American Folk Art Museum

I was on the phone all day doing my consulting job. I have to say convincing people to do stuff and selling them on it WHILE complimenting them sincerely on their phone message or name is rewarding. You don't know how much until you have been out of the game a while like I have.

It is FUN to work! And it is easy when it is not a con.

I just miss engaging with people on a project and knowing that I will get paid for it. Simple as that. Maybe I should sell vacuums over the phone. Or peanut butter makers. Who isn't happier with warm peanut butter all over their hands, kids and carpet?

Done for the day.

Now time to change hats. I am going home to San Francisco in the morning to see the family. Truly excited about this. But what do you get kids who have an uncle who is underemployed? I ask you.



I know this place on W. 53rd. It is the American Folk Art Museum Store. And it shares space with an actual museum! They have the coolest stuff in this place. Random folksy, silly, fun stuff. I went there to find somethings New Yorky, fun and affordable. I have to keep up my quirky uncle from far away image. "Mommy, why doesn't Uncle Pat have a wife?"

New York has more museums (and ostensibly more museum stores) than any other city in the world. (I am just assuming that statistic, but I am sure I am not far wrong.) There is a museum for everything here. The Museum of the Moving Van. The American Museum of the Monkey Flying Out of My Butt. The Victoria and David Museum. Even the Museum of the Underwear You Only Wear When Everything Else Is Dirty Museum. I kid you not.

Much.



Anyway, I love the volunteer ladies at the AmFoArMu Store. They are always sweet and they ring up your sale on a computer that should itself be in the Smithsonian Museum. I got some cool trinkets for my siblings' wee progeny here. Come I'll show you...

On the upper left is a quilted pot holder. This is for Rita. She is like 1. It can't break and she can chew on it. Below the pot holder is a doggy pencil sharpener. You stick the pencil in its mouth and turn its tail. That is for Oonagh. To the dog's right is a Pinocchio measuring tape. You pull his nose and a tape measure keeps coming out - longer and longer! That's for Mitch. And right to the right is a chocolate chip cookie purse with a zipper for Claire. And up top in green is a tin of band-aids shaped like PICKLES for Johnny! I hope they like them.

Here are the 3 possible scenarios out of all this:

1. They will all be broken and forgotten in minutes.
2. They will be remembered years from now when one becomes an engineer (measure tape), doctor (bandaids), chef (pot holder), graphic artist (pencil sharpener), and President of the United States (cookie purse!) all because I gave them these gifts. Me, Me ME. I was the major influence in all their lives!! Mwahhaahhaahh!

OR

3. 37 year old on therapist's couch. "Well, it all started when I was a kid and my strange uncle Pat who never got married gave me this thing that I hated, but my cousin got this other thing that I loved. I always felt he never got me and it started a life of feeling misunderstood and rejected. All over a cookie purse. Why didn't I get the cookie purse?