Purge with Brian Lobel, and an unexpectedly beautiful evening

I went to Rich Mix to see Brian Lobel’s Purge, which was quirky, heartwarming, funny, occasionally cringy, and very interesting. I wasn’t too surprised at this fabulous mix of ingredients – from what I have seen of Brian’s previous work, he is a confident and adventurous cook in the performance kitchen. He certainly knows how to spice up bland old Facebook, and to escape the safe distance of manicured profiles for something rather closer to the bone.

The day brought a ferocious downpour in the morning and midday, but by evening it was lovely. The air was heavy with honeysuckle and jasmine, and some vulgar-looking roses had a rudely gorgeous smell.

I also caught up with Vanessa in the week, to see her photography show at Pelirocco. We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and it was good to catch up – she has had a hell of a time, but is her usual creative, won’t take it lying down self.

I am musing on engaging vs. authoritative, as per our many discussions, and what really lies behind the urge to seek those ways of presenting oneself in the world, respectively. It comes into so much of what we are talking about.