent
2) get a dryer sheet
3) put lavender on top of dryer sheet
4) fold dryer sheet around lavender
5) staple.

Viola. Leave a sachet in each drawer overnight, and by morning, you can put your clothes away without worrying about smelling like art deco moth balls. Leave the sachets in your drawers to make your bloomers smell sweet.

Less so lately, but I used to constantly compare my life to a movie. I would say things like, "this is the part of my movie where...." Anyway, if there was ever a wonder why, it's because things like the exchange below happen to me. Last night, after booklyn, I went to a bodega in my neighborhood. After some deliberation, I chose a pint of ben and jerry's creme brule. I took it to the counter to pay. Here's the exchange...

she (mild-mannered seeming korean lady): hello
me: hello. I haven't tried this flavor before, have you? is it any good?
she: with ben and jerry's, don't doubt it
me: that's a good motto. i like it
she: i alternate. there are four different brands of ice cream and i like to try different ones
me: yeah...
she: a little change can make a big difference in your life.
me: wow. thank you.

i told her it almost made me cry and she told me that i made her day, too.

I found this in Camilla Engman's flickr pool for organized collections. This variety of sorting and ordering is very calming to me. I think it relates to my love of calendars. Taxonomy.

Defining, and then blurring and challenging those definitions. It's one of the ways that I best explore.

I just sent an email to everyone I have ever known asking for sponsorship for my handstand at LAVA's annual Handstand-A-Thon. Curious or want to help? Click the image above for more information. Hooray. I love handstands

My landlord descended from a cloud on heaven to be the perfect building manager and landlord. Somehow, I ended up with the dream landlord, the stuff of urban legend. He just called me from home depot to ask me if I wanted him to buy me a microwave. Then he asked me whether I would prefer white or stainless steel. On Friday, I was unlucky with my craigslist movers (incompetent, lazy, unwilling to carry things up the stairs), and when I arrived at my new home frazzeled and a mess because the guys wanted to be paid in the middle of the move, dream landlord loaned me $120 (my subletter/roommate was walking over from the 4th street apartment with my purse, which contained my wallet). Then, upon seeing that the movers weren’t doing their job, dream landlord stepped in to help out, AND got one of his workers from the bodega he owns on the corner to assist in carrying my things up the stairs. As I am the first person to live in this renovation, some things have been going awry, and he is always right on it, fixing it, making things work. He told me yesterday that if there is anything that needs to ve moved or taken care of in the apartment, to just let him know and he would attend to it. I know that the special treatment I am getting is partially the free-stuff-for-femmes bonus, but still. It’s quite nice to have a landlord who is so attentive and who really wants me to be happy in this apartment.

Now, I just need to ask him to carry the fleur de sel caramel ice cream flavor at the bodega….

day 1:

I have been very occupied with the new apartment. I still cannot believe that it is mine.

Things are starting to pull together, though. And what I mean by that is that the kitchen is starting to look awesome.


day 5:

Packing. Oh my goodness, packing. I'm hanging in there, doing my breathing and checking in with myself to control my anxiety, but moving is stressful for anyone.

"Get rid of it. You don't need it."

I was telling carrie what was hard to get rid of, what I'm slow about purging (papers, articles), and she pointed out that just because I'm getting rid of something, doesn't mean it wasn't/isn't important. It just means that I don't need it anymore. I'm going to make a list of the articles I throw out, so if I ever need them again, I'll have the list. I can get them, again.

Tonight I am having a good dinner: broccoli rabe and spinach walnut tortellini. Yum.

(thanks to E for the squirrel photo. It's definitely a highlight of today)

Based on my viewing and rating patterns, Netflix recommends me 'Understated Dramas about Marriage,' 'Steamy Movies from the 1980s' and 'Gay & Lesbian Forbidden-Love Dramas'

Um, ok. I guess....