Autumn in New York

Yesterday we went to the flea market.  The pictures are from there.  I'm so glad it's Fall.  The leaves here are so beautiful, every day it looks different.  But, more than anything, I can't wait until next Fall, when I can finally enjoy it without school taking up all of my time.  I got that lamp while we were there, and only paid $4.  Sorry about the doughnuts and crumbs in the background haha.  Not sure where it's going to go.  When we were on our way home, we passed a billboard with an ad for the Cider Mill.  We've always wanted to go there, so we decided to give it a try.  It's so neat, they have apples, pumpkins, and cider.   You can also watch them make doughnuts and cider, and buy candy apples, cookies and pie.  It reminded me of going to the pumpkin patch with the family in Illinois.  We got doughnuts, cider, I got a cookie and Jason got an apple crisp pie.  Clearly we have no control when confronted with sugar haha.  It was all very good, and went well with the swiss steak I made for dinner.  

Last night Mortimer escaped while I was cleaning his cage.  Usually he hangs out in his bath house, inside his travel kennel while I clean.  He has no problem going in, he loves taking baths, but getting him back into the cage is a challenge.  He ended up under a small dresser we have, and was trying to get under the trundle bed.  It took almost an hour of coaxing to get him out.  The problem is, unlike our other pets, Mortimer can't be bought haha.  He likes food and toys, but not enough to let me catch him.  I sprinkled raisins around, and he would run out, grab them, and run back under haha.  He's a mad man.  

Today I went to the library to get books for my Theories and Methods research paper.  I'm looking at the early history of the Art Institute.  I've loved going there since I was a kid, and find it's place in Chicago history interesting.  But it's hard, because the whole point of the class is to look critically at the institution of the art museum and the problems with it.  But at the same time, I so enjoy going into a big, echoey, ornate building to quietly contemplate the work of men and women so obviously greater than I haha.  I love the fact that the Philadelphia Museum of Art looks like a giant Greek temple.  I can't help buying into that stuff.  Not only that, but I enjoy ignoring the problem of viewing an artist such as Marcel Duchamp in the context of a large museum.  He was so interested in destroying the aura surrounding art, and now people like me go into a large room in Philadelphia (they have the largest collection of his works in the world, which is the main reason I was so excited to go), and sit in front of The Large Glass to view it in a quiet, almost worshipful manner. But, I guess he did will his works to the museum, so it can't be all bad.  I don't know, critical thinking so often interferes with emotion haha.